Month: October 2022

Welcome back! We have covered 3 parts to this topic, Victory Over Sin. We will continue with Part 4 for the next 2 weeks. It would be a good idea to review the sections together to keep the thoughts shared a cohesive unit. Just stick with it, as it is really wonderful insights into the topic. Here is Part 4.

We are, therefore, to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, by the promises of God. These contain the truth, through which we may be sanctified, according to our Saviour’s prayer. {1839 CF, VOS 13.2}

Two inquiries here arise: {1839 CF, VOS 13.3}

1. What has God promised? {1839 CF, VOS 13.4}

2. How shall we gain the fulfillment of the promises? {1839 CF, VOS 13.5}

I remember that it is said, Galatians 3. 16:- “Now, to Abraham and his seed were the promises made and that (29th verse,) if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” When I find a promise in the Bible adapted to the necessities of my case; as I am one of Abraham’s seed; if I am Christ’s, I am one of those to whom that promise was made, and I am an heir to all the good which God in that promise has pledged himself to bestow. With this assurance I look to the promises, and inquire, with eager interest, what has God my Redeemer promised to give me? Here I may look through the whole Bible, for to Abraham and his seed were the promises made, and I am one of them, because I believe in Christ. {1839 CF, VOS 13.6}

Deuteronomy 30:6. “And the Lord thy God shall circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live” It is very plain that he who did thus love God, would not sin. The reason why this and other exceeding great and precious promises have not been fulfilled to all God’s professing people in every age, will appear, when I shall come to show how we may gain the fulfillment of the promises. {1839 CF, VOS 13.7}

Ezekiel 36:25. “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from  all your filthiness, and from  all  your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart

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out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses.” If it should be said that those promises were made to the Jews, I reply, “To Abraham and his seed were the promises made,” and of these I claim to be. No one among them can need to be cleansed from all his filthiness, and from all his idols, and to be saved from all his uncleannesses, more than I need it. I do, therefore, regard myself as an heir to the good here promised. {1839 CF, VOS 13.8}

Jeremiah 32:29. “And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: and I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good of them and their children after them: and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.” Should it again be said that these promises were made to the Jews only, I utterly deny that any natural descendant of Abraham has any right, title, or inheritance, in these exceeding great and precious promises, which does not equally belong to me as a disciple of Christ. Should it be said, that these promises are connected with the literal return of the Jews to their own land, I reply, that God has said, “no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly;” and that “He that spared not His Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” And since no lost sinner more needs the good here promised than myself, I urge my humble claim through Christ to all the good here brought to view, and regard it as my inheritance. {1839 CF, VOS 14.1}

Again, it is said in Jeremiah 31:31, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; (which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord.) But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” This is the same pledge of being brought to love God with all the heart, soul, mind and strength; and of this pledge and benefit of the new covenant I cannot be deprived; for of this new covenant Christ is the mediator, as we are told by Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews; so that to fulfill this new covenant is the very thing which Christ came to do. His own blood Christ himself called the “blood of the new testament ,” or covenant; and Paul said of himself and his fellow apostles, “God hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter that killeth, but of the spirit that giveth life.” This new covenant, therefore, which puts God’s law in the hearts of His people, and by that means takes away their sins, should be regarded as the great and glorious

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theme of them that preach in the name of Christ. It is the fulfillment of this covenant which Christ has in view, when He says, “Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled . He that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me . Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he asks a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he asks an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good things to your children: how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” That these promises refer to the blessings of the new covenant, I infer from the fact that there is no good which we so much need, as to have God’s law put into our hearts, so that we may truly love Him “with all our heart, and with all our soul .” And since he has made this covenant, and sent Christ to be the Mediator of it, and has thus assured us of His utmost readiness to give every good thing, I see the way wide open for Christians to be “cleansed from all unrighteousness .” It is in the fulfilment of this new covenant that that will be accomplished for which our Saviour taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven:” for when God’s law is put into the hearts of his people, so that they truly love him “with all the heart, and with all the soul ,” then His kingdom is come within them, and then His will is done in them on earth as it is done in heaven. To the blessings of this new covenant, we may also apply other great and precious promises of our Saviour. “All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive . Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” When the Christian finds his sins taken away, and the new covenant fulfilled in him, so that he does “love God with all his heart, and with all his soul,” then “his joy is full,” and it never can be full until then. Accordingly, John, in writing his epistle, says, “these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full .” And what does he then write, to give Christians fulness of joy? Why, that “the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin ; that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness ; that He was manifested to take away our sins, and that “whosoever abideth in him sinneth not.” These are the very things to give the Christian fulness of joy, and nothing short of these can do it. {1839 CF, VOS 14.2}

