Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1919-06-07

K Il Astounding TO the
Chief OF Sinners"
John Wesley. always correct in his
outward life. and for more than half
century a Jealous worker for God.
voiced his feelings in the lines:
81 the chief OF sinners am,
But Jesus died for me-"
| Why do these men, whom we regard
as the greatest saints. so describe
themselves? Certain 1t is that they
are not hypOCrites. like the man In
Robert Burns poem who called him
self the chief of sinners and went on
SHINING So that grace might abound.
II is just as certain they were not IN
that state Of mind so we'll described
In the following words of Robert Muir
ray McCheyne: as it possible. think
you. for n person to be concrited OF
his miseries? May there not be deep
leaven of pride In telling how desolate
and how unfeeling we are-in brood
Ing over our unearthly palns-ln our
being excluded from the Sympathles OF
the wOrld-ln our being the lnvalidS
of Christ's hospital?" The men OF
whom we have been speaking believed
on Christ and rejoiced In his salvation.
yet still called themselves the chief OF
sinners Again we ask. why do they
SO describe themselves?
| We would sum up an answer In
these words: Saints know their own
sins better than anyone else and bet
ter than the sins of anyone else. They
feel the possibilities OF evil stirring
within them and understand why the
martyr exclaimed. as he watched the
murderer who passed by on the way to
| III" gallOws. There I %. but for thu
| grace of God" John Bunyan's chief
sins. In his unres"ncrate days were
profanity and lying. hut one has said:
ut was spiritual sins which in after
ycnrs laid their heavy weight over hi,
conscience. and these. as his greatest
| biographcr we'll says, may be even
mor,@> deadly than sensual sins in their
moral rrcoll, laying bare the powers
OF the soul" No matter how close to
Christ We walk. our sense Of obligation
be SO profound that We shall say sim
cerely. "Sinners. of whom am chief"
How happy that Paul can assure us.
This Is II faithful saying. worthy of
all acccptation, that Christ Jesus came
| into the world To save sinners" Some
| find H. hard To believe this good news
Referring to John Bunyan again. We
| recall how he feared the day of grace
was past for him. How happy he was
to read the Scripture which says
Compel them 10 come In" and the
| further statement. yet there Is room"
! Coming To more recent days, We think
of Samuel Hadlcy. for many years the
superintendent of the Water Street
mission of New York He had fallen
very low in sin and seemed a hopeless
victim of drink. When he sought the
Lord his one question was. Dear
Jesus. can you help mc?" How
| blessed To know that the saying Is
| faithful. reliable and worthy of ac-
| ceptation by all men everywhere. that
/ Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners.
Even II we had no such explicit
statement. his very name would assure
US OF his mission. Christ" Is the
Greek form of the Jewish Messiah"
and tells US that this Is the one so long
foretold by prophets as coming to bear
the sins OF the world. "Jesus" Is the
Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua"
meaning "God Is Saviour" But we
are not left To nm Inference from his
names but are plainly told that his
very purpose In coming into the world
was ito save sinners" He saves US,
not In spite OF the fact that we are
sinners. but because of that very fact.
W. recall the man who went to good
Lady Huntington In great distress Of
soul and crying. II am lost" "How
glad I an" she replied. "for the Son
of Man IL come to seek and to save