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1852
Lecture III
God's Love to Sinners as Seen in the Gospel
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Text.--John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life."
The subject of this great love is God. It is no other than God who is here said
to have so loved this world. Hence God is not a mere intellect, but is a being capable
of loving.
This declaration about God's love is not a mere figure of speech accommodated to
our apprehension, and hence perhaps not meaning nearly so much as it seems to mean.
No, this is no accommodating figure, but a statement of fact,--of fact substantiated
by what God has actually done. God loved so much that He gave up His only Son--for
sinners. Hence we know that God really loves, and as much more intensely than any
creature as He is greater than any.
Who is the object of this love? God we have seen is the lover: but who can be the
object loved? The great God loves somebody!--Who is it? Who is the favored object
of Jehovah's love? Whom is He here declared to love?
Sinners are apt to think that God is an infinite abstraction, infinitely above themselves,
and quite indifferent as to their welfare: but this text declares that God has most
surely and most intensely loved this world. This world it says, meaning not this
globe--not this round ball of solid matter, but its people--the living, intelligent,
moral, yet sinning race that live and have their being here.
But we must look at the nature of this love. What sort of love is it?
Now we know that sinners hate God: and yet here we are told that God loves them.
We must therefore ask--With what kind of love? For on this point it is of the utmost
importance to make the proper discriminations, lest we should be led to suppose that
God's love to sinners is mere good nature--a soft and spontaneous feeling which has
no regard to character. It should be well understood that God's love towards sinners
is no such thing as this.
God's love to sinners is not a love of complacency, for this form of love fastens
upon the character. It is simply delight in character; and who does not know that
in regard to their character, God can have no delight in sinners? There characters
are altogether loathsome to Him. Hence God's love for sinners cannot be a love of
their characters; and can be only a love of them as sentient beings capable of happiness
and misery--i.e. a sincere regard and an earnest desire for their well-being. Parents
sometimes have very bad children, and yet they love them, bad though they be. They
love them in the sense of desiring their welfare and delighting to do them good.
The prodigal son was greatly beloved, although by no means lovely in character. Many
a son of such a character has been the object of yearning affection on the part of
his parents. They have cheerfully suffered anything that human nature could bear,
in order to promote the real welfare of their wayward son. Of this we have a most
striking illustration in the case of David and Absalom. Absalom had artfully and
maliciously seized his father's throne, dishonored his father's bed, and sought his
father's life, yet when David marshaled his little band of yet faithful men to take
the field against this base usurper, his heart yearned over the base monster and
he besought his generals, saying, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man,
even with Absalom." And when the unnatural son was brought back a corpse, his
grief was inconsolable. He refused to be comforted. So strong were his expressions
of sorrow and grief that Joab was afraid of its influence upon his army, and solemnly
rebuked his king for giving indulgence to such feelings in such an emergency. "Thou
hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants who have this day saved thy life,
in that thou lovest thine enemies and hatest thy friends, for thou hast declared
this day that thou regardest neither princes nor servants; for this day I perceive
that if Absalom had lived and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee
well."
To this rebuke David could only answer--I have only given scope to the outbursting
of a father's heart. And indeed it was only the deep yearnings of a pious father's
heart that sought expression in such words and groans, "O my son Absalom! my
son, my son Absalom, would to God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!"
An ungodly son dies in his sins, and a pious father bemoans his awful death in such
language as this! We rarely find anything in history that so forcibly illustrates
God's love to sinners as does this lamination of David over Absalom. Under the influence
of his strong affection, David seemed almost to overlook the public danger, for when
his army went out to battle and the issue was still in dark suspense, he bade his
officers deal gently for his sake with the young man Absalom. Now God does not and
cannot overlook the public danger, through His great love for sinners, and yet He
ventures to pardon and forgive under circumstances which may look as if He did. O
how truly is Jehovah's love for sinners the love of a father towards a wayward son!
Many suppose that such language as this in our text has no meaning. Oh, how little
they understand the facts of the case! It has a meaning deep and sincere, and is
no figure of speech by any means. When in language so like that of David, the most
High God cries out--"How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver
thee, Israel? Mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together."
We cannot but see the honest heart-yearnings of one who loves the race and who is
moved to the very depths of his great heart by the pressure of a stern necessity
to inflict punishment. See the heart of a father standing out in the tears and compassionate
tones of the king! He would not suffer one hair to fall from the head of his guilty
son if he could wisely, safely, spare him; He longs to save your forfeited life;
and when in the very act of rebellion you fall and He is obliged to drive the chariot-wheels
of His government over your prostrate body, he mournfully laments your fall!
