QUES. 21.-Can yon help me about a difficulty I have as to how divine life is implanted in the soul? We understand the sinner is dead-a dead man can do nothing. He can't hear in order to believe. "You hath He quickened." "Would it be correct to say, God quickens a man to enable him to exercise faith in Jesus and His work, for salvation ? If so, quickening or new birth comes before believing or faith, or even repentance.

Let me turn it round a little. How can a dead man repent ? If he does repent, has not a divine work of God taken place in his soul? Then he was born again before he really repented.

This seems to remove man from responsibility; yet, "He that believeth not is condemned already," would indicate man's responsibility. "Was the jailor, in Acts 16, born again even if he did not know it, when he said, " What must I do to be saved?"

Would it be correct to say that Cornelius was born again before he saw Peter, but not sealed, or in the Christian state? After seeing Peter, he then knew salvation, and was sealed of the Spirit, and in the body of Christ. I am asking a lot, but I would be glad for help.

ANS.-Your difficulty as to new birth comes from misapplying, or misunderstanding the text to which you refer, Eph. 2 :1-"dead in trespasses and sins"-How dead? Just as the prodigal son was dead to his father :"This my son was dead " when turning his back to his father to follow his own will and wallow in iniquity. "Dead in trespasses " shows an active opposition to God. And this is just the condition in which Rom. 1 :18, 21, 28, etc., shows the sinner to be. It is this heart-rebellion that must be broken to turn the soul back to God. To accomplish this God uses various means, in His sovereign will, "that He may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man " (Job 33:17), and bring him a suppliant at the feet of Jesus. The Holy Spirit using the Word of God convicts of sin, brings to repentance, and thus to faith in Christ the Saviour; as 1 Pet. 1 :23, 25 says :" Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible- by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever . . . and this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you." It is by receiving "the Word of truth" therefore that we are born again (Jas. 1 :18). So the apostle Paul says to King Agrippa that to the Jews and to the Gentiles he preached "that they should repent and turn to God." Our Lord taught, "That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish;" -"He that believeth on Him is not condemned ;" "Unless ye believe that I am He, ye shall die in your sins," etc., etc. It is an evil theology, therefore, that teaches that new birth comes before faith or repentance. It annuls man's responsibility to believe God, and it contradicts the testimonies of God (see Rom. 10:8-16 ; Acts 16 :30, 31; Luke 7 :50, etc.). As to Cornelius, Scripture says that he was "a devout man, one that feared God, and prayed to God always." It is clear, therefore, that Cornelius believed already, as far as his knowledge went. He "believed God," as Abraham did, and was "accepted of Him " (Acts 10:35) ; but there was need of the further message (which Peter brought) that he, a Gentile, was accepted even as the godly Jews were-that he might have the knowledge of it as God's own declaration, and a place among the redeemed; 1:e., he was to be brought into the full assurance and joy of the saints in this dispensation. God, as it were, forcing the Jews themselves to recognize this by giving the Holy Spirit to this Gentile company, even as upon the godly Jews at Pentecost.

QUES. 22.-Please explain the 13th verse of the 10th chapter of Romans.
ANS.-"Calling upon the name of the Lord" in the present dispensation, is the heart call of one convicted of sin turning to the Lord for mercy and pardon. It is the result of hearing and believing the testimony of truth and grace, as verses 14,15 plainly show. The thief on the cross (Luke 23:40) is a notable example.

Peter quotes at length in Acts 2 :16-21 the same passage from Joel 2. There it applies to the time of God's dealing in judgment with the Jews, and the world-the time of "the great tribulation;" and the godly ones who, out of deep trial and affliction, call upon God for deliverance, "shall be saved," 1:e., shall be preserved through it. They shall be "the meek" who are to inherit the earth under Christ's reign. (See Matt. 5:5.)