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annexed by virtue of any promise to the due improvement of men's natural abilities by virtue of common light received without it, which none ever did make or can do so. And therefore in all ages the preaching of the gospel has been granted unto persons and nations as to the extent or straightening of it in great variety according to the counsel of the will of God.

Although the gospel be the only outward means of revealing Christ and saving grace, and is as such abundantly sufficient thereunto, yet that men who are dead in trespasses may be born again, quickened or regenerated, there is moreover necessary an effectual insuperable work of the Holy Spirit upon the whole soul for the producing in them a new spiritual life, without which no other means will affect their conversion unto God. Amen.

Well, if we could summarize what the two main thrusts of this particular chapter are, we could say that the theme of this chapter, being twofold, is the necessity of special gospel revelation. and effectual grace for salvation. So two things, the necessity of the special revelation, God's divine revelation of the gospel, and effectual grace, those two things needed for salvation. We see that in the Bible, of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth. the bringing forth effectual grace, and the utility or instrument used, the Word of God. In 1 Peter 1, we read that we've been saved not by corruptible seed, but incorruptible through the Word of God, which lives and abides forever. So that incorruptible seed, effectual grace wrought by the Spirit, and then the utility, or again, the instrument, the word of God. And so we see that in this particular chapter, that two-fold reality, special gospel revelation and effectual grace for salvation.

This appears in, as we noted at the outset, in the Savoy Declaration and here in the particular Baptist Confession, and the reason for it appearing in those two confessions and not in the Westminster, we have a little bit of a hint to this as to why in the Savoy the preface to the Savoy Declaration, so the introduction to the Savoy, where they wrote, a few things we have added for obviating some erroneous opinions, so errors, that have been more broadly and boldly here of late maintained by the assertors, so errorists or heretics, than in former times. They had been asserted more then than they were at the time of the Westminster Confession of Faith, so that's why this chapter is particularly included. And made other additions and alterations in method here and there, and some clearer explanations as we found occasion. and then specifically with regards to this chapter. After the 19th chapter of the law, we have added a chapter of the gospel, it being a title that may not well be omitted in a confession of faith, in which chapter, what is dispersed and by intimation in the assembly's confession with some little addition is here brought together and more fully under one head. So they're saying that in the assembly's confession, in other words, the Westminster Confession, though this chapter in its specificity is absent.

Nevertheless, the sum and substance existed in other chapters. They're just bringing it together under one head, under one specific chapter. And so what were these erroneous opinions? maintained by the assertors? What is the Savoy saying? And by direct implication here, what are the Baptists reiterating with regards to errors that were taking place being maintained by heretics? These things were most likely two things, but possibly three. What did I write here? Okay, must have been late at night. So there are at least three errorists in view, and possibly a fourth, in fact. What are those? First, incipient deism, and we'll define that in a moment. Secondly, Quaker inner light theology. And thirdly, General Baptist soteriology or salvation. And we could also add, fourthly, the Socinian view of rationality or reason. So what does that mean?

The deists rejected revelation and exalted a naturalistic and rationalistic approach to the divine. So we started by saying this chapter is setting forth the necessity of special gospel revelation. The deists rejected that, and so they, becoming more popular at the time of the Savoy, And certainly at the time of the particular Baptists, this chapter is targeted against that rejection of revelation and the exaltation of naturalistic and rationalistic approaches to the divine. Not that, and we'll note that in a moment, not that we eliminate everything with respect to what nature reveals and to what proper rationalism can obtain or what a proper use of reason can acquire. The Quakers held, so the deists rejecting revelation, exalting naturalism and reason, the Quakers held the Bible in a measure of regard but elevated personal experience with the divine. they would not have held to the same view as the Protestant reformers, as the Protestants, with regards to the nature of the word of God, it being inspired, inerrant, and infallible.

They gave it, and they give it today, a measure of respect, but exalted above that is personal experience with the divine, you know, a burning in the bosom, an internal, you know, the weight of feeling, you know, some sort of buzz that you get from experience exalted above special revelation. The general Baptists, so the Arminian Baptists, asserted, just bear with me for a moment, a soteriological subsystem.

