ys of the Son of Man
upon earth, had a love to God, a zeal for God, founded on their
conviction of his partiality for their people. They regarded him as
the God of the Jews only, and not also of the Gentiles. Its fruits
were, their carrying the Lord to the brow of the hill to destroy him,
because he reminded them of Naaman and the widow of Sarepta, as
preferred to objects of bounty among their own people; and their
endeavouring to tear Paul in pieces when he spake of a commission
given him by Jesus to the Gentiles. They were indeed zealous, the
apostle bears them witness in the Holy Ghost, and fully believed in
God's sovereign election of their nation. There is yet a zeal like
their's--let us beware of it.

It will not do to represent the Gospel scheme of salvation as not only
_leaving_, but involving, the moral character of God in difficulty;
and then to say we can still believe him holy, just, and good
notwithstanding. The atonement was designed to prove and establish
these attributes: to be the ground of our confidence in them, and of
our love to God because of them. We are not to believe in them in
spite of the plan of redemption; but, because of the plan of
redemption. The words of John, "we love him because he first loved
us," and "herein is the love of God manifested towards us, because he
sent his Son into the world that we might live through him," imply
that the believer's delight in the essential excellence of God (which
delight alone is divine love) springs out of the display of that
excellence in the cross of Christ. An atonement for all, arising out
of love to all, proves that it is indeed justice that inflicts
vengeance on the impenitent; not partial, personal hatred, not
indifference, not cruelty. A limited atonement, just because it gives
no proof that they are beloved--gives no proof that nothing else than
justice could have punished them. It gives, on the other hand, no
proof that forgiving love has been that which saved the elect, as it
is to an arbitrary distinction it teaches them to look as the ultimate
cause of their hope. I care not to be told that they acknowledge love
in their salvation notwithstanding. I repeat, the redemption is to
_prove_ the divine character, not merely to leave us the possibility
of believing it.

Finally, This scheme obliges to believe that Jesus has broken the law,
and transgression of the law is sin. This he assuredly did, if he
loved not all mankind as himself. It i