Page:Sermons on the Lord's Prayer.djvu/114

 , the true nature of man, we may now perceive why deliverance from evil is so necessary; we may see our need of regeneration, and can thus understand the truth of the Lord's words, "Unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

But having thus attained a perception of our evil state, our next thought and earnest desire must be, to know how we may be delivered from it. "What shall I do to be saved?" must be the earnest inquiry. By what means are we to be delivered from this evil which hereditarily fills our hearts, and which stands between us and heaven?

The Holy Word makes known the means: the Book of Divine Revelation is given for the very purpose of showing us the way to heaven, and consequently of showing us the way to be delivered from evil, for this is the only means of attaining heaven: the Word of the Lord is given for "a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path." The means of deliverance from evil, as taught in the Word, are many and various, and hence we need to peruse frequently that Sacred Book, in order to be well instructed in its teachings, and to keep them fresh before our minds. Those means, however, may be summed up in two—to believe in the Lord and keep his commandments. Whoever makes a steady and persevering use of these two means, will gradually be delivered from his evils; and as these are removed, he will receive goodness from the Lord, and so at length be regenerated, and