never cease to work, till lie has fulfilled in us all his good plea- sure, and " perfected that which concerneth us:" " he will keep us by his own power through faith unto salvation."]
We may observe from hence,
1. How suitable is the way of salvation !
[Foolish and ignorant men would be better pleased with a gospel that left them to earn, either wholly or in part, their own salvation. But, alas! how ill adapted would such a Gospel be to us, who are " insufficient of ourselves even to think a good thought ! " How much more suitable is the pro- mise in the text, wherein God undertakes to do every thing in us, and for us ! Let us then receive thankfully what God offers freely. Let us embrace " a covenant that is ordered in all things and sure ; " and rejoice in serving God, who so rejoices in saving us.]
2. What effectual care is taken that we should not turn the grace of God into licentiousness !
[There are, it must be acknowledged, some who abuse this doctrine, (for what is there, however excellent, which men will not abuse ?) and take occasion from it to rest in a state of worldliness and sloth. But the very promise gives us a suffi- cient antidote against the poison it is supposed to convey : it tells us indeed, that God will keep us from departing from him ; but it tells us also, that he will do this by " 'putting his fear into our hearts" This destroys at once all delusive hopes; inasmuch as it shews us, that, if we be not living habitually in the fear of God, we are actually departed from him, and con- sequently can have no ground whatever to expect salvation at his hands. Let the carnal and slothful professor of religion well consider this. His abuse of this promise cannot invalidate its truth ; but it may deceive his soul to his eternal ruin. Be it ever remembered, that the very same fear which God puts into our hearts in our first conversion, must continue to operate, and that too with increasing activity, to the end of our lives ; and, that we have no longer any reason to think our past experience to be scriptural, than while we cultivate that fear, and endeavour to " walk in it all the day long." We do not mean that every occasional backsliding should subvert our hopes ; but, if ever the fear of God cease to be the leading principle in our hearts, or to stimulate us to further attain- ments in holiness, we may be sure that we have deceived our own souls, and that our religion is vain. May God keep us all from such a fatal delusion for his mercy's sake !]
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