of man. Life was to be, " not of works, but of grace f:" and " it was to be by faith, that it might be by grace6." The only thing required on our part, was to receive thankfully what God offered freely in the Son of his love. In receiving Christ therefore by faith, we have a title to every thing else ; according as it is said, " All things are yours ; and ye are Christ's."]
3. The actual possession of it, derived to them from Christ —
[Of this, also, the Apostle speaks strongly, in the pre- ceding context: " He that hath the Son, hath life: and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life :" that is, life is the exclusive possession of the believing soul. This is no less plainly affirmed by our Lord himself: " Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my words, and believeth in Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into con- demnation ; but is passed from death unto life h." Whatever is comprehended in all the glory and felicity of heaven, is now begun in the believer's soul : " He has the witness of it in him- self1;" yea, and " the earnest" and foretaste of itk. In fact, as an embryo in the womb has all the parts of which manhood is the perfection, so grace is glory begun ; and glory is grace consummated.]
But the Scriptures are of yet further use to believers,
II. To confirm and augment their affiance in him —
It is necessary that they should grow in faith, as well as in every other grace1. The faith of all should daily become,
1. More simple in its exercise —
[The world at large have very little idea how difficult it is to exercise a pure " unfeigned faith." It is easy to say, ' I believe:' but to " renounce all confidence in the flesh" is in- conceivably difficult. A stone does not more naturally fall to the ground, than we cleave to our own wisdom, strength, and righteousness, as grounds of hope, and sources of acceptance before God. To derive all from the Lord Jesus Christ, and depend on Him alone, as an infant on its mother's care, is the very summit of Christian perfection. And where is the person that has attained to it? But, to aid us in this attainment, the Holy Scriptures are of wonderful use : they shew us the ful- ness that is in Christ, and the emptiness of the creature, that
f Eph. ii. 8. s Rom. iv. 16. h John. v. 24.
1 ver. 10. k Eph. i. 13, 14. ' 2 Thess. i, 3.