A LADY was speaking to a friend in warm terms of the eloquence and great oratorical powers of the minister of the church which she attended.
Her friend, who knew from report that the gentleman in question, though a very fine speaker, was not converted and did not preach God’s salvation, said, “But if he does not preach the truth, his eloquence is only so much the worse for his hearers!”
For instance, if I am not acquainted with the country, and a man misdirects me as to the place I want to reach, the greater his assumption of knowledge and authority when directing me, the greater the danger of my being misled by him!
This may cause me only some temporary inconvenience, but oh! the irretrievable loss for eternity, if through my not knowing God’s Word, I am misled by “enticing words of man’s wisdom,” as to how I must be saved.
Misled perhaps into thinking that if I do my very best to lead a good religious life, I shall reach heaven at last!
How utterly opposed to God’s salvation for me is such a thought.
He saves me solely on the ground of what Christ has done for me, not on the ground of what I try to do for Him.
My part in this wonderful salvation is simply to come to Him “just as I am,” a poor lost sinner, and believe and appropriate for myself, what He by His atoning death has done for me.
“He took the guilty culprit’s place, And suffered in his stead.”
“His own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:2424Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)), is the language of faith. And, also, “The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth, us from all sin” (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7))
F. A.