SITUATED in the south of England there is a large, commodious hospital, where hundreds of patients yearly receive treatment at the hands of medical men. Diseases of all kinds are to be seen there, all making terribly real to any sensitive soul, the ravages that sin has made in the human family, manifesting itself in all its horrid deformity, revolting even to the depraved senses of the natural man.
Alas! what has not sin done? Not only bringing sickness and disease into the human family, it has also alienated man from God, and made him the very active enemy of God his maker, and that, too, in full fellowship with Satan.
In this hospital there lay a dear Christian dying He had been a nurse in the same hospital, and had no doubt seen many a soul pass through the portals of death into eternity. But now his own time had come; he must go now, and gradually his frame wasted away by a consuming disease. No human hand could arrest its progress. And on one Lord's Day afternoon a few Christians, the writer of this article being one of them, gathered round his bed to take a farewell till we met again in the glory on high. There he sat in a reclining position on the bed, being propped up with pillows. Pale and haggard he looked-consumption had done its work. He spoke to us of Satan's fiery darts aimed at him in his state, to shake his confidence in his Savior's love, and how he was sustained by the hand and word of Him who died for him.
I solemnly said to him, "Timson, what is your passport into heaven?" He bowed his head for a few moments, as if in deep thought. It was a searching question at such a moment as that, and one which alone simple faith could answer aright. He lifted up his head, for we were all waiting for the answer, and said in a calm heavenly voice, which carried weight and power with it to every heart that stood around him: "Victory through the blood of the Lamb." Oh! what an answer! Satan could only beat a retreat from that battle-field, where the victory had already been gained by another, and made over to the joy and everlasting salvation of this dear soul, who had put his simple trust in the Son of God.
Dear reader, I love to dwell upon those precious words, "Victory through the blood of the Lamb," and would to God that you knew their value and power. They speak of God's ineffable love—of the death of God's Lamb, the sinner's substitute—of His blood shed to meet the claims of God's holy throne, and the sinner's desperate case, and deep necessities—of the remission of sins being obtained by that blood—of the redemption of the sinner's precious soul of the victory of God's Son, and the vanquishing of Satan-yea, of the everlasting salvation of man. And, O! reader, of thine everlasting glory and exemption from judgment, if thou puttest thine heart's trust in the raised up Son of God.
Observe attentively then, dear friend, this dear dying saint did not refer me to his good conduct or his improvements; nay, nor his doings. Eternity—meeting God—was in question, and no creature-doings will form a solid ground for our souls to rest upon, when we confront eternity, and the fact of having to meet God, nothing short of absolute "Victory through the blood of the Lamb," will do then. Doings and mere external religiousness may constitute us a member of a Church here, but it won't take us into God's paradise of eternal delights. What will? By being able to say in the energy of simple faith “Victory through the blood of the Lamb’
This dear soul had learned the grand secret of letting go his hold of everything human, and had put his implicit faith in that which was divine. He had ceased his wretched doing, as a ground of acceptance before God, and had rested his immortal soul with all its eternal interests upon Christ's eternal done-as He said on the cross ere He expired, "It is finished" (John 20:3030And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: (John 20:30)), and the blessed consequence was, he was pardoned of his sins—he was justified from all things—he had perfect peace with God—he was made a child of God—the possessor of eternal life—and an heir of eternal glory. Oh! mark this well, my reader. All these incomparable blessings were to him, not the fruit of his own wretched doings, but the rather, the blessed eternal fruit of the sacrifice of God's precious Lamb: and though assailed by Satan, and though his tabernacle was being taken down, and he about to pass through the valley of the shadow of death, yet he could say with rapturous joy, as it were caught from the very presence and throne of God, "Victory through the blood of the Lamb.”
Dear reader, in conclusion I will ask you, Have you renounced self and doings, and everything of the creature, as a resting-place for your soul, and, at the bidding of Christ come to Him just such a sinner as you are, accord-to His own words? "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:2828Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)). If not, may God's Spirit give thee to see the absolute necessity of repairing to Him at once, and at His own hands get salvation in all its fullness, then thou shalt have peace—perfect peace. Yea, peace—deep, deep as a river. And thy soul will prostrate itself in His presence, and worship Him (John 9:3838And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. (John 9:38)). And thy lips will move, and thy shout will be, "Victory, victory through the blood of God's Lamb." E. A.