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October 25, 1911 1 T H E P
should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this
present world." There is no danger, as some
would have us believe, under the preaching ot'
"the exceeding riches of God's grace in his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus," that the
cultivation of moral character will sutler. The
voice of church history proclaims the contrary.
Paul and Augustine, Calvin and Edwards, were
the greatest preachers of salvation by grace, and
yet the world lias never known more uucompro
nnsing moralists than these four men. The effect
of grace in our hearts is to lead us to say, "How
shall we that are dead to sin live any longer
therein?",
I'aul in his discussion of this subject knows
nothing of the gospel of naturalism, now popular
with some, which denies all supernatural revelation,
of course eliminating everything like grace,
and which teaches that the highest forms of
religion are the results of the gradual development
of the dormant powers of human nature. It
may be objected to this, that naturalism is a discovery
of recent times, one of the by-products of
evolution, and it would be anachronistic to look
lor it in the writings of the Apostle Paul. Of
course he knew nothing about it, and therefore
did not mention it in his discussion. That is
Hue enough, but it may be said in reply that
his gospel oi grace uitirely excludes any other
Kind oi gospel, natural or supernatural, and
therefore leaves 110 loop-hole for naturalism.
'"1 hough we, or an angel from heaven, preach
any other gospel unto you than that which we
have preached unto you, let him be accursed."
There is no possibility of incorporating this notion
into the gospel of God's grace for sinners
through Jesus Christ. Men are not naturally
developed out of savages into Christians through
centuries of patient culture, but they are fallen
from innocence into an estate of sin and misery,
out of which they must be delivered by the almighty
power and infinite grace of God.
Paul also repudiates the gospel of works, and
for the obvious reason that lie finds no place for
them. They are logically excluded. "And if by
ffraee. then it. is lio more of works: otherwise
grace is no more grace." (Kom. 11:6). The
two things are contradictory. The man who is
saved by grace can not save himself no matter
what lie does; and if a sinful man could save
himself, he would have no need of grace. Paul
had thought long and profoundly upon the
doctrine of salvation by the works of the law,
and he had tested it in his own experience. The
result was that he had discovered that the
doctrine rested upon a misapprehension of the
significance and use of the law of God and that
all efforts at salvation by the works of the law
were utterly hopeless and futile. Hence he was
driven back upon the doctrine of the grace of
God for sinners.
"When it comes to the matter of salvation from
sin, therefore, emphasis should be laid upon
grace. "All things" pertaining to it literally
"are from God," and sinful men should be taught
to look to him. This is the first duty of the
ministry.
II. Observe next that this is a ministry of reconciliation
between God and man through the
mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The gospel recognizes our estrangement from
God by reason of sin. We are at war with him
and in the gospel he has graciously provided
a means of reconciliation. The minister is an
ambassador of peace. It is his to proclaim the
terms upon which the reconciliation can be
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him to make clear the need of reconciliation. The
ministry which ignores or minimizes the presence
and power of sin and its destructive character inevitably
fails to quicken the consciences of men
RESBYTER1AN OF THE SO
and awaken them to their need oi' seeking the divine
favor. If we have no sense of guilt, no fear
of the wrath of God, and no dread of punishment,
why should we be concerned about the question
tu our salvation.' What is the use of preaching
grace to a man who does not feel that he has any
need of grace? And how can we awaken his
sense of need, if we do not point out his sins,
and show him how lie has violated the law of
find and is resting under its ermdem nation ami
how he has "become alienated from the life of
God through ignorance," and "the blindness of
his heart." The ministry that does not lay bare
"the exceeding sinfulness of sin" and its liatefulness
to God and show to men that "by nature
they are the children of wrath" and need to make
peace with God, can not be a ministry of reconciliation.
It does not prepare the way for ministering
the grace of God to the unsaved.
God hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus
Christ, not imputing our trespasses unto us.
This indicates that the grace of God has effected
the reconciliation by the sacrifice of Christ and
by the forgiveness of our sins.
We must keep this conspicuously to the front
n V
REV. RUSSELL CECIL, D. D..
