Who Is Able to Stand? — Vernon Higham

I thought that the hymn that we sang now, it's a hymn that I love very much, and it is a very searching hymn. And I thought maybe that we might just recite together one verse of that hymn. The number is 590.

And the verse that I have chosen is the third verse of 590. Just that one verse, and we'll begin now. Short of thy love, I would not stop a stranger to the gospel hope, the sense of sin forgiven. I would not, Lord, my soul deceive without the inward witness live that what is now of heaven.

Thank you. There are many striking sentences or lines in that hymn, but I think amongst them, I would not, Lord, my soul deceive. And so the text that I have tonight to you would be to ask you a question, where do you stand spiritually?

Standing Spiritually Before God

For at the end of the day, when all is said and done, and when all the arguments have been made, and all our self-justifications tried out, all those things, at the end of the day, how do we stand in the sight of God?

Not what our minister thinks or our fellow Christians, but in the sight of God. Now I've chosen a text in the book of Revelation, and it's in chapter 6, Revelation, and chapter 6 and verse 17. For the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?

For the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand? Well, I'm sure that you have very mixed feelings, sadness and longing and such feelings as those as you come to the last evening and the last meeting of the series of meetings held this week in this conference held under the auspices of the evangelical moment of Wales.

And I'm sure for perhaps all of you, you look forward a great deal to the days that you would spend in Aberystwyth, where the word of God would be expounded, and where also you would share fellowship with many friends and renew acquaintances from last year as well.

And very happy days. Days are strange little things. They pass so very quickly. And now we have come to the last day and the last hour or so of the conference itself, the last day. And the days of our lives really are something just like that.

The Brevity of Human Life

I'm going to speak about God's day. But first of all, the days of our life, they pass so very, very quickly. So quickly. I'm sure that you're familiar with the verse of this hymn. Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day.

Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away. Change and decay in all around I see. O thou who changest not, abide with me. And I'm sure since you're in a town which is a seaside town, that you cannot help but be conscious of the sea and the ebbing and the flowing of the tide as well.

And I'm sure that you have gathered that it comes in twice a day and goes out twice a day as well. And how brief really is the time of the full tide. It soon ebbs away again. Not time forgotten and replaced by what seems to be another.

And they come and they go. From the days when I myself was in this town in a theological college, the same sea, it looks the same sea, the same tide ebbing and flowing. But how many times has it come in and gone out and pounded against the walls along the promenade and thrown its rocks over Alexandra Hall where we used to come and watch the great spray of the sea in November particularly.

And our lives are like that. Just like a little tide that ebbs and flows and it is gone. And the poet here puts it in a very dramatic way. Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day. That doesn't seem to be the right thing to say when there are so many young people in the congregation here tonight.

Nevertheless, I am inclined to think that young people think of these things perhaps more often than older people do. Older people are hanging on to the hope that the tide is not ebbing out. Whereas young people in a way can afford to consider it and say, yes, I can see what you are saying.

Life is a very free thing. Days are like turning over the leaves of a Bible or of a book. And before you know where you are, a chapter of your life is gone. And there are not many chapters in your life.

And ebbs out life's little day. And our glory as well. And all our boast and our pomp and all our vanity. Remembered for a while, but then soon forgotten. Life's little day. But even in this hymn, you know, it directs us immediately almost to God and say, that wearies me and it depresses me to think that things around me change and decay.

Even things that I can touch and feel, they change and decay. And my life itself, it ebbs out and I can do nothing about it. O thou who changes not, abide with me. And that's the wonder really of that which we have to talk about here tonight in the chapel.

God’s Sovereignty Over the Final Day

About the great God who does not change. He is the one and the only God. He is the creator of all that ever can be. And he upholds his creation by the word of his power. And it is he who will decide at some time in his divine economy to bring this part of his creation or this little planet Earth to its final day.

Very often, you know, we can be very anxious and say that we are living in the shadow of a nuclear war and we're wondering what the Kremlin is going to decide or the White House. And as if the final day were in the hands of irresponsible men from either of those countries or any other countries that might be in power at the time.

We are far more anxious about that rather than the reality that will happen that the day of his wrath will come. There may be or there may not be a nuclear war. There may or may not be a holocaust. But one thing is certain that there will be a day described here as his day.

