Those spots which a Christian finds in his own heart can only be washed out in the blood of the Lamb.
‘Oh,’ says such a poor soul, ‘I pray—and yet I sin; I resolve against sin—and yet I sin; I combat against sin—and yet I am carried captive by sin; I have left no outward means unattempted—and yet after all, my sins are too hard for me; after all my sweating, striving, and weeping—I am carried down the stream.’
It is not our strong resolutions or purposes which will be able to overmaster these enemies.
There is nothing now but the actings of faith upon a crucified Christ, which will take off this burden from the soul of man. You must make use of your graces to draw virtue from Christ; now faith must touch the hem of Christ’s garment—or you will never be healed.
— Thomas Brooks The Unsearchable Riches of Christ
(HT: Of First Importance)
Already Not Yet 