Now believers in the Bible are not afraid boldly to say, “Let that anathema rest on us,” for we do believe from the bottom of our heart that the doctrine of grace is obscured and neutralized by such a system of human satisfaction. We believe it to be utterly impossible for penitents to redeem themselves from sin by any satisfaction whatsoever. “It cost more to redeem their souls, so that they must let that alone for ever.” We believe at the same time that there is no such satisfaction needed, but that the whole judgment has been so completely borne, as to lay open the treasury of life to the sinner, even in the lowest depths of his ruin; so that when he has nothing to bring, and can have nothing, and has no prospect of ever having anything at any future time, we can proclaim to him in the words of the Holy Ghost, “Ho! every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” But before we quit the subject of the completeness of the atonement we must remember its fulness or perfection towards the pardoned believer. We have found that the completeness of the atonement is practically neutralized by the demand of some human satisfaction, in order that the Lord’s propitiation may be made applicable to the sinner; but now another question arises, of the deepest possible importance,—Is the sinner, when forgiven, forgiven completely? Is his sin fully or only partially blotted out? Hitherto we have spoken merely of the man seeking forgiveness, and found how he is required by the Church of Rome to do something before he can reach up to the atonement; now let us proceed a step further, and examine the case of one who has obtained it, _i.e._, of the pardoned believer,—of the accepted child of God. How does he stand with reference to those sins which have been pardoned through the blood of propitiation? Does any portion of the guilt or charge of them lie against him after his forgiveness? or is the whole removed and blotted out for ever?