For the great day of his wrath has come and who shall be able to stand? And it is with that day that we are particularly concerned. Let me read you a sentence that I read about these verses from some book.

Thus, under symbolism, John sees the entire godless world seized with sudden fear. He sees terror, then terror stricken and fleeing from something far more terrible than crumbling mountains and falling rocks.

They even seek safety in death itself. If only death could come to them. John hears shrieks of agony uttered by thousands of voices, kings and slaves, princes and servants. They are all caught in the same self-inflicted agony of despair.

The dreadful, the dreadful wail is heard, mountains and rocks fall and hide us from the face of the one sitting on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For it has come, the day, the great day of the wrath of God.

And who is able to stand? The day of grace is closed forever. And where do we stand? Now, that is really what that text is. It's regarding the culmination of all things. In it you can put the great second coming and the great event or the second coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

And there the judgment of all mankind. There God bringing all to a final conclusion. And every man in his time having to stand before that eternal God. And it is where he stands will judge whether he will be able to stand in that day.

True Religion as a Living Experience

But I'm trying to say this. That true religion must be a real and a living experience in the depths of our hearts and our souls. Even beyond the boast of our scripture knowledge. Even beyond the boast of multitude of experiences.

Even beyond the boast of knowing many doctrines. You see, it's put in one hymn like this and put it well. Beyond the sacred page, the page is essential. Beyond the sacred page, with its teaching, with its verses, with its doctrines.

Beyond the sacred page, I seek the Lord. And unless we have an experience of God to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, then all our knowledge, spiritual as it may be, is of very little avail unless the grace of God has laid hold upon our hearts.

Now that's where I am tonight. Considering that day. There may be a war, there may not be a war. There may be a nuclear war, there may not be. We spend our time fretting and worrying and wondering what we will do and what it will be like and we read books about the subject.

But this is a positive thing. This day will come. On this day, there will be no comparison if we will have had a nuclear war. This day will be far, far in excess of anything that we have known on such a day as that.

And this is a day that you and I should be deeply concerned with. So, I bring my first point to you. A point perhaps that would not be very accepted amongst many today, but nevertheless, one that I cannot help but feel a very real one in my heart as the more I go on in the things of grace and of God, the more aware I am of this little heading I have for you now.

The Fear of God in an Age of Instant Blessing

The fear of God. Now, what do you think? Have you ever considered the fear of God? You see, we live in an age of instant blessing, instant happiness, instant joy, instant credit, instant everything. That kind of age.

And it has crept into our evangelical thinking and permeated almost into every part of our worship until we have forgotten this God whom we worship is God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Triumph, splendour, a glorious unity.

There is no one like unto Him or ever can be compared. This is our only and our great God, upholder and maker of all that ever can be. And this tiny, tiny solar system, and this minute little planet Earth, and we tiny, tiny things, less than the dust of the Earth, live for a short period of time.

And we are stupid enough, some of us, who are dust, to think that we're special dust and we're only dust at best. Yes, this great God is able to reach men and women like ourselves and raise us from the dust of Earth and cause us to be sons of God and heirs of glory.

The miracle of this is so great and so tremendous that every time I consider it, my heart is overwhelmed at the thought of it. And you can only think of it as praises of how great Thou art. Great in His abilities, perfect in all His attributes, absolute in everything that He does, and true and perfect.

Great in His mercy, great in His love, and great in His concern for a fallen world like this. A God to be considered seriously. There are many verses, there are many hymns. Do you remember this one? My God, how wonderful Thou art.

Thy majesty, how bright. How beautiful Thy mercy seat. In depth of burning light. How dread are Thine eternal years, O everlasting Lord. Thy prosperous spirits, day and night, incessantly adore. What's your attitude when you pray?

Do you come to Him with a familiarity that you're probably with the Almighty? If you're like that, you have no idea of the gospel of God. Yes, there is a friendship with God by the grace of God, but never ever forget that He is God Almighty and dwelled in depth of burning light and is incessantly adored.

And when some little speck of dust like myself raises his little heart in adoration and in praise and in petition to God, how can I ever come without coming in the merits of the only One that makes it possible?

