Looking unto Jesus

The “words wliicli here follow are not for the careless hardened sinner, who feels no burden; but if tbej should fall under the eye of one who groans beneath the weight of unpardoned iniquity, and strives to find deliverance from his pollution, then they have reached the very end for which they were destined. Let me, as it were, sit down beside this comfortless one, and, Bible in hand, point out some of its teachings concerning the way to be saved; for to the Scriptures must we go directly if we would relieve a convinced soul, who can rest in nothing short of a thus SAiTH THE Lord.

When Philip joined himself to a certain

chariot, in which the Ethiopian courtier was

busied over a scroll of the prophets, he found

the place of Scripture to depict a suffering

Messiahy To this very point must we bring every solicitous inquirer. Beginning at that very place in Isaiah, Philip “preached unto him Jesus.” It is still the only preaching which can quiet conscience and give peace. Isaiah’s single prophetic picture of the Cross holds up the saving object. Look at it, as the dying Hebrew looked at the serpent on the pole! Behold the Only-Begotten, in the Garden and on the accursed tree, for thy sake. For thee, He is “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” He hath borne thy griefe and carried thy sorrows. See Him wounded for thy transgressions, bruised for thy iniquities, laid under the chastisement of thy peace, lacerated with stripes for thy healing. Behold Him taking thy place. “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet he opened not His mouth; He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.” See and acknowledge with faith that “the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquities of us all.” “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him,” to put Him to grief, to” make His

Isa. 53; Acts 9: 27-39. 81 soul an offering for sin.” All this and more is in the single chapter which Philip expounded in the chariot. It was enough for the Ethiopian; 0 sinner, it is enough for thee! Reject all other refages, and come at once to the Cross.

Are you still doubting? What can satisfy you, if God’s own method, in God’s own message, is not enough? The entire Gospel is only a variety of ways in which to say: “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.”^ Believe that God sincerely offers to you this atonement; acquiesce in it; receive it as your own; rest and rely on it — and you are saved I

Why, 0 halting sinner! this delay? Why, teside the very fountain, do you proudly refuse to stoop and drink? Ah! methinks I hear you say in bitterness: “Wo is me, I am lost I” Hearken to the Word: “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.“^ Believe that He came to save thee. Again you cry: “I am chief of sinners.” Again hear the Word:” This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that

1 John 1: 29 2 Luke 19: 10.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.“^ Come, as chief of sinners, and accept that which the Apostle declares worthy of all acceptation, and therefore worthy of thine. “I am ungodly!” you rejoin; “how can God receive the ungodly?” Learn from His own answer: “Christ died for the ungodly.”^ But I am under just condemnation and curse: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.”^ Cast your wretched soul on this truth of God, that Christ has borne your curse, when he bore your sins “in his own body on the tree.” Do you still urge: “I am already doomed, as well by conscience as law, and bound over unto condign punishment?” I answer, that you are redeemed, and that God’s word ought to satisfy you; redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”** Look to Jesus, “who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree.”^ “But how can I be justified in the sight of a righteous and inflexible Judge?” Bead the

1 1 Tim. 1:15. 2 Rom. 5:6. 3 GaL 3: 13.

4 1 Pet. 1 :19. 8 1 Pet. 2: 24.

83 answer in that precious word: “Being now justified bj His blood.“^ No sacrifices, even of your body and life, could do it; but it is done by the blood of the Cross. Believe this. O relenting reader I turn not away from this scene of Divine compassion, until you have taken in the full idea of what God freely offers you. There, in the Gospel of His Son, the Almighty Father makes over for your acceptance Christ and his salvation.” What I” you say; “and are all my works of legal endeavor worthless, in regard to my justification?” Yes, utterly worthless; and the sooner you reject them the better. All your doings, outward or inward, are of no merit. Such is the humbling persuasion when we receive the true Gospel; “knowing that a man is not justified by works of law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.” And if you deny this, you nullify the Cross; “for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.“^ Once more you ply us with objections, such as this: “After all, the glory of Justice requires either righteousness or punishment; the righteousness I can not produce,

