22 The Fountain Opened

The Fountain Opened "The blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin!" 1 John 1:7 This is good news for great sinners! There is a fountain opened for the greatest sinners, completely to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness. Salvation is not impossible, it is not difficult. Everlasting life may be obtained and enjoyed. The love of God to sinners is astonishing. He has provided a Savior. That Savior is his own Son. The only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He is equal with God in authority and glory. He is God — so his nature is divine. He became man, by taking our nature into union with his own. He took our nature that he might suffer for our sins, and make an atonement for our transgressions. He suffered in Gethsemane and on Calvary. He suffered the due desert of our sins. He died in our stead, that we might never die. His blood gave full satisfaction to divine justice. His blood laid a firm foundation for our faith and hope in God. It was sufficient to rescue us from death and Hell. It was accepted of God, on behalf of all who would at any time put their trust in it, build their hope upon it, and seek to be saved through it. Its merit is infinite. Its efficacy is everlasting. It is just adapted to our circumstances. It was intended for us. It is set before us in the gospel. It will procure the pardon of every sinner who pleads it. It will secure the present and everlasting justification of all who confide in it. Precious blood! It opens the door of hope. It provides for the acceptance of every penitent transgressor.

We are sinners. We have sinned against the law — and against the gospel. We do sin. Our sins are numberless. They are of a most aggravated character. They deserve death, the second death, eternal death. The sentence of death has been pronounced upon us. We are all by nature, under condemnation. There is neither hope nor help for us in ourselves. We cannot expiate our past offences, we can render no satisfaction to God for our crimes; we are therefore, if left to ourselves — eternally undone! Our best works are impure,
our very prayers need to be pardoned,
all our righteousness is as filthy rags!

We are . . .
guilty,
filthy,
diseased
and criminal! In ourselves, we are totally, entirely, and forever lost! But the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s dear Son, cleanses us from all sin! ALL sin! The sin of our nature. Our secret sins. Our open sins. Our common every-day sins, and our extraordinary sins. Every sin, and every kind of sin. Sins before salvation, and sins after salvation. You can conceive of no sin, from which the blood cannot cleanse! There is only one sin pronounced unpardonable in the book of God, and for that pardon is never sought; for the remission of that — the blood of Jesus is never pleaded. The sinner who has committed that, is given up to the hardness of his own heart; and will either live in open and daring opposition to God — or sink into the hardening horrors of black despair.

Reader, you never have committed a sin, from which the blood of Christ cannot cleanse you! If your sins were numerous as the stars of Heaven, or the sands on the sea shore; if they are aggravated as the sins of Manasseh, or Saul of Tarsus — the blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient to cleanse you from them ALL. Until we can measure infinity and eternity — we cannot measure the extent of the efficacy of the blood of Christ!

It was God in human nature — who made the atonement. It was the blood of that body in which dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead — that flowed to give satisfaction to divine justice for our crimes. The glory and dignity of his person — gave infinite efficacy to all that Jesus did and suffered! And all he did and suffered — was for every one who comes unto God through him. Yes, the moment we exercise faith in him, and rest simply and alone upon his precious blood for acceptance with God — we are treated as if we had done and suffered, all that Jesus did and suffered. He was our Substitute, he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, by the blood of his cross he made our peace, and every believer is justified in his name. Do you receive this fact, that the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse you from all sin? It is God himself who testifies it. It is his witness to the perfection of Immanuel’s work. He knows the utmost demerit of sin. He is well acquainted with all the evils that are in it. He alone knows them. But he knows also the value and merit of the sacrifice of Christ, and he assures you that the blood of Christ will cleanse from all sin! Can you question the knowledge of God? Can you doubt the veracity of God? Does he not know what the blood of Jesus will do? Has he not said that it will cleanse from all sin? Is he to be believed? Will you receive his testimony — or reject it? Will you listen to Satan — in preference to him? Shall your feelings be allowed to be a safer criterion than God’s Word? Is unbelief to triumph, or shall God’s testimony be received? Let God be true, let his word be received — and everything that would throw a doubt upon it, be sternly rejected.

Upon this your comfort depends. You never can enjoy peace with God — until you believe in the efficacy of the Savior’s blood, and seek the application of that blood to your own conscience. There never was a sinner that it could not cleanse, there is not such a sinner now. There never was a sin for which it could not obtain absolution, or a stain which it could not eradicate — nor is there such a sin or stain now. Apply then to this precious blood at once. Apply in faith.

