advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins," &c. (1 John ii. 1, 2.) Yes, "God so loved." Sad indeed it is that so many will not believe that God so loved: they prefer to cling to the dark reasonings of unbelief.

Is it then a light matter to disbelieve God as to this? "He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God HATH given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." Yes, God so loved. Is it dreadful heresy to believe what God so plainly tells us His very record? And mark, eternal life is in His Son. Can the Son cease to be? can the life He is, then, cease to be? He is the eternal Son. It is not something apart from Himself that we may lose; "He that hath the Son hath life; he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life."

Do you ask, Is it the will of God that I may really know that I have this blessed portion in the Son, even eternal life? "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life." (1 John v. 10-13.) Oh, how clear the record of God; but beware how you despise it or reason it away.

This is the gospel God was pleased to give to a poor country boy to preach fifty years ago, and

this is the same gospel God gave him to preach last night, and gives him now to lay before the reader. That gospel he received not from man. For weary months he was struggling under law, seeking to meet the requirements of the law, and ever failing. God the Giver, and God the Producer of all He requires was, as yet, utterly unknown to him. He was returning to his home in a village near Laughton, weary and sorrowful even to despair. He was alone with God in the lane: he fell to the ground in the middle of the road and groaned, "Oh Lord, I can do no more, I can go no farther," and he felt in his soul he was lost. It was there the Holy Spirit revealed to him the true blessed fact that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." And oh, from that day, what mercy, depths of mercy! what failures and chastenings! But the writer has ever proved the truth of the words of Jesus-none, no one, has been able to pluck him out of His hands. Be there few or many days before we see the face of Him for whom we wait, may we never cease to proclaim the same glad tidings—that the moment a soul is, through grace, brought to truly believe God, he has eternal life, eternal salvation, is for ever perfected by the one sacrifice of Christ, and stands in the full unclouded favour of God in the Beloved. "For we are complete in him." May

God, to whom all praise is due-God who so loved, bless these few words to all who read them.

C. S.

"ARE YOU SAVED ?"

THE CHURCHMAN'S

ANSWER TO

THE QUESTION.

THE cover of a magazine from Cornwall, for March, 1885, has been sent us, containing one of the boldest denials of the gospel we have ever seen in print. It surely ought to have been headed "A Churchman's Answer," &c., as we trust there are many who would utterly repudiate such an answer. The clergyman who signs this article or answer, gives three reasons why, as he says, the clergy never ask such a question when speaking about church-going and sacraments, as “Are you saved?"

"First, your clergy cannot ask you this plain question, whatever others may do, because it would be unscriptural; secondly, misleading; and thirdly, impossible for you to answer in the affirmative." "It," scripture, "tells us, of course, that God has saved us (Eph. ii. 5; Titus iii. 5; 1 Peter iii. 21) so far as He can do so," &c. “It nowhere permits us to call ourselves 'saved,' but them that are being saved."

It will be seen that the very foundations of Christianity are here attacked. And surely this

is a case in which we are called to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered unto the saints. Far be it that these pages should be taken up in mere controversy; but when thousands of souls are being betrayed by such false teaching, is the servant of the Lord to be silent? No, reader, we solemnly assure you that we write for your soul. It is the question of your soul's salvation.

Is the certainty of a believer's salvation scriptural? turn to Luke vii. 50. Jesus speaks to a sinner. He says, "Thy sins are forgiven." "Thy faith hath saved thee: go in peace." Were her sins forgiven? Was she saved? May she believe Jesus and say, Yes, my sins are forgiven; Yes, I am saved? J. H. says it would be unscriptural. Reader, shall you, if a believer, and I, receive the words of Jesus, or the clergyman's ?

In 1 Corinthians xv. 1, Paul speaks of the gospel which he preached, he says: "Which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand: by which also YE ARE SAVED." He then tells them that Christ died for our sins; and that all depends on whether He is raised from the dead. "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." (Ver. 14.) Yes, if Christ is not risen, then the clergyman is right, ye are not saved, ye are " in your sins." (Ver. 17.) Is it not blasphemy to say, God has done all He could do? Has He not raised Christ from the

dead, the absolute proof that the believer is saved, is justified, accounted righteous before God? Again, in Ephesians ii. 5-9, " By grace ye are saved." "For BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." One would think no man could be found to say after all this, God had done all He could; but you must not believe Him, that you are saved, though He says it is so. Shall we believe the word of God or the word of a clergyman? That is really the question.

"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works," &c. (2 Tim. i. 9.) Am I to say: No, He hath not saved us, the clergyman says we are not saved, it is unscriptural? "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter i. 9.) "But unto us which are saved.” (1 Cor. i. 18.) "In them that are saved, and in them that perish." (2 Cor. ii. 15.) "He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved," &c., &c. (Mark xvi. 16.) Then how many other scriptures state the certainty of accomplished salvation in other words. Is not Jesus set before us as the Author of eternal salvation. "By his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." (Heb. ix. 12.) "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." (Col. i. 14.)