So this doctrine of salvation that they had for those unable to directly receive gospel proclamation. In other words, they would have this first order doctrine of salvation where you're saved by the revelation of the gospel, the Holy Spirit attending that. So what the Bible portrays and adequately sets forth, properly sets forth. But then they'd have this subsystem for those who don't directly receive gospel proclamation.

In other words, there are some throughout the world who can be saved without the knowledge of Christ and without that effectual grace attending the proclamation of Jesus Christ. All of these, of course, errors. And then fourthly, the Sassinians, we could say to a certain degree they may be included here as well.

They exalted reason such that it is the rule of religion, this is Turretin, of things to be believed, that those things are not to be believed which seem to the mind to be impossible. And also man is not bound to believe what reason dictates to be false. In other words, the exaltation of reason even against special revelation. If religion should be opposed to reason by that very thing, it would not be religion, for religion is the highest reason, yea, even reason itself, Turretin notes. Note, though, we acknowledge, we ought to acknowledge the wholesome use of reason.

The particular Baptists aren't completely contrary to reason. Within the context of the confession of faith in 4.2, for example, with regards to creation, God created us with reasonable and immortal souls. 7-1, reasonable creatures, so those who have reason, as man is exalted above all other creatures by virtue of that, not one thing alone, but by that one thing. Reasonable creatures, dual obedience to God as their creator, 7-1.

In chapter 21.2, it talks about the destruction of reason by requiring blind obedience, and then in the Doctrine on the Lord's Supper, contrary to the Roman Catholic practice of transubstantiation, it says that that practice is repugnant not to scripture alone, but even to common sense and reason. So, Christians hold to common sense and reason, unlike the errorists and the heretics, though we don't exalt it above the word of the living and true God and truth itself.

Okay, so just almost done the introduction here. It's good sometimes to set these things in their context. Why is this chapter here? What is its historical framework and background? This is John Henry Overton with regards to the deists. The deists thought any revelation from God beyond that which he has given us in nature unnecessary. And in particular, they rejected all that God is supposed to have revealed in the Old Testament and almost all in the New. So you can see why the Christians in the Confession of Faith here are rightly holding up the necessity of divine special revelation.

This is James Renahan on the General Baptists. The Baptist positions may be summarized in two ways. While both groups, that is the Particular Baptists, so us, and the General Baptists, while both groups believed in salvation by Christ, the General Baptists acknowledged that people may receive that salvation via either general or special revelation, while the Particular Baptists argued that salvation would only come by means of special revelation. For the general Baptist, Christ's atonement removed the stain of original sin and set man's will free to follow, notice, whatever light he received. even if Christ is not part of that light, which of course is terrible. So long as he followed that light, God and Christ would provide him with salvation.

For the particulars, that is the particular Baptist, the doctrine of total depravity precluded any sincere acts of fallen men. No one could come to Christ apart from hearing the specific message of Christ as revealed in Holy Scripture. That's the point of the chapter, if we could wrap it up in one sentence, no one can come to Christ apart from the hearing of the specific message of Christ as revealed in Holy Scripture and attended by amazing grace. So let's have a look at the chapter then, and just under four simple heads which comport with the four paragraphs that are here. First, the gospel promise, its first publication and sole dominion in salvation.

Notice, the covenant of works being broken by sin and made unprofitable unto life, God was pleased to give forth the promise of Christ, the seed of the woman. So the Baptists, did not shy away from the language of the covenant of works. It's been a charge against the Reformed Baptists, even in our modern time, actually more properly in our modern time, that they didn't hold to the covenant of works. Well, the covenant of works being broken by sin and made unprofitable unto life. The Baptists recognized that God, in the garden, gave to Adam and Eve a covenant of works, that if upheld, life would be their reward, But if broken, cursings would come upon them, death, et cetera, and we know the rest of the story.

