---

I. The first step to salvation is here described to be THE RELINQUISHMENT OF FORMER EVIL PRACTICES. That sin is to be forsaken by the seeker of God's favour, requires no proof. But how is it to be effected? There are many who think that prayer and good resolutions are sufficient. That both of these are indispensable, is most certain, and nothing can be done without them; but they are not always effectual. To them must be added the turning away from the besetting sin; the keeping out of the way of temptation. Probably the virtue and goodness of the best consist more in resisting temptation than is commonly believed by the looker-on. At the close of the day, what, we may ask, excites our grateful emotions to God? That we have had grace to resist this sin and the other; not that we have been positively good, but that we have not been positively bad. One main source of the obedience, then, for instance, of the man whose besetment is love of the world, consists in his keeping out of it, in his turning away from it, as much as he possibly can. And this direction is equally applicable to all other sins. You wish to give up sin; then studiously, self-denyingly, watchfully, prayerfully, turn away from the very atmosphere of the temptation that would lead you to sin; and dream not of safety upon any other terms.

II. After this relinquishing known sin, THE NEXT STEP IS, "TO DO THAT WHICH IS LAWFUL AND RIGHT." We know well the difficulty of reconciling the sovereign power of God with the agency of helpless man. But let us consider, for the practical view of the question, that the same God who made the body and its powers made also the soul and its powers. Now, we feel no hesitation in speaking about the freedom of motion of the limbs of the body; yet the whole power to move arm, or leg, or hand, is derived as directly from God as is the power of the mind to think. And notwithstanding this, we feel no hesitation in attributing to man a perfect mastery over all the motions of his own limbs, though it be true that "in God he lives, and moves, and has his being." When you tell a man to walk, in effect you only tell him to use the power of body which God has given him. He walks, not because he gave himself the power to do so, but because God gave it to him. Now we know the limits under which this can be applied to the soul. Sin has cast its chain, so to speak, about the legs and arms of the soul. If you wish to walk to a neighbouring place, we know of no impediment to your motions; but if you wish to walk to heaven, the case is different. But who gave you the unshackled limbs? God. And if He gives the like power to the soul, why may we not, in like manner, exhort you to make use of it, without being misconstrued? But what is the "lawful and right," the Christian obedience, required of you? Repentance, faith, holiness. But these imply a thousand particulars, without understanding many of which, it is but giving dark counsel. We spoke of repentance first; but how is a man to perform this "lawful and right" act? How are you to feel sorrow for your sins? You cannot give this sorrow to yourselves; nor can any human being give it you. How then is it to be obtained? In the use, we reply, of God's appointed means. "Do" them, for they are the "lawful and right" means. Now, we think the appointed way of obtaining repentance is by looking closely at and to Jesus Christ, in connection with what you know of yourselves relative to the past and the present, and what you justly suspect of yourselves for the future. Not that we suppose that any view you can take of Jesus Christ, in connection with His dreadful sufferings for your sins, could move you to real sorrow; but our belief is, that this is the appointed effect of this particular means: if you once look at Christ in this light, He will at the same time regard you for the most merciful of all purposes. Is not every spiritual blessing to be traced up, instrumentally, to Jesus Christ? Repentance certainly is a spiritual blessing; and therefore the proper means are, to come to Him, in the hope that He, by His Spirit, will awaken it within you. If you wait until you are a penitent before you seek for the remedy of the Gospel, you are inverting the only safe order. Come to Jesus Christ in prayer for the gift of repentance: this, we say, is the appointed means. For we are only asking you to exert the power which is given you by God to use His own means, that you may obtain His own blessing. But we pass on to the second act spoken of as "lawful and right" for the salvation of the soul — faith in Jesus Christ. And certainly if repentance is a necessary act of obedience, so is a reliance on the meritorious sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But then what can you do, you yourselves do, in the way of obedience to this injunction? You cannot give yourself faith in Christ, but you can pray for it. You can read the history of His sufferings and death for your sins, with a thoughtful mind; and in that same book in which they are recorded, you can read the only valuable and true history in the world of yourselves. If you desire to see the faithful representation of your countenance, you go to the looking glass; and if you want to see the only real picture of your soul's condition, read God's Word for this express purpose, for you will find it nowhere else. By thus using the plain means, so easy of access, for learning what you can of Jesus Christ, and what you can of yourself, you meet God, as it were, in the right road; you go as far as you can go. And as little do we expect that God will go out of His way to withhold His suns, and rains, and winds, for maturing the seed put into the ground with all care, in the use of His own appointed means, as we believe He will withhold the suns, and winds, and rains of His Holy Spirit. to bring to ripeness the graces connected with "saving the soul alive" in those who thus do their part towards obtaining them.

(J. E. Golding.)

---

---

KJV: Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

WEB: Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.