IRora. 5: 9. 2 Gal. 2: 16, 2L

84 the pimislimeiit I can not endure. Wretch that I am, I can neither obey nor propitiate I” Listen to God, rather than Satan, and receive the whole Gospel in this epitome; every word is fragrant with free grace. “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, His RIGHTEOUSNESS, that He might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.”^ How much better is one Divine saying, than all the sayings of men I

Here is a saying, O sinner I strong enough to bear the weight of thy immortal soul. True, thou art ungodly, thou hast no righteousness; but here is His righteousness, by which without ceasing to be just, that is, without ceasing to demand perfect righteousness, God can justify thee in believing. Believe, believe, then! “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”

But will so simple a thing give peace with

1 Rom. 3: 24. 25, 26.
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God? Paul shall answer: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.”^ “And ‘is my condemnation then reversed?” Let the same Apostle answer: *’ There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. “2 Believe the testimony of God, and you are in Christ. Divine Justice beholds you in the Mediator.” K any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,” who hath never sinned, even “Jesus Christ the righteous.“^ Think well of this verse: you have sinned, and deserved death, but Christ has never sinned, and has been” obedient unto death.” This is ^’’His righteousness,” and may be yours if appropriated by your faith. One glorious Kedeemer has taken the place of many souls. They have no sound obedience to be righteous in, but “by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”^ Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and his righteousness is yours.

You are still reluctant, as if Jesus would not receive you, a sinner. *’This man receiveth sinners.“^” Seek from one end of the

1 Rom. 5:1. 2 Rom. 8: 1. 3 iJolm 2: 1. 4 Rom. 5: 19. 5 Luke 15: 2.

heavens to the other,” says Hooker, *’ turn all the Bible over, and see if the words of Christ be not true. Him that cometh unto me, 1 will in no wise cast outy “Ah! there is the point,” say you; “If I were only sure that I did come /” Make sure of it, then, by believing. To “come” is to “believe.” Different terms are used, but all mean one and the same taking of Jesus Christ as your Saviour, on God’s free offer, which constitutes your warrant to take it. This “receiving” is explained to be the same as “believing,” thus: “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”^ When by believing you are joined to Christ, you have authority to be a child of God. Therefore, lay every thing else aside, in order to come to Christ.

The anguish of soul experienced by Martin Luther, enabled him to understand the case of anxious inquirers. To such a one he says: “When thy conscience is thoroughly afraid with the remembrance of thy sins past, when the devil assaulteth thee with great violence, going about to overwhelm thee with heaps, floods, and whole seas of sins, to terrify thee and draw thee from Christ, then arm thyself with such sentences as these: ‘Christ the Son of God was given, not for the holy, righteous, worthy, and such as were his friends; but for the wicked, for sinners, for the unworthy, and for his enemies.’ Wherefore if the devil say. Thou art a sinner, and therefore must be damned; then answer thou and say: ‘Because thou sayest I am a sinner, therefore will I be righteous, and saved.’ And if he reply, Nay, sinners must be damned, then answer and say: ’ jN’o, for I flee to Christ, who hath given himself for my sins. And therefore, Satan, in that ttou sayest I am a sinner, thou givest me armor and weapons against thyself, that with thine own sword I may cut thy throat, and tread thee under my feet.’”

TO CHRIST.

When I see thee hanging, bleeding,

Dying, on the cruel tree.
Pale in°voe, yet interceding

For the men that murdered thee;
How can I refrain from giving

Life and soul and all away,
On thv promise ever living.
Thee adoring night and day!

When I see thee upward breaking

From the grave, on high to stand,
And thy rightful empire taking

At the Father’s blest right hand;
Can I longer doubt thy favor,

Or thy willingness to bless?
No, my interceding Saviour,

Words can ne’er my hope express.

When I feel the fresh bedewing
Of thy spirit on my heart,

All the Father’s mercy viewing,
In the gifts thy pangs impart;

Faith accepts the heavenly seahn
Tenderness and joy combine

o ’

Peace o’er all my soul is stealing,
I am Christ’s, and Christ is mine!

Thus, when life’s short day is ending.

And this mortal yields its power,
May thy Spirit condescending

Cleanse and arm me for the hour!
At the river’s brink arriving,.

In thy smile I lose my fear,^
Victory then crowns my striving.

Death is gain, for Christ is here!
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