They broke the covenant of works, they broke the law of nature written upon their hearts, and that particular precept of not eating, not to eat the knowledge of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and so they thrust humanity into depravity. That's what we read here, the covenant of works being broken. by sin and made unprofitable unto life, God was pleased to give forth the promise of life.

So we see here that there's one grand redemptive event that is the focus of special revelation. One grand redemptive event that's the focus of special revelation and we should say and can say truly governs all of redemptive history or history itself. One event from the outset of the garden and the fall into sin that governs the entirety of history, and that is the promise of the seed of the woman. God was pleased to give forth the promise of Christ, the seed of the woman, as the means of calling the elect.

If man is to be saved, And this is one of the key points of this chapter. If man is to be saved, he must be saved by Christ. He must be chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world, in time redeemed by Christ, and in time brought forth by effectual grace unto that salvation that Christ has wrought for him. There are no dispensations throughout history where God has dealt with his people differently, that is his people, the church. Man has always been, it has always been the divine plan of salvation to save a multitude of sinners from every tribe and tongue and people and nation by virtue of Christ.

From the fall in the garden to the last breathing man and woman on earth, it is salvation by the seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, that governs all of history. And that is what the confession is here stating. There are no redemptive epochs, time periods, whereby sinners are saved according to or by other means.

The biblical witness to this truth is actually fairly clear, and we can turn to some passages that speak to this particular reality. You can turn with me first to the Gospel of Luke. When we ask the Bible, what is God's plan for salvation, Old Testament and New Testament, Luke 24, gives us the answer along with other passages. Remember that Luke 24 is that post-resurrection Bible study given by Jesus Christ, the resurrected Savior, to his disciples and There are two particular instances and three ways that Christ, or three particular verses that speak to Christ's communication of this wonderful reality. Notice first in Luke 24, on the road to Emmaus, we see the distraught disciples who are on the road to Emmaus, and They're recounting in their sorrow what had happened with the crucifixion of Christ and the women that went to the tomb, not finding the body, etc. And then we see in verse 24, and certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.

Then he said to them, that is Christ to these, oh foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken, ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. This is repeated when Jesus appears to his disciples, and notice what we find in verse 44. Then he said to them, these are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me.

And he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures. So we see here Christ, giving them a Bible study and showing them that the entirety of the Old Testament was about him. We don't go to the Old Testament and see God initiating these subsequent dispensations of different dealings with men redemptively, but rather we see a cohesive, progressively moving story of redemption that the promise is given in the garden after the breaking of the covenant of works that God would send forth a hero born of woman who would crush the serpent with his heel, Christ the Savior, who would bring a multitude of sinners to glory. all of the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms, that threefold way of summarizing the Old Testament. The first five books of the Bible, all of the Prophets, and then the Psalms. So the entirety of the Old Testament, these things all spoke concerning me, Christ said, and then he opened their minds to understand that. And so, this witnesses to the certain truth that all of redemptive history is about and for Christ.

Notice in John chapter 5, similar, a little different words, but similar, John 5, Verse 39, speaking to the unbelieving Jews, We're not wrong to see here that Christ is is with his own incarnate knowledge of the scriptures, of course he knows all things by virtue of his everlasting deity, but according to his assumed humanity, he read and he learned the scriptures. And he knew, he knows, that the scriptures themselves testify to eternal life in him from the first From the first jot to the last tittle in the Old Testament here from Christ's vantage point, they all spoke concerning himself. Also in John 8, with a particular biblical example in view in John 8. John 8 and verse 56.

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad. With the New Testament, we can look back with lenses upon the old, and we can see that the occasion with respect to Abraham, and we could say perhaps in view, well, no, there's probably a couple things in view, I mean, all of God's dealings with Abraham, but his promise to Abraham that in his seed, all the nations shall be blessed, but also the occasion on the mountaintop with his son Isaac, these things testified to Abraham that there, is a reality that God will provide a savior for sinful humanity.