Again, this love reaches every individual member of the race. The declaration can
mean nothing less than that God loves every human being--all without any exception.
What a thought is this! And how difficult for sinner to persuade themselves of its
truth--especially of its absolute truth in reference to themselves in particular.
Did you ever try to realize this? Did you ever ask yourself--is it indeed true that
the great God has a deep personal regard for my happiness, like that which an earthly
father has towards his son? Can I believe that His love for me is so great that He
finds His happiness even in heaven in unwearied concern to secure my personal salvation?
Such is the fact.
The great difficulty with sinners is that their unbelief as to God is so great that
this conception does not get into their minds at all. Yet is it none the less true,
and is a truth that sinners greatly need to understand and take home to their hearts.
Again, this love of God to sinners is a patient love--patient even to the extent
of long-suffering--long-enduring the most grievous provocations. If any of you, now
living in your sins, had any just sense of your sin against God, and of your great
provocations of His wrath, you would cry out, "How can it be possible for God
to have any tender regard for me? How can He but think of me only as an enemy of
His, to be crushed before Him as a guilty rebel!"
You speak sometimes of the forbearance of parents towards wayward, vicious children,
but how far does this fall short of God's forbearance towards sinners! Suppose you
are a wicked child towards your parents, so wicked that you have never obeyed them
in a single instance. You have always done as bad as you could--have invariably pursued
a course of persecution, opposition, and utter hostility: if such had been your course
and character, would you expect forbearance from human parents? Oh no, none but God
can be expected to have forbearance equal to such an emergency.
I beg you to look at this case fairly. Suppose a young lady were to enter this school,
and it should be truly said of her when she came that she had always been a trial
and a torment to her parents--had never been known to obey them or to do anything
to please them, what would you say of her? What would you think of her? If you learned
that notwithstanding all her parents had still forborne and loved and sought only
her best good, would you not admire their spirit as something more than human? But
the daughter or the son that has so abused his parents you would feel was not fit
to live. Your spontaneous indignation would cry aloud--Let him be spewed out from
all human society! There is no fit place for such a wretch beneath the light of the
sun!
Now, sinners, I entreat you to apply this honestly to yourselves. You have done nothing
else since you had a being, but oppose God! You have not yet done the first thing,
however small, from a sincere desire to please Him! You know that's the truth! And
yet God holds you up in existence--holds you up from dropping into hell! He represents
Himself as holding your feet from sliding, as they stand on the slippery places of
the sinner's pathway. Ah, how long He has done this very thing! You have regularly
abused all the manifestations of His love, and trampled under foot all His commandments.
God says, "all this hast thou done, and I kept silence." But though silent,
He has not forgotten. Yet love will wait in its long-suffering patience till it can
wait no longer.
Mark also the lowliness of this love. See how low it stoops. Of the great Impersonation
of this love it was said, "He took on Him the form of a servant, and made Himself
of no reputation." He was meek and lowly of heart. Such was the condescension
of the Son of God! Scarcely if at all less was the condescension of the Infinite
Father. Think at how great expense He provided the means of your salvation. Think
of the self-denial to which He submitted. Do you ask--what did He do? Gave up to
death His only Son. Gave Him, freely, not for money but for love. When Abraham called
of God, went forth to offer up Isaac, and when he had freely shown his purpose of
heart to obey God and trust Him if need be to raise up his slaughtered son from the
dead, God said to him, "Because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld
thy son, thine only son, therefore have I sworn by myself that I will greatly bless
thee, and will greatly multiply thy seed, even as the stars of heaven." It was
a strong point in Abraham's case that he did not withhold his only son. So also,
God did not spare His only Son, but freely gave Him up for an offering. In the case
of Abraham, he only brought his only son to the altar and drew his knife--there God's
angel caught his arm and pointed out a ram for the real offering. But when God gave
up His only Son, the demands of justice against the sinner took their course upon
his substitute, and the innocent victim was brought to the slaughter. Nailed to the
cross, He bled, agonized, languished and died! Was ever love like that?
Again, this was love towards enemies--towards those whose carnal mind was enmity
against God. This circumstance "commends the love of God towards us, that while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
This feature in the state of the divine mind is not easily conceived by minds as
selfish as ours. Even the best of men are hardly an exception to this remark. How
often do you hear them pray that God would bless all their friends. Now in some respects
it is quite proper that we should pray for our friends, but we should pray not less
for our enemies. Christ prayed for His friends, but so He did for His enemies also.
