The opinion of a learned Bishop of our acquaintance, as to there being merit in religious faith, being mentioned;—­JOHNSON.  ’Why, yes, Sir, the most licentious man, were hell open before him, would not take the most beautiful strumpet to his arms.  We must, as the Apostle says, live by faith, not by sight[397].’

I talked to him of original sin[398], in consequence of the fall of man, and of the atonement made by our SAVIOUR.  After some conversation, which he desired me to remember, he, at my request, dictated to me as follows:—­

’With respect to original sin, the inquiry is not necessary; for whatever is the cause of human corruption, men are evidently and confessedly so corrupt, that all the laws of heaven and earth are insufficient to restrain them from crimes.

’Whatever difficulty there may be in the conception of vicarious punishments, it is an opinion which has had possession of mankind in all ages.  There is no nation that has not used the practice of sacrifices.  Whoever, therefore, denies the propriety of vicarious punishments, holds an opinion which the sentiments and practice of mankind have contradicted, from the beginning of the world.  The great sacrifice for the sins of mankind was offered at the death of the MESSIAH, who is called in scripture “The Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins[399] of the world.”  To judge of the reasonableness of the scheme of redemption, it must be considered as necessary to the government of the universe, that GOD should make known his perpetual and irreconcileable detestation of moral evil.  He might indeed punish, and punish only the offenders; but as the end of punishment is not revenge of crimes, but propagation of virtue, it was more becoming the Divine clemency to find another manner of proceeding, less destructive to man, and at least equally powerful to promote goodness.  The end of punishment is to reclaim and warn. That punishment will both reclaim and warn, which shews evidently such abhorrence of sin in GOD, as may deter us from it, or strike us with dread of vengeance when we have committed it.  This is effected by vicarious punishment.  Nothing could more testify the opposition between the nature of GOD and moral evil, or more amply display his justice, to men and angels, to all orders and successions of beings, than that it was necessary for the highest and purest nature, even for DIVINITY itself, to pacify the demands of vengeance, by a painful death; of which the natural effect will be, that when justice is appeased, there is a proper place for the exercise of mercy; and that such propitiation shall supply, in some degree, the imperfections of our obedience, and the inefficacy of our repentance:  for, obedience and repentance, such as we can perform, are still necessary.  Our SAVIOUR has told us, that he did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill; to fulfill the typical law, by the performance of what those types had foreshewn; and the moral law, by precepts of greater purity and higher exaltation.’