"Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" This is
part of the plea of our Advocate against Satan, for his servant
Joshua, when he said, "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan." Zech. 13: 2.
Now, to be a brand plucked out of the fire, is to be a
saint--impatient, weakened, defiled, and made imperfect by sin. This
then is the next plea of our goodly Advocate for us: "O Satan, this
is a brand plucked out of the fire." As if he should say, "Thou
objectest against my servant Joshua, that he is black like a coal,
or that the fire of sin at times is still burning in him. And what
then? The reason why he is not totally extinct as tow, is not thy
pity but rny Father's mercy to him. I have plucked him out of the
fire, yet not so out but that the smell thereof is yet upon him; and
my Father and I, we consider his weakness and pity him; for since he
is as a brand pulled out, can it be expected by my Father or me,
that he should appear before us as clear and do our biddings as well
as if he had never been there? This is a brand plucked out of the
fire, and must be considered as such, and must be borne with as
such."
His righteousness Christ presents to God for us; and God, for this
righteousness' sake, is well pleased that we should be saved, and
for it can save us and secure his honor and preserve the law in its
sanction.
Pages:
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173