The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin....1 John i. 7. MOST precious truth for guilty sinners! Lord help us most deeply to consider what is implied in these words. 1st. See the exceeding sinfulness of sin. It has brought these dreadful evils upon us: 1st. Loss of God's image. 2d. Obnoxiousness to his wrath. For we are by sin totally unclean. 3d. Rejection from his presence. The pollution of sin has brought the curse of God's law upon us, armed his justice, shut his kingdom against us, and opened the gates of hell to us. The bitter cries and exquisite torments of the damned in hell will eternally proclaim the malignancy of sin. The everlasting songs of the saints in glory will for ever proclaim the praises of the Lamb, who washed them from their sins in his own blood. 2d. This proves the curse and defilement of sin. The blood of Jesus Christ and that alone cleanseth from all its deepest stains. O the infinite love of the Son of God, to shed his blood for guilty sinners! O the infinite virtue of his precious blood to cleanse us from all sin ! Remember, God's justice would have been eternally glorified and thy soul eternally suffering his wrath due to thy sins, if the blood of his Son had not cleansed thee from all sin. Reflect on this, and say, canst thou think light of sin or count the blood of Jesus of little value? O, see sin's crimson dye in the purple gore of the Son of God, which was shed to atone for it and cleanse from it. 3d. "Cleanseth us." Not only hath cleansed and shall cleanse, but it continually doth so: it removes all the filth of sin from before God and takes all the guilt of sin out of our consciences; so that we are perfectly clean and without spot of sin in God's sight, and perfectly freed from all condemnation for sin in our consciences. 4th. "The blood of Jesus Christ." This means the last act of the tragedy of the life of our anointed Saviour: his blood being the ransom of our souls, the price of our redemption, and the expiation of our sins. 5th. "His Son:" the Son of God: very God of very God. Here let faith fix and conscience be satisfied: not only the blood of the Son of the Virgin, but it is the blood of the Son of God. Neither the greatness nor the number of sins can remain in their guilt, nor expose any sinner to wrath who believes in the Son of God; no. guilt so great but it can cleanse; no stain so deep but it can purge,, Unbelief shuts this blood out of the conscience. By faith we receive its cleansing virtue and peaceful effects on our souls. Thy blood alone, Jehovah Man, Come, let us sing, adore and praise, M. . If ye do these things, ye shall never fall....2 Pet. i. 10. WHAT things? Add to your faith every christian grace and good work. If ye live in the exercise of grace and the discharge of duty, ye shall never fall. But it is here plainly implied, if ye do not these things ye certainly will fall. How fall? Into all manner of sin; yea, and into hell too, if the Lord Christ keep you not. But he most assuredly will keep all his sheep from thus falling; for he has said, they shall never perish; I give unto them eternal life. But what evidence can any one have that he is Christ's sheep, if he do not hear his voice and obey his word! My dear fellow sinner, deceive not thy own soul: beware of corrupt notions and unscriptural ideas: it is most true, salvation is sure; every one who believes in Christ shall most assuredly be saved; but, there is as surely such a thing as living and walking close with Christ, cleaving to him with purpose of heart, cheerfully obeying him in love, and studying to glorify him in righteousness and true holiness and there is such a thing also as falling away from this lively exercise of grace, stedfastness in the faith of Christ, and warm love to Christ. Hence, great dishonor is brought upon the Lord, great grief to his dear disciples, and great darkness and distress upon the souls of such professors. Is it not to be dreaded to have Christ withdraw himself? To have guilt, and fear and terror let loose upon thy conscience, while the enemy is saying, where is now thy God, thy Saviour, thy salvation? Peter thus fell: David thus fell: saints in all ages have thus fell. They have told us, and the sinner who writes these words, can tell thee somewhat of the gall and wormwood of this falling. Are you ready to say, this is very legal and very terrifying? Not LEGAL; for this text is an evangelical exhortation: much of the preciousness of gospel salvation lies in it: it is a means to keep from falling: it is a spur to final perseverance. As to TERROR; take warning by the assertion and thou hast nothing to dread from the consequence. Absolute declarations of salvation are to strengthen the faith and comfort the hearts of God's people. Precious promises support them. Suitable exhortations quicken their diligence. Assertions of their danger of falling, are to convince them of their weakness, excite their cry unto the Lord, and cause them to walk close with him, "who is able to keep them from falling, and to present them faultless before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy."....Jude, 24. In Christ I stand, by faith I work, From Christ I ne'er can fall: But if I'm careless in my walk, I'm sure to get in thrall. Fresh unction from thyself, dear Lord, Pour out upon my heart: Make me take heed unto thy word, Lest conscience feels the smart. M. Jesus said, what manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk and are sad? Luke xxiv. 17. TIME is the best physic for most diseases, whether of body or mind. A present hour may cause sadness, the next may bring joy. This is a living comfort in saddest seasons, Christ knows both our sorrows, and the cause of them: he is always near to us, though we see him not: his sympathizing spirit manifests itself in this question. Observe, 1st. Here were two disciples communing together and reasoning with one another: this is right. It is pleasing to our Lord, to see his dear members converse with and strive to edify each other in the faith of him, and that they bear each others burdens. For, 2d. Jesus joined company with them. Disciple, how often have you found it so? Christ delights in the fellowship of his saints: "How can one be warm alone?".... Eccles. iv. 11. 3d. Christ enquires of their conversation and the cause of their sadness. Disciples of Christ have their sad seasons: it is good that they should converse freely with one another about them. But whence do they spring? Chiefly from unbelief. These poor souls were sad. Why? They did not believe their Lord was risen. But, ah! there was another reason for sadness; they had basely forsaken and cowardly deserted him: this also arose from the same cause, unbelief. Well, notwithstanding all this, O, the free grace of Christ! 