separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen V Now precisely thus it is with every one that is brought to the faith of Christ: he is born, " not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Nor is there one upon the face of the whole earth who must not say, " By the grace of God I am what I am1."]
Trusting that the point we have been endeavouring to establish is fully conceded to us, we will proceed to shew,
II. What encouragement we derive from that all- important consideration —
Unspeakably encouraging are these two thoughts connected with it :
1. All Believers have the same God to go unto for all that they can stand in need of —
[Had their divine life originated from man, either from themselves or others, they must have looked to man to carry it forward. But who that knows the weakness and mutability of man must not have trembled for them ? The friend, by whose kind attentions they had been converted, is absent on a journey, or is dead, and his help can no more be obtained. Or the good dispositions which they themselves put forth, and by virtue of which they were brought to God, have been over- powered by temptation, and are no longer at their command. They feel a hardness of heart which they cannot remove, and a distraction of mind which they cannot fix. What then is to be done? The water has failed them, not in the channel merely, but at the fountain-head. But let them reflect on God as the alone source of all that they have pos- sessed, and then they will have this rich consolation in the midst of all their trouble and perplexity : ' Who is it that has brought me hitherto ? and what did He find in me as an in- ducement to him to magnify his grace in me ? He saw nothing in me but sin : he loved me only because he would love me : he consulted nothing but his own sovereign will : he chose me, and not I him : and apprehended me, before he was appre- hended by me. Then to him will I look : in him will I hope : to him will I apply. If " he was found of me when I sought him not, and made known to me when I inquired not after him," I may hope he will not turn his back upon me when I seek him ; nor turn a deaf ear to me when I call upon him. .My only ground of fear is, either that he is not able, or that
k Gal. i. 15, 16. l 1 Cor. xv. 10.