Two Servants.

From: The Salvation of God: Volume 8 (1885)

A Contrast.

“I GENERALLY rest on Sunday afternoons, but today I am going to the cemetery to see my brother’s grave. He was quite well and in here six weeks back; but a short time afterward he went into the country, when he died suddenly.”

So said the waitress of the hotel in a country town where I was obliged to stay over a Lord’s day. After some words of sympathy I said, “It is a solemn thing to have to die. If death were to take you, where would you be?” “I hope I should be prepared; I have never done anything wrong.”

“But have you never said anything wrong?” I asked, astonished at her answer.

“No,” she replied.

“Well now, have you ever thought a wrong thing? have you ever had a foolish thought?” “No,” she again said.

“Then you do not believe the word of God when it says, ‘All have SINNED;’ ‘There is none righteous, no, not one;’ ‘There is none that doeth good, no, not one’?” (Romans 3:10, 12, 23¹⁰As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10)
¹²They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Romans 3:12)
²³For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23).)

“Oh! of course we read that in the Bible, and I believe that we are all sinners alike; but I have never stolen anything, or murdered anybody, or told falsehoods, or done anybody any harm, so that I don’t see but that I shall be all right when I die.”

“It is most important for us to know what God calls sin,” I said.” He says, ‘The thought of foolishness is sin (Proverbs 24:9⁹The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men. (Proverbs 24:9)), and surely you would not really pretend to say that you never had a foolish thought, even if your ways are not open to censure, as men see things. You will not have to answer to me, nor to your neighbor, but to God; so it is of the utmost importance for you to know what He thinks of sin. (Habakkuk 1:13¹³Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? (Habakkuk 1:13).) And since you admit He says you are a sinner―and He says it also of me, but I have been saved by His grace―I would say to you in all faithfulness, that unless all your sins are washed away by the blood of Christ, you will be lost forever. God has given His Son He came into the world and died on the cross that His shed blood might put away the sins of all who believe on Him. If you believe on Him, He has answered for your sins on the cross, and you are saved but if you do not believe on Him, you will have to answer for them yourself to God, and then there will be no salvation for you.”

I spoke as plainly as I could, being astounded by her answers. She soon made her exit from the room, not caring for further conversation.

You may well be startled at anyone being so ignorant and blind as this servant, yet she really is only a sample of a numerous class of people. She had never done any wrong to her fellow-creatures, nor deceived them, nor thought wrongfully of them, so she said. Sins as men see them were thought of by her, but sins as God sees them, and purity, according to God’s holy eye, appeared never to have entered her mind. Are there not many around us like this? How blessed the blood of Christ cleanses a soul from all sin, and fits it for the eye and presence of God. (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).) Shortly after this I was in the house of a professing Christian, and we had reading and prayer together, when I narrated the above to him, the scripture being Romans 4:23, 25²³Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; (Romans 4:23)
²⁵Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:25); verses 5:1, 2. “Jesus our Lord... who was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification.” I could not help noticing the bright face of the servant as we read, so afterward I asked her if she had “peace with God.”

“Yes, sir, that I have,” was her ready reply.

“And how long have you known that?” I inquired.

“It was when my mother died. She was a good Christian, and when she died I became so unhappy about my sins I could not sleep, being afraid I should wake up in hell. That went on nearly twelve months, till at last I saw that my Saviour died for me on the cross, that He bore my ‘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)); and as He had paid my debt of sin, I could go free, for God would not ask me and my Saviour too to die for the same sins. Now, often when I am alone reading the Bible, the Lord seems to come to me, and I am so happy. He said He would come (John 14:21, 23²¹He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (John 14:21)
²³Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)) and make His abode with us, did He not, sir? and I’m sure He does come to me. There is a scripture I like very much which says, When He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.’ (1 John 3:2²Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2).) That is so beautiful to think of. Yet there are so many people that don’t seem to think at all of what He suffered on the cross, and how He died that we might be saved.”