indispensably necessary to our salvation : they are as necessary under the Gospel, as under the law : the only difference is, that, according to the strict tenor of the law, they were the ground of our hope ; whereas, under the Gospel, they are the fruits and evidences of our faith. To found our hopes of salvation on our obedience to the holy law of God, would, as we have before seen, cut off all possibility of salvation ; because our obedience must be perfect, in order to secure the promised "blessing;" and every act of disobedience has entailed on us an everlasting " curse : " but, if we comprehend, in our views of obedience, an obedience to the Gospel ; if we comprehend in it the trusting in Christ for salvation, and the free endeavours of the soul to serve and honour him ; then we may adopt the words of our text, and address them confidently to every living man. But then we must not forget, that it is the atoning sacrifice of Christ that alone enables us to hear even such a proposal with any degree of comfort. We can no more yield a perfect obedience to the Gospel, than we could to the Law : our faith is imperfect, as well as our works: but, if we seek reconciliation with God through the death of his Son, we shall have peace with him, and may eat our peace-offering with confidence and joy. In our views of this subject, we need only set before our eyes that solemn transaction, to which we have referred : we shall there see, on what all the hopes of Israel were founded, namely, the sacrifice of Christ: we shall see at the same time, to what all Israel were bound, namely, a life of holy and unreserved obe- dience. It is precisely thus with ourselves; our obedience does not supersede the necessity of faith ; nor does our faith set aside the necessity of obedience : one is the root, and the other is the fruit ; one is the foundation, the other is the superstructure ; one is the means of acceptance with God, the other is the means of honouring him and of adorning our holy profession.]
3. That happiness or misery is the fruit of our own choice —
[The very proposal of an alternative implies a choice : but this choice is yet intimated in a subsequent passage to the same effect11: nor can there be any doubt but that every man is called to make his election ; and that his eternal state is fixed agreeably to the choice he makes. Not that we mean to set aside the election of God ; for we know full well, that God's people are " a remnant according to the election of grace q;" and that " it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy r." Nevertheless, no man is brought to heaven against his own will. He has felt the attractive influences of divine grace, and has been " made
p Deut. xxx. 15, 19. i Rom. xi. 5. r Rom. ix. 15, 16.