man's chief end nor God's is the happiness of creatures,--no, neither in
creation nor redemption, as is clear to unsophisticated reason, and
plainly determined by the Spirit of God. (See ch. iv. 11; Isa. xliii. 7,
21; Eph. i. 12.) The manifestation of his own perfections,--his own
glory, is the highest and ultimate end of Jehovah in all his purposes
and works. "The Lord hath made all things for himself." (Prov. xvi. 4;
Rom. xi. 36.) Now, if the Lamb has redeemed the whole human family, as
some affirm; then it will follow that all must be saved, or Christ died
in vain, in reference to them that are lost: and besides, the "Judge of
all the earth" would be chargeable with exercising distributive
injustice, in exacting double payment, first from the Surety, and then
from the sinner! "That be far from God." "He is just and having
salvation,"--"a just God and a Saviour." (Zech. ix. 9; Isa. xlv. 21.) As
there can be no liberty without law, so there can be no mercy without
justice, though there may be "justice without mercy." (James i. 25; ii.
13.) This worshipping company, the representatives of the universal
church, ascribe their redemption to the blood of Christ. It is their
declared faith that pardon is grounded on atonement, that "without
shedding of blood is no remission." (Heb. ix. 22; Lev. xvii. 11; ch. i.
5.) They believe, moreover, that as the obedience of Christ unto death,
his doing and dying, is an adequate satisfaction to law and justice; so
by compact between the Father and the Son, his penal sufferings avail
the believing sinner for pardon. Thus it is, that "if we confess our
sins, he (God the Father,) is faithful and _just_ to forgive us our
sins." (1 John i. 9.) This doctrine the apostle, as the mouth of the
whole church, had already avowed: (ch. i. 5, 6;) and now again we have
it repeated and incorporated in the song of praise. Thus, while "Christ
crucified is to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks
foolishness;" to them who are saved this humbling doctrine is "the power
of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Cor. i. 24, 25.) God's glory and the