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by him to write his doom in mystical characters on the wall. The sentence is expounded to him by the prophet of the Lord, and that very night his city is taken and sacked, he himself slain, and his kingdom given to another. Haman cherishes a deadly jealousy against the upright Mordecai, and carries his hatred so far as to erect a gallows on which he proposes hang the object of his enmity. His dark schemes are discovered and turned against himself, and he and his sons are hanged on the gibbet which he had prepared for another.” 1

What a commentary this array of judgments and punishments on the truth of the apostle's declaration, that, under the old dispensation, "every transgression received a just recompense of reward."

Guided, therefore, by the Bible, and instructed by the providence of God, we warn every man of the swift retributions of sin; and endeavor to persuade all that the only way of life and peace and blessedness, is the way of obedience and righteousness. We proclaim to all men everywhere: "The wages of sin is death," and they are promptly paid. If you would not receive them, abandon the service of sin, and follow after holiness; for until you do this, you shall not see the Lord, nor enjoy his comfortable presence. Do this, and you shall have that peace which passeth knowledge; and the Holy Spirit, which is the Universal Comforter, shall come and dwell with you for

ever.

"A System of Temporal Retribution indicated from Scripture and Observation." The author was formerly a Presbyterian Minister of Nova Scotia.

CHAPTER IX.

REPENTANCE AND FORGIVENESS AS RELATED TO SALVATION AND

PUNISHMENT.

Repentance, in its relation to Salvation, is simply reformation, or that "godly sorrow" for sin which leads to its abandonment. It is not mere regret for wrong, but, through the help of the Holy Spirit, such a complete change of mind and heart, in regard to the exceeding wickedness of all disobedience, and the nature of wrong itself, that the heart and conscience turn from it with abhorrence. John Baptist preached, as the fore-runner of Jesus, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And the Saviour said, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the gospel." Mark i. 15. That is, Reform, for the kingdom of righteousness is about to be set upabandon your sinful and wicked life, and prepare, by a change of faith, and heart, and conduct, to enter into its heavenly joys.

Paul says to the Corinthians, "I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance; for godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of." 2 Cor. vii. 8-11. Not sorrow only, not regret that they had suffered for their sin; but sorrow for the sin itself, and such sorrow that it led to a complete reformation, to an en

tire change of heart and life, and consequent salvation from sin and from the love of it.

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To the same point is the exhortation of Peter: Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord," &c. Acts iii. 19. Reform, and be so thoroughly turned to God, that he may look upon you no longer as sinners, but as saved, having a new heart and a right spirit." And John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." Mark i. 4. The thought here is the same-such repentance as will put away sin entirely, and lead to a new life of holiness. And thus repentance and salvation touch each other at these points, and are identical.

Of course, presented in this Scriptural form, it is easy to see that repentance is necessary to salvation, to deliverance from sin; and that without repentance there can be no salvation, no conformity to the divine law of holiness. But, at the same time, we must remember that salvation is from sin, and not from punishment; and that repentance, therefore, is not security from punishment, not a way or a means of escape from the penalty of actual transgression.

Repentance leads to forgiveness, just as it leads to salvation; for forgiveness, as taught in the Bible, is forgiveness of sin, never of the punishment of sin. This is important, and is illustrated by such passages as 'these: "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." 1 John i. 9. "Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people." Psalm lxxxv. 2. "And their sins shall be forgiven them." Mark iv. 12.

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." Psalm xxxii. 1; Rom iv. 7. "Having forgiven you all trespasses." Col. ii. 13. "I write to you, because your sins are forgiven." 1 John ii. 12. "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities." Psalm ciii. 3. "Him hath God exalted with his right hand, a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Acts v. 31.

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Through him is preached unto you forgiveness of sins." iii. "In whom we have forgiveness of sins." Eph. i.; Col. i.

These texts are proofs of the position that the Scriptural doctrine of forgiveness is not remission of punishment, but of the sin which brings punishment. We are punished for sins already committed, but we are forgiven the evil heart, the wicked passions which lead to the commission of them.

And this truth is clearly set forth in such testimony as this: "The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty." Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. Nothing can be more directly to the point, than this declaration, that the guilty are both punished and forgiven; that it is iniquity, transgression, and sin, which are forgiven, and not the consequences or penalty of these.

Hence God says to the prophet Isaiah, "Comfort ye my people, speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received at the Lord's hand, double for all her sins." xl. 1, 2. It is impossible to state the matter in more positive

terms than these. Jerusalem had been punished severely, terribly for all her sins, and at the same time we are told that she was pardoned or forgiven-but what was forgiven? "Her iniquity," or the sin which brought upon her these judgments of the Lord. And without question, the very punishment she suffered was one of the agencies by which this forgiveness was accomplished.

What, then, is the meaning of forgiveness? The original word is aqunu, aphiemi, in its verbal form, and pois, aphesis, in its substantive form. The italicized words, in the following texts, are renderings of the original terms: "Then Jesus sent the multitudes away." Matt. xiii. 36. And in 1 Cor. vii. 12, it is applied to the divorce or putting away of a wife. In Luke iv. 18, it occurs twice, translated by the English words "deliverance" and "liberty," -"to preach deliverance to the captives, and to set at liberty them that are bruised.

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The simple meaning, therefore, of the term "forgiveness," is putting or sending away, removal, or deliverance from; and "forgiveness of sin," is removal of sin, or deliverance from sin. From this point the subject becomes intelligible. The sin is punished and forgiven- the penalty of transgression is inflicted; and then the sinner is forgiven, or delivered from his sinful course, his evil heart of wickedAnd the very punishment itself, is conducive to this forgiveness, on this putting away of sin. Subdued and humbled by the just judgments of God, he reflects upon his ways, is brought to repentance, abandons his wicked life, and thus his sins are dismissed, put away, forgiven; he is set at liberty, or

ness.

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