ess by the amount of the indebtedness which he had
forgiven. But although the creditor, who is the most easily moved by the
necessities of his debtor, may be the most compassionate man, it does not
follow that the governor, who under all circumstances, makes the most free
and unrestrained use of the pardoning power, is the best ruler. The
creditor has a perfect right to release his debtor; and in so doing, he
affects the interest of no one but himself: whereas, by the pardon of
offences against public law, the most sacred rights of the community may
be disregarded, the protection of law may be removed, and the general good
invaded. The penalty of the law does not belong to the supreme executive,
as a debt belongs to the creditor to whom it is due; and hence it cannot
always be abandoned at his pleasure. It is ordained, not merely for the
ruler, but for the benefit and protection of all who are subject to its
control. And hence, although a creditor may show his mercy by releasing
his necessitous debtors; yet the ruler who undertakes to display his mercy
by a free use of the pardoning power, may only betray a weak and yielding
compassion for the individual, instead of manifesting that calm and
enlightened benevolence which labours to secure the foundations of wise
and good government, and thereby to promote the order and happiness of the
governed.

This leads me to remark, that the hope and the theology of the Socinian is
built upon the most inadequate conceptions of the divine mercy. This is
not a weak and yielding thing, as men are so fondly prone to imagine; it
is a universal and inflexible law. The most perfect harmony exists among
all the attributes of God; and as his justice demands the punishment of
the sinner, so also doth his mercy. The bosom of God is not, like that of
frail mortals, torn and distracted by conflicting principles. Even to the
maintenance of his law, that bright transcript of his eternal justice, his
mercy is inviolably pledged. Heaven and earth shall sooner pass away, than
his mercy shall withdraw from the support of one jot or one tittle of it.
It is not only just and holy, and therefore will be maintained with
almighty power; but it is also good, and therefore its immutable
foundations are laid in the everlasting and unchanging mercy of God.

For the universal good, it will be inexorably enforced against the
individual transgressor. God is not slack concerning his promises. He is
free from all