any just occasion for their disquietude, apprehending that their weakness of hope argues, of necessity, a want of faith. But a person may have strong faith, whilst yet he is very far from an assured hope. The Canaanitish woman, who was repeatedly rejected by our Lord as an unfit person to enjoy the blessing which she solicited" I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel;"*"I cannot take the children's bread, and cast it unto dogs,"+)showed, by her persevering importunity, that her faith in Christ was strong; and therefore our Lord commended her, saying, "O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt." This, then, I have spoken, lest any, because they have not an assured hope, should think themselves destitute of a saving faith. If our faith in Christ be simple and entire, "we shall be saved by him with an everlasting salvation."Ş If it be thought that this knowledge of Christ is attainable by any human efforts, let the Apostle's declaration be borne in mind: "By grace ye are saved, through faith and that not * Matt. xv. 24. + Matt. xv. 26. of yourselves: it is the gift of God." And he elsewhere tells us, that "it is given to us to believe in Christ." It was "by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that any of old attained the knowledge of Christ ;" and it is by the same divine Teacher that we must all be brought to him at this time; as it is said-" All thy children shall be taught of God :"§ and again, “No man can come unto me except the Father who hath sent me draw him."|| But I observed, that the Spirit of Christ yet further (in the third place) enables the believer to_devote himself wholly and unreservedly to God. This is as necessary as either of the former. In fact, without this, where it can be effected, the others, even if they could exist, would be of no saving benefit to the soul. An entire surrender of the soul to God is that for which the graces of penitence and faith are given. But this also is the work of the Spirit, and can never be wrought by any finite power. The man now possesses "a divine nature,"¶ totally distinct from that which he brought into the world with him. He is altogether "a new * Eph. ii. 8. † Phil. i. 29. + Eph. i. 17. 2 Pet. i. 4. creature;' ;"* made so by him who created him at first, and “breathed into him a living soul."+ And can there be any doubt by whom this change is wrought? Let the Apostle's testimony determine this point: "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus."‡ And again, "He that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God; who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit."Ş I have said that the Spirit of God makes known to the believing soul the mercies of God in Christ Jesus; and by this manifestation of God's love he constrains the believer to " give himself up, a living sacrifice to God;" and, from a consciousness that "he has been bought with a price, to glorify God with his body and his spirit, which are his." From this time, the man enters on a new course, mortifying the whole body of sin, and crucifying all his corrupt affections; as it is written, "They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts."** From this time also, all the fruits of the Spirit are brought forth by him, * Gal. vi. 15. § 2 Cor. v. 5. ** Gal. v. 24. + Gen. ii. 7. Rom. xii. 1. + Eph. ii. 10. ¶ 1 Cor. vi. 2Q. and he progressively abounds in "all the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."* Holiness, in all its branches, is now the chief desire and delight of his soul. By walking in the Spirit, he is kept from any desire to fulfil the lusts of the flesh."+ "He can no longer commit sin, as he once did, because he is born of God." Were it possible, he would become "holy, as God himself is holy." His continual prayer is, that "the God of peace would sanctify him wholly; and that his whole body, soul, and spirit may be preserved blameless unto God's heavenly kingdom." As for the world, and all its vanities, he is crucified to it "by the cross of Christ; and the world, even in all its most attractive graces, is as a crucified object to him." The relation between him and the world, like the tie of a departed relative, is dissolved ;** and though in the world, "he is no more of the world, than Christ himself was of the world."++ To walk before God, and with God, and to "maintain continual fellowship with the Father and the Son,"‡‡ is now his one ambition, his one pursuit. And it is only in proportion as he has attained this change, that he has any evidence that he belongs to Christ. In this way, allowing only for circumstantial varieties in different cases, the Holy Spirit completes in men the three different works which I mentioned, as necessary in order to our becoming Christ's. I know that there are some who would call this a legal statement. But I have no hesitation in saying, that it is the statement which is found in every page of the inspired volume; and that no part of it can, by any means, be dispensed with. If we be not penitent, we can never come to Christ aright; if we rely on any thing but his meritorious blood and righteousness, we can never be accepted of him; and, if we yield not ourselves up to him in a way of holy obedience, he will never acknowledge us as his. The same Scripture which says, "Except ye repent, ye shall all perish," says also, "He that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him ;+" and still further adds, "Without holiness, no man * Luke xiii. 5. † John iii. 36: |