Sermon

by the late Rev. Jonathan Ranken Anderson
(Preached on 16th January 1853)
“Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but towards thee, goodness, if thou continue in His goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” Romans 11:22.

We are in the hands of one who is wise in heart and mighty in strength, against whom no one hath hardened himself and hath prospered. We are in His hands as clay in the hands of a potter — free to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour; and if anyone is disposed to murmur, he is met by the enquiry: “Nay, but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus?” We lie thus at His disposal in consequence of the claims He has upon us. We are His creatures: for His pleasure we are: and for His pleasure we were created. We are sinners lying under a sentence of death, so that if justice were in our case to take its course, and to render us our due, we should be punished with everlasting destruction from His presence and the glory of His power. But we are inhabitants of the earth — the sphere marked out for the display of the glory of Divine Mercy, and therefore we are still within the reach of mercy: and if He sees fit no one can prevent Him from showing mercy and from granting His salvation; and if others are by Him passed by, they have no more reason to repine or complain of His procedure than had the labourers respecting the householder who having called some at the eleventh hour of the day gave to them what he gave those that bore the burden and heat of the day. We have reference to these solemn things in the words of our text, which contain three things deserving of consideration:—

I. A twofold Divine dispensation.

II. The classes that are severally affected by this Divine dispensation.

III. The caution given to one of the two classes that are affected by this Divine dispensation.

1. We have a twofold Divine dispensation: “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God.”

2. Notice the bright side of the Divine dispensation, and contemplate, in obedience to the invitation here given, the goodness of God.

(1). We remark that it is sovereign goodness.
It is a very lovely thing in itself, and very precious, and no one is able to tell the precious things that flow from it. What is it you will compare with goodness? And where will you find goodness compared with the goodness of God? It is sovereign: that is, its manifestation is ruled by the will of Him whose goodness it is. And if it be the result of His will, and if His will is answerable to His absolutely perfect nature, the conclusion, I think, is inevitable, that it is ruled in the best possible way. It may not be difficult for us to subscribe to this truth, when proposed to us in the form of a doctrine; but any of you that are brought into contact with it under Divine dispensation in real life, will see that it is not so easy to subscribe to it as it there shines forth. But, however difficult it be to bring the human heart to concur with the sovereignty of Divine goodness, as it appears in real life, we cannot from this draw any argument against that goodness, or the sovereign exercise of it.

It were the height of presumption in us to plead, that this goodness must alter its course to please us; that it must be regulated in another way than by the will of Him whose goodness it is, that we may have no cause to complain. It is a vain imagination for men to think that, with hearts naturally full of enmity against God, any kind of manifestation of Divine goodness will please Him. It is not upon it that a change ought to take place, but upon the hearts of those that contemplate it. And it is worthy of remark, that when man’s heart through grace is thus changed, the very things which they before stumbled at now establish them, what formerly displeased them now delights them, and the things in which they saw nothing but occasion for hard thoughts of God, now afford nothing but occasion for admiration and praise. We do not know any view of the Divine character that provokes the enmity of the carnal heart so much as the sovereignty of Divine goodness; and we know nothing that solaces and satisfies so much the heart that is renewed. “Make to yourselves a new heart,” and you will sweetly comply with the sovereignty of Divine goodness.

