And so it is with our Gospel Refuge. "_Neither is there salvation in any other._" Rejecting Jesus, we are lost for ever. All other refuges, however good or great or strong they may _appear_ to be, will prove only Babel-towers, that will fall on the poor builders, and crush them in their ruins. When God told the children of Israel to sprinkle their lintels and door-posts with blood, they might have been foolish enough to say, "No; we shall do better. We shall not be content with doing so trifling a thing; we shall rather build up great walls around our houses, so that the destroying angel may not get in." Do you think, if they had done so, their first-born would have been saved? No; there would have been death in every such household; these high walls would have proved useless. Nothing but the red mark on the doorway of the dwelling would be of any avail in warding off the fell stroke. So it is with the sinner. All the walls which pride, and self-righteousness, and good works can rear, will do nothing to keep out the sword of avenging Justice. But _the sprinkled blood of covenant mercy will_; for "_the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth_ (and alone cleanseth) _from_ ALL SIN!"[65] I remember, many years ago, attending the deathbed of a young man in E----. He told me, one day, he had dreamt of being in a shop in ---- Street, which seemed to be hung round with armour and coats of mail. A number of people in the shop were girding these on; while a man was standing with a drawn sword in his hand outside the door, ready to slay them as they passed into the open street. One after another he cut down;--the armour was no protection to them--their bodies were lying dead and wounded on the pavement. In great fear and terror, the young man said, his turn seemed at last to come, when he, too, must try to cover himself with the same armour, and rush out by the fatal door. He knew not what to do. In looking around him, he observed, in the uppermost shelf, something resembling a web of coarse linen, lying apparently neglected. He resolved to take it down, and wrap himself in a portion of it, instead of the unavailing sheaths of iron and steal. Covering his head and body, he darted out, following the footsteps of the others. The sword descended; but it bounded back again. It was unable to pierce the linen covering. He alone was safe in that crowd of dead and dying.