O my hearer, is not this thy case? Does not thy heart confess it? And does
not the tear flow down thy cheek? Remember, then, this must be true: if God
shall save thee, it must be because He will do it. It cannot be because
there is anything good in thee, for thou deservedst now to die, and if He
spare thee it must be sovereign love and sovereign grace.
I will just use one other illustration, and then, I think I shall have made
the text clear enough. There is not so much difference between black and a
darker shade of black as there is between pure white and black. Every one
can see that. Then there is not so much difference between man and the
devil as there is between God and man. God is perfection; we are black with
sin. The devil is only a darker shade of black; and great as may be the
difference between our sin and the sin of Satan, yet it is not so great as
the difference between the perfection of God and the imperfection of man.
Now, imagine for a minute that somewhere in Africa there should be a tribe
of devils living, that you and I had it in our power to save these devils
from some threatened wrath which must overtake them. If you or I should go
there and die to save those devils, what could be our motive? From what we
know of the character of a devil, the only motive that could make us do
that must be love. There could not be any other. It must be simply because
we had such big hearts that we could even embrace fiends within them.
Well, now, there is not so much difference between man and the devil as
between God and man. If, then, the only motive that could make men save a
devil must be man’s love, does it not follow with irresistible force, that
the only motive that could lead God to save men must be God’s own love. At
any rate, if that reason be not cogent the fact is indisputable–”Not for
your sakes do I this, O house of Israel.” God sees us, abandoned, evil,
wicked, and deserving His wrath; if He saves us, it is His boundless,
fathomless love that leads Him to do it–nothing whatever in us.
III. And now, having thus preached this doctrine, and enforced it, I come
to a very solemn PRACTICAL APPLICATION.
And here may God the Holy Spirit help me labour with your hearts! First,
since this doctrine is true, how humble a Christian man ought to be. If
thou be saved, thou hast had nought to do with it; God has done it. If thou
be saved, thou hast not deserved it. It is mercy undeserved which thou hast
received. I have sometimes been delighted when I have seen the gratitude of
abandoned characters to any who have assisted them.
I remember visiting a house of refuge. There was a poor girl there who had
fallen into sin long, and when she found herself kindly addressed and
recognized by society, and saw a Christian minister longing after her
soul’s good, it broke her heart. What should a man of God care about her?
she was so vile. How could it be that a Christian should speak to her? Ah!
but how much more should that feeling rise in our hearts? My God! I have
rebelled against thee, and yet thou hast loved me, unworthy me! How can it
be? I cannot lift myself up with pride, I must bow down before Thee in
speechless gratitude.
Remember, my dear brethren, that not only is the mercy which you and I have
received undeserved, but it was unasked. It is true you prayed, but not
till free grace made you pray. You would have been, to this day, hardened
in heart, without God, and without Christ, had not free grace saved you.
Can you be proud then?–proud of mercy which, if I may use the term, has
been forced upon you?–proud of grace which has been given you against your
will, until your will was changed by sovereign grace?
And think again. All the mercy you have you once refused, Christ sups with
you; be not proud of His company. Remember, there was a day when He
knocked, and you refused–when He came to the door and said, “My head is
wet with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night; open to me, my
beloved;” and you barred it in His face and would not let Him enter. Be not
proud, then, of what thou hast, when thou rememberest that thou didst once
reject Him.
Does God embrace Thee in His arms of love? Remember, once thou liftedst up
thine hand of rebellion against Him. Is thy name written in His book? Ah!
there was a time when, if it had been in thy power, thou wouldst have
erased the sacred lines that contained thine own salvation. Can we, dare
we, lift up our wicked head with pride, when all these things should make
us hang our heads down in the deepest humility? That is one lesson: let us
learn another. This doctrine is true, and therefore it should be a
subject of the greatest gratitude. When meditating upon this text
yesterday, the effect it had upon me was one of transport and joy. Oh! I
thought, upon what other condition could I have been saved? And I looked
back upon my past estate; I saw myself piously trained and educated, but
revolting against all that. I saw a mother’s tears shed over me in vain,
and a father’s admonition lost upon me, and yet I found myself saved by
grace, and I could only say, “Lord, I bless Thee that it is by grace, for
if it had been by merit I had never been saved. If thou hadst waited till
there was something good in me, thou wouldst have waited till I sank into
the hopeless perdition of hell, for good in man there never would have
been, unless thou hadst first put it there.” And then I thought
immediately, “Oh! how I could go and preach that to the poor sinner!” Ah!
let me try if I cannot.
“This article originally appeared here at Bible Bulletin Board.”
