wisdom, and much too humiliating for his pride; yet what has he to show for his conviction that his soul shall live for ever after the death of the body with the just in glory? He does not see himself as God sees him, as a child of disobedience; but 'Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioned it, What makest thou?' (Isa. 45. 9.) 'Shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing formed say of him that formed it, He hath no understanding?' (Isa. 29. 16.) It is certainly very humiliating to the pride of man to believe that unless his soul be saved by grace, he is doomed to die like the beast that perisheth, nevertheless it is true; nay, more, should he die being an enemy of Jesus Christ, he shall be raised again at the last day to suffer the second death for his wicked deeds.

Finally, we repeat that it is in the dispensation of glory that God's aim in the creation of man will be made manifest to men and angels, when the saints shall appear before the throne of him who hath said, 'I am God, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.' (Isa. 46. 10. Comp. Eph. 1. 5.) On that dayWisdom will be justified in its works' (Matt. 11. 19. Comp. Prov. 8.); for it is by Jesus Christ that God is justified in his dealings with man. 'For it hath pleased all the fulness [of God] to dwell in him, and through him to reconcile all [the elect] to himself, whether they be on earth or in heaven, making peace through him by means of the blood of his cross.' (Col. 1. 19, 20.) When, therefore, we reflect on the mystery of the Christ which was hid in God from the foundation of the world, we cannot help exclaiming in the words of the prophet:

'O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given unto him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For from him, and by means of him, and for him, are all things: to him be glory for the ages. Amen.' (Rom. 11. 33-36.)

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CHAPTER V.

THE CONVERSION OF THE ELECT OF GOD BY FAITH IN

JESUS CHRIST.

I. THE saints are converted for life by regeneration and by hearing the good news that Jesus Christ has died to save sinners.

II. The conversion of the faithful remnant of the house of Israel from the covenant of Moses to the covenant of

grace.

III. The conversion of the elect of the nations.

IV. The conversion of the children of God who have fallen from grace.

I. The calling of the sinner from death to life, and from rebellion as a child of Adam to obedience as a child of God, originates, like all other spiritual blessings, in the election of grace, as the Apostle Paul testified to Timothy, saying, 'Be not thou ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the good news, according to the power of God, who hath saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given unto us before the world began ; but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour, the Christ Jesus, who hath abolished death and brought incorruptibility and life to light by means of the good news.' (2 Tim. 1. 8-10.)

There are two factors in the calling of the elect, namely, the Spirit or power of good, by which the soul is regenerated, and his word, by hearing which the sinner believes in the good news that Jesus Christ has died to save sinners: for it is written that as many as received Jesus as the Christ were begotten by God. (John, 1. 12, 13. Gal. 6. 15. Eph. 2. 5, 10; 4. 24. Tit. 3. 5.) And the calling and the conversion of the elect of God are co-relative terms for all who are called are converted from a state of death and rebellion to a state of grace and obedience as children of God, being made to live together with Jesus Christ. For when God regenerates the souls of the elect, they have ears to hear his word, and they believe it, but not before. To believe in God regeneration is not necessary; but no one can believe in his Son as the only Mediator between God and men, unless he is begotten from above. The regeneration of the soul of the sinner, whereby God imparts to it everlasting life, and it becomes willing to believe in Jesus as his Saviour was first revealed by our Lord, who said to Nicodemus, Except a man be begotten from above, he cannot enter the kingdom of God' (John, 3. 3), that is to say, he cannot believe that Jesus is the Lord; for 'No one can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Spirit.' (1 Cor. 12. 3.) And all who believe in the Christ are said to be in him, for they have his life; for as Adam gave his life to fallen man, so does the Man from heaven give his life to the new creation. (Rom. 5. 14. 1 Cor. 15. 45.) Therefore,' the apostle says, 'if any man be in the Christ he is a new creation' (2 Cor. 5. 17), for the natural man receiveth not the things of God, for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned.' (1 Cor. 2. 14.) But as regards the divine process by which the dead in Adam are made to live in the Christ, it is a mystery, for all that the believer comprehends of the new birth is its effect in his soul; whereby he

6

knows that whereas once he was blind and could not see Jesus as his Saviour, he now sees him as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.

We conclude, then, that all those whose names are written in the book of life are called by God, and that their conversion is not their own work; for they are entirely passive agents in his hands. It is a work of creation, for the saints are created in the Christ Jesus, or in his image, as Paul testifies in his epistle to the saints at Rome, in which he says that all things work together for good to the faithful who are called according to God's purpose. 'For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called.' (Rom. 8. 28-30.) And in 1 Pet. 5. 10, it is written that 'the God of all grace hath called us to his everlasting kingdom in the Christ Jesus;' and Paul testifies of his own conversion, saying, 'But when it pleased God, who separated me [from sinners] from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace.' (Gal. 1. 15.) And thus all the apostolical epistles are written for the edification of the called or converted saints, who are separated by God from the world in his Son Jesus Christ. (Rom. 9. 24. 1 Cor. 1. 9. 1 Thess. 2. 12.)

The elect are called by God, but it is by means of his Son Jesus Christ who is Lord of all; for they are begotten by him (1 John, 2. 29), and called by him. (John, 10. 16. Acts, 9. 4-6. Rom. 1. 6. 2 Pet. 1. 3.) For as the Father awakeneth the dead, and giveth life, even so the Son giveth life to whom he will.' (John, 5. 21.) 'For he that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; and the good seed are the sons of the kingdom.' (Matt. 13. 37, 38.) It is evident, then, that the regeneration of the soul is the instrumental cause of faith in the Christ, and that conversion for life is not effected by the