to make it honourable. The penalty annexed to transgression, was by no means to satisfy anger and revenge; for God is love, and delights not in the death of him that dieth. God inflicts punishment only when the glory of his name and the good of his kingdom make it necessary. The sufferings of the impenitent are for the good of the universe, and not to satisfy personal motives; and the obedience and sufferings of our Saviour, were for the same end; and they actually do stand, in the room, and stead, of the sufferings due to the penitent, so that by his stripes they are healed. Suppose the property of a government should be loaned to you for a time, by its prince, and you should spend it in dissipation, instead of improving it for lawful gain, and thereby become unable to pay the demand, and the law of the country makes it necessary to imprison you for the default, until the claim is satisfied; should the prince come forward voluntarily, and cancel the obligation, and destroy it, justice could no longer hold you in prison, for the law would be satisfied, and the demand annihilated; but would such proceedings do honour to the law, and secure obedience to it by taking away its penalty? would it not be virtually saying, the law was rigorous, unjust, and unkind? But suppose he should pay the full amount to the government, and preserve the obligation against you, and then offer you release from prison, on condition of your repent

ance and submission; on this ground you would not be liberated from the demand of the law, and your deliverance from punishment would depend on the clemency of the prince, since he has repaired the damage to the government, and secured the honour of the law; so that he can still be just to punish, and not unjust to shew mercy to the penitent.

Lorenzo. Are not our sins, in some sense, transferred or imputed to the Redeemer?

Evander. The Scriptures inform us, that there is such a thing as imputation, but not transference. Abraham's works were imputed to him for righteousness. There is another sense: if I have a particular friendship for a man, there may be a propriety in treating his son with more kindness than I otherwise should, if no friendship existed between his father and myself; but in this case there is no transference; the respect is for the father's sake. In like manner, David shewed kindness to Mephibosheth for his father Jonathan's sake. The family of Achan perished with him for his taking of the accursed thing; his family, like all others, were guilty of sin, and had the sentence of death upon them; they suffered no more than their personal desert, although they might not have been accessory in that crime: his sin was not the efficient cause, but only the occasion of their death. In consequence of the atonement made for sin by our

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blessed Saviour, God graciously forgives the sins of the penitent, and accepts them as righteous in the sight of the law, only for the righteousness of Christ, being in this manner imputed to them; so that whosoever repenteth shall find mercy, for "he is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”

Lorenzo. Your ideas suppose that salvation is partly by works, and that repentance constitutes a part of the atonement for sin.

Evander. Although I disavow that repentance forms any part of the atonement, for the blood of Jesus alone cleanses from sin, yet I do believe a spirit of repentance absolutely necessary for salvation; not only to prepare the sinner for the enjoyment of heaven, but for the happiness of the universe. Suppose a number of men league together, and swear eternal rebellion against the government of their country, and actually commit sedition, the good of their country requires that they should be punished with death; but we will admit that the public good can, in some other way, be as well secured without their execution as with it, then, to liberate them without repentance, would be an insult to community; for it is supposed they are still determined on rebellion; but should they become real penitents, they are no longer dangerous to society; and since the honour of the law is effectually secured, and as much so as it would be if they were executed, no benevolent

person would wish to have them suffer, as no public good would be answered. To inflict punishment without a reference to the general good, is totally opposed to benevolence; from this we see, that the nature of things concur with the voice of revelation in proclaiming repentance towards God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as a necessary condition of sal

vation.

Lorenzo. I have no disposition to dispute with you as to the nature or the extent of the atonement, since you grant every thing necessary to my argument, in acknowledging that it is sufficient for the salvation of all mankind. Does it not look probable that the means and the end will answer to each other? If it is sufficient for all, then will not all be saved? I think it is evident, from the Scriptures, that all will come to the knowledge of the truth. The glorious news of the Saviour's birth, was declared by the worshipping angels, to be "glad tidings of great joy to all people ;" but if your ideas are correct, it must be very bad news to a great proportion of mankind, as it will increase their condemnation; but the angels glorified God, that it was to all people good tidings of great joy.

Evander. The news of salvation, by a crucified Saviour, is not only a matter of the highest joy to fallen man, but a wonder into which the angels desire to look, and a theme on which they dwell with extatic joy and delight. It does not

follow, because salvation is free, and all are in-. vited to receive it, without money and without price, that all will accept the invitation, and participate in its blessedness; neither does it follow, that it is not glorious news, because it is slighted by many. It is good tidings to all people, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear; for the goodness of a feast does not depend on the guests receiving, or not receiving it, but on the provision itself.

Lorenzo. Do we not read that God covenanted with Abraham, saying, " and in thy seed. shall all the nations of the earth be blessed," that is, in Christ all mankind shall be blessed; the heathen shall be given for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession. Our Saviour says, "I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." The apostle saith," we have seen, and do testify, that the Father sent the Son to be a Saviour of the world;"" and this grace of God that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men ;" "we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men;" not a part, agreeable to your sentiments, but all; for "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." The commission Christ received from the Father was to save the world; "for God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world, through