And so Abraham rejoiced to see Christ's day. He saw it and was glad. God revealed it to him. God showed him through revelation and his dealings with him that there would be a savior who would come. And Abraham already had messianic promises given to him by the generations that preceded him. He would have heard, he would have heard of the promised hero born of woman who would crush the serpent with his heel in particular context and God also gave him special revelation testifying to this very fact.

As well we have Acts 3, Acts chapter 3. The apostles falling in, line with the pattern of their master, Jesus Christ, as they preach with respect to the entirety of the prophetic witness. Notice in verse 19, repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of note all his holy prophets since the world began.

So every single prophet that God raised up spoke concerning the coming Christ. For Moses truly said to the fathers, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things whatever he says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. And notice again, yes and all the prophets from Samuel and those who follow as many as have spoken have also foretold these days.

So the Bible is clear that redemptive history, that history itself, the Old Testament, that divine special revelation concerns Christ, the promise of Christ, the seed of the woman, that one who would call his elect unto salvation and beget faith in them by the Holy Spirit. all of the entirety of history.

From its first publication in the garden, the gospel is central in redemption, and it bears sole dominion in salvation. Secondly, we see the necessity of special revelation. So we see first the gospel promise, its first publication in the garden, and its sole dominion in history, the only means of calling the elect, and it is, in this promise to the gospel as to the substance of it, it was revealed there and is effectual for the conversion and salvation of sinners. So exclusively so, we see secondly then the necessity of special revelation for making Christ known. The word alone, so that special revelation refers to God peculiarly and specifically revealing his will and his word You can turn back to chapter one for a moment where we see the distinction between natural revelation or general revelation. So the difference between general revelation and special revelation. the latter being what we're concerned with in this Chapter 20.

But notice in Chapter 1, Paragraph 1, the Holy Scriptures is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. Although the light of nature and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God so as to leave men inexcusable, yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and His will which is necessary unto salvation? So let's just pause there for a moment. Chapter 20, picking up. on this particular reality in part, the light of nature is not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will that is necessary for salvation.

So the general Baptists are wrong, the Quakers are wrong, the Deists are wrong, the Sassinians are wrong. Then we see this therefore clause, it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in diverse manners to reveal himself and to declare that his will unto his church. And afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church, against the corruption of the flesh and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing, which maketh the holy scriptures to be, there's that word again, or clause, most necessary phrase, I should say, those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased. So, special revelation, when we go back to chapter 20, and we speak about paragraph two being or bearing or declaring the necessity of special revelation that is God specifically revealing to men his word and will regarding salvation and the church.

In the Old Testament, in the times of the Old Testament, we see vision. We see dream. We see those dark sayings. We see ecstatic episodes of God confronting men with the revelation of himself. And then we see that it's wholly committed unto writing. those former ways of God revealing himself being now ceased. There are no longer these dreams and these visions and these prophecies and these tongues and these gifts of knowledge because God has wholly committed those things to writing his will and his revelation to the church in the Old and New Testaments.

And this, that special revelation, is necessary for making Christ known. The language of the paragraph, this promise of Christ and salvation by him is revealed only by the word of God, not by nature, not by anything other than the word of God as it is in the scriptures and as it is proclaimed by those who proclaim it. Neither do the works of, so there's a, There's a positive statement, the exclusivity of special revelation for the knowledge of the gospel and for Christ. It's only by the word of God. And then there's this negative statement, the insufficiency of general revelation for that same knowledge. So neither do the works of creation or providence with the light of nature make discovery of Christ or of grace by him. so much as in a general or obscure way. In other words, in no way does general revelation, the light of nature, give the revelation of Christ. It must come by the word of God. It must come by the proclamation of the word of God.

And Romans 10 speaks to this quite clearly. You're familiar with that passage. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. How can they hear of this Christ unless a preacher is preaching to them, and how can a preacher preach to them unless that preacher is sent? Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. To call out upon the word, the name of the living God to be saved, one must hear of that Lord who saves. And so, special revelation is necessary for making Christ known.

