QUOTES OF OUR FOUNDING FATHERS - John Hancock
PO Box 128 Statesville, NC 28687
THE FAMILY ALTAR
June 9.
"We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works
of God." Acts 2:11.
What the wonderful works of God were which the astonished
multitude of Jews and proselytes heard the apostles speak in their
native tongues, we hear from the lips of Peter in the following
verses. They are the wonderful works which God has done in His
only-begotten Son for the salvation of the world. The Gospel,
the blessed Gospel, is now being preached from the house-tops,
and that is the second divine and heavenly gift which Pentecost
has brought us and for which we need to thank God all the days
of our life. The Gospel, as we know, is the glad tidings that we
poor sinners are saved alone by the grace of God through faith
in our Lord Jesus Christ. This blessed doctrine was known also
to the children of God in the Old Testament. They possessed
it in the promises which God gave them concerning the future
Messiah, or Savior. But they were still under the bondage of the
Law, and the Gospel-promises were to them like the first golden
beams of the rising sun. They longed and sighed for the time
when the Savior would come and lead them out into the glowing
noontide of His grace, and peace, and liberty. With the out-
pouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples and with the resultant
preaching of the Gospel of free and full salvation in the crucified
and risen Savior in all tongues, the bright-shining sun of God's
mercy and love for sinners rose upon the world never to set again.
Now the glad spiritual springtide has come of which the Bride
sings: "Lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the
flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is
come, and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land; the
fig-tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender
grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, and come away." (Song
of Sol. 2, 11 — 13.) Yes, come, all ye dear, beloved souls that are
weary and heavy laden with sin and sorrow, come to Jesus, and
He will give you rest.
The Spirit, in our hearts,
Is whispering, "Sinner, come!"
The Bride, the Church of Christ, proclaims
To all His children, 'Come!"
Let him that heareth say
To all about him, "Come!"
Let him that thirsts for righteousness,
To Christ, the Fountain, come!
QUOTES OF OUR FOUNDING FATHERS - John Hancock