It will cleanse you completely.

It will cleanse you constantly.

It will cleanse you consistently with all God’s perfections and requirements.

It will cleanse you eternally.

Place your confidence in the blood of Jesus, rely alone on his one sacrifice for sin — and you will instantly be acquitted of all charges before God. Yes, the just God will acquit you fully, freely, and forever! And he will do it, because he has received full satisfaction at the hand of Jesus who has become Surety for you.

O what comfort is there in this glorious truth for poor, guilty, condemned sinners! What endless consolation is here found for doubting, fearing, desponding creatures! And what a firm foundation is laid for cheerful hope and steady confidence, in sickness, suffering, and death? This is . . .
the balm of life,
the cure of woe,
the antidote of death and damnation! This is the sovereign universal remedy which heals all the diseases of the soul! But some are foolish enough to suppose, that they can go to Heaven without cleansing. This is impossible. Sin must be pardoned. It must be put away. Nor is the folly of those people less — who imagine that by some good deeds which they may perform, or some sufferings which they may endure — that they can procure the remission of their sins. There is pardon for sinners — but not on the ground of works, or of mere human sufferings — it is only through the blood of Christ. Everyone who understands the gospel, and enjoys salvation, will unite with the Apostle and say, "God has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works — but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began; but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light by the gospel!" 2 Timothy 1:9-10. Nothing that any sinner can do or suffer — can ever entitle him to the pardon of one sin, or acceptance in God’s sight. Nor will God ever sanction the putting of the sinner’s doings and sufferings — in the place of the perfect work and glorious sacrifice of his beloved Son. The experiment is most fearful — the result must be fatal! Not even faith or repentance must occupy the place of the blood of Christ; but faith must receive and rely on the testimony, while hope expects the blessing — because Jesus died.

Beware then, how you slight the blood of the New Covenant, or rest upon anything but the finished work of Christ. This is solid rock, but all besides is shifting sand. The object of a sinner’s faith is the blood of Jesus, to this he must be constantly directed; and true gospel faith is denominated, "faith in his blood." Our one great plea before God is, Jesus died! He died for sinners; for sinners such as me! And our principal petition is: let his blood avail for me; for the sake of his sufferings and death — let my sins be pardoned, my sinful person be accepted, peace be imparted to my conscience, and my soul be saved. The only ground of a believer’s confidence from day to day is the blood of Jesus! That though he fails in every duty, is often overcome by sore temptations, and is compassed with infirmities — yet the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, cleanses us from all sin! This is our daily support. This is an unfailing source of comfort. This is our present boast, and shall be the theme of our everlasting song.

Precious blood of Jesus! Cleanse my soul from every stain, purge my conscience from every work that deserves death, consecrate my entire person to his service — who died for me and rose again! Be . . .
my solace in the seasons of sorrow,
my comfort on the bed of affliction,
and my confidence in the hour of death! On this blood alone I rely, and I recommend my reader, to rely on it too. It has cleansed millions of guilty, filthy sinners — and it will cleanse us from all sin. Let us put it to the test. Let us prove its efficacy. And let us do so at once. This is the accepted time, this is the day of salvation. No one ever applied to it in vain. Nor shall we. God at this moment is saying to us, "Come now, and let us reason together, though your sins are as scarlet — they shall be as white as snow; and though they be red like crimson — they shall be as wool."

Kind and gracious God, draw us by your Holy Spirit, and make us witnesses of the fact, that the blood of Jesus Christ your Son, cleanses from all sin. So will we admire your mercy, and praise your name forever! Could I the stars correctly count,
With crimson stain the sky;
My sins exceed the vast amount.
And wear a deeper dye!

Great is the mercy of our God,
Which blots them from his sight,
And powerful is my Savior’s blood,
Which makes the crimson, white! His precious blood forever pleads,
To set the guilty free;
Before the throne the Savior spreads,
His hands for sinful me! This is my soul’s eternal stay,
While Jesus pleads above,
I’ll trust my soul, I safely may,
On Jesus’ blood and love. His wounded hands, his bleeding heart,
That suffered on the tree;
Will not withhold — but sure impart,
The life I want to me! No guilty sinner need despair
Of life, while Jesus lives;
Behold the throne, see Jesus there,
His hand the blessing gives. This is indeed enough to cheer
The most desponding breast;
To banish all my guilty fear, And soothe my soul to rest!

What shall I render, Lord, to thee,
Who do my peace restore?
O! that I could more holy be,
And ne’er offend you more!