Morning, September 29, edited from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

 “Behold, if the leprosy has covered all his body, he shall pronounce clean him who has the infection.” — Leviticus 13:13

As strange this regulation appears, there was still wisdom in it, for the overcoming of the disease proved that the constitution was sound. This morning it may be well for us to see the symbolic teaching of so unusual a rule. We, too, are lepers, and may read the law of the leper as applicable to ourselves. When a man sees himself to be altogether lost and ruined, covered all over with the defilement of sin, and no part free from contamination; when he disclaims all righteousness of his own, and pleads guilty before the Lord — then is he clean through the blood of Jesus, and the grace of God. Hidden, unfelt, unconfessed iniquity is the true leprosy; but when sin is seen, felt, and confessed, it is then it has received its death blow, and the Lord looks with eyes of mercy upon the soul afflicted with it. Nothing is deadlier than self-righteousness, or more hopeful than contrition. We must confess that we are “nothing else but sin,” for no confession short of this will be the whole truth. And if the Holy Spirit is at work with us, convincing us of sin, there will be no difficulty about making such an acknowledgment–it will spring spontaneously from our lips. The text affords much comfort to those under a deep sense of sin! Sin mourned and confessed, however black and foul, shall never shut a man out from the Lord Jesus. Whoever comes unto him, he will certainly not cast out. Though dishonest as the thief, though impure as the woman named a sinner, though fierce as Saul of Tarsus, though cruel as Manasseh, though rebellious as the prodigal, the great heart of love will look upon the man who feels himself to have no soundness in him, and will pronounce him clean, when he trusts in Jesus crucified. Come to him, then, poor heavy-laden sinner:

Come needy, come guilty,

Come loathsome and bare;

You can’t come too filthy,

Come just as you are.