WHILE waiting one day in a shop, to speak about some texts which I had taken to be framed, the young person who waited upon me opened them out on the counter. As she was not able to give the information I desired, I turned in another direction until Mr. A—, who keeps the shop, would be at liberty.
In a few minutes the lady to whom he was speaking approached the counter on which the texts lay, having evidently made some remarks about them, for Mr. A—brought one—" TO HIM THAT WORKETH NOT, BUT BELIEVETH ON HIM THAT JUSTIFIETH THE UNGODLY, HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS "—to me, asking," Is that text in the Bible? "On my replying in the affirmative, he asked where it was to be found. On telling him that it was the 5th verse of Rom. 4, the lady turned to me saying," It would do to die with—not to live by." “Oh, yes," I said," to live by; what could be better?”
This recalled a little circumstance in connection with that very portion of God's precious word, which I related to her. When at Sandgate, some time before, I had painted that text for a young friend. On her mother seeing it she exclaimed, "I don't like that text, it is not at all a nice one, not suitable for hanging on the wall—decidedly not; it might make people think they could be as careless as they like.”
“Oh, but, mother," said the daughter, "only think what it would be to any one dying, who never had done any good works, and had no prospect of doing any? How glad it would make such an one to know that God saves us without our doing anything of the kind, just as we are-ungodly, that when there is simple faith in His word about what the Lord Jesus Christ has done, God will count that, to the one who believes on Him, for righteousness.”
The lady turning to go, said, "The epistle of James does not teach that.”
“True, but James does not contradict the teaching of the apostle Paul," I added. “No one would work more zealously for God than he who truly believes what Paul says. We are justified indeed, freely, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:2424Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (Romans 3:24)) but saved too, that we should not henceforth live unto ourselves, but unto Him who died for us and rose again (2 Cor. 5:1515And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. (2 Corinthians 5:15)).”
Reader, do you like that text? I do. Faith does. God likes it. Don't differ from Him.