Those who are inquiring the way to eternal life, are
told that they can find it only in the suff'ering and
death of Christ. If they can believe that Christ
died for them and thus paid the debt due to Divine
justice, and are willing to accept pardon from the
Father for the sake of Jesus Christ, it is freely
granted them, and their salvation is secured. Thus
Christians generally place their hope, and their only
hope, of salvation in His death. They look to that ;
they rest upon tliat ; that is their plea for mercy,
and the only plea, they think, that will have any
avail with Divine justice. They perpetually remind



THE COMMON DOCTRINE. 57

the Father that the debt, due His justice for their
sins, is paid ; that they accept the payment as due
from them. They claim the promise of acquittal ;
and they beseech Him, not for their sakes, but for
the sake of His suffering, dying Son, to have mercy
upon them, and save them from eternal death. And
the Savior himself is represented as joining with
them in their plea as their great advocate. He
holds up His hands pierced with the cruel nails,
and points to His wounded side, to move implacable
justice to compassion, by a vivid exhibition of His
suffering and the greatness of the price He has paid
for human souls. If the plea is successful, the
Father accepts the satisfaction made by the suffer-
ings and death of the Savior, and freely pardons
the sinner.
