How much like his treatment of us! Do we not remember when we first came
to Him as our Saviour, how He forgave, freely and gladly, all our sins,
and sent us on our way rejoicing? Do we not recall how shortly after,
when we had sinned and spotted the clean white sheet of paper He had
given us, that when we brought it back to Him all spotted with sin He
freely pardoned, gave us another clean sheet, and, without upbraiding,
sent us away, saying, "Thy sins are forgiven; sin no more"? Yes, we
recall it. We believe in the deity of Christ, not because of the
metaphysical arguments that have been produced to prove it, no matter
how elaborately stated or eloquently discussed; not because our library
shelves are groaning beneath the weight of evidences of His deity; nor
because theologians are said to have forced Him to that high eminence.
We believe Jesus Christ to be God because when we sinned and came asking
pardon He freely forgave, and gave us a clean sheet of acquittal, saying
"Thy sins are forgiven; go and sin no more," and then when we did sin
again and brought back the sheet of paper all blotted over with sin and
said we were sorry and again asked pardon, He freely forgave, and
without chiding sent us on our way rejoicing. That is what makes us
believe in Him as the Son of God and love Him with a love surpassing
expression.
Poor wandering soul, have you fallen by the wayside? Have you become a
wayward sheep? Have you wandered from the fold? Are you tossed about,
wounded, sick and sore? Do you desire to come back again to the
Shepherd's care? Come now, right now, while the throb of passion is
still beating high, while the deed of shame is recent; while the blot of
sin is still wet; come now, say,
With all the shame, with all the keen distress,
Quick, "waiting not," I flee to Thee again;
Close to the wound, beloved Lord, I press,
That Thine own precious blood may overflow the stain.
O precious blood, Lord, let it rest on me!
I ask not only pardon from my King,
But cleansing from my Priest, I come to Thee,
Just as I came at first--a sinful, helpless thing.
Oh cleanse me now, my Lord, I cannot stay
For evening shadows and a silent hour:
Now I have sinned, and now with no delay,
I claim Thy promise and its total power.
O Saviour, bid me go and sin no more,
And keep me always 'neath the mighty flow
Of Thy perpetual fountain, I implore
That Thy perpetual cleansing I may fully know.
--_Frances Ridley Havergal_
O wandering sheep, backslidden soul, may the Saviour find you today, put
His strong arms around about you, bring you back again into the fold,
keep you from wandering, teach you all you need to know, until the
gloaming, until after having washed the last sleep from your eyes in the
river of life, you place your last climbing footstep on the threshold of
our Father's house to go out no more.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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