The specific passage is Romans 10, 10 to 16, and surrounding, of course. And we should note that general revelation, the works of creation and providence with the light of nature, do declare certain things. Psalm 19, the heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament shows his handiwork. Day after day, utter speech. Night after night, reveals knowledge. Romans 1 speaks to the fact that the invisible attributes of God are clearly seen by his creation and by his providence, by our own consciences even speaking to ourselves, though dead in trespasses and in sins.

But to make a discovery of Christ, to learn of the Savior, special revelation is necessary for that. So no one can come to salvation except through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ attended by effectual grace. So chapter three, or excuse me, paragraph three sort of answers some questions then. If the revelation of God is necessary, what then? are we to say about those who do not receive the revelation of God? What happens to them?

The deists would say, again, that naturalistic and rationalistic approaches to the divine are whereby we arrive at some sort of divine favor and knowledge. The Quakers, exalting personal experience, the General Baptists asserting that it is not necessary for those to receive gospel proclamation in order to be saved, that salvific subsystem, the Socinians exalting revelation, excuse me, reason over revelation, and so saying that there are some who can be saved outside of Christ, The confession here, having just asserted that special revelation is necessary, so that knowledge of Christ is necessary for salvation, now answers the question, what about those who have never heard?

So we see here God's sovereign appointment of light and salvation. What is? at the root, at the foundation, at the ground of the profession of Christ as Lord and Savior, it is God's goodwill and purpose in the salvation of sinners. Notice in paragraph three, we have this positive assertion of divine sovereignty. in the revelation of Christ to men.

The revelation of the gospel unto sinners made in diverse times and by sundry parts with the addition of promises and precepts for the obedience required therein. There are a lot of A lot of clauses here, so you have to kind of bear with it. The ultimate clause that they're getting to is before the semicolon, is merely of the sovereign will and good pleasure of God. So let's just restate this for a moment. The revelation of the gospel unto sinners is merely of the sovereign will and good pleasure of God. There are some clauses there that are sort of communicating the exhaustive nature of the revelation of the gospel made to sinners. It occurred from the outset of the fall, through many nations, across many times, through many epochs subsequently, but ultimately what is true is that the revelation of the gospel unto sinners is merely of the sovereign will and good pleasure of God.

And one of the passages in the scriptures that speaks to this quite clearly Well, first of all, if we started with just the sovereignty of God over all things generally. God is in the heavens, he does whatever he pleases. So, his revelation of Christ goes to whomever he pleases.

When we go specifically to the sovereignty of God with respect to the revelation of that gospel, we see it brought to the fore by Christ himself in Matthew 11. In Matthew 11, we have this clear passage and It comes gloriously in the context of Christ giving rest to sinners, those who labor and are heavy laden in their sin, those who have the yoke of bondage upon them. This doctrine of salvation, sovereignty in the salvation of sinners comes in that context. Notice in Matthew 11, 25.

At that time, Jesus answered and said, notice his answers to those unbelievers is a prayer of thanks to God. It's interesting, he answered them, but he's speaking to God in his answer. It's a wonderful way sometimes to answer those who oppose. At that time, Jesus answered and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. These things previously have to do with what he's been communicating most immediately in verses 20 to 24 regarding the gospel of the kingdom. So, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these gospel treasures, if we could say, from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in your sight.

All things that have been delivered to me by my father, and no one knows the son except the father, nor does anyone know the father except the son, and the one to whom the son wills to reveal him. So the sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners, it is wholly the province of the triune God to reveal or to hide gospel truth from whomever he pleases. He is the one who has created all things. He is the one who has created men, given them reasonable and immortal souls. It is His, it is His, good purpose, and according to His will, whether or not He reveals gospel treasures to any of those whom He has created.

All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows the Father except the Son, nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. The Son Himself Jesus Christ aligns his own power and sovereignty to the father here, and the one to whom the son wills to reveal him. The son wills to reveal gospel treasures to some and not to others.