Retiiing Moderator Synod of Virginia
in all our preaching that Jesus Christ is the
peacemaker between God and man. lie hath
abolished in his flesh the emnity." This he has
done by perfectly fulfilling the law of God in
two ways: first, he has obeyed all of its precepts,
thus acquiring a righteousness which has become
through the grace of God available for us, and
second, he has suffered the penalty of the law
in his doftt.li nnnn tho nmoc
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piation for our sins, and not for ours only, but
also for the sins of the whole world. The penalty
of the law is of course visited upon those who have
violated its requirements, but as Jesus had not
violated its requirements, he was an innocent
sufferer. He expiated sins of which he was not
guilty?they were the sins of his people?which
were imputed to him and accounted as his own.
The Lord hath laid down on him the iniquity of
us all.
In consequence of this law-work of Jesus
Christ our sins are not imputed to us. Why are
they not immited to us? Reeansp fhnv hnvp ?1.
ready been imputed to him and atoned for in his
blood. Tf our sins are not imputed to us, what
blessing then comes to us? We are forgiven.
Sins no longer cry against us. The law of God
no longer demands our punishment. Its claims
are satisfied, and we are free. "And you, that
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were sometime alienated and enemies in your
mind by wicked works, yet now halh lie reconciled
in the body of his tlesh through death, to present
you lioiy and unblanieable and uureproveable in
his sight." (Col. 1:21, 22.)
"Hearing shame and scoll'ing rude,
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Scaled my pardon with his blood;
Hallelujah! what a Saviour!"
"Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was he;
'Full atonement' can it be!
Hallelujah! what a Saviour!"
We are ministers then of the reconciliation,
mediated by the grace of God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, and this should be the burden of
our message. The minister who does not talk
much about this work of Christ can hardly be
faithful to his commission. lie does not realize
how sadly men need to be reconciled to God and
how ignorant they are of the way it is to be
done. He is sent to tell them of their need and
of the way which the grace of God has provided,
and he should not fail to do it.
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place, that this ministry is committed to human
ayincy. The first verse of the text says that
"God * * hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation" and the second verse, he "hath
committed unto us the word of reconciliation."
The two statenunts are virtually the same. I11a
much as this is a ministry of grace, Paul says,
"We have this treasure in earthly vessels, that
the excellency of the power may be of God, and
not of us." If we study this whole section in
connection with our text, we discover the kind
of men he thinks they should be who are entilisted
with the ministry of reconciliation.
1. Able nun. Our sufficiency is of God, who
also hath made us able ministers of the New
Testament." (3:5, b.) This does not refer to
mental ability, but to the power and Jituess which
God only can give and with which he is willing
to endow those who consecrate themselves to the
ministry of reconciliation in his name. They
should be able men and they will be able men if
their sufficiency is of God. The man who depends
upon his own native talents and scholarly
acquirements and docs not secure the sufficiency
of God will be a weak preacher, but none need to
be weak who depend upon him. The promise is,
"Ye shall receive power after that the Holy
Ghost is come upon you." Power is needed and
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ministcry. Every man who preaches the gospel
of God's grace to sinful men should be an "able
minister of the New Testament," and he will be,
if he claims the promise of the Spirit and discovers
that bis sufficiency is of God.
2. Bold men. "Seeing then that we have such
hope," says the Apostle, "we use great plainness
of speech." The word "plainness" means bold
ness or outspokenness, as opposed to all concealment
either through a desire to deceive or from
fear of consequences. The minister should not be
reserved with the truth, thinking that men can
not understand it or will not receive it, but he
should speak it out as the truth of God. The
truth will take care of itself, and it is not necessary
to veil it. "Where the Spirit of the Lord
is, thorn is liberty"?liberty to bear and understand
the truth, and when men know the truth
it makes them free. Nor should the minister he
timid in his preaching. Like John Knox, he
.should "never fear the face of man." We need
courage today, brethren. There is a great dis- 1 ^
position in the modern world to brow-heat the
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(Continued on page 11).