grace is magnified, not in proportion as the Saviours's sufferings are diminished, but rather in proportion as they are increased. The exhibition of the Father's love brightens at every step in his Son's humiliation; and shines with the greatest splendour, when the Lord of glory, in the midst of the preternatural darkness, suffering under the hidings of his Father's face, is heard to exclaim, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" and then bows his head and gives up the ghost.

This objection, then, militates against the plain language of holy scripture, which teaches us that, if we would form exalted views of Jehovah's infinite love and sovereign grace, we are not to diminish the Redeemer's sufferings, but to look at them in all the extent of agony, terror and dismay to which they were carried by divine justice. "He that SPARED not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all; how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"

We believe, my dear sir, you well know, all the benefits of salvation to be the fruits of Christ's death, and purchased by him for all who will accept them; and yet, in perfect consistency, we believe that they all flow from unmerited grace and infinite love. Both these propositions are plainly taught in holy scripture.

1. The inspired writers represent every blessing of salvation as the fruit of Christ's death.

Forgiveness is the fruit of his death. "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." Ephes. i. 7. "And be ye

kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Ephes. iv. 2. Reconciliation is the fruit of his death; “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ," and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to wit: that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." 2 Cor. v. 18, 19. And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled, in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy, and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight." Col. i. 20–22. Justification is the fruit of his death. "Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Rom. iii. 23. Peace is the fruit of his death. "But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes

were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is onr peace, who hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us." Ephes. ii. 13, 14. Adoption is the fruit of his death. "But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. ." Gal. iv. 4, 5. Sanctification is the fruit of his death. (c Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water, by the word." Ephes. v. 25, 26. The heavenly inheritance is a fruit of his death "And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament that, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." Heb. ix. 15. 'For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life

THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.'

From these texts of holy scripture, it appears undeniably, that all the blessings of salvation come to us as fruits of the Redeemer's death; and as his death was the price which he paid for them, it must conclusively follow, that they were all purchased for believers by his death.

2. But the inspired writers, while they teach this truth so fully, teach with equal plainness and fullness, that all the blessings of salvation are the fruits of free and sovereign grace. In the present discussion it is unnecessary to go into any laboured proof of this point; because it is freely and cordially admitted by our brethren, from whom we differ in our views of the atonement. Were proof required, it might, by an induction of particulars, be shown that each benefit of salvation is attributed to the free and abounding grace of God. "By grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift God." Ephes. ii. 8. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Tit. iii, 5–7,

Now as the scriptures teach us that we are saved by the death of Christ, or that all the blessings of salvation were purchased by his blood; and teach us also that we are saved by free grace, or that all the blessings of salvation flow from unmerited mercy; if there be any difficulty in reconciling these two doctrines so fully and distinctly taught in the scriptures, the difficulty manifetly grows out of the revelation of an omniscient God. It is

our duty in humble submission to his infallible teaching, to receive both truths, how irreconcilable soever they may appear to our feeble understandings. A little more light, and difficulties of this kind would vanish. What mysterious doctrine of the Bible would be received by us, if it were not received till all difficulties attached to it were removed? Who can fully explain the doctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine of the incarnation of the Son of God, the doctrine of divine influence? Yet every Christian believes them.

But the scriptures contemplate no difficulty in regard to these two important truths; they consider them as perfectly consistent and harmonious; for they exhibit them in close connexion in the same verses; as will appear from a reference to the texts just quoted. 'In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." Here the blood of Christ is represented as the price of our redemption; and yet forgiveness is represented as flowing from the riches of divine grace. Again: "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Here justification is attributed to the free grace of God; and at the same time it is attributed to the redemption of Christ, or to his blood, which is the price of our redemption. Again: "That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life." What is the meaning of this passage? Plainly this: As sin, the procuring cause of every evil, reigns in all the calamities brought on our guilty world, and extends its destructive ravages unto death; so grace, the original spring of our salvation, reigns, through the righteousness of Christ, the procuring cause of every blessing, from the beginning to the consummation of salvation.

