Christianity in the Scottish Highlands

But those who know Christ are not only freed from the condemnation of sin; they are likewise delivered from its reigning power (Rom. 6:14). By nature they were engaged in the service of Satan and their own lusts, just like the Israelites under the bondage of Pharaoh and his taskmasters. They had then no higher aim than the gratification of their own vain desires, their pride and their ambition.  But it is an advantage connected with knowing Christ, that the covenant with death shall be disannulled, and the agreement with hell shall not stand. A new bent is thenceforward given to all the powers and faculties of the soul, and new objects of delight are sought after, however much the individual comes short in sensibly attaining to them. ‘Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony hear

We shall now state some of the advantages which result from knowing Christ, and him crucified; and the first we would mention is freedom from the condemnation of sin, and also from its reigning power in the heart.   The wages of sin is death, and that in its threefold form - death temporal, spiritual, and eternal. In consequence of sin, man is by nature a debtor to the justice of God, and exposed to his wrath; while he continues in sin, every threatening in the Bible is his rightful portion.  However ignorant he may be of this truth, his case is none the safer on that account. Nay, this ignorance makes his case all the more dangerous; for, while ignorant of the danger of his condition, he will never wish for deliverance from it. But when his eyes are open to see his danger, and his soul is pressed with the weight of his sins, which are ready to sink him under the wrath of God, surely he will then value the ransom that frees him from such an intolerable burden, and averts the v

To know Christ further implies that the soul who has attained this knowledge, in any degree, is always kept depending on the fullness of grace declared to be treasured up in him. It is not on the deliverance he may have formerly experienced he leans. These, indeed, are by no means to be lost sight of; for the Scripture already quoted says, ‘Bless, the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.’  The soul taught this knowledge must be daily a dependent creature on the grace and love of God for the supply of its wants. It is just with him as it was with the Israelites and the manna. They needed a new supply of it every day; and in like manner the true believer requires new supplies of grace every day of his life. He requires more and more to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ; and we are told that ‘the path of the just is as the shining light, shining more and more until the perfect day’ (Prov. 4:18).  A knowledge of the desperate wickedness of his heart

To know Christ implies that the sinner believes the redemption of his soul to proceed solely from the free grace and love of God, without any regard to merit or demerit on his part. God confers salvation as a gift through Christ.  The Father charged that adorable person with all the guilt which a believer incurred, and now pardons all his iniquities on his Redeemer’s account, and justifies him freely through his righteousness. This imputation of Christ’s righteousness to the sinner is followed by adoption into the family of God, by a sensible removal of guilt from the conscience, and buy a degree of that joy with a stranger does not intermeddle.  Accordingly, we read, ‘Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom’ (Luke 12:32). ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and t

Let it be observed, then, that to know Christ presupposes a firm belief of a real need of a Saviour. The gospel speaks of the errands upon which Christ came from heaven; and one of these is – to save his people from their sins. It is, however, plain that no man can value this declaration unless he believes himself to need redemption.    The things from which redemption is needed are not matters of mere hearsay in the experience of the person who is sensible of his need of a Saviour. He stands in need of nothing less than redemption from the guilt, dominion, and pollution of sin, and deliverance from the wrath and displeasure of God, which, by the fall, the whole race of man incurred. ‘The Scripture hath concluded all under sin’ (Gal. 3:22).    This sense of need by no means leaves the sinner contented in his condition. No; his language is, with the jailor of Philippi, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ A sense of real need of a Saviour never allows a man to sit down in careless indiff