Oct 11
25
The Spirit’s work in salvation
by Spurgeon
The Holy Spirit lays bare his heart, lets him see the loathsome
cancer that is there eating away his life, uncovers to him all the
blackness and defilement of that sink of hell–
the human heart; and then the man stands aghast–
“I never thought I was like this!
Oh! those sins I thought were little,
have swelled to an immense stature.
What I thought was a mole-hill has grown into a mountain;
it was a hyssop on the wall before, but now it has become a
cedar of Lebanon.”
Then the man says to himself, “Oh, I will try to reform; I will
do enough ‘good’ deeds to wash these ‘black’ deeds out.”
Then the Holy Spirit comes and shows him that he cannot do
this, takes away all his ‘fancied’ power and strength,
so that the man falls down on his knees in agony and cries,
“Oh! once I thought I could save myself by my good works,
but now I find that-
‘Could my tears forever flow,
Could my zeal no respite know,
All for sin could not atone,
You must save, and You alone.’ ”
Then his heart sinks, and the man is ready to despair.
He says, “I can never be saved. Nothing can save me.”
Then the Holy Spirit comes and shows the sinner the cross of
Christ, gives him eyes anointed with heavenly eye-salve, and
says, “Look to yonder cross. That Man died to save sinners;
you feel you are a sinner; He died to save you.”
And then the Holy Spirit enables the heart to believe,
and come to Christ
The cry of weary, care worn humanity
(John MacDuff, “Hospice of the Pilgrim” 1891)
“Oh, where can rest be found?”
This is the cry of weary, care worn humanity.
This is the cry embracing every nation and every
climate, from the yearnings of heathendom to the
longings and aspirations of the present hour.
From the tumultuous sea of the world’s unrest,
this cry has gone up like a dirge of baffled souls,
“Oh, where can rest be found?”
“Come unto me,” is the address of many
siren voices, titillating tones of questionable
or forbidden pleasure, leading only to . . .
unrest,
disquiet,
heart weariness,
life failure;
tinted soap bubbles with a momentary
iridescence, then collapsing.
The existence of many is a pursuit after spurious
and counterfeit rest, misnamed happiness; an
aimless, vapid life of pleasure; engrossed with
objects which bring with them no sense of
satisfaction; a dull, weary round on the world’s
monotonous treadmill.
Some strive to find rest through the gateway
of ethical systems and philosophic tenets.
Others, through the gateway of human merit.
Others through . . .
ceremonial observances,
fasts and vigils,
penances and pilgrimages,
rites and ceremonies,
creeds and dogmas.
These, and such as these, are
alike spurious and unavailing.
“Oh, where can rest be found?”
“Come to Me, all of you who are weary
and carry heavy burdens, and I will give
you rest.” Matthew 11:28