If we were in the practice of praying with all our heart, for our worst enemies,
we could better understand how Christ should die for His enemies.
Many sinners say, "O, if we were truly converted, God would love us." True;
He would then love you with the love of complacency. Now He loves you with the love
of compassion. Yet even this you scarcely realize at all. You find it very hard to
conceive how God should put His Son in the hands of wicked men, and let them murder
Him, in order that the murderers might be saved! O surely He would convince you if
He could, that in His deepest affection He loves you! He would make this impression
so strong on your heart, that even when you come to see your great sin, you will
still hold on to the strange truth that God has so loved your soul as to give up
the life of His Son for its salvation.
Yet again, this love of God for sinners is a spontaneous love. It was self-moved.
None of the race of lost men asked for it. God did not find the world on its bended
knees in imploring supplication, but on the contrary, found them all in rebellion--rebellion
strong and stern, fiercely struggling to get quite away from God's authority. Yet
even so, His love gushed forth towards them in infinite compassion.
This was also a persevering love. It was not a love which after a few abortive efforts
falls back and gives over the struggle to save. It was not like the love of some
Christians for the impenitent, who after a few prayers and efforts, give up the endeavor,
especially if they meet with opposition. But God's love for the lost in sin is a
persevering love, not easily exhausted--a love that many waters cannot quench nor
floods drown. O how well for the sinner that it is all this!
It is also a holy love. If it had been otherwise, it might have sought to save by
means that would have put in jeopardy the interests of His government. It was a critical
and difficult undertaking--this effort to rescue the sinner over whom the violated
law was posing its thunderbolts. By some means, the demands of Law must be satisfied
and yet the sinner be spared; but it must be in such a way as will make an impression
of the awful guilt of sin--of its great wickedness, and especially of the purity
and holiness of the great Magistrate of the universe. It will by no means answer
to do anything that shall misrepresent His character. On this point there will be
the greatest danger when He comes to set aside the execution of His law, and throw
the doors of mercy wide open, and invite every sinner to come forward and enter in.
But all this danger has been guarded against most fully in the sacrifice of His glorious
Son. It was a love blended with holiness and purity that took these precautions.
The necessity was felt of making some demonstrations, which all beings in heaven,
earth and hell should see. God must write it out in such characters as all can read--engrave
it as it were on the everlasting rocks, so that through all coming ages, every mind
in the universe may have the demonstration all present to its view, showing how much
God hated sin, and how sacred He holds His holy law. He made this impression when
He gave up His Son to die in the sinner's stead. There, too, He demonstrated the
purity of His love for the sinner. He showed that it was not mere good nature that
would save sinners any how, and cared not for the consequences to the stability of
His kingdom. There He made the truth stand out in strong and bold relief, that He
loved His kingdom not the less because He loved the lost sinner. The welfare of the
holy, of the yet unfallen, must not be put in jeopardy in order to save the guilty.
God's love for sinners is also a wakeful, solicitous love. It pities its objects,
and sets the heart most intently on blessing those it loves. You may have seen Christians
in revivals, after their hearts had been brought into deep sympathy with Christ for
souls. You observed how wakeful, how anxious, how burdened their hearts were. Perhaps
they could scarcely eat or sleep through their great solicitude for the salvation
of souls. What made Jesus Christ spend whole nights in prayer? Ah, He was sent to
redeem a lost world, and the burden of souls lay heavy on His heart. It was but plain
language without a figure when His disciples applied to Him the passage, "The
zeal of my house hath eaten me up." A zeal for God had thrown upon His heart
such a burden of care and solicitude as wasted His mortal frame away. The prophet
foresaw this when in a vision he said of Him--"his visage was so marred more
than any man, and his form more than the sons of men." How strange his aspect!
Old age sat on His faded brow ere he had scarce reached thirty. An old man in His
very youth--for the "zeal of God's house had eaten Him up." O the depth
of His compassions for the lost whom He came to save! Hear what He says: "I
have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!"
O that baptism of suffering which for months and years hung heavily on His heart
in the solicitude of anticipation; and yet love falters not.
Do you understand this? Do you know from any similar experience of your own what
this state of mind is? The fact is, those who have never entered into sympathy with
this deep benevolent solicitude for poor lost souls cannot understand the love of
God for sinners. To all but those who have had some experience it is a dark and unknown
state of mind. But when you come into sympathy with God in this thing, when you pour
out your life and soul for sinners, then you begin to have some just conceptions
of what the state is and then you can begin to understand the nature of God's great
love for sinners.
