RECONCILIATION.

2 CORINTHIANS, V. 19.

"God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them."

To speak of reconciling two parties, two men, two nations, or a servant to his master, supposes that some enmity exists between them. But the Almighty God, who created the heavens, the earth, and the ocean, is not the Of all the creatures in the world, man enemy of man. is the first and the noblest. He alone possesses a soul or spirit, that can think and reason, and comprehend, in some degree, the works of the great Creator. And who made man what he originally was-a holy and a happy being? It was the Most High God. He spread abroad the heavens, and placed there the sun, and moon, and stars. He laid the foundations of the earth, and filled the air, the ocean, and the land with living creatures; and to man, whom God created in his own image, he gave dominion over all, requiring only man's obedience to himself, the supreme Lord of the universe. The Divine Being himself pronounced the whole creation " very good," and whilst man was obedient to his Maker, he was the child, the friend of God he was not an enemy then; at that time there was no occasion to speak of reconciliation.

But man was created a rational creature, to be governed by reason and religion. He was not like things made of mere matter, the sun, and moon, and stars, which have never gone wrong, and cannot do wrong. Man was made free to obey, and free to disobey; but he was forewarned of the consequence of disobedience. God gave him a law, and told him what would be the consequence of his breaking that law. And to this arrangement who can object?

What could be more reasonable than that the Great Creator should give a law to his creature, man, and require him to obey it; and so doing, be for ever the happy child and friend of God.

Man, however, tempted by a disobedient and malicious Spirit, presumed to think that God's commands might be disobeyed, and no harm follow. He thought that pleasure instead of pain would be the result of his disobedience, and he trusted his own foolish thoughts, and believed the tempter, instead of believing and obeying his Maker and Divine Benefactor. It was disobedience to God's commandments that made man the enemy of God. And a heart disobedient to God's commands, is what is otherwise called sin and wickedness, and carnal or fleshly mindedness. And St. Paul says, "The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject, or obedient, to the law of God. All mankind have become" enemies to God by wicked works."

And could not the Almighty justly and easily destroy all his enemies? The angels that sinned he cast out of the abodes of bliss, and has consigned them to everlasting punishment. In our world he has inflicted many and awful calamities, on nations, and on families, and on individuals.

How manifold are the diseases which afflict humanity; some loathsome, some painful and excruciating; the forms of death how numerous ! and some of them how awful! He can destroy, by the lightning's flash instantaneously, or by long protracted disease; by the storm on land, or by the tempest at sea; by the deluge of waters that overflows the earth, or by the rending earthquake that swallows up crowded cities. The plague, and the pestilence, and the famine, can at God's command destroy myriads in a day, or an hour. These are punishments which we read of; and some of which we have seen or have felt, which righteous Heaven sends upon the world, because it is in a state of enmity to God by wicked works. And since we see and know assuredly that God sends heavy bodily and temporal calamities, is there not every reason to believe that the

spiritual and eternal punishments which are threatened will be inflicted after death on all those who live and die with their hearts in a state of enmity against God? Oh, yes! to be so credulous as to believe our own notions, and the devil's temptations, instead of believing the Bible, which contains the revealed will of God, is the same sort of foolish and wicked proceeding that at first brought death into the world, and all our wo.

And what does God require of his creatures? In answer to this it must be declared from the Holy Scriptures, that God is good and merciful, as well as holy and just. His law did not require that which man, whom he made, was not able to perform. The law of God consists of two parts our duty to our Maker, and our duty to our fellowcreatures. It is thus expressed by divine authority, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and love thy neighbour as thyself." To love God means to reverence him and fear him, as a good child does a kind parent; to desire to know his will and to obey it; to be grateful to him for all his goodness and mercy, and to avoid whatever he forbids; or, in one word, to be religious. To love our neighbour means not only that we should not injure any man, woman, or child, either in their property or person; or minds, by teaching them what is wicked, or seducing them to vice; but also means that we should try to do them good, in all these respects, which may be called being moral. So that, according to the divine law, religion and morality must always go together. To seem to be very religious and to make long prayers, whilst we are immoral, is to deceive ourselves; and whilst we hate religion, and never pray, to pretend that we are honest and good-hearted, is also to deceive ourselves.

