94 FORGIVENESS OF SIN. 1. There is his purpose of sending his Son to be the great means of procuring, of purchasing forgiveness. Though God be infinitely gracious, though he purpose to exert this grace and goodness towards sinners, yet he will do it in such a way as shall not be prejudicial to his ownholiness and righteousness. His justice must be sat- isfied, and his holy indignation against sinmade known; wherefore he sent his Son, to make way for the exer- cise of mercy, so as no way to eclipse the glory of his justice, holiness, and hatred of sin. Better we should all eternally come short of forgiveness, than that God should lose any thing of his glory. This we have, Rom. 3 : 25. "God set Him forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past." The remission of sins is the thing aimed at; but this must be brought about, that not only the mercy, but the righteousness of God may be declared ; and therefore it must be brought forth by á propitiation, or atonement in the blood of Christ. So John, 3 16 ; 1 John, 4 : 9 ; Rom. 5 : 8. Men who have slight thoughts of God, whose hearts were never awed with his majesty or greatness, who never seriously considered his purity and holiness, may think it no great matter that God should pardon sin. But do they consider the way in which it was brought about l even by the sendingof his only Son, and that to die. Neither was there any other way whereby it might be done. Oh how little is this really believed, even by those who make a profession of. it ! and what mean thoughts are entertained about it, when men seek for pardon !Freedom from punishment is the utmost that lies in the aims and desires of most, and is all that they consider when they deal with God about sin. Such men think we have an easy task in hand to prove that there is forgiveness in God ; but if ever they come to search after it indeed, to inquire into thenature, reasons, causes,
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