A DIALOGUE BETWEEN TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

TRUTH: I have been desirous to meet you, my good friend Righteousness, and to have a talk with you about good tidings from heaven. They are the best tidings that ever came from above. They have proceeded from the loving heart of Him, from Whom all blessings flow. They are tidings that have brought soul-relief and joy to many upon earth. Will you not consider the words of a certain poet?

What shall the dying sinner do,
That seeks relief for all his woe?
Where shall the guilty conscience find
Ease for the torment of the mind?

How shall we get our crimes forgiv’n,
Or from our nature fit for heav’n?
Can souls, all o’er defiled with sin,
Make their own pow’rs and passions clean?

In vain we search, in vain we try,
Till Jesus brings His gospel nigh;
’Tis there that pow’r and glory dwell,
That save rebellious souls from hell.

RIGHTEOUSNESS: I know, dear friend Truth, that the gospel-tidings are a good and wonderful message from heaven, and they should be received with gladness and gratitude by all sinners, to whom it pleases God to send them. But, alas. I observe that the majority of poor lost sinners reject and despise them. Many do think, it is time wasted to hear and consider it. Many hear it continually, but it does not touch the heart, it does not interest them. Christ is nothing to them. Perhaps you could tell me about the principle causes thereof?

TRUTH: I am sorry to say that there are many reasons for this God-dishonoring and soul-destroying sin. I know this to be the truth: man by nature is dead in sin and trespasses; he is spiritually blind and full of folly; his heart is full of unbelief and darkness; he does not realize his lost and deplorable state nor the necessity of salvation; he loves the world and sin and hateth God, yea, he is enmity itself against God; man is become proud and unwilling to abase himself in dust and ashes before the most High God, and will not heed the warnings to flee from the wrath to come. Many are satisfied with their religion, they trust in their own righteousness or good works, they say that they have a good heart, that they can help themselves and others too; and, if they will but do their duty all will be well, etc. I am convinced that all such kind of sinners have never received the gospel-message with power in their soul; neither have they received it with true thanksgiving and holy admiration, saying, “Ah! that the great God of heaven and earth, will yet send a message of salvation to a hell-worthy worm here below.”

RIGHT: If I read the Bible, as the infallible word of God, I find, that these facts are true. I am assured, that all sinners (no matter if they grew up as wicked heathens or have been religiously educated) must become sensible of their total ruin by sin, being separated from God and under the curse and sentence of condemnation, shall the heavenly gospel-message be received with a longing soul and thankfulness, yea shall Christ Jesus be the greatest necessity upon earth. Ah! for more sinners like this troubled and crying soul: “There is no soundness in my flesh because of Thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart. Lord, all my desire is before Thee; and my groaning is not hid from Thee.” How delighted was Peter and the other Apostles, when they could bring the gospel-tidings to those that were pricked (by word, Spirit, and convictions) in their heart, and cried, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

TRUTH: When the apostle Paul was stopped in his devote run to hell and he realized that his own righteousness could not save him, and that he was the chief of sinners, it was then a glorious message for him that Christ Jesus came into this world, to save sinners. This perfect and only Saviour, was given to him from the Father and received by faith. It was from that moment his joy and delight, to bring the heavenly good tidings to Jews and Gentiles.

He writes about this Redeemer to Titus, his own son after the common faith, saying, “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity.”

RIGHT: This passage has been a great comfort to the Church of God, and has made many a soul as a watered garden. Sinners that have received the conviction Spirit of God, know and lament, that they have loosened themselves from God, and have given themselves to satan, death and destruction. How just is God to condemn them, and give them over to eternal perdition and woe. For such souls it is a cause of comfort and happiness to know that Christ has given Himself to the Father, being willing to fulfill all His just requirements in behalf of the elect. In Psalm 40:7 Christ is speaking, as the Son of God, where He says: “Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of Me, I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea Thy law is within My heart.”

This Redeemer has submitted Himself to pains and agonies of hell, yea to the shameful death upon the cross. Wonderful and unspeakable love of the suffering and dying Saviour. As the good Shepherd, He has given His life for the sheep, that they may be acquitted of sin and eternal punishment.

