Now the same line of conduct becomes us also, in reference to the redemption of our souls. God says to us, " Christ, your passover is sacrificed for your:" sprinkle yourselves with his blood : rely on that for protection : and, though the curses of my law are following you, and all the powers of darkness are combined against you for your destruction, "yet shall you not perish, but have everlasting life s." If we will comply with this, our salvation is sure : but if we will have recourse to any efforts of our own, our doom is sealed : for we may as well hope, by our own power, to create a world, as by any works of ours to remove our guilt, and to obtain for ourselves the felicity of heaven. " We must be saved by faith, and not by works1." Any attempts to save ourselves by works will only invalidate what Christ has done for us u. Every endeavour, therefore, of this kind must for ever be relinquished : our whole strength, in relation to this matter, is only to " sit still."]
2. When no means can be used, but such as are unlawful —
[To Rebekah it had been promised, whilst her twin chil- dren, Esau and Jacob, were yet in her womb, that the " elder should serve the younger x." But when Isaac, to all appear- ance, was dying, he called for Esau, in order to confer on him the honours and privileges of his birth-right. Rebekah, who had a partiality for her younger son Jacob, seeing this, and fearing that he would lose the honours which God had pro- mised him, and having no prospect of turning Isaac from his purpose by any representations or remonstrances of hers, pro- posed and executed a most iniquitous device ; by which she brought on herself and family a long series of afflictive dispen- sationsy. She should on no account have interposed to effect her wishes in such a way as this; but have placed her confi- dence in God, who was at no loss for means to accomplish his own decrees. Means were proposed to Daniel and the Hebrew Youths to avert the calamities with which they were menaced; but they acted as became them, and experienced from God the aid for which they relied upon him2. And thus it becomes us also, when menaced by our enemies, to " cast our care on Goda." We are not, because of any conspiracies against us, to cry with desponding apprehension, " A confederacy, a con- federacy ! but to sanctify the Lord God in our hearts, and to make him our fear, and him only our dread V We are never to betake ourselves to dissimulation, or any unworthy methods of deliverance ; but to wait the Lord's leisure, and assure our-
r 1 Cor. v. 7. s John iii. 16. * Eph. ii. 8, 9.
» Gal. v. 2, 4. x Gen. xxv. 23. y Gen. xxvii. 1 — 46.
z Dan. iii. and vi. a 1 Pet. v. 7. b Isai. viii. 12, 13.