Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

nence, the "God of truth."*

His word is also called

"Truth." And Jesus Christ, the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person,‡ styles himself, "The Truth."

The truth of God is eternal, immutable, absolute; insomuch that we have only to ascertain what he has spoken, and it is the end of all doubt forever. If it relate to the past, what he asserts has as certainly taken place, if to the present, it as certainly now is, if to the future, it as certainly will be, as God himself exists. "Heaven and earth shall pass away," he says, " but MY WORDS SHALL NOT PASS AWAY."|| The Scriptures even assert it to be "impossible for God to lie;" not that it is a physical impossibility, but a moral one.

6. FORGIVENESS. "The LORD, the LORD GODforgiving iniquity and transgression and sin." The forgiveness of God is his disposition to pardon. This attribute is opposed to all resentment. In strict truth, the feeling of resentment never had any existence in the divine mind. It is incompatible with a perfect and changeless spirit of forgiveness. Whenever God does not actually forgive sinners, it is not from any deficiency in his disposition to forgive, but because there are obstacles in the way of exercising it. The just and humane judge upon the bench, has the spirit of forgiveness in his heart for criminals at the bar; but they sustain such relations to law, that he cannot in equity acquit them. It is not because he has feelings

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

of revenge, that he sentences them to punishment, but because he must maintain the principles of righteousness and defend the public welfare. He is disposed to forgive, but more disposed to do right.

Such is the forgiveness of God, that the moment sinners comply with his proposed terms, and are thus found in a pardonable condition, he instantly blots out all their offences and remembers them no more forever. He treats them just as though they had never sinned. He knows no difference in his love, his complacence, his fellowship, his benefactions, between them and the angels that never fell.

This is truly a wonderful and glorious attribute. Men may forgive, but never like God. The forgiveness of men is stinted, measured, and marred with many unpleasant remembrances ;—the forgiveness of God is without any limitation, sweeping the broad wand of oblivion over all the past, and knowing nothing in the future but perfect confidence and love. Hence his language is, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.”* And again he says, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions, and will not remember thy sins." It was under the inspiration of this same truth that the psalmist said, "If thou, LORD, shouldst mark iniquities, O

[blocks in formation]

Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared."*

7. JUSTICE. "The LORD, the LORD GOD-that will by no means clear the guilty." This attribute is the pillar of God's throne. It was the last revealed to Moses, and stands at the bottom of the list; not because it is least important, but because it is the support of all the rest.

Justice, is giving to every one his due. Among men it is a practical conformity to principles of rectitude, in their dealings with each other. In God it is a practical conformity to the eternal principles of righteous retribution, in his conduct towards his accountable creatures. It of course respects both the dispensation of law and of gospel, under which mankind are placed. Regarding them as transgressors of law, it would punish them as violated law demands. Regarding them as despisers of gospel, it would punish them as despised gospel demands. Beholding beings perfectly obedient to the moral law, as it does myriads in heaven, it rewards them as obeyed law deserves. Beholding sinners in a world of probation and grace, repenting and receiving the gospel, it rewards them as obeyed gospel deserves. This divine attribute comes up in the rear of all the others, to finish what they have left unfinished. It is its office to "finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness."+ Mercy, grace, long-suffering, goodness, truth, forgiveness, go before, to do their part towards enforcing the claims of moral rectitude ;

[blocks in formation]

justice always follows after them, to do what they have left undone, to make straight what they have left crooked, and to raise up an everlasting munition of righteousness. Thus that great developement which God made of his entire character to Moses, closes with the declaration that he "will by no means clear the guilty."

Sometimes justice long delays, but she never fails to come at last. As her judicial work is a short and summary one, it can be put off for a long time. Mercy, grace, long-suffering, &c. are from their very nature more or less protracted in their operation; but justice can doom the sinner with the flash of an eye. As she does the final work, and fixes the sinner's destiny, she waits till all the other divine attributes have exhausted their commission. Then she comes! No hurry in her step, no passion in her eye, she moves calmly up with firm and determined brow, to pronounce the sentence that is never to be repealed. To the righteous she says, speaking by the lips of the final Judge, "Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world ;" and to the wicked, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."* This is the final decision of Justice, to stand forever recorded on the tablets of eternity.

Thus have we analyzed the divine attributes into seven natural and seven moral. The number seven indicated perfection among the Jews, and it should not

*Matt. xxv. 34-41.

be esteemed fanciful in us to adopt the analysis which God himself gave. These attributes of God are signally marked principles or methods of his acting, but they may be variously commingled and diversified. Thus compassion, kindness, gentleness, are modifications of grace, mercy, and long-suffering. Like the seven prismatic colours of the rainbow, which so commingle as to form hues of endless modification and variety, in the process of melting together into a mass of perfect light, such are the attributes of God. We may often, in popular language, speak of other attributes than those here specified; but they are always to be understood as modifications or combinations of these.

A few concluding remarks. The moral power of God lies in the excellence of his character. He moves and controls matter, by the direct action of his physical energy; he moves and controls minds, by unfolding to them his moral perfections. These are his imitable perfections. We all ought to possess them. In heaven all do possess them-not in degree, but in kind. According to the measure of their capacity, all perfect beings possess and develope them just as God himself does. Nothing short of this satisfies the divine lawnothing short of this is perfection. "Be ye therefore perfect," said Christ, "even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect."* It is only this that can exalt the soul, which was made in God's image, to its true dignity and bliss.

* Matt. v. 48.

« AnteriorContinuar »