profitless for the purpose. By them no one can obtain pardon for his sins, nor can he be accepted by God and become an heir of salvation. Therefore, honoured reader, if you have no hope of salvation except this, how will you escape God's wrath and everlasting destruction? But thanks be to the merciful, gracious, forgiving and loving Creator and Lord, who, of His boundless love and mercy, has provided for you and for me, and for all sinners who turn to Him in repentance and faith, such a method of salvation that whoever lays hold of it obtains forgiveness of all his sins, is delivered from the love of sin and the power of sin, has his heart cleansed from sin, receives a new spiritual nature by the power of God's holy spirit, attains to a true knowledge of God and love for Him, becomes pleasing to God, and at last inherits true and eternal happiness.

In the next section we shall endeavour, by God's help, to explain what this way of salvation is, which God has provided for us.

SECTION IV

AN EXPLANATION OF THE METHOD STATED IN THE GOSPEL FOR OBTAINING REMISSION OF SIN AND ETERNAL SALVATION

The sincere seeker after truth will perceive on reflection that the true way of salvation must be such as to satisfy certain necessary conditions.

It must be in accordance with God's justice and mercy; it must be efficacious in cleansing and purifying man's character and conduct; it must be in harmony with human reason and conscience; and yet, since in all ages men have failed to discover it for themselves, it must be so wonderful and excellent that none but God Himself could be its author. When we turn to the Gospel and inquire what means of salvation it sets forth, it is evident that it fulfils these conditions. This will be seen as we proceed to examine the teaching of the holy Scriptures upon the subject. We shall see that the way of salvation set forth in the Bible differs very much from the methods devised by philosophers and from those taught in the religions which we have been studying. In the writings of philosophers and in the rites and ceremonies of non-Christian faiths, however, there occur indications to show that occasionally gleams of light from the glory of God shot through the minds of men and at least revealed to them in what thick darkness they were wandering. Sometimes we find dim guesses at some part of the truth not yet revealed. For example, in all heathen religions, as well as in the Jewish, we find the rite of offering sacrifice and endeavouring by means of such victims to make expiation for sin. Ceremonies of ablution and purification also show that in some indistinct way men had learnt that the sinner needed to be purified before approaching God.