The law says to the sinner, “Do this, and thou shalt live”; but there is no power in the sinner to obey its commands, and the effect of the command upon the sinner who sincerely tries to obey is to convince him of his powerlessness to obey. To bid the sinner, Have done with your sins, leave the service of Satan, and you will live, is like saying to the prisoner chained to the wall, Get up, cast off your chain and leave the dungeon, and you will be free. The gospel, on the other hand, is God’s good news to us of salvation, of life, of liberty, and is brought to helpless man by the Lord Jesus Christ.