livem?" What answer can any man, who maintains the doc- trine of absolute reprobation, return to this? But, to put the matter beyond the possibility of doubt, God makes it also the subject of a solemn oath : " As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel"?" Verily, if such declarations determine not the point, there is no certainty in language : but if they do, in what an endearing light is God here set forth to us ; and with what delight should we contemplate him under the character of " God our Saviour!"]
We must not, however, forget to notice,
II. The means whereby his gracious purposes are to be accomplished —
There is but one way of salvation for fallen man —
[" I am the way, the truth, and the life, saith the Lord Jesus: no man cometh unto the Father but by me0." This is plain and positive : and it is confirmed by many passages of Holy Writ, that are equally plain, and equally express: " Other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christp." And again : " There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we can be saved, but the name of Jesus Christq."]
And this way of salvation must be known and embraced —
[" By his knowledge," says God, " shall my righteous servant justify manyr." An unknown Saviour is no Saviour at all. There may, it is true, be different degrees of know- ledge required, agreeably to the different degrees of informa- tion that we have received. The Jews, before the coming of Christ, could not be expected to have such clear views of him as we possess, because he was not then so fully revealed. As to what shall be required of the heathen, we know but little : nor is it for us to determine what God shall do respecting them. But, in relation to ourselves, the matter is clear: we must know the Saviour, every one of us for ourselves: for " this is life eternal," says our Lord, " to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sents." On the other hand, " to them that know not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, God will come to take
m Ezek. xviii. 23. n Ezek. xxxiii. 11. ° John xiv. 6.
p 1 Cor. iii. 11. i Acts iv. 12. r Isai. liii. 11.
s John xvih 3.