Part 166

Without me ye can do nothing." (John xv. 4, 5.) We are here taught that Christ is the only source of spiritual life ; that those out of Him are destitute of that life and of all ability to produce its appropriate fruits ; and even with regard to those who are in Him, this ability is not of themselves, it is derived entirely from Him. In like manner the Apostle asserts his insufficiency (or in- ability) to do anything of himself. Our " sufficiency," he says, " is of God." (2 Cor. iii. 5.) Christ tells the Jews (John vi. 44), " No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him." This is not weakened or explained away by his say- ing in another place, " Ye will not come to me that ye might have life." The penitent and believing soul comes to Christ willingly. He wills to come. But this does not imply that he can of himself produce that willingness. The sinner wills not to come ; but that does not prove that coming is in the power of his will. He cannot have the will to come to the saving of his soul unless he has a true sense of sin, and a proper apprehension of the person, the character and the work of Christ, and right affections towards Him. How is he to get these ? Are all these complex states of mind, this knowledge, these apprehensions, and these affections subject to the imperative power of the will ? In Rom. viii. 7, the Apostle says, " The carnal mind is enmity against God ; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Those who are " in the flesh," are distinguished from those who are " in the Spirit." The former are the unrenewed, men who are in a state of nature, and of them it is affirmed that they cannot please God. Faith is declared to be the gift of God, and yet without faith, we are told it is impos- sible that we should please God. (Heb. xi. 6.) In 1 Cor. ii. 14, it is said, " The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God : for they are foolishness unto him : neither can he know them, because they are sj)iritually discerned." The nat- ural man is distinguished from the spiritual man. The latter is