This love moreover is fully of pity. Under its deep emotions, God is represented
as being greatly moved. Hear Him break out in the depth of His feelings--"Is
Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For since I spake against him, I do
earnestly remember him still; therefore My bowels are troubled for him: I will surely
have mercy upon him, saith the Lord." My feeling was stirred up by his provoking
sins and I spake against him that I would soon cut him down; but presently parental
affection rises up--a father's heart earnestly remembers him still. Such is the pity
of God for sinners. If God had not such pity as this, how could we account for His
conduct in sparing sinners so long? How could we explain it that He has not long
since hurled every sinner down to hell?
But I must pass to notice the end sought in this scheme of love. God gave His Son
to the end that "whosoever would believe on Him should not perish, but should
have everlasting life."
It seems to me passing strange that Mr. Storrs and those who hold with him, should
seize upon such expressions as this and make them teach the annihilation of the wicked.
They hold, as perhaps you know, that "perishing" means annihilation, and
hence that the end to be secured by Christ's death is no other than to save sinners
from annihilation and give them an immortal existence. I find by conversation with
them that they are led to this belief by their notions of literal sense. They hold
that all the language of the Bible must be construed literally, and that the literal
sense of the word--perish--is annihilation. But in both these views they are entirely
mistaken. Not to dwell at present upon the former, let us consider for a moment the
latter. The literal sense of the word perish, is not annihilation. When matter is
said to perish, it only changes its form and mode of existence; it is not annihilated.
Indeed matter so far as we can see knows nothing of annihilation. So that Mr. Storrs
fails utterly in applying his doctrine of literal sense, even if the doctrine itself
were true. Besides, perishing is here put in contrast with everlasting life. But
this everlasting life is not a mere existence, prolonged forever--by no means;--it
is eternal fruition--everlasting blessedness; and hence its opposite must be everlasting
misery.
Moreover, if annihilating the wicked would have answered all the purposes of penalty
for the transgression of law, and all things considered, God had seen it wise to
punish sinners in this way, He could have done it in a moment, and could have created
another world of holy beings with only saying--Let it be! All would have been easy
and soon done. But we cannot see any good reason why it should be needful for Christ
to die on the cross, solely for the purpose of saving sinners from the doom of annihilation.
Hence we see that the object of Christ's death for sinners is to bring them back
into fellowship and harmony with God and holiness--to make them obedient sons again
in His great family.
The means of effecting this charge in the moral attitude of sinners towards their
great and good Father are especially the full revelations which God makes of Himself
before the very eyes of men through the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Christ came
in mortal flesh to live, to labor, to speak and act among men as a man, that He might
reveal the true character of God to our race. Hence Christ is called the Word of
God, because He reveals God to us, as words reveal thought from mind to mind. This
is not the only object of Christ's incarnation, but it is one object and a great
one.
Let it then be understood that Christ came in human flesh to reveal before our eyes
the great love of God, and to make us understand indeed all the great moral attributes
of God. He gave His only Son to come among men and live among them as a neighbor.
Some of you are mechanics; Christ wrought among his neighbors as a mechanic, to teach
men what a mechanic should be. He wrought as a son during His minority, to teach
what a dutiful son should be. Then He appeared in public life, showing what men should
be in this relation. In all these respects He sought to unfold His true character,
so that as a model and more particularly as an exemplification of the true God, He
might make His abode among men of the utmost possible service. It was one of the
great objects of the incarnation to reveal God so that men should renew their confidence
in Him. Sin brought with itself doubt and unbelief respecting God, and this doubt
and unbelief must be counteracted before the sinner can be saved. Men whose hearts
indulge enmity always try to vindicate and justify their enmity by believing evil
of the party hated. Enmity, no matter how causeless and wrong, leads to suspicion
and slander. The mind, troubled with the consciousness of wrong-doing, seeks relief
by self-justification, and to gain this relief, is compelled to think and believe
evil of those it has unjustly wronged. In precisely this relation do mankind stand
towards God. They are enemies for no reason whatever and are thus thrown upon the
necessity of some means for impeaching the King they causelessly hate. Hence the
need of making such revelations of God to man as shall melt his hard heart under
the manifestations of divine love.
As another great means of accomplishing the end in view, Christ must needs atone
for sin, so that it can be freely forgiven. This He did most effectually. In Christ
both parties in this great controversy are represented. Human nature was there and
also the divine. God in human flesh met all the exigencies of the case and satisfied
every demand of the emergency.