When this is made known to the soul by the enlightening power of the Holy Ghost, and laid hold of by faith, it will cause the favored pilgrim to sing:

“Father, to Thee in Christ I fly,
What tho’ my sins of crimson dye
For the resentment call?
My crimes He did on Calvary bear,
The blood that flowed for sinners there
Shall cleanse me from them all.

Slain in the guilty sinner’s stead,
His spotless righteousness I plead,
And His availing Blood;
Thy merit, Lord, my robe shall be,
Thy merit, shall atone for me,
And bring me near to God.”

TRUTH: In speaking about this glorious Redeemer and what He in love has done for poor lost sinners, I wish to enlarge upon this subject. I begin to feel in my heart, something of that heavenly sweetness, which the men of Emmaus received in a great measure. They said one to another, “Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures?”

RIGHT: But do you not think that it is dangerous to talk about such “feeling” in the soul? I hear many Christians and Christian leaders say in our days, that such “feeling” is imagination, and that we should not talk about such things. This is all contrary to faith and trust in Christ Jesus.

TRUTH: I will only make the following remark, concerning this point. A dead body has no natural feeling, and a dead soul has no spiritual feeling. There can only be a spiritual feeling, be it of misery or be it of joy, when there is spiritual life in a sinner. That is all upon this point.

I must say, I firmly believe that Christ has given Himself for us and all the elect, that He might redeem us from all iniquity. Yes, He is a perfect Saviour, because He delivers His people from their sins.

RIGHT.: I have met many children of God, but they are not yet delivered of all their iniquities or sins. If I look into the 7th chapter of the epistle to the Romans, I hear Paul exclaim, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

TRUTH: Understand, my Friend, that Christ shall redeem us from all our sins, but He does not do it at once. I know this has been the desire of all sin-hating souls, but this desire will only be granted after this life. Christ delivers His people gradually or by degrees from all their iniquities. He begins to deliver a sinner from iniquity in or at the spiritual birth.

RIGHT.: I agree with you on that point. Many say in our day, a sinner must first believe and have faith in Christ, then he will be born again and be delivered from sin. I would like to ask such blind creatures, “What can a spiritually dead sinner do before he is born again and has spiritual life: What can a child do before it is born?” I know, that if a sinner must have saving faith in Christ before being born again, not one of them will be saved, and besides, then is the new birth by works. All our natural capabilities will not suffice to bring forth one holy action. Only the internal principle of grace both excites to, and qualifies for, the performance of righteous and holy actions.

TRUTH: Salvation is a free gift of God, merited by Christ Jesus. The spiritual birth comes from above, it is wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Word and Spirit of God. In this birth he is passive, and then he receives spiritual life. This spiritual life will then manifest spiritual activities. The quickened sinner will manifest the beginnings of a saving faith, as we find in the disciples of Christ. He said to them, “Ye believe in God, believe also in Me.”

The quickened sinner is delivered by Christ from iniquities, but how far? He has delivered him from the slavery of sin. Before this spiritual birth he was under the dominion of satan, world and sin. This is the state or condition of every sinner by nature in the fallen Adam. He is enslaved by sin and can not break away. Being in the prison of death and darkness, he is closely guarded by satan. Christ binds the strong one, and delivers the vessel of mercy. He not only makes a sinner willing to part with world and sin, but enables him to do so. Christ has conquered and delivered man-soul. The delivered sinner is now from under the dominion of his soul-enemies. He is not any longer a willing and chained slave of satan. He will now fight against Satan and his kingdom, in Jesus’ strength. We will find him as a spiritual warrior upon the heavenly road. What a great and wonderful deliverance! But he is not yet delivered from all iniquities. This however will not withhold the courageous and freed prisoner to sing at times:

What though the prince of darkness rage,
And waste the fury of his spite;
Eternal chains confine him down
To fiery deeps and endless night.

What though thy inward lusts rebel,
’Tis but a struggling gasp for life;
The weapons of victorious grace
Shall slay thy sins and end the strife.

Then let my soul march boldly on,
Press forward to the heavenly gate;
There peace and joy eternal reign,
And glitt’ring robes for conqu-rors wait.

(To be continued)

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