John's writings. I conjecture tlie link must be soraeth.^og of this kind : " Tlie Scriptures testify plainly of Me. A7-cd yet in the face of this testimony ye have no will or inchnatioa to come to Ma by faith, that ye may have eternal hfe through Me."
This verse evidently begins the third part of our Lord's address to the Jews. He had declared the relation between Himself and God the Father, He had brought forward the evidence of His own Divine commission, and His claim to be received as tho Messiah, And now He concludes by a most heart-piercing appeal to the consciences of His enemies, in which He exposes the true state of their hearts, and the real reasons why they did not believe in Him. If ever men were plainly dealt with, and received home- thrusts as to their own spiritual condition, it was on this occasion. In reading the conclusion of this chapter, one cannot but feel that a miraculous restraint must have been put on our Lord's enemies. Otherwise it is difficult to understand how they could have allowed Him to bring such cutting and truth- ful charges against them. If ministers desire a warrant for deal- ing plainly with their hearers, and addressing them directly and personally about their sins, they have only to look at their Divine blaster's words in this passage.
The opening charge that our Lord makes, " Ye will not come to me," misses much of its force in the English language. It is not the future tense of " come " that is used in the G-reek. Two distinct verbs are employed. The right meaning is, " Ye do not will to come," — " Ye have no heart, desire, or inclination to come to Me."
Let it be noted here that (1.) we are all by nature dead in sins; — that (2.) spiritual life is laid up for sinners in Christ alone ; He is the fountain of life; — that (3.) in order to receive benefit from Christ men must come to him by faith, and believe: be- lieving is coming; — and, finally, (4.) that the real reasons why men do not come to Christ, and consequently die in their sins, is their want of will to come.
Let it be carefully noted, that both here and elsewhere the loss of man's soul is always attributed in Scripture to man's own want of will to be saved. It is not any decree of God. It is not Grod's unwilhngness to receive. It is not any limitation of Christ's redeeming work and atonement. It is not any want of wid^, broad, fiee, full invitations to repent and beheve. It is simply and entirely man's own fault. — his want of will. For ever let us cleave to this doctrine. Man's salvation, if saved, is entirely of God. Man's ruin, if lost, is entirely of himself. He " loves darkness rather than hght." He will have his own way.
We should observe in this concluding part of our Lord's address, Ihat He charges the Jews with four distinct sins: (1.)