One more passage I will now quote, and then on this point I shall have done. It is that passage, in relation to which Paul says to the Corinthians, “Having therefore these promises, dearly Beloved-Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting

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holiness in the fear of God .” The passage is this- “For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty .” {1839 CF, VOS 15.1}

Here, in my view, the Apostle means to teach, that in the promises, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people;” there is the promise of being cleansed “from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,” and of “perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” If, then, we can find a way to secure to us the fulfillment of these exceeding great and precious promises, we shall, as it seems to me, attain to the highest possible good. I shall therefore now inquire, {1839 CF, VOS 16.1}

2. How shall we gain the fulfillment of God’s promises? On this point I remark, that there is a passage which has served me as a key to unlock the rich treasures of God’s Word; and which, for some years, has been opening to me more and more “the riches of the glory of Christ’s inheritance in the saints;” and which has done very much to bring me where I am, “by the grace of God” today. It is found in 2nd. Corinthians 1:23. “For all the promises of God in Him (Christ) are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” By this I understand that while no promise of God is ever fulfilled to us, except for Christ’s sake, we may have the fulfillment of every promise, for the fulfillment of which we trust in Christ; and that when we trust in Christ, and receive for His sake the fulfillment of God’s promises, God is glorified by us. Take, then, the promise, “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins .” To whom is that promise fulfilled? To him, and to him only, who trusts in Christ, to have it fulfilled to him for Christ’s sake. Such an one always receives pardon, and none else. {1839 CF, VOS 16.2}

Take now the promises, “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and make you clean from all your filthiness; and from all your idols will I cleanse you, and I will save you from all your uncleannesses. The very God of peace who hath called you in faith to sanctify you wholly; and to preserve your whole spirit and soul and body blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and to whom are these promises fulfilled? Like the promises pledging forgiveness of sins, they are “all yea and Amen in Christ, to the glory of God by us,” so that when we come to Christ, and trust in Him, to have these promises fulfilled to us for His sake, God will glorify himself, by “sprinkling clean water upon us, by cleansing us from all our filthiness and from all our idols, and by sanctifying us wholly, and preserving our whole spirit, and soul, and body, blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Through the  promises of God, then, we cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and perfect holiness in the fear of God,

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when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that these promises will be fulfilled to us for His sake. Is it now asked, why all God’s professing people have not, in time past, been “sanctified wholly.” I reply, for the self-same reason, that all impenitent men have not received the forgiveness of sin, viz. they have not believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that these promises would be fulfilled to them for His sake. Herein, it seems to me, there is, in these last days, a great departure from the faith-and that when the church of Christ will learn to cleanse herself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God, by trusting in Christ for the fulfillment of those exceeding great and precious promises which pledge to her salvation from all her uncleanness, “she will put on her beautiful garments, and arise and shine, her light having come, and the glory of the Lord having arisen upon her.” {1839 CF, VOS 16.3}

And now Dear Brother, I will look directly to your questions-You have already had abundant reply, as to the question, whether men are, or may be holy in this life. While I believe that there is little holiness in the world, I believe there is abundant provision made in God’s grace, by which christians may “stand perfect and complete in all the will of God;” and I believe that in the days of Paul, Peter and John, this grace was fully available, through faith in Christ, for the fulfillment of God’s promise -and no less so now, to all who will in the same way avail themselves of it. {1839 CF, VOS 17.1}

As it respects the martyrs, I believe that no man ever became a martyr for Christ, who was not actually cleansed from all sin; because, the giving up of the whole world, and life itself, for Christ’s sake, fully evince that such an one must have loved Christ with his whole and undivided heart, and must, therefore, have been free from sin. Men may have become martyrs to other things, with no regard to Christ, as millions have done to the mad passions of men; but no man, in my apprehension, ever could become a martyr for Christ’s sake, whose heart was not purified, and filled with love to Christ. I believe, therefore, that every real gospel martyr was cleansed from sin, before he left the world. {1839 CF, VOS 17.2}

In modern times, many godly men have seemed not fully to apprehend all the riches of the grace of God, and have maintained, that no christian ever did on earth “cleanse himself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and perfect holiness in the fear of God .” But if a man can be cleansed from sin, by faith in Christ for the fulfillment of God’s promises, a moment before death, why not a day, a year, or twenty or fifty years? You asked my views, respecting the general character of those who have embraced the doctrine of entire sanctification in this life. I answer, I have no doubt that some, professing a belief in this doctrine, have been licentious-so have some who profess to believe in the doctrine of the new birth, but I do not see that in either case, their licentiousness is in any sense chargeable, upon the doctrine which they profess

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to believe. I can no more conceive, that a man should become licentious as a direct consequence of trusting in Christ to be kept by the grace of God from all sin, than that a man should sink to hell, in consequence of trusting in Christ to save him from hell. In either case, in my apprehension, the evil must result from want of faith in Christ, and not from the exercise of it. {1839 CF, VOS 17.3}

Welcome this week to Part 3 of Victory Over Sin. I am encouraging you to stick with it. The topics covered call for deep thought and introspection but are well worth the effort. Be blessed.

