Virginia Argus

FOR THE ARGUS.
SERIOUS REFLECTIONS.
No III

" Wherewith shall I come before the Lord?"
To meet God unreconciled is a thing
too dreadful to be expected with com-
posure of mind. Every man hopes
that, by some means or other, this fate
shall not be his own. And there are
not a few who build their hope upon
the mercy of God, in a manner essen-
tially defective.
Is this hope in divine mercy enter-
tained without any express reference
to Jesus Christ, and his redemption?
I apprehend that sometimes it is; not
only by those who openly reject the
bible, whom I do not now address, but
also by those who acknowledge its au-
thority. No. a heathen, to whom the
light of revelation has not been given,
must do the best he can, with such ob-
scure and faint probabilities that God
may pardon sin; as the light of nature
affords. But our case is very different .
God has given us assurance in the gospel that he can righteously and will
gr ac iously forgive sinners their iniqui-
ties, through the perfect satisfaction
which his son has rendered to his law
and justice. But the gospel as clearly
assures us that this forgiveness is only bestowed upon those who confess
their guilty and lost condition, who ask
for mercy in the name of the crucified
Redeemer made known unto them, and
who ascribe all the glory of their sal-
vation to his obedience, death and in-
tercession. Without this, no man, un-
der the dispensation of the gospel, is
warranted to hope that God will accept
him To indulge such a hope in hea-
venly mercy, professing to believe the
bible, and yet disregarding the Sa-
vior, is most absurd and inconsistent.
Indeed it is high presumption, and dar-
ing rebellion against God. Let those
who are conscious of it beware of the
consequences of their folly.
But of those who hope in the mercy
of God, while they are manifestly des-
titute of the spirit and practice of reli-
gion, a large majority will deny that
they are chargeable with the conduct
above described. However indispos-
ed to renounce their sins, they have no
objection to own that they are sinners.
Negligent of the laws of Christ, they
profess a great regard to his atonement;
and claim to be true believers in him,
because they have formed the habit of
confiding strongly in his merits.
Through wilful ignorance of the truth,
or hardy opposition to it, they call Je-
sus Christ their Lord & their Saviour,
while in reality they prefer this vain
world to him and his salvation. Let
such persons be seriously admonished
that they have nothing of Christianity
but the name. The scriptures speak
of a faith which is dead, being alone.
That faith which is connected with
pardon is a powerful, active principle.
It works by love, purifies the heart,
and overcomes the world. An indo-
lent recumbency upon the mercy of
God, and the merits of Christ, is no
more like this holy and precious faith;
than a dead corpse is like a living man.
In vain do men trust in the mercy of
God, while they insult that very mercy
by their ingratitude and impenitence.
In vain do they boast of their entire
dependence upon Christ, while they
utterly refuse to have him to reign as
the sovereign of their affections and
their lives. They may so pervert the
gospel as to proclaim themselves the
champions of the doctrine of grace and
a free salvation. But by their works
they dishonour the son of God, and pre-
sent him as the minister of sin. It
will appear one day to be the irrever-
sible decree of Heaven, that without ho-
liness no man shall see the face of
God in peace.

BENEVOLUS.