quarter.


_III.--THE MERIT OF CHRIST AS OUR SAVIOUR_


It may be proved both from reason and from Scripture that the grace of
God and the merit of Christ (the Prince and Author of our salvation) are
perfectly compatible. Christ is not only the minister, but also the
cause of our salvation, and divine grace is not obscured by this
expression. Christ, by His obedience, truly merited this divine grace
for us, which was obtained by the shedding of His blood, and His
obedience even unto death, whereby He paid our ransom.

It is by the secret operation of the Holy Spirit that we enjoy Christ
and all His benefits. In Christ the Mediator the gifts of the Holy
Spirit are to be seen in all their fulness. As salvation is perfected in
the person of Christ, so, in order to make us partakers of it, He
"baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and with fire," enlightening us into
the faith of His Gospel, and so regenerating us to be new creatures.
Thus cleansed from all pollution, He dedicates us as holy temples to the
Lord.

But here it is proper to consider the nature of faith. The true
knowledge of Christ consists in receiving Him as He is offered by the
Father, namely, as invested with His Gospel. There is an inseparable
relation between faith and the Word, and these can no more be
disconnected from each other than rays of light from the sun. John
points to this fountain of faith thus: "To-day, if ye will hear His
voice," to "hear" being uniformly taken for to "believe." Take away the