display the true beauties of his infinitely excellent and glorious character.

THAT the moral character of God should be truly delineated in his government, is what is of primary and principal importance; because with this is certainly connected the order, the harmony and the greatest good, of the universe. The character of God being infinitely excellent, and in itself most perfectly harmonious; when it is truly delineated in his government, must of necessity be productive of the greatest good and harmony among his creatures. To manifest the real excellencies of the divine character, therefore, it. was that the law was originally given; and, for the same end was it established by such awful sanctions. The honor of the law of course is evidentiy maintained, and the ends of government answered, when that character, with which the supreme Ruler invests himself in the various parts of his law, is exhibited and supported in administration. So that whenever

God's just and real displeasure against sin, is exhibited in some other way, to equal advantage as it would be in the final destruction of the sinner; atonement is then made for his sins, and a door opened for the exercise of pardening mercy.

2. It would be as inconsistent with the design of God, in the government of the world, to suffer the sins of his creatures to pass unnoticed, as their virtue to go unrewarded. The end of God in his moral government, as much requires that he should testify his hatred of iniquity, as his love of holiness. And if the moral government of God be designed truly to delineate his character; if we are here to expect a sensible discovery of the feelings, the disposition, of his own infinite mind, toward the several characters of his creatures; it must appear, every way, as inconsistent for God to neglect expressing his righteous displeas

ure against vice; as his approbation of virtue: God's hatred of the former, is as real and immutable, as his love of the latter. That mode of administration, therefore, toward sinners, which would not sensibly delineate and express the former, would no more comport with the character and designs of God, than that which should leave the latter undiscovered.

If these things are so, it will be as inconsitent with the attributes of God, and the great end which he hath in view in the government of the world,to suffer one sin to pass without expressing in some convincing manner his hatred of it; as to suffer virtue to go unrewarded. Not only so, but it will, on these principles, be essential to the divine glory, that the moral government of God should be as full and sensible an expression of his abhorrence of every impure character among his creatures, as of his approbation of the conduct of all such as never rebelled against him. If the moral government of God should not be administered in such a manner as sensibly to express this to the views of his creatures; it would not exhibit his true character, the real and infinitely excellent disposition of his own holy mind.

3.IT appears from what hath been already observed, that the Atonement had a more immediate and direct relation to the penal part of the divine law.

IT is unquestionably true that Christ was set forth to be a propitiation to declare God's righteousness; and the great ends of righteousness required that there should be an atonement for sin, in order to prepare the way for its remission. But it is to be remembered, it was the righteousness of God as it related to the execution of threatened and deserved punishment, that needed to be declared, in order to the exercise of pardoning mercy; and not as it related to the bestow

ment of rewards :-Righteousness, as it respected rendering vengeance to enemies; not favour and protection to friends. God's favor for the righteous, and his approbation of their characters, would have not

been rendered suspicious by a total neglect to execute punitive justice ;-unless, indeed, his benevolent regards to their best interest, and his distinguishing approbation of their characters, should become suspicious, by his neglect to avenge them on their adversaries. But the very supposition of a possibility that God's benevolent regards to the righteous, should be rendered doubtful by his neglecting to punish the wicked, strongly implies that it was the righteousness of God as it relates to the execution of punishment that needed to be declared, in order to the pardon of the sinner.

HAD vengeance against God's enemies never been. displayed; every blessing which obedience could have merited, and which in that case could have been enjoyed, might nevertheless be bestowed. So that the Deity could not justly have been impeached as being deficient in his regards to the righteous, had he pardoned sin without an atonement: For as far as righteousness in a governor relates to approving and rewarding the obedient; God might nevertheless have appeared perfectly just and righteous.

BUT with respect to righteousness as it relates to the execution of deserved punishment, the case is far otherwise. In this regard, when sin had actually taken place, the divine righteousness needed honor and vindication; and necssarily would need them, until it were in some sensible manner exhibited to the views of creatures. For the character of God could not fail of being reproached, as deficient both in his regards to his own authority, and in making a distinction between the holy and the unclean, had he pardoned without a

visible exhibition of his hatred of the iniquity of the sinner. And even the obedient part of the universe had no small interest in a display of righteousness in this regard, as it could not fail of contributing to their more sensible security under the government of God, and their greater and more respectful reverence of his character.

So that whatever part of the universe were concerned in the displays of divine righteousness, in order to the remission of sin; whether it were God himself, and his own infinitely excellent character; or the obedient and virtuous part of creation; still what more immediately and especially concerned both, was, that righteousness as it more directly related to the penal

ties and sanctions of the law should be exhibited and made sensibly to appear.

Ir it should be urged that the righteousness of God in the most large and general sense of the term, might have been sufficiently displayed by some lively exhibition of his regards to the preceptive parts of the law; because the penal only represent God's love of righteousness in general; still this would be no argu ment that the atonement did not more immediately respect the penal part of the divine law. For admitting the ultimate use of penalties to be no more than to express God's love of righteousness in general, or even his love of obedience still they cannot do this, any further than they are regarded and have respect paid to them in the administration of government. the penalties of the law should not be regarded in the government of God, they could not serve to illustrate his love of obedience. For the righteousness of God, as it respects the precepts of the law, is as evidently discernible in his regards to the penalties; as his righteousness relative to the penalties is in his regards to the precepts. The Governor of the world as strongly

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and sensibly manifests his love of obedience by punishing wickedness, as his hatred of iniquity by rewarding virtue. And since in the divine view the precepts and the penalties of the law are both necessary in order to a clear and full discovery of the character and glory of God; it is necessary that both be equally regarded in the administration of government. So that in whatever light we view the matter, it must appear of equal importance that God should manifest his respects to the penalties of the law by a display of anger; as to the precepts by approbation. And since both parts of the law are essential to its authority, and to the glory and honor of its giver; it is also necessary that the Government of God should appear to correspond with both; and equally necessary that he should display vengeance as bestow rawards. Therefore is it manifest that the divine righteousness, particularly as it. relates to the execution of vengeance, was what peculiarly needed to be honored, in order to a consistent and justifiable exercise of mercy toward sinners.

4. As far as God's love of righteousness and hatred of iniquity can be separately viewed and distinguished from each other; the great end of the death of Christ was to exhibit the latter not the former.

THE disposition of the divine mind is perfectly uniform and harmonious. There is nothing in God, or in the disposition of his mind, but benevolence and love. Yet general goodness operates in a different manner toward different objects; and obtains different epithets, according to these severally different operations. Should we, for instance, conceive no different ideas of divine justice from those which we entertain of divine mercy; it is evident we should have no proper and adequate conceptions of either. Or should we form no different ideas of God's love of virtue, and of his hatred of vice; it is manifest that we should