NEAR the center of Galway, a picturesque old city on the west coast of Ireland, stands a ruined house exhibiting the remarkable adornment of skull and cross-bones above its portal. If a stranger inquire the meaning of this, he will be told a strange story of the “wild times,” when the Saxon rule in the “city of the tribes” (as the inhabitants call Galway) had to be maintained by the edge of the sword.
The chief magistrate of the city lived in that house. Rebellion was abroad, and the governor’s son took up arms and led the rebels, but he was captured and imprisoned in his father’s house. The rebels came to storm the house and release their leader. What was the father to do? Were the feelings of a father to triumph, or was justice to take its course?
Desperate diseases demand desperate remedies, and all rulers know that treason in troublous times may not be trifled with. Had that governor been able to reconcile a father’s feelings, inclining him to mercy, with the stern requirements of justice, no doubt he would have done so; but mercy and justice have never been conciliated in any human tribunal. If a criminal is pardoned it is at the expense of justice. If he is guilty, the law demands that he be punished; and when the issues are of immense importance justice must have its way. So it was in that old house in Galway. The father hanged his son from his window; and the skull and cross-bones on the wall remind passers-by that there justice triumphed over mercy.
Perhaps you may say, “What has all this to do with me?” Stop one moment! Are you a rebel? If rebellion against the authority and law of the land is a crime that demands the most extreme penalty that man can inflict, what punishment is due, think you, to rebellion against the Lord God, the Supreme Ruler of the universe—your Creator? His mercies have followed you every day of your life. Have you been base and ungrateful enough to rebel against Him? You have. All have sinned. Not one (save the Perfect Man) has done the will of God from his heart, but all have gone their own ways in active rebellion against God. God is more righteous than man. Can He slack justice for you? You know He cannot. How will He meet you then?
Let me take you to another scene. An innocent Man is hurried from court to court, and, although three times found guiltless, is taken by the hatred of men to a place called “The Place of a Skull,” and is there crucified. He is the Son of God, the object of the ineffable love of His Father. Yet did His Father not only allow all this, but with full purpose and foreknowledge deliver up His Son that He should die, as the Apostle Peter told the Jews (Acts 2:2323Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: (Acts 2:23)): “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken with wicked hands and crucified and slain.” There, where the rebellion and hatred of man, His creature, rose to their greatest heights, God was working out His eternal purposes of grace and love. Behind the scene of mockery and cruelty there were deeper actings, for God was about to enter upon the holy judgment of sin when His Son who knew no sin should become a sin offering. The justice of God was in action and there the sword of justice smote the Man that was Jehovah’s “fellow,” instead of smiting you, if you will but believe it (Isa. 53:1010Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. (Isaiah 53:10); Zech. 13:77Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. (Zechariah 13:7); 2 Cor. 5:2121For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)). There that prophetic cry of Psalm 22:11<<To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.>> My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? (Psalm 22:1) was wrung from the lips of the suffering Christ, agonizing in the deep anguish of His soul under the wrath of God against sin, hanging there a curse in the sinner’s stead (Mark 15:3434And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Mark 15:34)).
Is this nothing to you? Have you not sufficient interest in it to turn up the Scriptures quoted above? The good news of the grace of God is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes it. Therein is the righteousness of God revealed, on the principle of faith to faith. Christ died unto sin once, and being now raised from the dead, dieth no more; death hath no more dominion ever Him. He that believeth is made a new creation in Christ Jesus beyond having all his sins blotted out by the blood of Christ. The righteousness of God must judge sin, but, for the sinner who believes, sin was judged in the person of Christ (Himself the sinless one), so that God is just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. If God justifies, who is He that condemns? (Rom. 1:16, 17; 3:21-26; 8:33, 3416For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:16‑17)
21But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Romans 3:21‑26)
33Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:33‑34)).
Will you not trust in the Saviour God? “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:1010Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)). You have everything to gain by trusting in Christ, and what you lose is not worth counting, for it can only land you in hell for eternity. “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”
Divine wisdom and power have done what no creature can do. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” The infinite wisdom of God devised the plan, and His arm carried that plan into effect at the cross of Calvary. Thereby righteousness has been fully satisfied in judgment on the willing Substitute, and the love of God goes forth freely to the guilty. On this ground the gospel of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ is preached to you. It would be no glad tidings to preach repentance toward God if God could not meet you, but blessed be His name, He can and will—nay, He delights to—meet all who come in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
One more word of solemn warning. Beware that thou despise not the riches of the goodness and forbearance and long-suffering of God, “not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance; but after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds.” “To-day, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart.”
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In Psalm 25 we have preferred a very remarkable request—remarkable in this respect that the speaker prays God to forgive his iniquity—not because it was small, as is generally pleaded by the suppliant, but because it was great! These are the words, “For thy name’s sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity: for it is great” (ver. 11). To man we should not thus plead. But it is worthy of God to forgive great sin, for His name’s sake. Confess then all to Him, and you will find that He is plenteous in mercy.