(2). The goodness of God is righteous.
Why is it that it is sovereign? It is because it is the goodness of One who is what He is. He may not be ruled in the disposal of His goodness by a superior, for He has none. Where shall you find a reason for the display of His goodness but in Himself? For listen to Him, “I am and there is none besides me.” If there is none besides Him, clearly you must admit that He will have mercy, upon whom He will have mercy. But whilst He is thus absolutely sovereign, He is also essentially righteous. He is righteous in His nature, righteous in all that He wills, and all that He does. It is a very pleasant thought to a holy creature — it is like heavenly manna to a gracious soul, in the exercise of grace, that Jehovah never will do anything but what is absolutely righteous. “The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works.” “He is the rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth, and without iniquity; just and right is He.” And oh! if your hearts have ever been pierced with the unrighteousness of your fellow creatures, if you have been struck dumb, astounded, thrown into a sea of perplexity by disappointed hopes, blasted professions, broken engagements, violated friendships, here let the sanctuary of Jehovah’s nature open its golden gates to the reception of your torn, wounded and broken hearts. He binds up the broken heart and wounded spirit and He is infinitely able and disposed to bind up wounds of this kind, the sorest wounds men can ever suffer in this world. They are wounds that are too plentiful in our day, and they would be more plentiful were men more capable of receiving them, and they would be deeper yet if there were more sensibility in those that receive them. If His nature thus be perfectly righteous, then if He will manifest the goodness of His nature, if He will disperse its precious fruits and if He will manifest its unspeakable beauty, then the goodness He shows will be righteous goodness, the channel through which it flows will be a righteous channel, and those who receive it will sooner or later be made to know it is righteous goodness. We have the highest style of this goodness in the work of redemption. We have the most wonderful channel through which it flows in the death of Christ. Redeeming goodness is the goodness of goodness, the beauty of beauty, the sweetness of sweetness.

(3). It is saving goodness.
We apprehend the Apostle is treating of the goodness of God in relation to the salvation of sinners of this world. Some may ask, Why not begin with this just at once? If we wished to be in the fashion, perhaps we would do this, but we are never in the fashion, and hope never will be. It is a reproach to us that we are out of date. Our reproach is our honour; and we hope to get still more antiquated, unless this generation completely change: It is fashionable to plunge into mercy, salvation, redemption, all at once. I trust there are those amongst you who have not so learnt Christ, who have been taught in another school, and have had to proceed by another rule. Such will find that the order now laid down is the order by which the soul proceeds in becoming acquainted with the goodness of God. It is brought out of the depths of Atheism into an apprehension of the being of God; its self-will is broken, and it is brought to a reception of the sovereignty of the goodness of God; sin is rendered exceeding sinful, and the law is made to appear highly honourable in the channel through which this goodness flows. It is at this point, my friends that salvation is obtained. Salvation supposes there are sinners. It supposes that sinners are ill-deserving, hell-deserving, and ready to perish. It supposes that perish they ought. It supposes that perish they must, but for the sovereign, righteous goodness of God. “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thy help.”

1. Let us look at the other side of the Divine dispensation: “The severity of God.” Here we remark:

(1.) That this is pure.
He whose it is is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. This will be readily allowed, at least in words, respecting what are called the amiable and attractive attributes of His nature; and it must be allowed not less respecting those that are spoken of as more stern and severe. It is part of the one-sided religion against which we protest, and against which we desire to continue to protest, as long as God allows us ground to stand upon, that it sinks the stern and severe attributes of the Divine Character, and does so under the pretext of honouring Him and rendering Him an object of greater attraction, and securing, as they think they will, the esteem, and the love of all they address. My fear is, and the ground for the apprehension is growing larger and stronger every day, that the painful fruits of this one-sided religion will be seen in downright infidelity, or in base unadorned Popery. Man, instead of being engaged in seeking after Him who is set forth, as it is said, in this attractive light, will turn away from Him. And I apprehend this country is fast ripening for the deplorable enjoyment of holding the prevailing religion in utter contempt. Men cannot long continue attached to that which is at the bottom despicable. Not a few of those who for their own ends adhere to it allow that it is despicable; and men have been known to come forth from places where it is sounded forth, amazed that men are not ashamed to utter things that violated even common sense. If it be that Scripture declares, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all,” then we find included in this description the severity of God, pure as the light. His severity is as pure as His love; His vengeance is as lovely as His mercy; His wrath as well becomes Him as His love. Are you able to receive this saying? Have you in your souls anything that will harmonize with it? “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.” What is it to be partakers of the Divine nature, but to have that in the soul which yields a pleasing harmony to that which is in God, and is such that it will never be satisfied till it is at home in His bosom, swimming in the vast, boundless, bottomless ocean of His being, excellence, grace, and love. His people are spoken of as being filled with all the fulness of God. What is that but to have in the soul those graces that are the fruit of God’s death? God, in the person of the Son made flesh, dies that His people might live a Divine life. It is to have fellowship with Him in the opening of these graces, and to receive Him in the communication He is pleased to make, so that the soul is exceedingly solaced and satisfied, and gives out, in the sphere in which it moves, something Divine. Ah! my friends, where in Scotland will you find such a religion as this? Yet if we have not this religion we are baptized heathens, infidel believers, Christless Christians.