The truth is, that no unconverted man loves God and religion; nor does he love his neighbour, and seek his neighbour's good. Heaven knows it: he dislikes or hates God and religion, and he loves inordinately himself, and seeks excessively his own interest; and if he does not do positive injury to his neighbour he is careless about him.

True piety to God and true benevolence to man go together, as heaven's law has joined them. If one be wanting you may be sure the other does not exist.

But are all irreligious and immoral men God's enemies? Yes; that is the point to which we have come, and which is fully proved, both by the declarations of Holy Scripture, and by the history of divine Providence, and by every man's own experience, if he would look into his own heart. How else can you account for a man's neglecting prayer and thanksgiving, for neglecting the Bible and religious books, for never thinking reverently and affectionately of God and religion; but instead thereof, sometimes cursing and swearing, and blaspheming God's holy name, and ridiculing religion, and shunning and despising religious people; and making a jest of vice, and taking pleasure in the company of wicked and immoral people; not only disobeying the Almighty, and being wicked himself, but taking pleasure in those that run into the same excesses, and indulge the same vices as himself. Do not all these things shew that the heart is disaffected to our Maker; has a dislike to, and is at enmity with God?

Now to remain at enmity with God, on whom we depend every moment for life itself, and without whose favour happiness is utterly unattainable ;-who can, moreover, justly and easily inflict everlasting punishment upon us, evinces desperate wickedness and consummate fool-hardiness. Oh, man! canst thou rush upon the thick studs of the Almighty's buckler! Can feeble man, whose life is in the breath of his nostrils, dare and defy the eternal God! It is absurd! What then can man do? How shall he be reconciled? Our text furnishes the true answer-"God" is in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them."

But how can this be? Rebellion against the divine law must be punished; a spirit of enmity against the Supreme Being, the Sovereign of the universe, cannot be allowed to pass with impunity. The "discipline" of the world does not permit it; and man's trespasses, if imputed to him, will occasion his everlasting ruin. Here is the difficulty. Must

Heaven's threatenings all go for nothing. No! It pleased God the Father to appoint Christ Jesus, the Son of God, to be man's Surety, man's Saviour. He was early promised; his coming was often foretold by ancient prophets; all good nien hoped and believed that he would come; and when the time that Heaven thought right did arrive, Christ our Lord and Saviour actually came down from heaven, lived in our world as a poor man, obeyed the law in our stead, taught men more perfectly the will of God the Father, set an example of perfect virtue, died as a sacrifice to atone for man's sins, rose again from the dead, and ascended to heaven to make intercession for all his followers on earth, to confer the Holy Spirit, to sanctify and guide them, and to prepare habitations of bliss for them when they die. To be told that God has done all these things for man's reconciliation, is the Gospel, the good news, the happy tidings. That Jesus, whom the Jews crucified, was God manifested in a human body; and he burst the bonds of death, rose from the dead, and was exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins. He is the way, the truth, and the life; none can be reconciled to the Father but by him, and by him all that will, may be reconciled. The least sinful, and those who have shewn least enmity, must yet submit to come by the appointed way of reconciliation; and the most sinful, he who has shewn the bitterest enmity to God, who has been most irreligious and most immoral, may be reconciled and brought to obedience through Christ. For God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself; all ranks and conditions of men are included; the Gospel is the news of a general pardon for all who desire to submit to the rightful government of the Almighty, and to be at peace with him. And heaven is so high, and earth so low; God is so great, and man so little, that all human distinctions are lost in this divine proclamation of mercy. There is only one way of being reconciled to God for the king and for the beggar, for the rich and for the poor, for the learned and for the unlearned. St. Paul says, "The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God-neither fornicators, nor