4th. He follows them, though they forsook him: he owns them, though they denied him; he cares for them, though they shewed no care for him; he comes to comfort them, though they had grieved him. Şays the prince of peace, "Why are ye sad?" Then they opened their minds to him; they told him of the ray of hope and the gleam of confidence which they possessed: WE TRUSTED, &c. But delays begot doubt. This is the third day, &c....Luke xxiv. 21. What was the consequence. 2d. Expounds the scriptures to them. 3d. Causes their hearts to burn within them. O christians, though you are perplexed in your mind, walk and are sad, yet forsake not the assembling of yourselves together; expect and pray for your Lord's presence: this, like the rising sun, will scatter the clouds of doubt, fear and sadness, which hang over your minds, Remember, with the confidence of faith and the joy of hope, your Lord's precious promise, " Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."....Matt. xviii. 20. 1st. Christ chides them for their unbelief? O Jesu, in my saddest hours, Help me to look to thee; And call up all my thinking pow'rs, When lost to God and dead in sin, Thy love sought after ME; Tho' sav'd, I've flesh and sin within, M. There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure....2 Cor. xii. 7. I dearly love Paul's experience; for there is so much of the artless simplicity of the poor humble sinner, such a dread of selfglorying, while it ever exalts the rich grace of the dear Saviour. Let us make a few remarks on it, and pray our dear Lord to bless them. 1st. Here is a painful experience, a thorn in his flesh. What was that? Some say the cholic, others the ear-ach, others the head-ach, &c. If it was a bodily pain, we may as well guess the gout in his great toe. But would Paul have made such ado, to have a bodily pain removed? Would a bodily pain prevent soul exalting? Surely it was something more: it was the heart-ach: he plainly tells us, it was "the messenger of satan to buffet him.” His very soul was harrassed and sore distressed by some violent temptation, injection, or suggestion from the devil; either concerning his own state, or the truth as it is in Jesus. This was teazing, painful, and tormenting to him, as a thorn in the flesh: this brought him to a proper feeling of himself, after his abundant revelations. He found that he was the subject of corruptions like another sinner: he had the irksome feelings of the "flesh, in which, he says, dwells no good thing."....Rom. vii. 18. He could not say as his Lord, "satan cometh and hath nothing in me."....John xiv. 30. For he found in Paul an evil and corrupt nature to work upon; therefore he buffetted him from day to day. If you experience somewhat of this, be not dejected; call not your state in question; resist satan, and cry to your Lord. For know, with Paul, 2d. "It was given to me." The Lord for wise and good ends, in love to our souls, permits these buffettings. Satan thinks to destroy us, but the Lord hereby profits us; he suffers his dearest children, and holiest saints to be vexed by satan and all kinds of temptations. To what end? 3d. "Lest I should be exalted above measure." Could not so holy a saint as Paul be favored with rich experience of heavenly visions, without danger of being puffed up with pride by them? See hence, O believer, your danger: these pungent feelings bring down from our altitudes to humility. Then, 4th. Prize the throne of grace; flee to your precious Lord as Paul did; lay all you distress before him. 5th. Remember the precious answer he got from Christ, "My grace is sufficient for thee." As though he had said, you are not to live upon your self-exalting frames and feelings; but as a poor sinner, upon the all-sufficient grace of ME, your precious Saviour. Thus self was laid low and the Lord alone exalted in that day.... Isa. ii. 11. For when I am weak, then am I strong....2 Cor. xii. 10. WE have heard of Paul's revelations, exaltings, buffettings, and his praying now of his humbling. He is brought down to his right place, low in himself; and to his right feelings, weak in himself. Hence we see the true nature and blessed end of christian experience: it keeps the soul from being puft up with pride, lest it fall into the condemnation of the devil; it sinks it low in humility, under a sense of weakness, and it leads it out of itself to look for all its strength in Christ. Here the strength of faith is opposed to the weakness of sense. When I am sensibly weak, then am I believingly strong: this, though a difficult lesson, yet is a precious one. 1st. Do we see ourselves weak? Christ is held forth to us as our strength, and he calls upon us to be strong in him: "Trust in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.”...... Isa. xxvi. 4. But surely, folly is bound up in the heart of the weak; for, instead of obeying and trusting in him, how many are saying, I am the weakest of the weak; I have no might, no power? You are the very person here addressed. You can get no strength but from the Lord. By trusting in the Lord, you will say, though weak, I am strong: I have everlasting strength. Again, 2d. To encourage to this, the Lord commands, "let the weak say I am strong." Joel iii. 10. Let them believe it in their hearts and confess it with their lips. What! if they find no strength in themselves? Yes, it is a command to the weak; yea, to the weakest of the weak. Then this exactly suits you and me. Here again, 3d. "Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard that the everlasting God, the LORD, giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he encreaseth strength."....Isa. xl. 29. Here we are rebuked and reprov ed. Faint, and have no might: this is our state. Have you never heard nor known how the Lord dealeth with such? O look up to him. Though not sufficient of yourself to do any thing as of yourself, know your sufficiency is of the Lord: though we can do nothing of ourselves, yet we can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth us....Phil. iv. 13. How do we get strength from Christ? By believing his promises, going to him in the faith of them, pleading them before him, and praying him to fulfil them in us: thus we put our cause upon the strength of Christ's truth: he is faithful; he cannot deny us; he will say, "According to your faith, be it unto you."....Matt. ix. 29. When frames are warm, and comforts Then Jesus sends some humbling stroke And trust in nought beside. M. |