On our part faith is the great condition of being saved. The longer I live, the more
clearly I see that faith refers especially to the divinity of Christ, embracing practically
His power to save and fully admitting that the case is one for which no power short
of divine is adequate. "Believest thou that I am able to do this?" Do you
believe that I can raise your dead, heal your sick, cast out your devils, remit your
sins? Do you believe all this? Then if so, cast yourself on My power to save. The
substance of faith then is this--believing in Christ as the true God, and confiding
in Him as such. Faith confides in Him as to all He professes to be and to do. It
is presupposed that the mind apprehends the nature and design of God's love, and
then faith receives this as truth, believing that in very deed Jesus Christ loved
me, gave Himself for me, died for me that I might not die but live. Thus each believing
soul for itself meets God in Jesus Christ and yields itself up to God in reliance
upon His promises. A full, unreserved submission seems none too much. With all the
heart, the man commits himself to Christ to be used, and governed--to be sanctified
and to be saved.
Many treat Christ as if He were a hypocrite. I do not mean that they say so, but
in their heart they think so, and what they think determines their treatment of Him.
They really feel as if they could put no confidence in His professions of friendship.
Let me put this point to test with you. Have you ever realized that Christ came to
save YOU, as truly as if you were the only sinner in the universe? Have you met Him
in this relation, as if you understood that He actually came to save you, yourself
alone! But this is the true idea of faith. It believes Christ's word of promise and
of proffered mercy as applying to your own individual soul.
Faith implies a full renunciation of selfishness. Such renunciation is fully involved
in the idea of self-committal to God.
Another element of faith should command our particular regard. It not only believes
the history of the past respecting Christ, but also embraces especially all that
it finds revealed of His present and future relations. Sinners often believe the
past without believing unto salvation, for they do not believe the present and the
future. They say--No doubt Christ once lived and ultimately died, but all this took
place a great many years ago and a great way off. After His resurrection, He went
to heaven--and there the scope of their faith comes to an end. There is nothing fresh
and new in it--nothing that touches the great interest of the soul in its own salvation.
It is taken up and thought of as any other fragment of ancient history.
But real faith comes nearer home--much nearer. It takes hold of a present Christ--a
Savior living now--yea, ever living at God's right hand and ever making intercession
there. Did you ever realize that you have been kept out of hell thus long by Christ's
intercession? He Himself has illustrated the case in the parable of the barren fig
tree. Spare the sinner, he cries; don't cut him down yet; save him, let Me bring
him once more into the house of God and under the sound of the gospel; it may be
he will repent; if not--if every hopeful effort fails, then let him be cut down,
but not before. Then let none of you sinners suppose that Christ has lost His interest
in you; far from it. He still prays for you, and still holds you up from sinking
into hell. You lay down on your bed last night and slept sweetly; yet the only reason
you did not sink down quick into hell, was, not that you prayed but that Christ prayed.
Jesus Christ, when your heart was all prayerless, lifted up His voice in your behalf
and cried, oh, spare him yet once more--I will carry him up to the house of God again;
if this fails, then cut him down!
Once more only,--true faith not only expects forgiveness for all the past, but grace
for all the future. Its trustful voice says--"His grace shall be sufficient
for me as He has said."
REMARKS.
1. Faith is a natural condition of your salvation. By this I mean that it is in the
very nature of the case an indispensable condition. If you will not credit what Christ
says of Himself and of the offers of salvation, all else that you may do is of not
the least avail. So says our text. God gave up His Son, not to save all men unconditionally--not
to save the rich, not the titled, not the learned, as such; not to save the externally
moral, or the socially amiable, as such; but to save just all those and none others
but those who should believe on Him. Of course this settles the question and shows
conclusively who will and who will not be saved by Jesus Christ.
2. Your selfishness is that which makes it so difficult for you to conceive aright
of these things. You never loved your enemies: you never make any sacrifice of your
own ease or pleasure for their good--but God does. Hence you find it difficult if
not impossible to understand God's benevolence--it is so unlike your own selfishness.
Christ prays for you--has done and still does--and yet you are cruelly slow to believe
it. But consider how He beheld Jerusalem and wept over it. He had been among them
and knew their malignity towards Himself. He saw the whole city becoming deeply excited--sharpening
their weapons to slay Him; yet now as He was coming in for the last time--in the
nearest view of the final catastrophe, His heart was deeply moved with pity and compassion.
He well knew how much they hated Him and yet He cried out, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem;
thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often
would I have gathered thee as a hen does her brood under her wings--but ye would
not." Another Evangelist says--"He beheld the city and wept over it."
