OLD ROBIN was seated by his window, with, spectacles on face, busily rummaging a little drawer filled with loose papers, when, the door opened, and a cheerful voice called out—“There's fine weather, Robin. This will fit your rheumatics nicely. How are ye coming on?”
“Oh, is that you Mirran? I come awa' ben and see," said the old man, flinging down his handful of papers, and hastening to bring a chair.
“Never mind a chair, thank ye, Robin, for I mustn't sit down," said Mirran. "I was passing up the gate, and thinks I to mysel' I havena seen Robin for a month, so I'll just lift his sneck, and ask how he is. Are ye any better, think ye, Robin?"
"Oh, thank ye, Mirran, I'm a great deal better; but will you not try to bide a wee?"
"I canna bide lang” said Mirran. "However, since I’m in, I may venture to sit for fifteen minutes. But I’m disturbing you, I fear."
“No, no," cried Robin; “that business can stand ouer a wee. I hae been huntin' after a receipt for a bit sum o' money, which I'm almost sure I paid already, and which I have sweer-will to pay twice over, if it can be avoided."
"Na," said Mirran; "maybe I could help you to seek for't, I'm rather quicker in the sicht than you.”
And the two renewed the search, which Mirran speedily brought to a successful issue by discovering the desired document.
"Now; Robin," said Mirran, "ye see that its worth while to keep your auld receipts beside you, for you may come to want them some day.”
"Deed is it,” replied Robin. "I paid pretty dear in my youth to be taucht that lesson; but I have kept good mind o't.”
"And, Robin," said Mirran, in a low and tender voice, "aye be sure to keep your accounts weel red up between God and your soul; for it is a mischancie thing to lose His receipt.”
"What do you mean by that?" asked Robin, with a puzzled air.
"Ah," said she, “I have paid dear, dear-rather dearer maybe than you did—to be taucht this lesson, and, like you, I wad fain keep good mind o't. But what a happy out-gate frae such a sorrow, when ane is led to the blood of Jesus as a sufficient ransom for a sinfu' soul; and sees that, through what His Son has done, God can be just, and yet also be the justifier of the guilty sinner that believes in Jesus.”
"Weel, then, Robin," continued Mirran; "did ye ever lose God's receipt after ye had gotten’t? Did ye ever, by your carnal sloth and your careless walking, lose faith's sight o' the precious blood, and let go your hold on a good conscience, and forget, as Peter says, that you were purged frae your auld sins?”
“Ay, woman," said Robin, "I ken ouer much about it—mair than the maist o' folks, I fear. 'Deed, to tell you the truth, after that I lost the first receipt, I've never got the business richt red up sin' syne; and I have never had the same sweet and strengthening assurance o' the Lord's being my God. At the best, I'm aye troubled wi' the fear that I’m only a hypocrite; and now and then, when I'm at the warst, I feel quite assured that I am.”
"I believe you, Robin," said Mirran; " God abhors backsliding above everything else; and therefore He makes the backslider's life bitter to him, that we may learn to abhor it, and to dread it, and to watch in prayer against it. And so, when we lose our receipts or assurances through carelessness and unbelief, He often leaves us to have more trouble and heart-breaking sorrow about their renewal than we had in getting them at the first. But God's receipt canna be lost.”
"Very likely, very likely," said the old man with a melancholy shake of the head; “but what's to be done in a case like mine, when my receipt's fairly gone? I wad gladly give a' that I have to feel as I ance felt; but I canna see how that is ever to be. I opened my mind to your cousin, but he said that I was looking ouer much in to mysel', and ouer little out to my Savior; that I should walk more by faith, and never trouble mysel' wi' frames and feelings:'
"And did ye take his advice?”
“I tried hard, hard, to do it, but it winna work wi’ me. Think ye, Mirran, that it wad be possible to get my auld receipt back again?”
"No," said Mirran, after a moment's pause; "I do not think that God ever gives a mere duplicate o' an mild receipt, which contains a full and free discharge up to this moment. Ask Him for a sicht of the auld receipt.
"That's what I'm wantin', Mirran; but that's the very thing I canna get accomplished!”
"Then be sure, Robin, that, the fault's your ain.”