In His Son's name, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I can't say to him, hey, He is God. We have, in this careless age, forgotten that and we wonder why we're not blessed and we wonder why there is so little godliness and reverence in our attitude towards the things of God.

Revelation’s Vision of Cosmic Upheaval

This God, in His vision, the Apostle, gives us a picture of stars falling and sky rolling up as a scroll and land masses moving. Can you imagine anything so terrifying if it should happen here tonight that His day should come and that we should look outside and whether it is light or dark, we begin to see in the heavens great stars falling out of their place and the repercussion of all that would mean in the galaxy and in the universe.

And then we look at our own earth and the sky around us is rolling up like a scroll. And we might say, we have never seen that before. We've seen it dark, we've seen it bright, we've seen it dark gray, we've seen it blue, we've seen it the dark blue of night, but we've never seen it roll up like a scroll before.

What's happening to us? And then we say, is this an earthquake? No, the whole land mass of the earth beginning to move. And we say, we've never had an earthquake like this before. And men will look desperately in their records and they say, they have mighty records.

And we kept records as far back as the turn of the century. And we are told by certain people in the Americas and other countries that they have not recorded an earthquake like this. This is not an earthquake.

This is the earth moving. What would we consider of that? It would be quite useless to hope for any material stability and to rush to the bank and grab all the found notes I can in bundles and say, here, give me this, give me that, so long as I can feel my feet steady within me.

It is a terrible thing. It is like one of those nightmares. And I hate it and I cannot bear it. I'd like a nightmare. Usually, I dream sometimes nightmares. I can remember one particularly. I was in a pulpit like this, but it was a Presbyterian, English Presbyterian church that once you were in, you were locked in.

And I dreamt, you see, I dreamt that I'd been locked in and I'd forgotten my hymn book. Now, it's a very little thing to forget, but when you're starting in the ministry, it seems as if now you deserve at least a prison sentence for forgetting.

And it's a terrible thing. And I dreamt it. And as I was trying to do things, I could see the pulpit sliding away from under me and the chapel as it was bending over. It was horrible, absolutely horrible.

But what followed was worse still. I was preaching in that chapel that Sunday and he locked me in and there wasn't a hymn book there. But the pulpit didn't slide away. But imagine, my friends, that time when there is no stability in any material thing or any influence.

You might say, well, I know the county councillor. I know the MP and he's very friendly. He rang me up once. I'll ring my MP and see if there is any way where I can get stability from this great sliding like property of myself and my family and the sky, what is happening to it all, clinging to everything like men do, grasping at this and holding at that, clutching at any straw or at anything that might mean some kind of stability.

But there is no hiding place. It's clearly put in the verses that you're familiar with in the chapter, verses 15 and 16. And the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the mighty men and every bondman hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks, now look what they said.

They made a request. Fall on us. They must have been pretty desperate in this vision. Fall on us. Fall on us and hide us. Hide us from what? From another mountain coming? From another land mass moving?

From more of the sky rolling up again? No, hide us from the face of Him that sits on the throne. What's wrong with these men and women? They are unprepared for this day. And that's why they would prefer to be crushed by a mountain and by a whole range of mountains rather than to face the one that in life they have rejected, the only begotten Son of God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Final Examination of the Soul

You might say, well, that's them. Listen to this. In Hebrews 5 verse 13, neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight, but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

In that great day, whether we shall be alive when that great event takes place and in the second coming and the culmination of things or whether we shall have passed on before then, whatever it may be, this to be certain, that we shall stand before this God.

And in standing before this God, my immortal soul is laid bare and the destiny of my immortal soul becomes the most important thing that can ever be. Will it be eternal damnation with no reprieve or pardon or hope of reprieve?

Will it be eternal glory? Will I be able to stand the gaze of God? Eternal light, eternal life, how pure the soul must be when placed within thy searching sight. It shrinks not, but with calm delight can live and look on thee.

O how can I, whose native sphere is dark, whose mind is dim, before the ineffable appear or upon my naked spirit bear the uncreated being? We have to stand there and whatever the arguments may be of a multitude of denominations and a multitude of voices and of philosophies and of ideas and of extra blessings here, there and everywhere and all sorts of consortiums and things at the end of the day.

