him. He was to work out the piece of land; but he
could not do that until I had given it to him. Neither was it his
working it out that secured him the garden. I gave it to him freely,
apart from any merit of his own; but I did so on the understanding
that he should employ it to the best advantage. I think that is a
fair illustration of our working out the salvation that God has
given us.

Of course these illustrations fail in some points. I could not
impart to my son the willingness to work out the piece of land,
though I could provide him with all the necessary implements. God
not only gives us salvation freely, but he gives us the power to
work it out.

A writer says on this point: "Paul does not command the Philippians
_to save themselves_. There was no thought in his mind of any
meritorious self-righteousness. Man can by no work of his own either
procure salvation or merit salvation. God worketh the salvation
_within_ the soul--man only worketh that salvation _out_ in the
Christian life. To break off from known sin; to renounce all
self-righteousness; to cast ourselves in loving faith on the merits of
Christ crucified; to commence at once a life of self-denial, of
prayer, of obedience; to turn from all that God forbids, resolutely
and earnestly, unto all that God requires--this is what the text
implies. But then this is not salvation. Salvation is of God--of
grace--of free grace. From the germ to the fruit, from foundation to
top-stone--it is of grace, free grace, altogether and only. But the
'_working out of salvation_'--is _man's part_ in the work of
salvation. God will not repent for the man; nor believe for the man;
nor lead a holy life for the man. God worketh inwardly--man worketh
outwardly. And this outward human work is as necessary as the inward
Divine work."

God works in us; and then we work _for_ Him. If He has done a work
in us, we certainly ought to go and work for others. A man must have
this salvation, and must know it, before he can work for the
salvation of others.

Many of you have tried hard to save yourselves; but what has been
the end of it all? I remember a lady in the North of England who
became quite angry when I made this remark publicly: "No one in this
congregation will be saved till they stop trying to save
themselves." Down she came from the gallery, and said to me: "You
have made me perfectly miserable." "Indeed," I said, "how is that?"
"Why, I always thought that if I kept on