Again. When the disciples of Christ said, “Lord teach us to pray ,” He directed them to pray, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven .” If God’s will is done in heaven by sinless obedience, we are taught to pray for the same thing on earth; and I cannot believe that Christ has taught us to pray for a thing which he is unwilling to grant. Again, we are taught to pray that “the very God of peace will sanctify us wholly; and preserve our whole spirit and soul and body blameless unto the coming of Christ;” and we are assured that He that hath called us is faithful, and will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5. 23, 24. Again, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness .” As faithful, I suppose, in the one case as in the other. I know of no reason for waiting for forgiveness or cleansing till death. {1839 CF, VOS 10.1}

In the further proof of the position that christians may avail themselves of God’s grace, so as to be saved from sin in this life, I will here speak directly in reply to your question, “who, besides Christ, mentioned in Bible history, were free from sin?” I quote the words of one, who exclaimed in view of his bondage to the law of sin and death, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me?” In reply to his own interrogation, he answers, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord .” He says, moreover, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.” Paul, therefore, found out a way, whereby to be free from the law of sin and death, and to have the righteousness of the law fulfilled in him. This could be nothing less than loving God with all the heart and his neighbor as himself; for he who does less than this is a transgressor. The law could not do this, in consequence of the weakness of the flesh, but God did it through Christ; fulfilled in him the righteousness of the law, and thus made him free from that law of sin, under which he had before groaned in condemnation. He was now free from condemnation, but how those can be free from condemnation who are continually sinning against God, it is impossible for me to understand. He hath found, that to those  in Christ Jesus there was no condemnation, and John tells us that those who abide in Christ sin not. {1839 CF, VOS 10.2}

Paul also says, in another place, that “he that is dead is freed from sin .” Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe we shall also live

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with Him. If we die unto sin after the likeness of Christ’s death, we shall walk in newness of life, after the likeness of His resurrection. Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over Him-neither if we be dead to sin, will sin any more have dominion over us. Hence, the injunction of the Apostle- “Likewise  ye  also (i.e., as well as I) reckon yourselves to be dead  indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Christ .” Reckon yourselves to be dead unto sin by trusting in Christ to keep you thus alive. It may perhaps be said, that a person may reckon himself dead to sin, who has once repented, though he now continues to sin every day. But if I should find a man every day intoxicated, I should not regard him as dead to that sin, whatever he might say respecting past repentance-and the same is true of every other sin in thought, word, or deed. No man is dead to sin who commits sin-and as Christ who died once, dies no more, so he who is dead to sin, sins no more. If he falls into sin, he is no longer dead to sin. Such were the sentiments of Paul, and as I cannot accuse him of the gross inconsistency of preaching what he did not practice-I must believe that he was dead to sin and alive unto God, and that being free from condemnation in Christ Jesus, he did so abide in Him that he sinned not. {1839 CF, VOS 10.3}

Again, we hear this Apostle saying in another place, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Galatians 2:20, 21. I cannot conceive that a man could use such language as this, who was living day by day in sin. If a man is crucified with Christ, he must be dead to sin, and such an one the Apostle has already told us is “freed from sin .” No man can say, I am fully persuaded, “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me ,” who knows himself to be living in sin. Nor can one who lives in sin say, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me .” Paul says, I do not frustrate the grace of God . I do not expect to work out a righteousness by my own unaided efforts to obey the law-I rely on the faithfulness of Christ who loves me, to keep me. {1839 CF, VOS 11.1}

Peter also learned, that “the divine power of Jesus our Lord had given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these we might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” I cannot doubt that Peter had experienced in his own heart what he wrote, and I believe, therefore, that in being made partaker of the divine nature, through the exceeding great and precious promises of God, and “having escaped the