“I ken that; but wad fain have it mended if I could see how it's to be done. Whereaboots lies the fault in me, think ye?" said Robin, anxiously.
“Robin, ye ken that Jesus was raised up from the dead by the glory of God. He died and was raised ance. Now, Christ, risen and exalted, is God's receipt in full to every sinner believing on Him; that's it and naething else.”
Mirran paused, but Robin was silent.
"And then, as for writing the receipt, that it is God's part to do, and not yours. O Robin, man, look simply as a needy sinner to the Savior of needy sinners, and faith's happy sicht o’ Him will give you instant deliverance.”
"That's what I feel I'm needin'," said Robin, "and your words give me a bit glimmer o' licht; but I'm in great darkness, not so much about general gospel truth, as about its personal application to mysel'. I'm an uncommonly dark and hard-hearted man.”
“Just like the rest o' us, Robin. Ye're a clear case for free and sovereign mercy; for if that dinna meet us, you and I are gone. But when was it that you got that receipt which you have in your hand?"
“I got it when I paid the money," replied Robin.
"Exactly! You had no right to it before, and your creditor had no reason to withhold it after; and therefore, so soon as you settled his claim, you received your discharge. Now, Robin, though we canna o' oursels settle God's claim on us as debtors, the Lord Jesus has fully done it; and all the settlement that is required at our hands is, that we consent to, receive God's forgiveness on the spot and God's grand receipt—Christ's resurrection; that can ne'er be lost —never, for Christ is in glory. Then, too, God writes a full discharge on the heart and conscience—'Being justified by faith, we have peace with God.’”
Robin's face was brightening a little.
"I think, Mirran," said he, "that ye've really discovered the root of the whole evil; and yet I never suspected it. Oh, woman, I hae a wonderfu' hard and unbelievin' heart; however, I feel jist a wee kennin' o’ the warmth and sweetness that I wad like to feel mair o’. Ye wadna hae me to sit down contented just as I am, wad ye? Should I not seek to feel very differently frae what I am doing?”
"Certainly," said Mirran; “press on, press on; but still, take good care to see that you are on the richt road before you press onward in't. If ye be seeking for a state o' soul in which ye’ll be better pleased wi' yoursel’ then ye’ll never get, it; and the more you press forward in this road, the farther will you go wrong.”
"Yes, Mirran," said the old man; “this is the victory that overcometh the world, and overcometh a' else, even our faith. But how is decayed faith to be revived, think ye? Ye see I'm just like a schule wean that has to begin at the beginning, for I ken naething.”
"‘Faith cometh by hearing,’" said Mirran, solemnly, “'and hearing by the Word of God.' Faith is the fruit of the Spirit; but the Holy Spirit produces or increases it only in connection wi' His own Word. Be much ta'en up wi’ the Word of God, Robin. Dinna think your own thoughts about spiritual, things, but let God tell you His thoughts; hearken carefully to Him, and believe a' that He tells you. This is a main point. Whatever God says, be ye sure to receive. His word, and to mix it wi’ faith. But, Robin, see to keep by God's Bible, and take care never to open or to read a verse o' Satan's. Ye have been reading ouer much o' the Deevil's Bible this while back, and much sin and sorrow has come out o’t.”
"Deevil’s Bible that's an extraordinary name, Mirran, What mean ye by that?”
“I mean simply that ye have been thinking your ain thochts on subjects about which your ain thochts arena able to give you licht. Na more than that, ye have preferred to lean on these thochts which were suggested to you by the enemy, to leaning on the true and gracious words of the God of all grace. Who told you, Robin; that you were such a sinner? God's Bible, maybe. Well, but who told you, on the back of that, that such a sinner as you would not at once meet God's pardoning mercy in Christ Jesus? Ye gotna that information in His Bible. There isna a verse wi' such a word in’t between Genesis and Revelation. Ye got that where there's a hantle mair o' a similar kind to be got, out o' your ain foolish and self-righteous heart, the thoughts of which, on spiritual subjects, are just Satan's Bible. You must give it up forever, Robin, and in spiritual things ye must believe naething but what ye have chapter and verse for. Now, here it is written down for you; so dinna forget it—God’s receipt is Christ, "who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification” (Rom. 4:2525Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:25)).
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