And notice that upon the heels of the declaration of the unmitigated and unrivaled sovereignty of God, we have this call, come to me. Verse 28, come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. It's not against the reformed doctrine of the sovereignty of God to command, to call sinners to come to that God. God has purpose to save a multitude of sinners from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and the means whereby that comes to bear is by preachers calling upon sinners to come to him. Come to me, all you who labor. Though it is the will of the Father and the will of the Son to reveal gospel treasures to whomever they please and hide the same from others, nevertheless, come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

So we have in paragraph three the positive assertion of divine sovereignty in the revelation of Christ to men, and then we have the denial that there is any salvation where the revelation of Christ is absent. Notice as we continue reading in 20, paragraph two, sorry. Excuse me, no, paragraph three. Not being annexed by virtue of any promise to the due improvement of men's natural abilities by virtue of common light received without it, which none ever did make or can do so. In other words, there aren't any promises made if men do well in life, and there is no salvific efficacy or power in light outside of divine revelation that could make men saved. Men must be saved by the proclamation of the gospel, by the word of God, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. These are some particular things that are in the background here that other pseudo-Christian traditions have stated. The Catholic Church, for example, says this, of course, incorrectly.

Those who through, notice, no fault of their own, do not know the gospel of Christ or his church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart and moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience, those too may achieve eternal salvation. I mean, to the spiritually ambiguous or to those untaught and unstable, that might sound kind of cute and nice, but it flies in the face of the biblical revelation of the absolute necessity of the seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, who would crush the head of the serpent and bring many sons and daughters to glory. So those who sincerely seek by their actions to do God's will, what does that religion look like? There's no triune God, there's no Christ, there's no sin, there's no salvation, It's just if we try and have a measure of sincerity within the context of our own religion, those too may achieve eternal salvation. The Bible is clear. There is no name given under heaven among men by which we must be saved except Jesus Christ. He himself says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.

This is George Fox and his Quaker followers who say things like this. This, I think, is Fox. This is Quaker inner light doctrine. There is that of God in everyone. The light within is sufficient to guide and save without external revelation. So you see where where the confessionalists are coming from with this particular chapter. There are these that are saying that the light within is sufficient to guide and save without external revelation. The light within, I know that he's saying that there is that of God in everyone.

God has written upon our hearts, his law creatively. But it's unto the end that in man's perversion it speaks to our consciences that in our depravity we have violated something that is higher than ourselves. It's not something within us that we follow and therefore can be saved by it. In other words, The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? If we're to live according to this particular doctrine and the heart or this sense of feeling or this quote unquote sense of the divine within us and we're doing, you know, we're living according to some measure of obedience, We can't be saved by that.

The light within is sufficient to guide and save without external revelation. The proclamation of the gospel made unto all nations in diverse and sundry contexts and ways is absolutely necessary because the quote unquote light within us is perverse. It is dark. We have all fallen short of the glory of God. There is none who do good, no not one. And salvation cannot be wrought or cannot be given by virtue of deeds of righteousness which we have done, but much rather according to the deeds and the righteousness. and the good works of Jesus Christ alone. The light within, it is only darkness within. This particular doctrine clearly runs in the face of total depravity and original sin and the fall of man into it.

Modern inclusivism, this is a quote by Clark Pinnock in his A Wideness in God's Mercy. This particular chapter also speaks again, what we could say is exactly this, this modern inclusivism. This idea that God saves those who are sincere in their faith, or God saves the heathen in the jungle, and those sorts of things, absent of the gospel and grace. God saves many, he says, who do not know Christ, because he is gracious and meets them where they are, even within other religions. So religions that deny the triune God, religions that mock and deny Christ, those who adhere to these things and claim those things can somehow be saved because God meets them where they are.

It's a terrible perversion of the God of heaven and earth and of the revelation of the gospel and it clearly runs contrary to the very nature of man, who cannot, in and of himself, or in any system of religion, come to a knowledge of Christ, save for within the blessed context of Christianity, where Christ is made known, and the power of the Holy Spirit comes with power and much assurance. So, to come back to this, Paragraph three, we see the positive assertion of divine sovereignty in the revelation of Christ to men. We see the denial that there is any salvation where the revelation of Christ is absent. And then thirdly in this paragraph, we see the historical condescension of God in the revelation of Christ to men.