(2.) This severity is faithful.
Why does He manifest severity? Because He is true to Himself, and that is the main thing. We have had plenty of treachery and unfaithfulness, and perhaps we are not done with it. Still the end of it will come. But there is no unfaithfulness with God. You have the largest security He will be faithful to you and faithful to all, because He is faithful to Himself. He that is faithful to the highest will be faithful to the lowest. He that is faithful in respect of the greatest will be faithful in respect to the least. He that is faithful as respects the Divine character, counsels, and ways, cannot possibly fail of being faithful with respect of those that put their trust in Him. Now, faithfulness to Himself requires Him to be severe. You will say, Why? If a fire is faithful to itself, it must destroy all that would put it out. The nature of sin is such that it would extinguish the light of lights, the Glory of Glories, God Himself. He must destroy sin because He is God. Poor sinners! if you are cast into the fire at last to be consumed your bodies and souls, so to speak will endure the skirt of the furnace, its heat will burn against the sin within you, and you will feel that. Hence God will feed His holiness by His severity feeding itself on you, and whilst God feeds His holiness by that fire, that fire will prey upon your sin, and it will be the hell of your hell to find you are in the hands of the Holy One of Israel, — an angry God. Oh! my friends, hate sin, avoid it, pass by it, turn from it and flee away. This place should be prepared and opened from time to time, this pulpit and these pews should be waging war against sin; and the only way in which we can wage war against sin effectively and savingly is to be on the Lord’s side against it, and not on its side against Him. “The Lord is with you so long as ye be with Him.”

(3.) His severity is just.
You will allow from the hints thrown out that it is very dreadful. You that get glimpses of its dreadfulness are ready to say, “My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgements.” It is but a little you have seen, but a little you can bear. We may say that even in hell it is comparatively little of the dreadfulness of His severity that is seen or felt. There was more manifested and endured in Gethsemane and on Calvary, than will be endured through all eternity in hell. Oh! think of the infinite dignity of the Person! Think of the fire of God’s wrath laying hold of God manifest in the flesh! Oh! what a height, depth, length, breadth! Measure the length of hell; the length of the glorious person of Christ surpasses it. Measure the breadth of hell; the breadth of the person of Christ surpasses it. Measure the height of hell; the height of the person of Christ surpasses it. Measure the depth of hell; the depth of all that is sweet and lovely in the person of Christ surpasses it. If these things were done in the green tree what will be done in the dry? No one knows the dreadfulness of this severity but Himself; His own infinite mind can only comprehend it. “Who knows the power of His wrath?” Ah! poor creatures, that are now exposed to it, who is this that is your enemy? What a bow is that that is in His hand! See these glittering arrows ready to fly from His quivers! What, if one pierce thine heart! It will bring you low. But he will bring you lower than that — lower, and lower yet, He will bring you, through all eternity. Oh! flee, flee from the wrath to come, and lay hold on eternal life! “This is the promise God promises, eternal life; and that life is in His Son.”

But, however dreadful His severity, mind you it is just. It will never exact anything but what is due. “Wherefore should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?” And those who suffer in the dreary regions of woe to which men are condemned at last, will never be able to say they suffer more than they deserve. No; He is not done with you yet. No, nor when the thousands of millions of years have rolled away will He be done with you. “Know, then, and consider that it is an evil thing and a bitter to sin against God.”

II. We go on to consider the two classes affected in this twofold dispensation.

1. “On them which fell, severity.”
   I suppose, I need not tell you, that the Apostle is here speaking of the Jews in contrast with the believing Gentiles. These two had changed places; the one had fallen, the other had risen. Looking at their condition, the Apostle is led to speak to the Jews, “On them which fell.” Here look:—

(1.) At their position.
We cannot understand their fall, unless we understand something of the state in which they were, and from which they fell. As to the state in which they were we remark —

1st. That they were professedly called to be the people of God.
There was thus an external separation between them and others. In some cases there was more than an outward call and external separation; it took effect on the souls of some in the way of real separation of them from others. But as a people, they were called to be the people of God, and as such had an apparent separation from others.

