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OF
CHRIST'S
ATON
EMEh.
105
one
anther;
.1
.John
tv,
11.
Arid
in
the
foregoing
chapter,
iii.
16.
he
raises this inference
of
love to a
sub,
lime degree
:
"
Because
God
bath
laid
down his
life.
for
us,.
we
ought
to lay down
our
lives
for the
brethren:
"
But
how.
can
any person make a
pretence
to
cbristianity,
who
" bath the
goods
of
this world,
and seeth
his
brother
have
need, and
shutteth
up
his bowels
of
compassion
from
him.
?"
verse
17.
Now can
such an
hardened
and
cruel heart pretend that
the
love
of God dwells there
?
This
blessed
truth
of the
forgiveness
of
sin
through
th©
propitiation
of
Christ; demands
of
us
the duties
of
for-
bearance and.
forgiveness;
of.
kindness
and tenderness
to
men.
-"
Be ye
kind one
to-
another,. and
tender-heart-
ed, forgiving: one
another,
even as
God
for
Christ's sake
bath
forgiven
you,"
Eph..
iv,
32.
Shall
christians bite
and devour each other, shall they rage against each
other
with
bitter reproaches,
shall they
quarrel, and grieve, and
wound
each other,
who .were
once
fellow- slaves in
the
chains
of
guilt,
and: death,
and
were
redeemed together
by
the
voluntary death
of
the Son
of
God?
Shall
they
who have known
and
tasted. such
divine compassion,
imitate
the
rage, and
malice,
and envy
of
hell;
rather
than
the heavenly
example
of
the
blessed
Jesus
?.
Reflection.:
"
And.hast
thou never
felt the influence
of
this divine
truth,
U.
my,soul,
this
blessed
doctrine
of
atoning. love
?
Dost
thou
swell
with
anger?
Dost
thou
resent.every
supposed
injury? Dost thou.indulge
aspi-
rit of
revenge? And
do
thy thoughts
contrive mischief
to men,
while
the
thoughts
of the
Son
of God are
all ten,-
(Iciness
and compassion towards -thee?
Had
he-
resented
all thy
iniquities, had
he
meditated:
vengeance for
all.thr
crimes,
he
had
never
laid down
his life
to
rescue thee
from
hell,
and
thy
state
and
thy.
case
had_been
miserable
without
hope.
."
Hast
thou
nò
pity
for the
poor, when
their necessi'
ties
and groans
cry
aloud
for thy
relief:?
The
Son
oWodc
did
not
deal thus
with
thee
:
He expended
the
riches
of
his
love
upon thee, even
his
unsearchable
riches.
of
grace;
And when no .other
price
was .sufficient
to
redeem..
thee
from
death, he
gave.
up himself for
thee,
and
made:
his
own
soul an
.offering
for thy
sins. Remember.
there-
fore, when
provocations
to :anger
are
.set before thee,
and thou fcelest the inward rising.passion, remember the.