Dear reader, ask yourself if you have ever truly valued that which God commends to you in His Word; ever truly appreciated that Word which He has magnified above all His Name. If not, you have not far to seek for the reason why your soul is unsaved, and your sins are unforgiven. What is needed is for the heart to be opened by faith to the eternal value to our souls of the Word of God.
I lately met with a touching illustration of this given by a writer, whose words I will endeavor to reproduce. A poor Hottentot in South Africa lived with a God-fearing man, who kept up family prayer daily. One day the latter read from Luke 18:
"Two men went up into the temple to pray.”
The poor savage, whose heart had been touched with the finger of God, looked up with deepest interest as these words fell from the reader's lips, and whispered, "Now I'll learn how to pray." The man continued: "God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men," and when he had reached these words, again the Hottentot whispered, and this was what he said, "No; I'm not; I'm not; but I'm worse." Again the man read, "I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess." And again there was a whisper, "I don't do that; I can't pray like that; what shall I do?" said the distressed savage. The reading was continued until they came to the publican, who would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven.
"That's me!" cried the poor African. "Stood afar off," read the other.
"That's where I am," said the Hottentot.
"But smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner.”
"That's me; that's my prayer!" cried the poor creature, aloud now, being too deeply moved to confine himself to whispers, and smiting on his dark breast, he prayed, "God, be merciful to me a sinner," like the poor publican had done, and he at once became a saved and happy man.
The word was mixed with faith how truly, how simply! He appreciated it, and thus it was he apportioned it, and he was saved by the blood of Christ. Dear reader, are you?