do in order to obtain forgiveness of their sins, he replied: 'Repent ¹ ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins.' And Paul said to those who had believed and been converted through his preaching: 'I ² shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly, and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.'

But man has not power in himself to repent and believe in Jesus. It is necessary that God most merciful should bestow this power upon him. God Most-High therefore through the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ and through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit plants repentance and faiths in the heart of the man who, being truly desirous ³ of doing God's will, wishes to know the truth and thus to obtain freedom from the slavery of Satan. This implanting of faith and repentance comes through listening earnestly to the words of the Gospel (البشارة) or reading it attentively, thoughtfully and prayerfully. For in the holy Scriptures it is thus written: 'It ⁴ is God which worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.' 'Let ⁵ us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.' So ⁶ belief cometh of hearing, and hearing

by the word of Christ.' Similarly it is taught that repentance also is God's gift, a gift which He will not refuse to any one, but which many reject when it is offered to them. Thus we are told that, when the Christians in Jerusalem heard that many of the Gentiles also, hearing the Word of God preached, had believed, they 'glorified ¹ God, saying, 'Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto life.' And St. Peter, addressing the great Council of the Jews, said: 'The ² God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew, hanging him on a tree. Him did God exalt with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins.'

Since from the holy Scriptures it is quite clear and evident that God's eternal (ازلي) will and purpose is that no one should perish ³ but that all should come to repentance and should obtain salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, therefore it is more evident than the sun at midday that the salvation which Christ offers is on behalf of all men, because He died ⁴ on the cross for all. It was on this account that Christ commanded His disciples to preach the Gospels to all nations and thereby offer them salvation. It is absolutely certain, therefore, that in the heart of every one who, on hearing