Page:The Life and Works of Christopher Dock.djvu/210

198 if we abandon ourselves to our flesh-loving selfishness that since the fall is inclined toward the bad, the coming to Christ will advance but slowly. We probably reach the point of realizing that Christ died for all, which is a pure and precious truth, but why Christ died for all, and what our conduct should be, is also added. (II Corinth, v, 15.) And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again. These rules of conduct are contrary to flesh-loving selfishness, and so long as this is in control, the coming to Christ is prevented. The Pharisees and Sadducees of whom we read in Matth. iii, came also to John the Baptist, but when he saw their selfish and vain lives he called them a generation of vipers and said unto them: “Bring forth fruits meet for repentance.” But they did not repent, they despised also God's advice and were not baptised, as may be seen in Luke vii. The Lord Jesus also advised them what to do to find eternal life; the words are given in John v, and read as follows: “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” Vain selfishness kept them from Christ and eternal life.

I confess from all my heart, with the Apostle Paul, (I Tim. i, 15): “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” But because Christ came to bless sinners, the sinner must also come to Christ if he would be saved. Just