1 66 iniquities.” “He "He gave himself for us, to redeem "us from all iniquity, and to purify us unto him"self, a peculiar people zealous of good works."* Now let a reflecting person seriously ask himself, whether any one can truly believe in Christ, without in the least understanding this part of his salvation, or desiring the principal blessing which he confers on his people? Can he desire salvation from sin, without the least hatred of sin or love of holiness? Or can there be any hatred of sin and love of holiness in a heart that is entirely unholy?—The views of a newly-awakened sinner may be extremely confused, and the fear of wrath, with desires of deliverance from it, may greatly preponderate in his experience: nor should this be condemned as mere selfishness, while salvation from deserved punishment is sought from God's mercy in his appointed way; for even this is directly contrary to our natural pride and enmity to God; and the desire of happiness is as strong in an holy as in an unholy creature. Indeed the sinner himself, in his first application for mercy, may not, during the anxious trepidation of his heart, perceive any thing more than a desire of forgiveness and happiness in the favour of God: yet, in reality, every acting of true faith in Christ is connected with some degree of a desire to be delivered from sin, and to be made holy; which will appear to the intelligent observer, in that tenderness of conscience, and dread of relapsing into former evil ways, which are manifested by convinced sinners, in their deepest distress, and which often help the judicious pastor * Matt. i. 21. Acts iii. 26. Titus ii. 14. to discriminate between those convictions which arise from spiritual illumination, and the terrors which spring from merely natural principles. Indeed they, who are well versed in doctrinal discussions, may feel a kind of wish after sanctification, without any hatred of sin or love of holiness, from a conviction that they cannot be saved unless they be sanctified: and thus the common saying, 'the desire of grace is grace,' should be used with caution, or it may aid the enemy to deceive men's souls. But persons of this description will not sincerely apply to Christ for any part of his salvation, or diligently use the proper means of seeking it. "The soul of the sluggard desireth "and hath not: but the soul of the diligent shall "be made fat.": "* When our Lord invites "the weary and heavy "laden to come unto him, that they might find rest "to their souls;" he adds, "Take my yoke upon 66 you, and learn of me." He declares that he will treat all those as enemies, "who will not have him "to reign over them :" and every scriptural call to sinners implies the same instruction. "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found; call ye 66 upon him while he is near: let the wicked for"sake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and "he will have mercy on him; and to our God, " and he will abundantly pardon." Certainly the evangelical prophet had no idea of forgiveness, and the comfort of it, preceding every degree of true repentance and all the "works meet for repen VOL. I. * Prov. xiii. 4. 2 K + Is. lv. 6, 7. "tance," according to the doctrine maintained by some modern teachers of free salvation. With these scriptures before us, can we maintain that any one truly returns to the Lord, by Christ the living Way, and by faith in him, who does not so much as desire salvation from his sins, and renewal unto holiness? And is not a sincere and hearty desire of these blessings itself a genuine part of holiness? It has been shewn, that humility, repentance, hatred of sin, with sincere desires to be saved from it, and a willing submission to Christ as our King, are inseparably connected with every exercise of genuine faith in him: and doubtless all these are branches of true holiness. The same also may be observed concerning the genuine spirit of prayer, which has properly been considered as the very 'breath of faith,' and one of the first symptoms of spiritual life. A person, at a distance from the means of clear instruction, or perplexed in attempting to distinguish truth from falsehood, may sincerely pray for divine teaching, and other spiritual blessings, from a general knowledge and feeling of his wants, and a belief of some revealed truths, even previously to explicit faith in Christ: and thus he may be further enlightened as to the nature and glory of the gospel, and have the way of God expounded to him more perfectly.* But it cannot be conceived, that any one has believed in Christ, and even been justified by faith in him; while he has never yet in his heart presented a single sincere petition for spiritual blessings !-In Acts xviii. 24-28. deed the application of the soul to Christ for salvation seems to be essentially prayer, mental prayer, or as inseparable from it, as the motion of the lungs from the act of breathing, or that of the heart from pulsation. True Christians are frequently in the New Testament distinguished as "those who call 66 on the Lord Jesus Christ;" and it is said, "The "same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon "him; for whosoever shall call on the name of "the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they ❝ call on him, in whom they have not believed?”* It is allowed that no one can call on the Lord Jesus, before he has some degree of faith in him: but, at the same time, these testimonies of the scriptures prove, that the spirit of prayer inseparably accompanies every exercise of faith from first to last. Else what is the nature of faith? Is it merely assent and inactive reliance? or is it the soul going forth with fervent desires after the mercy and grace, of which the urgent want is felt, to him whom it believes able and willing to deliver, to help, and to save? If this latter be the acting of faith in Christ, what is the medium of the soul's application to him, except the lifting up of the heart in desire and expectation? And this is the essence of prayer. Hence it is that salvation is so closely joined with prayer in many places in scripture. "Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to for"give, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that "call upon thee." "Ask and it shall be given you:-Every one that asketh receiveth." "Let "us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we *Rom. x. 10-14. + Ps. lxxxvi. 1-7. 66 may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time "of need." "All that call on the name of the "Lord shall be saved." According to these promises, it is as impossible that a man should truly pray and yet not be saved as that he should truly believe, and not be saved: because genuine faith and prayer are inseparable. Men may read, repeat, or even frame, prayers, in a formal manner, without the least degree of real holiness. They may sincerely ask for temporal things, "that they may consume them on their "lusts;" or for deliverance from temporal calamities and dangers. They may even pray heartily to be saved from future punishment, and to be made for ever happy, according to their own notions of felicity, without any idea of what happiness consists in. But genuine prayer is the language of humility, and of spiritual desires and expectations: it is the expression of conscious indigence, dependence, and unworthiness; and of hearty longings after those blessings which God alone can bestow, and which can only be enjoyed in his favour and presence." Lord, thou hast heard the desire of "the humble; thou wilt prepare their heart; "thou wilt cause thine ear to hear."* Hence we read of "praying in," or by, "the Spirit;" "praying in the Holy Ghost," and "worshipping "in spirit and truth." "The sacrifice of the "wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight."+ Saul, when a Pharisee, may be supposed to have made "long prayers:" but these were doubtless very |