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corruption that is in the world through lust; he did so abide in Christ that he sinned not . John also declared in his 1st Epistle unto those to whom he wrote, “that which he had heard-which he had seen with his eyes-which he had looked upon, and his hands had handled of the Word of Life.” He wrote that, therefore, which was to him a matter of experience. He had seen and felt in himself ” that in God was light, and in him was no darkness at all;” and that when any man walks in the light-in fellowship with God, “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son, cleansed him from all sin!”- John had also seen and felt that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” John had also learned from his own experience that Christ ” was manifested to take away our sins,”-he had “heard, and seen with his eyes, and handled this truth.” He had also learned that “whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not” -that “whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known him,” and that “whosoever doeth righteousness, is righteous, even as He is righteous”-that “he that commiteth sin is of the Devil;” and that “whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin-that his seed remaineth in him; and that while this is true he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” I cannot doubt that John was a man who reduced his own principles to practice, especially as he wrote only what he had heard and seen, and handled of the Word of Life, and therefore that he did so abide in Christ, that he sinned not. {1839 CF, VOS 11.2}

Thus, Dear Brother, I have shown you conclusively, to my own mind, at least, that in the economy of God’s grace there are provisions available to enable the christian to walk before God “in holiness and righteousness all the days of his life,” and so “to abide in Christ that he sin not .” In so doing, I have given you my views in full, respecting the attainableness of holiness in this life, and the question whether any have actually attained it. {1839 CF, VOS 12.1}

III. I am to consider how the provisions of the grace of God become available to the christian’s sanctification? {1839 CF, VOS 12.2}

Our Saviour’s prayer was:- “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” {1839 CF, VOS 12.3}

By what truth is the christian sanctified? {1839 CF, VOS 12.4}

1. Not by any precepts of the Bible, through his own unaided efforts to obey them. So long as any man attempts to become sanctified by this means, he will surely “find a law in his members, warring against the law of his mind, and bringing him into captivity to the law of sin ;” and will constantly find occasion to say, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me?” {1839 CF, VOS 12.5}

2. The christian  may be sanctified through the promises of God’s truth. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us

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cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of  God, according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” {1839 CF, VOS 12.6}

4. Let me be fully understood, then, that no man is ever sanctified, who relies on his own efforts to obey the law. Such an one frustrates the grace of God. He would indeed be holy, if he loved God with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself; but this he surely will never do, by any unaided efforts of his own. It must be done by the grace of God, and he most surely “frustrates that grace who does not live the life he now lives in the flesh by the faith of the Son of God .” {1839 CF, VOS 13.1}

We are, therefore, to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, by the promises of God. These contain the truth, through which we may be sanctified, according to our Saviour’s prayer. {1839 CF, VOS 13.2}

We continue with Part 2 for the next 2 weeks. You can always review Part 1. Hope you have found much to study and contemplate.
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It avails me nothing that Christ has atoned for my sins, if I am then cast on my own resources. Holy beings fell before the wiles of that subtle tempter, who, like a roaring lion, seeks to devour me , and my evil heart will surely make me a willing prey. I am eternally damned unless I can find a Saviour from sin. {1839 CF, VOS 6.5}

I shall never save myself from sin. My spiritual foes stand ready to devour me, and my own evil heart will thrust me into the lion’s mouth-into the wide-open jaws of hell. Help! Help! Oh, help! is the cry that comes up from my inmost soul. Is there, in the universe of God, any way to save a poor, lost sinner from his own love of sin? Any way to cleanse his polluted heart, and fill it with holiness-pure, perfect, perpetual holiness; without which such an one never can be received to heaven? {1839 CF, VOS 7.1}

With this inquiry, my dear brother, I approach the Bible. Has God revealed any such thing as a way of salvation from sin? If such a salvation can anywhere be found, it must be in the Bible; and if I cannot find it in the Bible, then every ray of light goes out from the horizon of my soul, and the eternal night of despair shuts in upon me. {1839 CF, VOS 7.2}

I am indeed told that I may be saved from sin at death; but that is the hope of the Universalist. I may be told that the Universalist has never been born again, and that he who has been born again will surely be saved from sin when he leaves the world; but I know of nothing on which I can safely rest the belief, that death is to be regarded as the means or the time of sanctification. I believe that “as the tree falleth, so it lieth ,” that “there is neither work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither we go :” and that if a man leaves the world in his sins, he remains a sinner forever. I believe that this is my only probation, that I must here be saved  from sin, or never see God’s face in peace. I believe, therefore, that my everlasting interests are pending on the question, whether God has made provision to save me from sin, before I leave this world. To prevent all misconception, I will here say, that I am very far from believing that the regenerate man with the remains of sin, is in the same condition with the Universalist who has never been renewed; but that neither has any reason to believe that death will make any change in his character. If there is no salvation from sin before death, I expect to be lost. Here, then, to make the whole subject plain as possible, in the light in which it is apprehended by my own mind, I will make three inquiries. {1839 CF, VOS 7.3}