He seemed to forget their awful wickedness as if it had never been.
But how can you realize such a state of mind as His? Your selfishness is so great
and so controlling that you never have any such feelings yourself towards your enemies.
And when you are called on to relinquish your enmity and selfishness, you plead that
you can't do it. Hence you are sadly crippled in respect to meeting the condition
of faith intelligently. Just as it is one of the most difficult things in the world
to make a great liar believe your word however trustworthy, or just, as you cannot
persuade a great scoundrel or knave into the course of duty. They don't understand
the proper force of the motives you present, and more than all, they do not love
to admit sound moral truth home to their heart and conscience. So a thief always
suspects others of theft. And on the same principle it becomes sternly difficult
for a wicked man to have confidence in God's sincerity and goodness. He may admit
it in theory, but still he doesn't believe it and bring it home to his own bosom
as a reality.
Now look at the case. See what God has done to provide for your salvation, and also
see how much He has said and done to lead you to believe it--but alas, your heart
is still heavy as lead with unbelief! What more can God do to make you realize it?
O tell me, what more? Sinners will stand and look on the cross itself, and still
say--"I cannot realize that this is all compassion for me--I cannot believe
that all this came of love for my soul." How then can God persuade you to believe
in His loving-kindness?
3. Faith in Christ will give you peace. Of this you need not and methinks you cannot
have the least doubt. Are you then willing to receive the intelligence, that God
gave His Son for you as individuals? So His own word declares. "God, having
raised up His Son, Jesus, sent Him to bless you in turning away every one of you
from his iniquities." Therefore make no delay. Rouse up all the energies of
your soul to this work--at once.
4. Sinners are not apt to distinguish between Christ given and Christ received. Christ
given is one thing; Christ received is quite another. God has in great love given
the donation: have you accepted it? It avails you nothing until you do. Believing
on Him is accepting Him as given. Of a long time you have known that the offer of
Jesus as your Savior has been made you. Have you cared anything about it? Have you
had one feeling of gratitude to express to God for His unspeakable gift? Have you
ever uttered one word of gratitude? Have you ever come before God with the first
note of thanksgiving? How does your ingratitude look even in your own eyes? And if
you are ashamed of it yourself, how must you suppose it appears in the eyes of your
Savior?
Suppose Jesus Christ were to come into this house while you are sitting here. You
know by the halo of glory about His head that it can be none other than the Lord
of glory whom you have so long rejected. He shows you the prints of the nails in
His hands and feet--the wound of the spear in His side, and coming near where you
sit, He asks you with a look of tenderest compassion,--Is all this nothing to you?
Do you know who I am? Yes, Do you know what I want of you? Yes. Am I worthy of your
confidence? I suppose so. Then, will you give yourself up to Me, trusting My word
and grace to save you and devoting yourself heartily to My cause? O, you answer,
I don't feel enough. But He replies, I have come to save you. This matter has been
debated long enough, and it is time you should tell Me honestly what your final decision
is. We must conclude this matter now, and whatever your decision may be, I shall
write it down and put the judgment seal upon it. And now, under these circumstances,
what will you do? Will you say--Go Thy way for this time? But if I do for this time,
I return no more to bless you. I shall pray for you no more. All your day and scope
for mercy will pass away. You know I have dealt in all honesty with you to save your
soul if I can. I have sought to show you your enmity of heart against Me, and have
implored you to put it all away and give Me your heart--will you do it even now,
though it be your eleventh hour of mercy?
Sinner, do you understand this appeal? Doubtless you do. Christ is trying to win
you--He would fain persuade you to save your soul. Will you be persuaded? Will you
decide the momentous question this hour? If you knew that your present decision would
be final, how would you make it? Let me tell you, it MAY be final;--therefore take
care what you do! "There is a point beyond which forbearance is no virtue"--beyond
which even God cannot forbear, for virtue forbids it. Remember that this is the dispensation
of the Holy Ghost, and if you sin willfully against Him, He may never forgive you.
But do you say--The Holy Ghost is not now with me. Beware what you say! Has not some
influence, other than your own mind, convinced you of sin? Must you not admit that
by some means, you have seen your sins as you have rarely done before, and have been
pressed to come to Christ for pardon? Then now is your time. You ought to consider
that this may be your last time. Why then will you not cry out--O Jesus, take my
heart; O take it wholly, and seal it Thine forevermore!
GLOSSARY
of easily misunderstood terms as defined by Mr. Finney himself.
Compiled by Katie Stewart
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