confidence in the performance of his promises, is that which represents him as an uniform being, whose attributes harmonize, and who is always consistent with himself*." Punitive justice is essential to God. The holiness of Deity requires the punishment of every sin. His honour demands the condem. nation of the guilty, and his truth the execution of the sentence: therefore is it impossible that sin should be unpunished, or that the sinner can be saved with out an atonement. "The justice of God presides, as it were, in all the divine decrees, actions, and words: there is no egress of the divine will, though distinctly breathing mercy, truth, or wisdom, but in respect thereof God is eminently said to be justt." He is just and having salvation. He is just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. In the exercise of justice, God is infinitely free from all constraint. None resisteth his will with effect. Although always free, he cannot for a moment be indifferent whether he shall act justly or not. This would be an imperfection. Justice requires that sin be punished, because sin deserves punishment. Every sin deserves punishment; and what its demerit demands, justice demands. "If it be allowed that great crimes should be punished in some measure answerable to the heinousness of the crime; it will follow, that it is requisite that God should punish all sin with infinite punishment; because all sin, as it is against God, has infinite demerit, and is infinitely hateful to him." Every sin also must be punished precisely according to its demerit. What it deserves, justice requires that it should receive. It is not enough that some sins should be punished in order to give an * Saurin. † Owen. & Zach. ix. 9. § Rom. 3.26. evidence of God's power to punish. Justice demands that no sin whatever should escape; because every sin deserves punishment, and it would be unjust not to treat sin as it deserves to be treated. It is perfectly obvious, that if God may justly pass one sin over with impunity, he may, so far as justice is concerned, pass over all sins without punishing them. This mode of reasoning is abundantly supported by the word of God. Thou art not a God that hast pleasure in wickedness; neither shall evil dwell with thee: thou hatest all the workers of iniquity. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments. The wages of sin is death. He will render to every one according to his works. The Lord that will by no means clear the guilty. The consciences of men bear testimony to this principle, Justice requires the punishment of sin. The heathen idolaters, in every part of the world, were conscious that the divinity punishes the guilty. We have in proof of this, their own poets, historians, and philosophers. And we have a more sure word in confirmation of this fact, respecting the heathen. Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death*. The conscience, which the hand of the omnipotent God hath recently touched for conviction, feels the force of this truth. The terrors of the Lord surround him day and night. The arrows of the Almighty stick fast, the poison whereof drinketh up his spirit. He no longer doubts that every sin deserves the wrath of God both in this life and that which is to comet." He feels that the righteous Lord will not clear the guilty. He feels the necessity of the atonement of an atone Rom. i. 32. † Shorter Catechism. ment which does more than merely exhibit God's displeasure at sin in the abstract. God's displeasure at sin is displayed in the torments of the damned. The conscience, convinced of sin, seeks for an atonement adequate to remove the offence of its own sins. Not of some of its sins; but of all its sins. God never can clear the guilty. While the guilt of any one sin remains, justice necessarily demands punishment. Justice is glorified in exhibiting pardon, as well as in executing vengeance. Therefore does the soul rejoice, because each pardoned sinner can say, Thou forgavest the iniquity of MY sin*. What The death of Jesus Christ as a satisfaction for sin, is conclusive evidence of the impossibility of pardoning the sinner without the full punishment of all his sins. He was made a propitiation for us, in order to glorify divine justice by the punishment of our sins, in his sufferings, that by his obedience we might be made righteous. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sinst." sins? Sin in the abstract? Did the idea of sin deserve punishment? Is it the word sin that is punished? Is it against the word only that God is displeased? Sin, in the abstract, is nothing more than the word. No creature ever was guilty of it in the abstract. Alas! Shall we suffer terms without meaning to rob us of our scriptural language, and of our Christian hope? No. The Redeemer suffered for our sins sins of individual persons actually existing. He suffered the punishment of all our sins; the full punishment of every sin of every individual that shall be saved. Justice required no less. What justice demanded, he suffered. Infinite wisdom fixed the proportion. He is our near kinsman," and not a * Psalm xxxii. 5. † Rom. iii. 26. remote monument of sufferings for sin in the abstract. The Bible-language is sweet to the soul. It has the unction of the Holy Ghost. "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed*." The holiness of deity requires the punishment of every sin. God is infinitely holy. Holiness is opposition to sin. The nature of God is therefore infinitely opposed to the immorality of moral agents. And shall he not act against it? Shall he not take vengeance upon our iniquities? Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord †. Sins, for which no sacrifice is made, are unpardonable. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation‡. There is a necessart connexion between every sin, for which no adequate sacrifice is made, and fearful judgment; because God is holy. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil; and canst not look on iniquity §. It ought not to be otherwise. It is impossible it should be otherwise. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness|| ? The honour of Jehovah demands the condemnation of the guilty. Honour and majesty are before him. Every sin is a dishonouring of God, and a contempt of his majesty. The language of sin is, that God's displeasure is not worth regarding. And shall such kanguage be justified, or permitted to escape with impunity? The Ruler of the Universe cannot be entitled to infinite reverence, unless the consequence of contempt for his authority be infinitely awful. Therefore every instance of rebellion against him must be punished. "If we could behold the infinite fountain of purity and holiness, and could see what an infinitely pure flame it is, and with what a pure brightness it shines, so that the heavens appear impure when compared with it; and then should behold some infinitely odious and detestable filthiness brought and set in its presence; would it not be natural to expect some ineffably vehement opposition made to it*?" * Isa. liii. 4, 5. § Hab. i. 13. † Rom xii. 19. ‡ Heb. x. 26. Truth requires the punishment of every sin. God is Truth. He is incapable of misrepresentation or falsehood. He has published a law for the regulation of our conduct; and to the transgression of his law he hath annexed a suitable penalty. The law is holy, just, and good. And cursed is every one who continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them. If there is truth in heaven, then it is impossible that the sinner can be saved without the full punishment of all his sins. The great God did not publish his law, and utter these threatenings, for his own amusement. If sin is not prevented by the law, it must be punished. Accordingly, the law is magnified in the obedience of Messiah, and the curse has taken, in him, as our surety, full effect. He was made a curse for us. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law t. It remains, that we prove, 3. It is the election of grace that creates that state of things, which renders necessary an atonement by the vicarious sufferings of Jesus Christ. * Edwards. † Gal. iii. 18. |