which leads down to the lake of fire, may be that which
precludes trust in God and reliance on his grace in Christ.

Faith in Christ, and reliance on divine grace in him, are conditions
of salvation. Where these are wanting Christ will not profit. Faith
and reliance are united. The latter is dependant on the former, and
riseth out of it. "He that cometh to God, must believe that he is,
and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

The fearful and unbelieving are here set together--the fearful and
unbelieving shall have their part--Perhaps they are thus joined to
intimate that the fear intended precludes the faith to which the
promises are made.

The sinner who is the subject of this fear hath so deep a sense of the
sinfulness of sin, especially of his own, that he is afraid to make
God his hope--afraid to look up to the throne of grace, or to ask
mercy of God. He would gladly flee the divine presence, like the first
guilty pair, when they heard the voice of God walking in the garden
after their fall. When fear hath this effect, it drives the sinner
from the mercy which alone can save him.

"Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He
came to seek and save that which was lost." To sinners, mercy is
offered in him. Were we without sin, we should have no need of mercy.
If we flee from Christ because we are sinners, we flee the mercy which
alone can save us, and put offered salvation from us; for it is
offered us only in him. To drive sinners away from the Savior by fear,
when he can hold them no longer secure in sin, is an old device of the
deceiver, which hath probably often succeeded.

On secure and awakened sinners, different delusive arts are practised.
The former are persuaded that sin is a trivial evil, far from meriting
eternal punishment; that God is not greatly offended at it; that it is
easy to obtain forgiveness; that as we are required to forgive every
offender who saith, I repent, God will do the same; that it is only to
ask mercy, when we can sin no longer, and it will be immediately
granted; so that there is very little danger in sin. But those who
are awakened--who see the evil of sin, and tremble for fear of God's
judgments, are tempted to believe that divine justice will only be
exercised, especially to them--that their sins are unpardonable; their
day of grace ended, and that they have nothing before them but "a
certain fearful looking for of judgment." In