So because it is the case that Christ is absolutely necessary for salvation, and because it is the case that naturally men cannot come to some saving light in the absence of Christ, therefore, the last set of clauses, therefore in all ages, the preaching of the gospel has been granted unto persons and nations as to the extent or straightening of it, in great variety according to the counsel of the will of God.

We have the blessed reality that God has condescended to reveal his son to every nation under heaven. The gospel has gone out from from the first century onwards, it has gone out by faithful pastors, by faithful missionaries, by faithful servants of God to make Christ known to persons and nations to the extent and straightening of it in great variety according to the counsel of the will of God. God was pleased through the foolishness and is pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. Praise God that he has condescended to go out to the four corners of the earth to preach Jesus Christ and him crucified.

And then the confession closes with this reality, the effectual grace that is necessary for salvation, the Spirit's invisible and invincible work upon the soul. We noted at the beginning that it's divine special revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, so the message of Christ, as well as effectual grace, these two things being necessary for the salvation of sinners. Although the gospel, paragraph four, be the only outward means of revealing Christ and saving grace, and is as such, notice, abundantly sufficient thereunto.

The gospel is self-containing and is self-authoritative and self-efficacious unto its end, which is the declaration of Christ. The gospel doesn't fail. If a sinner does not come to Christ at the proclamation of the gospel, the gospel hasn't failed and God has not failed. Remember that the gospel proclamation comes with a double-edged sword.

It quickens to the heart to the elect and brings them alive when attended by effectual grace, and it cuts to the heart and it kills those in judgment who oppose God and who oppose his Christ. the reality of Romans 9, 22 and 23, God has vessels of mercy prepared for glory, and he has vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, that their judgment and divine wholesome severity visited upon them is a testament that exalts the grace of God and his visitation upon the vessels of mercy. And so the gospel never fails, whether one believes or not, the gospel being the only outward means of revealing Christ and saving grace is abundantly sufficient thereunto that revelation. Yet, and this is the point of paragraph four, that men who are dead in trespasses may be born again, quickened or regenerated, there is moreover necessary and effectual insuperable work of the Holy Spirit upon the whole soul for the producing in them a new spiritual life, without which no other means will affect their conversion unto God." So no other means, not nature, not the light that is within, not other religions, not anything else, save for the Holy Spirit working upon the whole soul to make sinners dead in trespasses and sins, alive in Christ, that they may behold the glory of Christ. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God and that faith comes effectually by the Holy Spirit working upon the soul of man.

Just in closing, chapter one brings this to light as well. So we noted chapter one and paragraph one before with regards to the necessity of special revelation. While it also speaks to the necessity in the doctrine of the word of God, the necessity of the inward work of the Holy Spirit. In paragraph five, it talks about these testimonies that the Church of God can give with respect to the Holy Scriptures, and gives these wonderful attributes of the Holy Scriptures, the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole, the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, and many other incomparable excellencies.

These all testify to the fact that it is the word of God and it bears authority. Notice, yet notwithstanding our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts. So the Word of God and the Spirit of God, these two things necessary for the salvation of sinners, and there is no system of religion outside of this. There is no other system of religion that can bring sinners to redemption and recovery to their God. save for Christianity, and it comes in these two ways, word and spirit.

Well, let's pray, and if there are any other questions, then you can feel free to fire away. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your truth. We rejoice in your goodness to us that we can gather together for the study of it. We thank you for this chapter as it speaks to the necessity of special revelation of Christ and to the effectual power of the Holy Spirit for salvation. We pray that we would rejoice in these things, and we pray as we go into worship Your saints would reflect upon this with great joy and that these two things would be active unto the salvation of sinners in this place this morning, the preaching of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit. Might these things prevail in this place this morning to the praise of your glory and we pray in Christ's name, amen.