The Unchangeable Method of God
by Matthew Mead I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners
to repentance. Luke 5 verse 32 That is, such
as see themselves as sinners, and thereby in a lost condition. For the Son of Man has come to
seek and to save the lost. Luke 19 verse 10 God will have the soul truly
sensible of the bitterness of sin before it shall taste the
sweetness of mercy. The plow of conviction must go
deep and make deep furrows in the heart before God will sow
the precious seed of grace there so that it may have depth of
earth to grow in. This is the unchangeable method
of God in bestowing grace. To begin with conviction of sin. First, to show man his sin, then
his Savior. First, his danger, then his Redeemer. First, his wound, then his cure. First, his own vileness, then
Christ's righteousness. The sinner must see the worthlessness
and vileness of his own righteousness before he can be saved by Christ's
righteousness. The Israelites are first stung
with the fiery serpents, and then the brazen serpent is set
up to heal them. We must see the leprosy of our
righteousness and be brought to cry out, Unclean! Unclean! We must mourn for Him whom we
have pierced, and then He sets open for us a fountain to cleanse
us from all sin and impurity." Zechariah 12 verse 10 and Zechariah
13 verse 1. Be convinced of the evil of sin. the filthy and heinous nature
of it. Sin is the greatest evil in the
world. It wrongs God. It wounds Christ. It grieves the Holy Spirit. It damns a precious soul. All other evils cannot be compared
with this. Though to do sin is the worst
work, yet to see sin is the best sight. Sin discovered in its
vileness makes Christ to be desired in His fullness. Alas, it is
Christ's infinite righteousness which must atone for our sins. For it is an infinite God whom
we have sinned against. If ever your sin is pardoned,
it is Christ's infinite mercy which must pardon it. If ever
you are reconciled to God, it is Christ's infinite merit which
must do it. If ever your heart is changed,
it is Christ's infinite power which must affect it. If ever
your soul escapes hell and is saved at last, it is Christ's
infinite grace which must save it. This Puritan devotional has been
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