portant. Milton, who favored Arminianism, with a satire which was as exquisite as it was unfair, turned the subject over to the fallen angels in hell, and has told us in his immortal poem ("Paradise Lost," Bk. ii., lines 555 seq.) how "Others apart sat on a hill retired, In thoughts more elevate, and reasoned high No wonder he sums up the whole matter with the exclamation, "Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy!" But in spite of Milton's opinion and that of many Christian thinkers more eminent as theologians than he, I cannot think that we should treat this doctrine thus. It is not a mere conclusion of philosophy, but a doctrine plainly and abundantly taught in the Scripture. What we need to do is not to discard it, but to use it in the same practical way in which it is employed in the Bible. It is not a doctrine over which the church of Christ can afford to become embroiled in theological controversy, but one to be used for the edifying and strengthening of the church and the individual. As regards the philosophical problems involved, there ought to be a large and generous toleration. All men will not think alike on such points. Immense harm has been done in the church by ill-advised and bitter controversies upon the speculative questions connected with this subject. One cannot but think that the Apostle Peter had this abuse of the doctrine in mind when he said of Paul's epistles-in which this doctrine is more fully presented than elsewhere in the New Testament: "Wherein are some things hard to be understood, which the ignorant and unsteadfast wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction" (2 Pet. iii. 16). But looking at the subject practically the case is very different. We need the strength and comfort which this doctrine alone can give us. grounds the Christian life in tiative in the work of grace. position of entire dependence Christian's life, to use the Bushnell, "a plan of God." The whole process of educa tion and sanctification by which the child of God is prepared for the heavenly blessedness is attributed to God. He is the controlling power in all our work and service. We work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, but it is God who worketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Phil. ii. 12). Our faith is something real and personal, but it has no merit and no spiritual power in it. Its value lies in the fact that by it we have been linked on to the eternal decree of God, and have back of us and around us the infinite power of the infinite God. He will see us through. He will not allow one of the Saviour's sheep to perish, and no one can pluck them out of His hand. The Christian who grasps these facts, who understands his absolute helplessness apart from God and Christ, and his unbounded strength, when united to God through Christ, has courage, cheerfulness, inspiration, and power in his work for God. The doctrine of election God. It gives Him the iniIt places the believer in a upon Him. It makes the expressive phrase of Horace Viewing the doctrine in this practical light, we may adopt as our own the language of the Thirty-nine Articles of the English church: "The godly consideration of Predestination, and our Election in Christ, is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons, and such as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ, mortifying the works of the flesh, and their earthly members, and drawing up their mind to high and heavenly things, as well because it doth greatly establish and confirm their faith of eternal Salvation to be enjoyed through Christ, as because it doth fervently kindle their love towards God." XXIV. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH OUR Saviour likened the kingdom of heaven to "a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and in his joy he goeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field” (Matt. xiii. 44). The parable may be applied with truth to the doctrine which we are about to consider, and which is so essential to the kingdom of God. More than once in the history of the church it has been. the precious hidden treasure which God's people have prized so highly that they have been willing literally to sell all that they had for its possession and maintenance. So it was in the days of Paul, so at the time of the Protestant Reformation. Every great revival of spiritual life in the Christian church has been preceded or accompanied by a rediscovery of this truth and its reinstateinent in its true place in the Christian system. This doctrine is second to no other in practical importance. It is concerned with questions of such vital moment to every soul, How shall the sinner be reconciled with God? how shall he enter the kingdom of heaven? what shall he do that he may inherit eternal life? tells us how Christ's redemptive work, and especially his atonement, are to be appropriated by sinful men. It We shall consider, first, justification or forgiveness, and then faith. I. The forgiveness of sins is as truly a doctrine of the Old Testament as of the New. The difference between the two stages of revelation does not consist in their teachings respecting the fact of forgiveness, but in the light they throw upon the divine basis of the fact and the mode in which forgiveness is to be obtained. There are no declarations in the New Testament of God's mercy and willingness to forgive stronger than some of those to be found in the Old. In the midst of the strict requirements of the Ten Commandments, God, while visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and fourth generation of them that hate Him, is said to show mercy unto a thousand generations of them that love Him and keep His commandments (Ex. xx. 5, 6). When Jehovah appeared to Moses on Sinai, His proclamation was, "Jehovah, Jehovah, a God full of compassion and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy and truth; keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty" (Ex. xxxiv. 6, 7). The sacrificial system, as we saw when examining the doctrine of the atonement, was a divine means for the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God, although the offerings of atonement were intrinsically inadequate for their purpose and availed only as God accepted them on the ground of the perfect sacrifice, as yet only vaguely revealed. But when men asked what they should do with regard to those profounder elements of sin, for which the sacrificial system made no provision, the only reply which could be given them was that they should repent, return to their obedience, and trust God's forgiving grace. It is only when we come to the New Testament that we learn on what the divine forgiveness is founded, and by what means it is to be secured. The Saviour connected forgiveness with faith in himself, proclaiming that “the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins" (Matt. ix. 6). By the wonderful parable of the Prodigal Son he taught that the heavenly Father is always ready to forgive His wandering children. Just before his death, in con nection with the establishment of that sacred rite which was to commemorate his death throughout the ages of Christian history, he declared that the sacramental cup symbolized the blood of the covenant-that is, the Messiah's covenant predicted by the prophets (Jer. xxxi. 31-34)" which is shed for many unto remission of sins" (Matt. xxvi. 26-29). But it was only after the Saviour had died and ascended into heaven, that the full truth could be taught. Then the disciples went everywhere, proclaiming forgiveness on the ground of Christ's sacrificial death to all who would have faith in him. The doctrine is presented in its great evangelical outlines by all the apostles, but by none with more doctrinal precision and force of argument than by Paul. It is to him that we must turn, if we desire to learn the full meaning of the doctrine of justification by faith. There are difficulties in understanding Paul. They are due partly to the inability of our language to render exactly the Greek words which are the technical terms in the apostle's discussions, and partly to the differences of our religious surroundings and modes of thought from those of his day. But whoever will take the pains to overcome these difficulties and attain Paul's point of view, will be repaid by securing the clearest and most far-reaching insight into the system of Gospel truth which the New Testament affords. Paul's starting-point was the question, Iow shall a man be justified, that is, become right with God? how shall he secure the righteousness or rightness which will render him acceptable to God? The prevalent Jewish notion-a notion derived from the later teachings of the synagogue and not to be fairly inferred from the teachings of the Old Testament-was that good works justify. The Jewish teachers argued that if a man keep the law, he thus works out a righteousness which secures the divine favor. Now Paul did not deny that such a righteous |