IV. Has God, in the economy of his grace, made provision to save his people from their sins? {1839 CF, VOS 7.4}

II. If such provision has been made, can christians avail themselves of it in this life? {1839 CF, VOS 7.5}

III. In what way may the provisions of God’s grace become available, to save his people from their sins? {1839 CF, VOS 7.6}

I. Has God, in the economy of his grace, made provision to save his people from their sins? {1839 CF, VOS 7.7}

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I find it said to Joseph, by the angel, in relation to the promised Messiah. Matthew 1:21. “Thou shalt call his name Jesus:” (i.e., Saviour) ” for he shall save his people from their sins.” For this very purpose, then, he is my Saviour, to save me from my sins; and this is just the Saviour that I need. {1839 CF, VOS 8.1}

When John the Baptist pointed out Christ, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world .” This is what I need, a Saviour to take away my sins. We read also in the Epistle to the Ephesians, that his people were “chosen in him from before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy and without blame before him in love .” That he “loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish .” {1839 CF, VOS 8.2}

In the Epistle to Titus, we read that “the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works .” In the Epistle to the Hebrews, we find Christ presented as the Mediator of the New Covenant, which is this-quoted from Jeremiah 31:33.-found Hebrews 10:16. “I will put my laws into their heart, and in their minds will I write them; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” In the 3rd Chap. of the 1st Epistle of John we find it thus written: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins,” i.e. to take away our transgressions of the law, and leave us in a state of obedience. “And in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him .” {1839 CF, VOS 8.3}

Now, my dear brother, I believe that Christ came “to save his people from their sins, to make them holy and without blame before him in love, to present them to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but holy and without blemish- to redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works, to write his law in our hearts- and to take away our sins , that we might abide in him and sin not .” This therefore I believe to be the salvation of the gospel-that Christ came, according to the words of the angel to Daniel-“to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins;” as well as to “make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness,” on the ground of which, we might have deliverance from the punishment which sin deserves. I do find then, most clearly, and satisfactorily to my own mind that God, in the economy of his grace, has made provision to “save his people from their sins .” I hail this salvation, therefore, as a salvation exactly adapted to my necessities as a fallen being, and while I utterly despair

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of ever saving myself from sin, I hail the Lord Jesus Christ as a Saviour, manifested to take away my sins, to write His law in my heart, to redeem me from all iniquity, to make me holy and without blame before Him in love, to sanctify and cleanse me with the washing of water by the Word, that He may present me to himself, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and without blemish. {1839 CF, VOS 8.4}

I have found, therefore, the Saviour and the salvation I need, plainly revealed to me in God’s Word; and on the Saviour I cast my soul, my being for time and eternity; in myself a hopeless, helpless sinner, but trusting in a Saviour ” in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead,” and who has made me “complete in Him ,” so that I may expect, through His salvation, to “stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” This is my hope of everlasting life, that Christ Jesus my Redeemer will save me from my sins: and in comparison with this hope, the whole material universe is to me of less value than “the small dust of the balance.” Take away this hope from me, and you blot out the light of my soul, and leave me in the blackness of darkness forever. {1839 CF, VOS 9.1}

I believe, then, that full provision is made in the gospel to save God’s people from their sins. {1839 CF, VOS 9.2}

II. I am now to inquire whether Christians can avail themselves of this provision of the grace of God so as to be saved from sin in this life? {1839 CF, VOS 9.3}

In the first chapter of Luke, I find that Zacharias, being filled with the Holy Ghost, prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David; as He spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; to perform the mercy promised unto our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant;  the oath which He sware unto our father Abraham, that He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him,  all the days of our life .” Now I believe, that he who serves God “without fear,  in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of his life,” is saved from sin,  all the days of his life . I believe that God “sware to Abraham, our father, that He would grant unto us, that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness,  before Him , all the days of our life;” and that He hath raised up an horn of salvation for us, to perform this mercy promised to our fathers, to remember this holy covenant, this oath which He swore. I believe all this on the testimony of a man filled with the Holy Ghost. Since, therefore, I believe that God’s oath can be relied on, especially since Christ came on purpose to fulfill that oath, and since that oath does pledge the grant of walking before God in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life, I am bound to believe it. I dare not sin against God by believing that God is not ready to be faithful to His oath; an oath, too, which Christ came on purpose to fulfill. I read that “he that believeth not God hath made Him to be a liar .” I must not make God a liar by saying He is not true to His oath. {1839 CF, VOS 9.4}