Guardian of ^t^ He is the Proprietor of it. As the light is primarily in the sun, so is all good originally and essentially in Christ. " In him was life," says St. John ; " and the life was the light of men '^." The same writer says of him again at the conclusion of the chapter from whence the text is taken, " This is the true God, and eternal iife'^" He also is the Dis- penser of it. As life was in him essentially as well as in the Father, so was it committed to him officially, in order that he might impart it to whomsoever he would*. He himself arro- gates to himself this honour '^; and all his Apostles acknow- ledge themselves indebted to him for all that they possessed^. He is moreover the Guardian of it. When life was entrusted to Adam, he, though perfect, and in Paradise, was soon robbed of it through the devices of Satan. And if it were now com- mitted to us, we in our present fallen state should not be able to preserve it one single hour. God has therefore gra- ciously committed it to his dear Son, that, by being " hid with Christ in God ''," it might be inaccessible to our subtle enemy. By this mysterious, this merciful dispensation, " our souls are bound up, as it were, in the bundle of life with the Lord our God'." Christ " lives in us*"," and " is our very life':" and hence, " because he liveth," and as long as he liveth, " we shall live also"'."]
Thus has God testified, that eternal life is to be sought as a free gift from him, and to be only in, and through, and for the sake of, the Lord Jesus Christ. But to see the full importance of this record, we must consider, II. The declaration grounded upon it — •
A more solemn declaration is not to be found in all the Inspired Volume. But let us consider,
J . What is meant by " having the Son of God ?" [The more simply this is explained, the more intelHgible it will appear. Christ is represented as God's gift to man ' : and we then receive that gift when we believe in Christ ; or, in
other
*• For this just and elegant mode of expressing (his idea, the Author is indebted to that very judicious Author, Mr. Robert Walker, of Edinburgh ; whose four volumes of Sermons are well worthy of every man's perusal.
' John i. 4. ^ ver. 20.
• Col. i. 19. John V. 21, 26. & xvii. 2. ' John x. 28.
f John i. 10". " Col. iii. 3.
' 1 Sam. XXV. 29. •" Gal. ii. 21.
' Col. iii. 4. "' John xiv. I9.
" John iii. \(5. & iv. 10.