eptable to His Father by virtue of His
merits, and so shall I be justified." Now, I verify believe that nine
out of ten of the young men who are here to-night would subscribe that
statement and never suspect there was anything wrong with it or with
themselves. And yet, what does Christian, who, in this matter, is just
John Bunyan, who again is just the word of God--what does the old pilgrim
say to this confession of this young pilgrim's faith? "Ignorance is thy
name," he says, "and as thy name is, so art thou: even this thy answer
demonstrateth what I say. Ignorant thou art of what justifying
righteousness is, and as ignorant how to secure thy soul through the
faith of it from the heavy wrath of God. Yea, thou also art ignorant of
the true effect of saving faith in this righteousness of Christ's, which
is to bow and win over the heart to God in Christ, to love His name, His
word, His ways, and His people." Paul sums up all his own early life in
this one word, "ignorant of God's righteousness." "Going about," he says
also, "to establish our own righteousness, not submitting ourselves to be
justified by the righteousness that God has provided with such wisdom and
grace, and at such a cost in His Son Jesus Christ." Now, young men, I
defy you to be better born, better brought up, or to have better
prospects than Saul of Tarsus had. I defy you to have profited more by
all your opportunities and advantages than he had done. I defy you to be
more blameless in your opening manhood than he was. And yet it all went
like smoke when he got a true sight of himself, and, with that, a true
sight of Christ and His justifying righteousness. Read at home to-night,
and read when alone, what that great man of God says about all that in
his classical epistle to the Philippians, and refuse to sleep till you
have made the same submission. And, to-night, and all your days, let
_submission_, Paul's splendid submission, be the soul and spirit of all
your religious life. Submission to be searched by God's holy law as by a
lighted candle: submission to be justified from all that that candle
discovers: submission to take Christ as your life and righteousness,
sanctification and redemption: and submission of your mind and your will
and your heart to Him at all times and in all things. Nay, stay still,
and say where you sit, Lord, I submit. I submit on the spot to be
pardoned. I submit now to be saved. I submit in all things from this