his sin he endangered infinite good, now he suffers infinite evil. He broke the laws of an infinite kingdom and an infinite God, and now he suffers their penalty.

III. Wherein consists the mercy of God in rendering to every man according to his work? "Also, unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work."

If God should render more than according to his work to any man, he would not be a merciful or a just God.

If he should render to any man less than according to his work, he would not be a merciful or a just God. Mercy lifts up its sweet voice and says, do not render more to man than according to his work; and justice lifts up its stern voice and says, do not render to man less than according to his work. So mercy and justice agree, they harmonize. They are not at war with each other, as some would maintain. Would it be mercy or justice in God to render more to man than according to his work? Certainly not. This is admitted on all hands. And why? Because it is self-evident, and because, perhaps, it does not overturn any creed of ours. But would it be mercy or justice in God to render to any man less than according to his work? No! Even mercy would forbid this. This the text declares. God is declared to be peculiar in his mercy, because he renders to every man according to his work. If

God should render to any man less or more than according to his work, the 12th verse of the lxii. Psalm would no longer be true. Mercy can only come to the relief of the transgressor consistently with law. If mercy in any of its exhibitions were to contravene or prostrate law, then mercy and the law would be at war. Then mercy would be giving its testimony to the universe that the law was unnecessarily severethat its claims were too pure-too holy-too high. And what a comment would this be for mercy to make upon the law of God? What a criticism would one perfection of God (his mercy) make upon another perfection (his justice). Mercy can only be extended to the transgressor in human tribunals where it will be consistent with law. The judge may feel for the culprit—may pity him -may wish his life in preference to his deathbut not if law must be prostrated. No-rather than he go unpunished, he will sign his death warrant. If some full equivalent can be offered, then the chief magistrate can pardon with safety, but not otherwise. The parent may love his child, and love him while a prodigal, but if that child has violated parental and family law, he must be punished for the sake of others if not for his own sake. It is not always the benefit of the criminal which human laws contemplate. No, it is to make an example of them to others, that the law consigns to perpetual imprisonment, exile, or awful death. It is to maintain the majesty of the laws, and put a check on transgressors, that men are

often consigned to death. So in the government of God. God may prefer the life of the transgressor to his death. "Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die?" He may even so far prefer it as to offer a full equivalent to the universe for his death. But if the law is violated, and the conditions upon which the equivalent is offered are despised and rejected, then the transgressor must die. There is no hope for him. If he goes unpunished, God might as well repeal his law and bid rebellion fill his dominion with anarchy and ruin. Mercy would weep if the transgressor were to go unpunished. Justice would frown, virtue would protest, and heaven be hung with mourning and bathed in tears.

"Also, unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy : for thou renderest to every man according to his work."

It is no more the benefit of the transgressor which is contemplated by the legitimate penalty of the Divine law, than it is under human tribunals, when the culprit is sentenced to death. It is to make an example of sin and sinners to all others that God will roll away the transgressor into everlasting flame. It is better that one or that one million should die forever than that sin should go unpunished and spread ruin through the creation of God. God legislates for the general good, and he may see and does see, if sinners were to go un, punished, then others would revolt, and others still, till not a song would be heard in heaven, or a harp strung to his praise beneath his throne.

Mercy to himself—mercy to his loyal subjects— mercy to all who are yet to come into being, urges God to render to every man according to his work. "Also, unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work."

REFLECTIONS.

1. But how, says one, can a finite being, a being who exists on the earth only a few years, commit sin enough to expose him to infinite punishment? This objection is based upon the supposition, that the sins of men are according to the dimensions of the place in which they are committed, or to the time consumed in the commission of them. And is this the way we estimate guilt? Is this the way human tribunals compute guilt? May not the murderer, in one dark spot of earth, and in one moment of time, commit an act which consigns him to death. But suppose the murderer, on the day of his execution, should protest against the sentence of the law, and say-Why do you execute me? I was only a moment in committing the act, and the place where I committed it was exceeding small. Would the executioner stop in his awful task, think ye? The desert of transgression is not according to the time or place, but according to the authority contemned and the interests violated. The sinner contemns the authority of an infinite God, and violates infinite interests— therefore he must die the second death, or suffer

infiuite evil. If he has violated infinite interests, and despised the authority of an infinite God, can he, consistently with law, suffer less than infinite evil or infinite punishment. The penalty must be in proportion to the crime. This is the perfection

of human justice-this must be the perfection of Divine justice ever, that the crime and the punishment correspond.

2. We see in view of this subject the great error of those who have imbibed the doctrine of "Universal Salvation." And yet this very text has been preached from by a Universalist minister!! A dreadful text indeed for such to handle. But strange to say, it is just such texts that such men usually display their ingenuity upon. They will preach from texts which speak of the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost, (a sin which is never to be forgiven,)-they will preach from the texts which speak of the sin and awful end of Judas-they will preach from the text, He that believeth shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned -they will preach from texts which speak of the final trial and doom of the wicked-they will even preach from texts which speak of the worm that never dies, and the flames that are never to be quenched-they will walk unconcerned where waves of fiery darkness 'gainst the rocks of dark damnation break-where thunder answers thunder, and wail, wail. Why! why is this? Is it that such men would convince their hearers of their dreadful hardihood? Is it that they feel a fearful foreboding with regard to these texts? Is it that