We cannot, my dear brother, but feel surprised that any should apprehend an inconsistency between the two propositions—that the righteousness of Christ is the procuring cause, and divine grace the original spring, of our salvation

The scriptures, you know, set OUR works and the grace of God in opposition; and represent salvation by works, and salvation by grace as being wholy incompatible. "And if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." Rom. xi. 6. But, while this opposition between grace and our works, as the procuring cause of salvation, is abundantly exhibited by the inspired writers, no where, not in a single passage, do they set the grace of God in opposition to the works or righteousness of Jesus Christ.

To the great Redeemer, the covenant of redemption was indeed a covenant of works. His obedience unto death was the very work the law demanded of him as our Surety; and consequently to Him the reward was not of grace, but of debt; a reward secured by the promise of his Father to him, for the glorious services he had done in execution of his mediatorial office. At the close of life, when offering up his intercessory prayer for his church, HE could say, Father, I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work thou gavest me to do:" and on the ground of his obedience, utters that divine language, “Father, I will, that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me; for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." John xvii. 4. 24.

ness.

But to us the covenant is wholly of grace; inasmuch as it secures to us all the blessings of salvation, not on the footing of our own works, but on the footing of our Redeemer's righteousAll is the fruit of grace. It was grace that planned our salvation. It was grace that chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. It was grace that accepted the mediation of Christ. It was grace that provided the Mediator in the person of God's own Son. It was grace that revealed the wonderful plan of redemption. It is grace that offers salvation, and grace that applies it. It is grace that remits our sins and justifies us when we believe in Christ. It is grace that begins the work of sanctification; grace that carries it on; and grace that crowns it with glory. To our own salvation we do not contribute a particle of merit. It is not for our righteousness, but purely for the righteousness of Christ that we are saved.

I am,
&c.

ROMAINE ON PSALMODY.
(Concluded from page 139.)

In our last number, we gave some extracts from the chapter in Romaine's Essay on Psalmody, entitled "Rules laid down in the scriptures for singing the Psalms aright." We now conclude the article, by giving an extract from his VI. Chapter, on the abuses that have crept into practice, in this ordinance, which he introduces as follows:

"Some of these may seem not worthy of notice, they are such small matters; but I think there is nothing little in divine worship. The majesty of God ennobles, and exalts every part of it. He has commanded us to sing Psalms, and whatever he has been pleased to command, has his authority to enforce it: and whatev

er he has engaged to bless, has his promise to make it the means of blessing. In keeping of it, there is at present great reward. His presence will be in it, when it is rightly performed, and he will render it effectual. He will hear, he will accept, he will witness his acceptance of the praises of his people: Therefore every thing relating to them should be done decently and in order. We should always sing with a reverence becoming the greatness and goodness of our God, in such a manner as may best express our happiness in his love, and as may tend most to mutual edification.

If these things be considered, it will not be thought an indifferent matter, whether the Psalms be sung at all, or how they be sung-whether with, or without any heart devotion; with, or without any melody of the voice-whether every believer in the congregation should sing or no-whether singing should be a trial of skill, who can bawl loudest-whether the posture should not be expressive as well as the voice-whether suitable portions of the Psalms should be chosen, or the person who gives them out should be left to choose them, often without any judgement -whether grace should be exercised in singing, or not-whether we should sing, in order to increase grace, or not-whether we should sing for amusement, or for the glory of God. It is not a trifling matter how you determine these points: they enter deep into an important part of religious worship, yea, into a very high act of it; one, in which we pay the noblest service we can on earth, and indeed the nearest we can come to the service of saints, and angels."

After mentioning as abuses which ought to be remedied—“ Ignorance of the subject of the Book of Psalms-not treating the singing of Psalms as a divine ordinance-the choice of improper or unsuitable portions;" he next refers to the substitution of human compositions in the place of the Book of Psalms, which we give entire.

"There is another thing relating to the Psalms, I cannot call it an abuse: for it is a total neglect of them. They are quite rejected in many congregations, as if there were no such hymns given by inspiration of God, and as if they were not left for the use of the church, and to be sung in the congregation. Human compositions are preferred to divine. Man's poetry is exalted above the poetry of the Holy Ghost. Is this right? The hymns which he revealed for the use of the church, that we might have words suitable to the praises of Immanuel, are quite set aside: by which means the word of man has got a preference in the church above the word of God; yea, so far as to exclude it entirely from