stress upon it, as establishing his doctrine beyond all con- tradiction^ Know ye then, as a matter of primary
importance, that, if ever you would live before God, you must come to him as sinners destitute of all help or hope in your- selves, and must cast yourselves entirely upon that Saviour, " whom he has set forth to be a propitiation for sin," and " not for your sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world." There is no other way in which any man can come to God*^; nor any other name but that of Jesus, whereby any sinner in the universe can be saved**.]
By faith also we must persevere in it even to the end —
[There is no other way for our continuance in life than that by which we are first brought into a state of spiritual existence. As at the beginning it is said, " He that hath the Son of God hath life ; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life*^ ;" so must it be said even to the end : for " all our fresh springs are in him :" " He is the fountain of life ; and in his light alone we can see light." Have we continually fresh sins to be forgiven ? There is no way of being cleansed from them but by washing continually in " the fountain which has been once opened for sin and uncieanness^." Have we on account of our remaining corruptions continual need of fresh supplies of grace ? There is no other source of grace but He : " it hath pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwells," and "out of his fulness must we all receive, even grace for grace '\" Are our trials and afflictions multiplied from time to time ? It is in his everlasting arms that we must be upheld, and " his grace alone that can be sufficient for us." In a word, it is " by faith that we must stand " every moment': "by faith too we must walk^:" yea, from first to last, "we must live altogether by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us'." " As we have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so we must walk in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith as we have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving™."]
But in order to maintain our steadfastness in this way, it is necessary we should consider, II. The danger of departing from it —
On few passages of Scripture do we behold more glaring perversions than in comments upon these
^ Rom. i. 17. and Gal. iii. 11. <= John xiv. 6.
^ Acts iv. 1'2. « 1 John v. 12. ^ Zecli. xiii. 1.
g Col. i. 19. >' Johni. 16. * Rom. xi. 20.
^ 2 Cor. v. 7. • Gal. ii. 20. '" Col. ii. 6, 7.