Will I stand in the sight of God? That's the issue that we have. That's my first point. The second is this. The face of God who shall stand in that day and survive? Well now then, why is this issue so terrible?

It is serious because of one or two reasons that I will name just now. To face God, I have to consider this. The character of God. Do you consider the character of God? Do you make him up to be a character according to your own convenience?

Or is he the Bible or the God of the Bible? And when Isaiah, when he was in the temple, a godly man, a spiritual man, and yet when he was on that day in the temple, he felt terrible. Why? There was a degree of the presence of God in that place that he almost felt that he could not bear it.

And he said, you know, he cried out in mercy, avoid me for I am an unclean man with unclean lips and dwells amongst a people that are unclean. He felt like that. Why? Because even only the skirts of the garments of God as they stretched to the holiness of the place of the temple was a frightening thing to him.

God’s Holiness and the Law of Love

What is God teaching us that is holy? And that is the one thing that we must remember. Yes, he's loved. Yes, he's all these wonderful things, perfect in those attributes that he can communicate, perfect in the attributes that are incommunicable.

Yes, in all those things, but holiness, yes, without it you cannot see God. Holiness, listen to a verse in Habakkuk. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity, wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously.

He's saying there about God, O God, I know thine eyes, I know what kind of eyes you've got. O their wonderful eyes, their terrible eyes, their frightening eyes, their eyes that search my soul, their eyes that expose my mind.

And not only is it that thou dost know me and know my heart, but I'm exposed before all the congregation that is there. O God, what is this? And you know when a person is on the brink of faith, and the Holy Spirit mediating Christ to take away the veil of unbelief, there could be many here tonight as I speak, although I may not mention your sin, you'll feel as if you are being exposed.

And yet it's nothing to do with me, and yet everything to do with me, but it is the Holy Spirit that does that. You'll be aware of your sin only in my mentioning that the eyes of God, such eyes of purer eyes, that thou canst not look upon iniquity.

How can I stand there? Dirty? Sinful? Let's use the right words. The mind of a person without Christ, what's your mind like? What you think? How you think? You really are? What will it dwell on? An unclean mind.

Our hearts or our emotions. What delights you? You may say, I'm interested in that. I'm interested in the other. Then something else comes. And your heart beats with joy. That's it, your interest. Your heart is there.

Your mind has dwelt upon it. Your heart is hovering around it. What are we learning about ourselves? And then my will, in complete harmony with my mind and its thinking and my heart and its emotions, says, go, go, go, get, get to.

Why not? It's only a short life. And before long we can find, well, what can be done about me spiritually? There is this battle within me. I would desire somehow. I'm in the congregation of God's people.

I would have some desire for the things of God. And yet in the very congregation of God's people, my mind can go on a fantasy of sin. Isn't that right? How can I ever look in His eyes and live? How can we ever hope to be accepted in the sight of God and enjoy His glory forever?

To be really honest about it now, not to boast vain things that have never been real to many, but to understand this, that He will not look on me if I remain like that. But why? Why won't He have mercy upon me?

This world is hard, isn't it? And I try my best, and I do this, and I do that, and I do the other. And then I'm not only confronted with the character of God, which is righteous and holy, perfect in all its attributes, but I am confronted by something that is written.

And it's called the law of God. It is holy and just and right. It is the law of God. What is this law of God? My attitude to God and my attitude to man. It is the law of love. Ah, that's easy. We're experts on love.

We love ourselves very, very much. And so we might be able to manage this one. And so we ask for details. And the Lord Jesus Christ very kindly gives a little synopsis of the Decalogue. And He puts in Mark 12 these verses.

The first of all the commandments is here. It's here, O Israel. The Lord is our God, is one Lord. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind and with all thy strength.

This is the first commandment. O Father, stay a moment. What exactly do you ask of me now? I'm telling you this. If you're inclined to be religious and desire to see me face to face, I'll just give you two things to love.

The first thing, I ask you to love me. And I'm asking you to love me like this. I love you with my heart. All your heart. With your mind. My mind. All your mind. All your strength. Lord, you're asking me altogether.

Yes, I am. I'm asking for that. I thought it was a law of love. It is a law of love. How can you say that you love me unless it is a total love? What kind of love is it if you have a husband and a wife and the husband says to his wife, I love you, and loves another, but me say, I don't love her as much as I love my wife.

