braces the truths which the Holy Spirit proposes to his understanding, obeys his godly admonitions, cherishes his sacred influences, and applies to him for guidance and support in all cases of doubt, of difficulty, or of danger, he is then said to "work out his own salvation." "The ability to act is from God, but the act is from ourselves, when so enabled." Here then appears to lie the truth of the case, that "our own exertions are necessary to work out our own salvation, but our sufficiency' for that purpose is of God." "He excites our affections to desire that which is good, engageth our will to choose it, and strengtheneth our hands to perform it. There are no holy thoughts in our minds, no good purposes in our hearts, nor any righteous actions in our lives, but it is in, and by, and through him."* If any thing can humble the pride of man's heart, it is the consideration that he can do nothing towards working out his salvation, without the grace of God assisting him. Have we not daily experience of the darkness of our natural understandings, the coldness of our religious affections, and the weakness of our own powers? Have we not reason to cry out, with the disciples of Christ, "Lord, save us, we perish?" Let us not, then, " be highminded, but fear;" for God "giveth grace to the lowly."t Let us learn to pray diligently for that grace to direct, sanctify, and govern us; relying on the promise of Him who said, "Your heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him."‡ * Dean Comber. † Rom. xi. 20. + Luke x. 13, It is to little purpose that we amuse ourselves in speculations about the manner in which these inward communications from God are made to our souls; it is enough to know that his Spirit does operate there; and "we are sure it is done in such a way, as requires our own concurrence to render it effectual." The way of conveying it is invisible. Our Saviour compared it to "the wind that bloweth where it listeth;" no man knows whence it comes, nor whither it goes; "so," he adds, " is every one who is born of the Spirit."* We can no more account for the manner in which these inward assistances are applied, than we can account for the changes of the wind; the operations of both are only discernible by their effects. But it is not more unintelligible than how thoughts of any kind are produced in our minds; nor does it become us to pry curiously into what God hath not thought proper to reveal; but with deep humility acknowledge that "all power belongeth unto God." Were we left entirely to ourselves, we might well despair of accomplishing any thing; "but our sufficiency is of God;" and all that he requires of us we can do "through Christ strengthening us." If "Christ died for all," then every man living has assistances given him to work out his own salvation. But "when God affords us spiritual succours, and we neglect to improve them; when his Spirit leads, but we refuse to follow; then is it that we 'receive the grace of God in vain; "t and the guilt and the punishment must fall on our own heads. * John iii. 9. † Stanhope, Ep. and Gos. ii. 305. Let no man, therefore, "charge God foolishly," by pleading his own inability, and the want of divine succour, as an excuse for continuing in sin. Our Saviour assigns a very different reason, when he says, "Ye will not come to me, that ye may have life;" "How often would I have gathered you under my wings, but ye would not."* The holy martyr, St. Stephen, tells the Jews of another cause of their wickedness; "Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost." The Almighty Jehovah thus expostulates with his people, "What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?" "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help."‡ From all which we may learn, that if the sinner does "not come to Christ, that he may have life," it is because he " will not ;" if he is not "gathered under Christ's wings," it is because he "would not be;" if he does not profit by divine grace, it is because he resists, grieves, and quenches the Holy Spirit; and to him we may apply the lamentation over Israel, "thou hast destroyed thyself." We never shall seek assistance from God, until we realize how helpless we are ourselves; and we never shall do any thing ourselves, if we fancy that God will work so irresistibly, as to leave us nothing to do. When, therefore, we hear him calling upon us to turn unto him, let us pray, in the language of one of our Collects,|| "Turn thou us, O Lord, and so shall we be turned." God will never be wanting to those who are not wanting * John v. 40. Matt. xiii. 37. + Is, v. 4. Hos. xiii. 9. † Acts vii. 51. Ash Wednesday. to themselves. Let us but diligently improve the faculties and powers which he has given us, and although we shall even then be "unprofitable servants," having only "done that which was our duty to do,"* yet we shall have done all that God requires. He asks of us no impossibilities; but he has certainly a right to expect that we will improve the talents entrusted to our care, whether we have received one, or five, or ten; and he who does this, "shall in no wise lose his reward." That impressive and affectionate exhortation of the Apostle ought ever to be present to our minds, and its precious promises should always animate and cheer us to active and vigorous exertion; "Brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.t * Luke xiv. 10. † 2 Peter i. 10, 11. CHAPTER XI. CONCLUSION. We have now gone through with our examination of the principal doctrines which the church maintains ; and our object has been to show that they are in perfect accordance with "Holy Scripture;" for we hold, as our sixth article expresses it, that "Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation; so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation." The doctrines which we have considered, and which are regarded as the fundamentals of our blessed religion, are, the original depravity of man; the necessity of a change of heart; the divinity and atonement of Jesus Christ; the divinity and offices of the Holy Ghost; justification by faith; the necessity of repentance and obedience; the importance of good-works as the evidence and fruit of a correct faith; the ability of every man living to "work out his own salvation," by the grace of God working in and with him, and his utter inability to do any thing without such assistance. We have also shown that divine grace is offered to all, but that each one is left free to choose or reject it; that he may either cherish the sacred influences of the Holy Spirit, or grieve, resist, and do despite to him. |