Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1923-08-24

pang tells Of possible despair.
In Gods word both the present In
lquity ana the impending ruin are full
ly stated. Slcknesses. heartaches.
tears, God-defylngs. deaths. are fully
stated here. You do not find any stoi-
cal heartIess Ignoring Of our suffer.
ings or needs. Every phase Of them
Is dealt with both for time and eternl-
ty. lniqulty is therefore real. and
ruin may be as real.
Rulnl There Is not a pleasing or
Wins0me consideration attachable to
the word A ruined city. a ruined
home, ruined health, ruined reputation.
ruined SOUL It all stands (nny
faiis) hidden in a night unllt by even
me faintest glowworm's light. Ruin
IL means worth, but worth discarded
10 the past. It means value indeed,
but hopelessness. 1t is the guilt Of
an eternal sIn"-a stumbling to a
fall.
God, through Ezekiel, was calling
to His people. although they were
ubiquitous. His purpose was to end
the wrecklng before 1t became ruin.
And this Is the very business OF the
Christians Gospel. II can prevent the
doom. It is uttered that men might
not PERISH Is there any subject in
all the world one-thousandth so ro-
mantic7 Behold here the ruin OF a
soul is prevented, not by a fence of
fatalism placed between the soul and
ruin, but by work of grace wrought
within the soul itself which causes 1t
TO turn In its Journey toward ruin and
eternally journey toward increasing
glory.
First, then, there is the inIqulty
cure. If the malady we're a physical
one, we might hear the physician say
that there is one chance In fifty or
perhaps one in twenty for recovery.
But Il is never so here. "He is able
TO save unto the uttermost." The
sinner "of whom l am CHIEF having
been saved, certainly It as worthy Of
all acceptation" that Christ fails With
none who accept Hin. Find in all
the universe one. just one failure.
where this remedy has been accepted
and has failed If you could find one.
then you would End that all had failed
and that there was no real Gospel to
announce TO sinful men.
Second. There Is ruin rendered for
ever impossible. 1t Is first saved. then
safe. 1t is kept by the power OF
God" and with that keeping who could
be ruined? Eve are not Of the night"
eternal day has begun.
Third. 1t is the very opposite to
ruin. Over against that word there
is set for the saved soul, riches OF
grace" mo condemnation" SALIVA.
ton" Are you thinking OF ruined
business7 Place them over against Il
these riches" Is 1t the guilt in ruInl
Place over against II mo condemna.
tion." Is II wreck? Then place over
against 1t salvation" Look into the
depths and behold the impending ruin,
then look. oh soul. into the heights
and behold the place prepared by Hlm
who made the worlds. There is what
you escape; here Is what you gain.
And It is all personal. Let 1t be
stated. Il am the man who has suf.
fered from iniqulty, / the man APP
preaching ruin; but am the man,
through grace in Christ Jesus saved
and safe" To Israel the call was
national. but in the Gospel of grnce
1t is personal. Christ loved Me and
gave himself for Me-" 1t is our Lord
Jesus who says to poor Bartimeus,
"What wilt thou that l should do unto
thee" II is all personal to that blind
sufferer. Now, "Bartimeus" means
"son of the unclean.r And that Is
my name. That same Jesus appeals
to me, an unclean soul. the son of
the unclean, saying. "What wilt thou
that l should do unto theef" And
He gave me cleanness.