May 2 AM

That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Rom. 3:19.

In our natural state we are ever most backward to take guilt to ourselves, most skilful at self-excuses, most averse to self- examination, because we dread self-condemnation; hence we are ever prone to pass judgment at the bar of pride and carnal reason upon the truths of God, because we think they are against us. O what is there in such stout-hearted rebels, who are far from righteousness, to invite down the blessed Spirit to enlighten our minds! It is by his special mercy we see the spirituality and extent of God's holy law: though in it we see nothing but justice with a drawn sword, and mercy with a veiled face, yet it cuts off all glorying in the flesh, stops the mouth of pride and arrogance, and leaves the poor sinner under a sense of guilt, and subjects him to the judgment of God. To such, the sound of mercy how welcome! the proclamation of grace how joyful! the name of Jesus how precious! the way of salvation by him how acceptable! How willingly do such desire to be eternally indebted to free grace! How dead do such become to former legal hopes! Expectation from their fulfilling terms and conditions is cut off; grace freely given, mercy richly bestowed through Jesus, becomes the subject of all their hope, the matter of all their glorying. Now it is not, What have I done? How have I behaved? but, "What hath Jesus done! What a glorious salvation hath he wrought! 'I am a poor sinner, stript of all, now bow to the sovereignty of God, adore his electing love, admire God's salvation, sit humbly at the feet of Jesus, dwell on the wonders of his love and sufferings on Calvary's mount, thankfully receive the testimony of Jesus from the Spirit, and give the ever-gracious THREE all the glory of what I am in time, and of what I hope to be in eternity.' When the soul is become guilty in its own sight, the mouth is thus stopped: every self-righteous plea is silenced. When the sinner thus sees himself, he is quite out of conceit with himself.

Thus the law is good if a man use it lawfully; but if the Lamb's wife seek to the law, as a woman to her husband, to get comfort from it, and life by obedience to it, verily this is not continuing a chaste virgin to Jesus. We shall then cease to bring forth fruit unto God; but we shall be, as God complains of Israel of old, "an empty vine, who bringeth forth fruit unto himself." Hosea 10:1. We shall grow delighted with ourselves, and imagine we have that within us to talk of and glory in, instead of the work of Jesus, for us. But thus saith the Lord, "Thou shalt remember and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy shame, when I am pacified towards thee, for all that thou hast done."—Ezek. 16:63.