2nd. They were professedly devoted to and engaged in the worship of God.
Why were they called to be a people in Him but that they might worship Him? They were called out from amongst others, and formally separated from them. For this very end they were to receive His word; to them were committed the oracles of God; but they were to observe His ordinances of worship, and to render to Him in that worship the glory due to His name. Here we are called to remark that some amongst that people were really what in truth they professed and appeared to be; they had circumcision of the heart as well as circumcision of the body; their souls were influenced by the fear of Jehovah, and their hearts were warmed by His love; they took up the nature of the worship it became them as sinners to offer, and which it pleased Him as the God of salvation to appoint; and they waited upon Him that they might render that worship to Him and seek to be accepted by Him therein. Hence they were called “a kingdom of priests,” who were holy to the Lord that He might be sanctified in all them that draw nigh to Him, and before all people He might be glorified.

3rd. They professed to witness for Him in the midst of the earth.
Why were they called out from others, and sent apart for His worship as a people professedly — some of them really and substantially? “Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord.” It was that they might testify to all around that He is, and that there is none else, and that, testifying for Him, they should withstand and protest against all that were opposed to Him. Their witness-bearing, I apprehend, consisted of two main branches, the one negative and the other positive. They behoved to put a negative on all in opposition to Him, contrary to His holy word, inconsistent with His pure worship, dishonouring to His holy name; and they behoved to hold forth, publish abroad, and stand by what is pleasing in His sight, in accordance with His word, calculated to maintain and promote His pure worship, and fitted to bring glory to His great name.

4th. They professed to be in possession of great honour and happiness.
It is the highest honour a people can have to be separated from others, and to be given to the service and employment unto which they were called, and to which they professed to devote themselves. And whilst no greater honour can be bestowed upon men, there is no other road to true happiness. He Himself is blessed for ever, and so He is the Fountain, the sole fountain of all real blessedness to His creatures. We are in our apostacy strangers to Him, to real happiness and honour; and we will never obtain these till our souls be brought back to Him. Now the soul is brought back to Him as the Jews were apparently and professedly. He calls; the soul answers. If He calls outwardly, the soul answers inwardly. He appoints the worship, they take the worship and observe it according to His word. He gives the testimony; they take up the testimony. He gives light to guide in holding forth the testimony; they in that light hold forth the testimony. He puts peculiar honour on those who thus stand for Him: “Them that honour me I will honour.” And He prepares for them suitable and solemn happiness. “Blessed are they that dwell in thy house; they will be still praising thee. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.”

These people, however, standing, in this position did not continue; they fell. How were they affected by the Divine dispensation? “Severity” was that which was measured out to them.

(2.) Consider their sin.
It is true that sin is not named in our text, but it is implied. Where? Both in their fall, and the severity exercised towards them that did fall. How does that appear? There is nothing by which people can fall but by sin. The angels who kept not their first estate fell, and they fell by not keeping their first estate, which was one of obedience: they disobeyed. Our first parents, and we in them, did not keep our first estate, we fell, because our first estate was one of obedience: we disobeyed, apostatized, and therefore fell. When, therefore, we read of a people falling, we are led irresistibly to conclude that that people must have sinned. A similar line of argument must be employed as to the mode in which they are dealt with; where there is no severity there there is no sin. What, then, was the sin these people committed? The sin of unbelief, the rejection of Jesus Christ. He was promised by a long line of prophets. At length He appeared in the fulness of time, accomplished the work given Him to do, and ascended to the right hand of the Majesty on high. And He is preached to all nations for the obedience of faith — everywhere, according to the commission the Apostles received, beginning at Jerusalem. But His people would not listen to the word preached; they would not have Him to reign over them; they rejected the Lord’s anointed, the counsel of God against themselves, and counted themselves unworthy of eternal life; so that the Apostles were constrained to turn from them and preach to the Gentiles.

(3.) Their punishment.
It is there you see the severity. Their punishment consists in their being cut off. “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from Him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.” The Jews acted as if they had no call, no worship of God, no testimony to bear, no honour, no happiness; and consequently all these were taken away from them. They fell through unbelief, fell into a state of being unchurched. There is severity — pure faithful, just.