What kind of love is that? Ask yourself. So what do I learn? I learn there that I fall short to you, my dear friend, be honest. Because you could be in hell regretting your dishonesty tonight. I fall short.

How short? How short? We think in Wales that Wylfa, Snowdon is a very big mountain. The people have travelled today and they've been to the Alps and they've been to the Himalayas and I've got a memory that even climbed to the mountains of the Himalayas.

And so when I talk of Snowdon then it doesn't even come to one of the foothills. And I might think my little effort is a Snowdon of an effort. I try and then I look at Mount Everest and I say, I feel silly.

But then God says, think again. Look at your planet. Think of life here. Think of 13 life here. Think of 3 billion life here. If you want measurement, my dear child, you do not register. So if a person says, I'm better than another, he is a fool.

For in the sight of the perfect standard of God all have sinned and can short of the glory of God. We are sinful. Sinful. Unclean. And the wages of sin is death. And so I cannot look upon this place and live.

I cannot look there. And then I hear about this heaven in the book of Revelation. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defile it. Neither whatsoever work it abomination or make it a lie.

The Need for a Righteousness Not Our Own

But they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. And see how final that is. Let us imagine now that we come to our latest hour and that we are standing outside the gates of heaven. If we can put it in a pictorial way like that.

And we are knocking at the door. And the voice says, oh what do you want? Entry. Who are you? I'm an evangelical. Are you? Yes, I'm an evangelical. I know my truth, I know my doctrine. Name is there please.

We look. There's no count of repentance and faith here. Is there anything at all? Not in this book. Not in this book. But imagine my friends on the day of examination. I don't want to depress the dear friends that are here now.

But you might as well be realistic about it. I can remember how results used to come when I was in school. There used to be a list in the hall. And crowds around me would be jumping up and down like this to see that terrible list.

And all you wanted to know is my name there. And at first you see, you didn't mind or crave your heart or anything. Was your name there? And if your name was there, then you felt alright. Is your name there?

Then lastly, or rather let us think of that for a moment. If my name is there, or if my name is not there, it is a fallen thing. What shall I do? What shall I do? That I might see the face of God. A hymn has just came to my mind now.

Listen to the desire of somebody really seeking God. Show me thy face. One transient gleam of loveliness divine. And I shall never think or dream of other loves divine. All lesser light will darken quite.

All lower glories wane. The beautiful of earth will scarce be beautiful again. Show me thy face. My faith and love shall henceforth fixed be. And nothing here hath power to move my soul's serenity. My light shall seem a trance, a dream.

And all I feel and see elusive, visionary. Thou the one reality. Show me thy face. I shall forget the weary days of yore. The fretting ghost of vain regret shall haunt my soul no more. All doubts and fears of future years in quiet rest subside.

And not but blessed content and calm within my breath abide. O show me thy face. The heaviest cost will then seem light to bear. There will be gain in every loss. Some peace with every care. With such light beat the ears of the fleet.

Life seem as brief as blessed. Till I have laid my burden down. And entered into rest to see the face of God. The rose of Sharon. And the lily of the valley. And the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

The altogether lovely one. Yes, yes, thee. Ruith in me gone. Ruith in chow, ere moon I be. Jesus, Jesus. Thou art enough. Thou art far, far more than the world can ever be. Our blessed Saviour. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In triumph's splendor. I'm to be able to live and look on thee. O Lord, look upon a wretched speck of dust. And tell me how. My last point then is this. The favour of God. Taking particularly of that day.

Conviction of Sin and the Favor of God

A seeking soul. That God has awakened. And a veil of unbelief. Is beginning to be taken away from your understanding. So that your understanding is enlightened. And for the first time in your life. You consider the possibility.

I'm a sinner. It may be for some here tonight. Who are faithful chapel goers. And honourable people. But you've never considered yourself to be sinners. Then all of a sudden you might say. Well maybe I am after all.

If you're thinking that. Then thank God. Because that is the Holy Spirit. Enlightening your understanding. Quickening your spirit. There's hope. Won't you begin to think that? Yes, this is a terrible place to be in.

