ONE cheering word, sinner, poor lost sinner, for thee. You think you must not come to God because you are vile. Now let me tell you that there is not a saint in this place but is vile too. If Job, and Isaiah, and Paul, were all obliged to say, “I am vile,” oh, poor sinner, wilt thou be ashamed to join the confession, and say, “I am vile,” too? If I come to God this night in prayer, when I am on my knees by my bedside, I shall have to come to God as a sinner, vile, and full of sin. My brother sinner, dost thou want to have any better confession than that? Thou wantest to be better, dost thou? Why, saints in themselves are no better. Divine grace does not eradicate all sin in the believer, how dog thou hope to do it thyself? And if God loves His people while they are yet vile, dost thou think thy vileness will prevent His loving thee? Nay, vile sinner, come to Jesus! vilest of the vile! Believe on Jesus, thou offcast of the world’s society! I bid thee come to Christ. Christ bids thee believe on Him.
“Not the righteous, not the righteous:
Sinners Jesus came to save.”
Come now. Say, “Lord, I am vile: give me faith. Christ died for sinners: I am a sinner, Lord Jesus, sprinkle thy blood on me.” I tell thee, sinner, from God, if thou wilt confess thy sin thou shalt find pardon. If now with all thy heart thou wilt say, “I am vile; wash me,” thou shalt be washed now. If the Holy Spirit shall enable thee to say with thine heart now, “Lord, I am sinful”: ―
‘Just as I am―without one plea,
But that thy blood was shed for me,
And that thou bidet me come to thee―
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!’”
thou shalt go out of this place with all thy sins pardoned; and though thou earnest in here with every sin that man hath ever committed on thy head, thou shalt go out as innocent, yea, more innocent than the new-born babe. Though thou earnest in here all over sin, thou shalt go out with a robe of righteousness, white as angels are, as pure as God himself, so far as justification is concerned. For “now”―mark it― “now is the accepted time,” if thou “believest on Him who justifieth the ungodly.” Oh, may the Holy Spirit give thee faith, that thou mayest he saved now: for then thou wilt be saved forever! ―
C. H. Spurgeon.