1. “Toward thee, goodness.”
   These are the Gentiles. The great bulk of the saints at Rome were Gentiles. The aspect of the Divine dispensation towards these people is that of goodness. In order to pave the way for understanding the goodness that is shown to them, let us notice —

(1) The state out of which they are raised.
Their state was in all respects the opposite of that of the Jews. They had no call: the worship of God was not established amongst them: they were not His witnesses: they had none of the honour and happiness connected with these things: they were sinners of the Gentiles, far from God, in a state of guilt, lying under the curse, ready to perish: they were counted by the Jews as dogs, and supposed by them in their pride to be at once unworthy and unfit to share with them in the privileges of the house of God. See what a marvellous turn affairs took! See how mysteriously the cloud of Divine dispensations moved! The Jews were pulled down, the Gentiles were lifted up: the Jews were cast out the Gentiles were taken in: the Jews were degraded, the Gentiles were honoured: the Jews were laid under the curse, the Gentiles were called to inherit the blessing. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!”

(2.) Consider how it was that these Gentiles were lifted from this state. It was by grace.
It is by grace through faith. We are not from thence to conclude that grace presupposes the existence of faith in the soul. Perhaps we might have drawn a conclusion such as this, if the Apostle had not guarded this doctrine against this idea, that if we are to have grace we must have faith. He says, “And that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God.” There is another passage which it is hardly possible to interpret except on the supposition that it is grace which implants faith, whilst grace is given to faith. It is: “Out of His fulness have we all received, and grace for grace.” Here is the grace of salvation. To what is it given? Holy scripture concurs in testifying it is given to the grace of faith. “He that believeth shall be saved.” “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Nothing is plainer than that it is the doctrine of scripture that there is no salvation but by faith. But mark: the grace of salvation is given to the grace of faith. And when the work is completed, the copestone will be laid in its place with shoutings of “Grace, grace unto it,” which would not be if the foundation, in whole or in part was either independent of grace, or without grace. “By grace are ye saved,” through gracious faith. The Jews fell by their unbelief. This unbelief was their sin, and the severity of God was displayed in the punishment of these unbelievers in a manner answerable to their sin. The Gentiles rose when the Jews fell — by grace, through faith. Grace takes all the glory of the salvation that it thus wrought.

(3.) See the blessedness that comes upon the Gentiles.
This is expressed in “goodness.” “Toward thee, goodness.” Goodness is the fountain, blessedness is the stream; goodness is the giver, blessedness is the gift; goodness bestows, they are blessed who receive what goodness bestows. “They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasure.” As the severity came in upon the Jews for their unbelief, the goodness that is manifested to the Gentiles comes in upon their faith. Whence their faith? From grace. This goodness lays hold of the Gentiles in its sovereign good pleasure, raises them from the state in which they were by nature; goodness places the Gentiles upon the elevation from which the Jews fell; goodness brings the Gentiles to the faith of Jesus Christ in whom salvation is; and goodness claims the whole, so that when He brings His people to Himself He rejoices over them to do them good.

III. We are to consider the caution given to those who are affected favourably with the Divine dispensation: “If thou continue in His goodness otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” We have here by implication three things.

1. An exhortation “Continue in His goodness.”
   The Apostle does in effect exhort them to continue in that goodness by which they have been raised to the position in which they stood. Some may say, if the goodness be manifested upon the principle and in the way which you have laid down, where is the need for such an exhortation? But God’s exhortation and man’s duty are perfectly consistent with one another. They may run into each other, and be so blended as to elude the search of the keenest observer, still let us hold fast the doctrine of scripture, of Divine dispensation, sovereign, righteous, and saving, and of the obligatory nature of the exhortations given to those towards whom the dispensations are carried forward. What will you say in place of what is here? Will you tell them to turn away from His goodness, to forget it, to neglect it, to abuse it. Surely you must revolt from one and all of these suggestions and come to the point at which you find the Apostle: “Continue in His goodness.”

