by covenant to give him a seed ; and had promised that, " if he would lay down his soul an offering for sin, the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hand." Christ therefore, having fulfilled his part of the covenant, may claim the fulfilment of the Father's engagements, and, by virtue of the authority com- mitted to him, may reveal himself to sinners in order to their eternal salvation. Thus, whether we con- sider the justification of sinners as obtained for them, or imparted to them, the death of Christ must be acknowledged as the true and only ground of it.
These points being so fully opened in other parts of this chapter, we may wave any further discussion of them, and propose for adoption such a line of conduct as shall ensure to every one the blessing here spoken of.
1. Let us read the Scriptures with care and dili- gence—
The Holy Scriptures are the only fountain of divine knowledge. They are a kind of map, whereby we may find our way through this trackless desert, and arrive in safety at our Father's house. Our Lord says, " Search the Scriptures ; for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me." Let us then not merely read them, but attend particularly to the testimony which they bear to Christ. Nor let us peruse them in a cursory manner, as though they needed no study or investi- gation ; but rather let us examine them with deep attention, as we would a will or testament by which our title to a large inheritance was to be determined. What a succession of hopes and fears would arise in our breast, when we read in such a will the passages that appeared prosperous or adverse ; and what dili- gence should we use to make our title clear ! How glad should we be to consult those who could give us information on the subject, and what a deep im- pression would their opinion make upon our minds, particularly if it were grounded on authentic records, and established cases! Such is the way in which we