Merits of Christs Death

In these days of deteriorated Church doctrine , when other remedies than that of the gospel are applied to the wounded spirit , it is worth putting upon record the mode of healing in the British Church , so far back as the time of the Conquest , which , it will be seen , was not the baptism of tears , auricular confession , penance ,or  man's working, but the simple view of the great sacrifice , as the one object of faith . In the form of a prayer for the Visitation of the sick in the time of Anselm (1080)the priest asked the sick person "dost thou believe to come to glory , not by thine own merits , but by the virtue and merit of the passion of the Lord Jesus Christ ? Dost thou believe that our Lord Jesus Christ did die for our salvation , and that none can be saved by his own merits , or by any other means than the merits of his passion ? " On the sick person answering -"all this I believe "- the priest is directed to give him the following instructions and comfort , as a true physician of souls-"Give thou therefore "- saith he to the sick- " as long as thy soul remaineth in this place , thy whole confidence in his death only . Have confidence in no other thing . Commit thyself wholly to his death , with this alone comfort thyself . If he say "Thou deservest hell"- say ,"I put the death of the Lord Jesus Christ betwixt me and this judgement , and no otherwise do I contend with thee " And if he say to thee -"Thou art a sinner " -Say - "Lord , I put the death of the Lord Jesus Christ between thee and my sins ." If he say to thee -"Thou hast deserved damnation "- say " I set the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between thee and my bad merits , and I offer his merits instead of my merits ."If he say he is angry with thee, say -" Lord , I interpose the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between me and thine anger."  This is indeed the sovereign specific for a case aggravated by the application of any other remedy of man's devising    From Charles Bridges Commentary on Proverbs

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Muckle Kate Not a very ordinary name! But then, Muckle Kate, or Big Kate, or Kate-Mhor, or Kate of Lochcarron was not a very ordinary woman! The actual day of her salvation is difficult to trace to its sunrising, but being such a glorious day as it was, we simply wish to relate something of what shone forth in the redeemed life of that "ill-looking woman without any beauty in the sight of God or man." Muckle Kate was born and lived in Lochcarron in the county of Ross-shire. By the time she had lived her life to its eighty-fifth year she had well-earned the reputation of having committed every known sin against the Law of God with the exception murder. Speaking after the manner of men, if it took "Grace Abounding" to save a hardened sinner like John Bunyan, it was going to take "Grace Much More Abounding" to save Muckle Kate. However, Grace is Sovereign and cannot be thwarted when God sends it on the errand of salvation, and even the method used in bri
Read more
  Severance from Christ is death   to the Church. A Christless Church is a headless trunk. We may retain the doctrine and ethic of the New Testament, but, nevertheless, amputation of the Head means death. Even a partial severance of connection involves paraylsis - loss of spiritual power and loss of spiritual feeling. II.  INTERNALLY, THE CHURCH IS THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST. It is filled with Christ. He is not only the Head above it; he is the life within it. He does not only teach, bless, command, and lead from without; he inspires his people and lives in his Church. Christ fills " all  in all;"  i.e.  the Spirit that was in Jesus of Nazareth is in the whole universe, inspiring all creation and all providence with wisdom and goodness, purity and grace. The same Spirit is in the Church. As yet, unhappily, the Church is not filled with Christ. Though Christ is received into the heart of Christians, every door within is not yet flung open to the gracious Guest. But in the perfect
Read more

Church discipline

Once from the pulpit, at an ordination of elders, the late Rev. M. M'Cheyne made the following declaration. "When I first entered upon the work of the ministry among you, I was exceedingly ignorant of the vast importance of church discipline. I thought that my great, and almost only, work was to pray and preach. I saw your souls to be so precious, and the time so short, that I devoted all my time and care and strength to labour in word and doctrine. When cases of discipline were brought before me and the elders, I regarded them with something like abhorrence. It was a duty I shrank from; and I may truly say it nearly drove me from the work of the ministry among you altogether. But it pleased God, who teaches His servants in another way than man teaches, to bless some of the cases of discipline to the manifest and undeniable conversion of the souls of those under our care; and from that hour a new light broke in upon my mind, and I saw that if preaching be an ordinance of Chri
Read more