We call it in Welsh. The valley of the conviction of sin. And we shouldn't mess about with people that are there. Leave them there. Leave them to suffer there. Leave them to organise there. There must not be a predator birth here.

It must be done in the right way. Allow them to feel the terrors of the law of God. Allow them to see something of the holiness of God. Allow them to see something of the iniquity of their heart. And then let the Holy Spirit.

Turn their eyes upon Jesus. And look full in His wonderful face. That the things of earth grow strangely dim. In the light of His glory and grace. In this area. In the vision. John meets people. Who are there already.

In chapter 7 verses 13 and 14 it reads. Who are these? Which are arrayed in white robes. And whence came they? And I said unto him. Sir thou knowest. These are they. Which came out of the great tribulation.

And have washed their robes. In the blood of the Lamb. That's who they are. That's who they are. They were once on earth. And they wept and toiled and mourned. But they are people. That had some great events.

That happened in their lives. During their life on earth. They came into an area. An arena. A space. A place of grace. Where they began to take attention to the things of God. And to consider the destiny of their immortal soul.

And to stop listening to a myriad little silly voices. Do this. Do that. Or the other. Or superficial things. And they began to consider. If I should be called on this life today. How should I stand? Where would I be?

Imputed Righteousness and Justification by Faith

Let me tell you. In 2 Corinthians 5 .21. There is a very helpful verse. For he, God. Hath made him. Jesus Christ. To be sin for us. Who knew no sin. That we might be made. The righteousness of God. In him.

This is the question. What does thou require God of a sinner? Righteousness. I'll try then. So I show my best work. And he says. Filthy rug. Filthy rug. I spent a whole lifetime on that rug. Filthy rug.

Filthy rug. And somebody else comes along. And says I am very religious. And I am very acceptable. And I jump and dance and do all sorts of things. Filthy rug. Filthy rug. What's he looking for? He is looking for something in the depth of your heart.

And your soul. With a righteousness. That will match the righteousness of God. So self-righteousness. Is never going to do it. Or self-activity. Or self-energy. Or all the myriad things. That surround us today.

Will not do it. God is looking for a righteousness. That matches the righteousness of God. How can a speck of dust. And dirty dust. At last. Be righteous in the sight. Of God. Here is the gospel. And he.

God. Perfect in all his attributes. Crowned with holiness and righteousness. He then. Allowed his son. Who knew no sin. No sin. He could not lie. He could not sin. He could not deny himself. We can lie.

We can sin. We can. Deny ourselves. But not God. There is a veracity and integrity. Of the person of God. He's true to what he is. Holy. Righteous. And this God sends this son. Into this world. And what does he do?

This son lives a life. That merits eternal life. For others. For not himself. And all the graces of God. God is so pleased with him. That he says. This is my beloved son. Hear ye him. For there is a very special time.

When we shall survey the wondrous cross. On which the prince of glory died. And there we see the Lord Jesus Christ. But it is no ordinary crucifixion. And what do I see there? He was never a sinner. But he became sin.

The word is. Sin. Was imputed to him. The little word forced is a helper. Sin was counted on him. As if he were wild. As if he were filthy. As if he were over. So sin. Is imputed to him. What is the wages?

Death. But oh what death is this? This is the death of a cross. Many people were crucified. And died on a cross. But you see. What does he say from this cross? My God. My God. Why hast thou forsaken me?

Why does he say this? Because you see. The quality. Of the suffering. And the intensity. Of the suffering of the cross. Was of eternal damnation. You can put a telescope. If you like. Into that time. On Calvary.

That cross. No wonder that cross. Can lift up my head. That cross. That a resurrection. Of vindicated great value. That cross. And so we look at him. And the Holy Spirit. Has shown me my unrighteousness.

He tells me. He will take. Your unrighteousness. My sin. I know the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin. Not in part. But the whole. Is nailed. To his cross. And I bear it no more. Praise the Lord.

O my soul. He will forgive you. But then I shall naked be. Ah. But he has wrought a gown of righteousness. In the life that he lives. And for your gown of unrighteousness. Which he takes a punishment for.

He gives you. A gown of righteousness. Which you never earned on yourself at all. Well how can this be mine. How can such a righteousness be mine. A righteousness. That matches the righteousness of God.