MY GOD, MY GOD, why hast thou forsaken me: and, FATHER, into thy hands I commend my spirit. Nor does this confidence of Jesus, in so far as it could be exhibited in language and manners, seem to have escaped the observation of the multitude, as a something which distinguished him from their false teachers: for it is mentioned, that when, at the close of his remarkable sermon, he came down from the mount, the people were astonished at his doctrine; for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Now there is but one conclusion, and that an exceedingly obvious one, which I can deduce from the preceding facts and statements. It being clear, that there was in the Lord Jesus the most perfect confidence respecting his Messiahship, and enjoyment of eternal life; I and my Father are one-for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame :-and it being clear, likewise, that this perfect confidence in him did not in the slightest degree interfere with, but rather implied the existence of, the most perfect humility; he was meek and lowly in heart: and the most perfect devotedness to the service of his Heavenly Father; it was his meat to do the will of Him that sent him, and to finish his work:-how evident, that a certain degree of uncertainty respecting eternal life is not indispensable as an element in the principle of obedience; and that absolute confidence in God, and the absolute certainty of eternal life, are not necessarily productive of presumption and evil. Nay, may I not rather draw my conclusion positively, and say; from the experience of Christ,

we learn, that confidence in God as our Heavenly Father, so far from being a principle of evil, is necessarily productive of humility and goodness. Besides, are we not expressly told, that if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his? But the Spirit of Christ was, as we have just seen, a spirit of perfect confidence in God as his Heavenly Father: and if so, can any man be possessed of Christ's Spirit, who is labouring under doubts and fears, as to the relationship in which he himself stands to God? Can any man be possessed of Christ's Spirit, who is destitute of that in which the very essence of this Spirit consists? As sinful, which the Messiah himself was not, we may properly and consistently enough entertain fears of incurring the displeasure of God as our Heavenly Father in time; fears from which the mind of him who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners, must of course have been altogether exempt: but, as knowing that, in spite of the sinfulness of our present natures, we are one with the sinless Messiah; and that, as one with him, everlasting life is secured to us through him ;— that privilege being conferred on us unconditionally, and therefore independently of all merits or demerits of our own ;-what possibility is there of our entertaining fears with respect to eternity?

The views presented in the latter part of this chapter may be thus summed up. Belief in eternal life as the gift of God, or as unconditionally bestowed, which is belief in it as bestowed on ourselves personally, consti

tutes the primary and direct principle of Christian obedience. Until we apprehend God's character as LOVE,— which we can only do in the light of and in connection with the love which we perceive Him to cherish towards ourselves, there are in our minds only natural, earthly, and selfish motives of obedience. We never love God, or become possessed of a spiritual, heavenly, and generous principle, until we know that God hath first loved us. 1 John iv. 19. This new and heavenly principle, it is, which constrains us to live, not unto ourselves, but unto God. 2 Corinth. v. 14, 15. But as, during our abode in this present world, we are sinful creatures, and continually beset with temptations; in addition to love of God, as the primary or direct, we require a secondary or indirect principle of obedience. Love to God as our Heavenly Father, as our certain and everlasting portion,-stimulates or constrains us to obedience; but it is requisite that, while passing through this world, we should also be furnished with a principle which shall check us and restrain us from disobedience. Such are all those threatenings with which the sacred volume abounds. As, however, there can be nothing inconsistent or self-contradictory in the divine arrangements, the two principles cannot interfere with or contradict one another :-in other words, the restraining principle cannot be the rendering of that conditional, the unconditionality of which constitutes the very essence of the constraining principle. God who has declared, in language the most clear and explicit, that He bestows eternal life unconditionally, can never, with a view to

the accomplishment of any object whatever, contradict Himself by declaring that He bestows it conditionally. How thoroughly is even the appearance of self-contradiction obviated when we understand the fact, that although God has presented to our minds eternal life as unconditionally bestowed, for the purpose of this view becoming in us the direct and stimulating motive of our obedience, He has, by rendering the enjoyment of the first fruits of eternal life upon earth conditional, imposed a most salutary and efficacious check upon the corrupt propensities of human nature. With what ease, now, can we explain the language of the apostle respecting the possibility of his becoming a castaway, 1 Cor. ix. 27; consistently with his language elsewhere: I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 2 Tim. i. 12. How evident, that although believers are absolutely certain of their being even now the Sons of God, 1 John iii. 1, 2, their hearts may nevertheless from time to time condemn them as transgressors of the divine commandments; verses 21, 22. Nay, how evident, that it is only in proportion as we are denying ungodliness and worldly lusts; or, in proportion as faith is exerting in us its victorious energy; that we can be tasting by anticipation the joys and pleasures of the heavenly state. Delightful and consolatory is it for us who believe to know, that God's treatment of us is decidedly, in all respects, parental; that, while we are in this present world, and from our state of spiritual infancy liable continually to go astray,

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He surrounds us with "nursery walls,"-fences us in with threatenings of chastisement, having it for their object to restrain us from evil,—and visits upon us the - chastisements threatened, as long and as far as he perceives the doing so to be necessary: but that His object in threatening and chastising us being our good, and not our destruction, He never, by threatenings of punishment to be inflicted upon us throughout eternity, -punishments which, if threatened and incurred, would require to be inflicted,-lays aside the character of the affectionate but judicious parent, to assume that of the stern and vindictive despot.*

That I may take away, as far as in me lies, all cause of misrepresentation or mistake with respect to the views propounded and advocated in this chapter, I beg leave to submit them to my readers, condensed in the three following propositions.

PROP. I. Eternal life although, properly speaking, always conferred and enjoyed unconditionally, may nevertheless, in popular phraseology, be said to be enjoyed by some of the human race while on earth conditionally.

PROP. II. The condition on which any of the human race enjoy eternal life upon earth, is their believing,

Much important information respecting the nature and motives of Christian obedience will be found in Luther's Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians. There are many valuable remarks on the same subject in a little work written by my friend Mr. R. G. Hunt, entitled, "Letters on the Evidences of Faith, and the impregnable security of believers in Christ."