2. A promise.
   It is put conditionally: “If thou continue in His goodness.” Why conditionally? Is it because it depends upon them whether they shall continue in His goodness or fall from it? I apprehend, if it depends upon them that they continue, surely you may as well argue that it depends upon them that they are in His goodness. If their own wisdom has power enough to continue them in His goodness, it will have power enough to bring them into it. But if their wisdom is insufficient to bring them into it, it is insufficient to keep them in it. No doubt you will say the new principle they receive will enable them to continue in His goodness. But we again say, the same power that creates them is required to uphold them. But for the power of God in Christ Jesus they would not remain there for an instant. “Kept by the mighty power of God through faith unto salvation.” We may say in a sense the promise is continual. They will continue in His goodness, if they will continue in His goodness. Grace will keep them in the goodness, and therefore they will be able to continue in that goodness. God will continue to give out: God will continue to stay them, and they will be strengthened. God will continue to uphold them, and they will be upheld.

(3.) There is threatening: “Otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.”
That is, if thou dost not continue in His goodness, thou also shalt be cut off. Some will say, where is there any occasion for a threatening, if a promise was given to the effect that they would continue in His goodness? We reply as we did before. There is a perfect consistency between God’s dealings and man’s duties, between God’s promise and man’s observance of what He requires, between God’s threatenings and the condition in which men hope to be. How can it be known by any man that He is the object of Divine goodness: how shall it be known that by that goodness He has been lifted up from the state in which the Gentiles were, and been made a partaker of the salvation that is in Christ? how shall that be known by any man? Only by His receiving the goodness of God manifested in the truth in His word, and continuing to receive that truth manifested in His word, feeling its influence upon his soul, and manifesting that influence by his temper and walk? Take this away, and how is it possible a man can make it out that he has anything to do with the goodness of God? Now assume that an individual does not know certainly his condition: assume that he may have in himself and around him many favourable symptoms of being a man in the way of salvation, and yet not be in the way of salvation, it is well fitted to make him fear, lead him to be humble, and make him more cautious to hear such language: “Otherwise thou also shalt be cut off,” if thou do not continue in His goodness. Unbelief prevails, and severity comes upon him. “Be not high-minded but fear.”

Application

1. Learn the character of the Gospel dispensation: “Goodness and severity” — mercy and judgment.
   Some may demur to this, and be pleased to prefer the doctrine that the gospel is all mercy, all grace, all comfort. We appeal to our text; it is found in the very heart of an evangelical epistle: it came through the Spirit of inspiration, from a man that preached the gospel as it had never been preached before and perhaps has never been preached since, no one surely will charge the Apostle with not preaching the Gospel. Yet in this epistle, where gospel truth is set forth with such clearness, rarity, and fulness, you find mention made of the goodness and severity of God. Severity came upon the Jews under the gospel dispensation: goodness came upon the Gentiles under the Gospel dispensation. What, then, is the character of the Gospel dispensation? Under it there is goodness and severity. Under it the soul may sing of mercy and of judgment. You whose hearts are not tuned to the stern, severe note of judgment, and to the tender, sweet strain of mercy, are none of Christ’s. Know the severity of God, and tremble at it: know the goodness of God, and rejoice in it. Know the severity of God, and rejoice with trembling, know the goodness of God, and fear with joy. Know the severity and goodness of God, and be sorrowful yet always rejoicing. Join trembling with your mirth.

2. Learn how men are affected by this gospel dispensation.
   In the way of salvation, or in the way of destruction. Wheresoever this gospel comes, “some believe, and some believe not.” “He that believes, and is baptized shall be saved; and he that believeth not shall be damned.” “We are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved, and in them that perish: to the one we are the savour of death unto death, and to the other the savour of life unto life.” And who is sufficient for these things? My friends, no one now within these walls can fail to be affected in one way or other by the gospel that is preached to you. How are we to judge of you? By enquiring what you have seen in the state of your souls of the goodness or the severity of God. What is the character of your experience? Will the goodness or severity of God be seen in it, what do you behold in your condition? Do you see the goodness or the severity of God. My friends, did you rise only to fall, or did you fall and then rise again. How many in our day have risen to a height but are now fallen perhaps never to rise again: here again, there may be some buried out of sight who shall yet shine as precious gems, and whose path shall be that of the just which shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

Christ is all

by Dean Henry Law