Do you not own yourself to be a sinner?--a deep-dyed and ruined sinner? If so the death of Christ applies itself as perfectly to you as the "live coal" did to Isaiah when the seraph declared to him, "This hath touched thy lips." The word is, "If any say I have sinned,"--What then? He will send him to hell? No; but "he will deliver him." The very moment you take your true place, and cry out, "Undone!" all that Christ has done, and all that He is becomes yours--yours now--yours for ever. You need not make any effort to improve your condition. Do what you will, and you cannot make yourself anything but undone. A single effort at improvement is but the evidence that you know not yet how bad, how _incurably_ bad you are. You are "undone," and, as such, you have to stand still and see the salvation of God--a salvation the foundation of which was wrought out through the cross of Christ--a salvation which the Holy Ghost reveals on the authority of that Word which is settled for ever in heaven, and which God "has exalted according to all His name." May the blessed Spirit lead you _now_ to put your trust in the name of Jesus, that so, ere you lay down this paper, you may know that your "iniquity _is_ taken away, and your sin purged"! Then you will be able to follow me while, in a few closing words, I seek to unfold the practical result of all that has been engaging our attention.
We have seen the complete _ruin_ of the sinner; we have seen the complete _remedy_ in Christ; let us now look at the _result_, as exhibited in whole-hearted consecration to the service of God. Isaiah had nothing to do for salvation, but he had plenty to do for his Saviour. He had nothing to do to get his sins purged, but plenty to do for the One who had purged them. Now he gave the willing, ready expression of obedience to God when, on hearing that a messenger was needed, he answered, "Here am I; send me." This puts works in their proper place. The order is absolutely perfect. No one can do good works until he has experienced, in some degree, the action of the "throne" and the "altar." The light of the former must shew him what he is, and the provisions of the latter must shew him what Christ is ere he can say, "Here am I; send me."
This is a settled, universal truth, established in every section of inspiration, and illustrated in the biography of the saints of God and of the servants of Christ in every age, in every condition. All have been brought to see their _ruin_ in the light of the throne, to see the _remedy_ in the provisions of the altar ere they could exhibit the _result_ in a life of practical devotedness. All this is from God the Father, through God the Son, by God the Holy Ghost--to whom be all the glory, world without end! Amen and Amen!