" And yet
another says: "That boy was saved by blood; by the sacrifice of
that heroic man!"
Now, what saved the child? Without the man's presence and promise
there would have been no faith; and without faith there would
have been no saving action, and the boy would have perished. The
man's word saved him by inspiring faith. Faith saved him by
leading to proper action. He saved himself by leaping. The man
saved him by sacrificing his own life in order to catch him when
he leaped out.
Not the child himself alone, nor his faith, nor his brave leap,
nor his rescuer's word, nor his blood, nor the man himself saved
the boy, but they all together saved him; and the boy was not
saved till he was in the arms of the man.
And so it is faith and works, and the word and the blood and the
Holy Ghost that sanctify.
The blood, the sacrifice of Christ, underlies all, and is the
meritorious cause of every blessing we receive, but the Holy
Spirit is the active Agent by whom the merits of the blood are
applied to our needs.
During the American Civil War certain men committed some
dastardly and unlawful deeds, and were sentenced to be shot. On
the day of the execution they stood in a row confronted by
soldiers with loaded muskets, waiting the command to fire. Just
before the command was given, the commanding officer felt a touch
on his elbow, and, turning, saw a young man by his side, who
said, "Sir, there in that row, waiting to be shot, is a married
man.
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