A CHINESE silversmith to whom the English gave the name of Tom Workwell, brought some silver spoons, as he called them, to a captain of a ship who had ordered them. The gentleman suspecting that according to the tricking practice common in China, no small quantity of tutenague was added to the usual pro portion of alloy, taxed the silversmith with the cheat, which he denied with strong asseverations of his innocence. The captain then told him that he carried with him some famous water, called "lie-water," and that a drop of it applied to the tongue of falsehood would burn it through. Challenging Tom to submit to this ordeal, he consented, and a single drop of aqua fortis won put on his tongue, when he instantly jumped about the room in violent pain, and cried out, Very tree, half tutenague, half tutenague," in the hope that confessing the fact, would stop the progress of the lie-water.
Dear reader, are you in the same position with regard to God, as Tom Workwell was with regard to this captain?
Are you bringing to God your own sin-polluted works, instead of the finished work of Jesus?
To your fellow-men you may seem to deserve the name given to this Chinaman, but will the testing Word of God's truth prove you to be an evil-doer, a liar, and a hypocrite?
The lie-water of man may never be applied to your tongue, but you cannot escape being tested by the Word of God.
“He that rejecteth me (CHRIST), and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him; the WORD that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." (John 12:4545And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. (John 12:45).)
The lie-water of the captain only burnt the tongue of the Chinaman, but “The WORD of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb. 4:1212For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12).)
No base metal of your own works will ever satisfy the righteous requirements of God—the only work which He can and will accept, in, full discharge of all His claims against you, is the atoning work of Christ.
May God in His grace apply His word in power to your soul, revealing to you your own righteousness as filthy rags in His sight, and compelling you to confess it, as freely and sincerely as this Chinaman.
The captain, well knowing the character of the Chinese, expected that the spoons were base metal, and was not deceived for a moment.
And do you really suppose that God is more easily deceived than His creature, and expects man, whom He describes as "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:11And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (Ephesians 2:1)), and of whom He says, "There is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Rom. 3:1212They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Romans 3:12)), to produce works acceptable to Him?
What blind folly! The testimony of Jesus is, "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”
And the Holy Spirit, speaking by the prophet Jeremiah, says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
And the word of God asks of those who entertain such a delusion, Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles? Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil.
Dear reader, if you are trusting to your works for salvation, I earnestly entreat you to trust to such a rotten plank no longer.
If the word of God says, that "by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified," how can you possibly hope to be just with God by your works, which are corrupt from beginning to end, and infinitely short of those of the law, which law you have transgressed times without number?
The Jews of old, asked Jesus "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?”
It is after the Holy Spirit has set forth a full salvation for poor sinners through faith in Christ Jesus, and a full deliverance, not only from their sins, but also from the evil nature which produces the sins, that He proceeds in the 12Th chapter of Romans to say, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Rom. 12:11I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1).)
Oh! when your soul is simply resting on the finished work of Jesus for salvation,—when you see the end of the flesh, and realize yourself to be a new creature in Christ—then, and then only, may you truly desire the name applied to this poor Chinaman, and to work and testify for Him who loved you, and gave Himself for you.
Are you saying, "I believe on Jesus as my Savior, but it would be great presumption on my part, to say that I have now eternal life?" If so, hear this,—" He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Sou.
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life: he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
Dear reader, which is presumption? To believe what God says, or to make God a liar?