massacre followed massacre till all the respectable middle-class had been killed or had emigrated, thus preparing the way for the Revolution of 1792 and Communism of 1871?

If we deny God's purposes and sovereignty in selecting one person in a family, or one nation, while rejecting another, we are shut up to the still more awful alternative that all these things are the result of mere chance. It is poor consolation to a mother to tell her that it was mere chance that her darling was the only one out of a hundred boys at school who died of a deadly and contagious malady, when the chances were the same for all. This is certainly the less acceptable of the two alternatives. If God had ordained that such should be the case, we can at least rest assured that He had some good reason for so doing, and that hereafter we shall know it, when compensation is meted out by a future life. But if these things are all mere chance, we are even denied this consolation.

Our Saviour says, 'No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him." This doctrine is recognised by the Reformers in the words, "The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and good works, to faith and calling upon God.' The natural heart of fallen man is so depraved, that he has no desire to be reconciled to God till that desire is implanted in the heart by God. Whether we believe in election or not, there are very few who do not admit that the first desire to be reconciled to God was implanted there by God, and was not the natural desire of the fleshly heart. But when we admit this, we must not on the other hand overlook the responsibility of man. He is not a mere inanimate machine, but a free agent and a responsible being. Terribly free! On his choice hangs eternity in heaven or hell. The doctrine of God's sovereignty is one of those things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and

* John vi. 44. † Art. X., Church of England Prayer Book.

unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures unto their own destruction.'* A story is told of a Scotch boatman who was rowing a couple of divinity students, who were fiercely engaged in an argument respecting God's sovereignty and man's free will. The old boatman put down the left oar still continuing to row with the right, which naturally had the effect of turning the boat round. Both young men cried out 'Row with the other oar.' The boatman began then to row with the left oar, but ceased to row with the one on the right. The consequence was that the boat turned in an opposite direction. 'Row, man, with both oars,' shouted the two young men. 'Just so,' said the boatman, 'that is what I should advise you to do, both are right. The Bible tells us of both God's sovereignty and man's free will. Instead of arguing about which is right. use both. The same Bible that tells us that every good work must commence with God, throws on man the responsibility of rejecting God's offers of mercy. 'Choose ye this day whom ye will serve.'t Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for what a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' 'Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.'§ 'Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die ?' 'Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near.'¶ 'How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wing, and ye would not.'** "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.'++ Both truths are stated with a startling plainness. To many these statements seem almost irreconcileable, and hard and fast human definitions have certainly not helped us in the solution of the difficulty. The same God that ordains us to eternal life, also ordains what our state shall be in this world, whether rich or poor, clever or stupid, high or low,

whether we shall die of hunger or not. Those who would shift the responsibility of their soul's salvation from themselves to God, do not show the same passiveness in temporal things, nor do they fold their hands, saying, 'If I am to be rich, I shall be rich; or, 'If I am to die of hunger, I shall die.' If men do not show such indifference, and will not be governed by such a blind fate in temporal things, why should they act otherwise in things that belong to their eternal peace ?

It is to be feared that indifference is the true cause of fatalism; and certain it is that, though the seeker after truth knows it not, his very willingness to accept God's gift is implanted by the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist says, 'Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power.** It is really the effectual calling of the Holy Spirit that makes us desire the 'beauty of holiness;' and on the other hand, it is pride that keeps us from accepting God's gift. Unless men feel their need, they will not accept. 'Thou knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.'† The more destitute a beggar is, the more eager he is to accept a gift. And yet some assume the form of humility, and say, 'I am not fit to be saved.' In reality it is pride, and not humility, that keeps such from accepting God's gift. They have yet to learn how utterly destitute they are. The lower down they come in their own estimate, the nearer they get to the only qualification God requires :

CHAPTER XI.

REDEMPTION.

'Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.'-TITUS ii. 14.

I

NOW purpose saying something on the subject of redemption. Many frequently apply the expression to Christ of our Redeemer,' without fully understanding the extent of its meaning. To redeem,' literally means 'to buy back,' 'to pay a ransom,' 'to relieve from captivity by a price.' Our text represents both aspects of Christ's work as a Redeemer. He gave Himself for us;' that is, He not only paid the price of our redemption from the bondage of the Evil One, but He Himself was the price.

To understand this more fully, we must realize the meaning of that text, 'I am carnal, sold under sin.'* The sinner is represented as a slave to the devil, serving him with all his energies and powers. The Evil One is represented as 'the accuser of our brethren which accused them before our God day and night.'t Though the father of lies himself, he knows God will not lie; and as God has declared, 'The soul that sinneth, it shall die,' the Great Accuser demands that Divine justice should hand us over to him, to whom we have sold ourselves captives. Under the Mosaic law it was allowed that a man might be sold for debts as a slave. The figure used must have come home to the Jews with great force, as well as to the Romans themselves, among whom a similar law was still in existence at the time of St. Paul's writing. They could so well

* Rom. vii. 14.

+ Rev. xii. 10.

Ezek. xviii. 4.

understand the case of a man, reckless of all consequences, contracting debt just to amuse himself in the present. Gradually the debt would become overwhelming; and having parted with all he had, the man would deliberately sell himself as a slave. creditors would have a just and legal claim over him. They could fully understand that Satan would justly claim his own captives.

But under the Mosaic dispensation there was this restriction to the harshness of the law: 'After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him.'* Thus, in type, was the work of Christ set forth as a Redeemer. No man could redeem himself, however hard he worked. All the profit from his labour would belong to his master. But though unable to redeem himself, his brother might redeem him. Christ became the Son of Man, the embodied representative of humanity, and of the whole human race, our Elder Brother, and 'gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us.' The sinner had accumulated a debt of sin which he could never pay off. That debt might increase, but it could never decrease. By law, the sinner must pay the penalty with his life; but Christ gave Himself for us.' He redeemed us by paying the debt. A story is told of a poor bedridden woman, to whom a visitor often went to explain the plan of salvation. The woman could not understand the work of Christ. During one of the visits a knock was heard at the door, and the poor woman said she knew it was her landlord come to demand his rent, and she had nothing to pay, and nothing to look forward to but the workhouse. The visitor slipped out and asked the landlord how much was due, paid the amount, and received the receipt. On returning, the poor old woman was found much agitated, fearing the worst results. The visitor then handed her the receipt, and told her that the debt was paid. Gradually the truth dawned upon her that what the visitor had * Lev. xxv. 48.