High Doctrine And Broad Doctrine
(No. 1762)
DELIVERED BY
C. H. SPURGEON,
AT EXETER HALL.
"All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and him that comes to
Me I will by no means cast out." John 6:37.
THESE two sentences have been looked upon as representing two sides of
Christian doctrine. They enable us to see it from two standpoints–the
Godward and the manward. The first sentence contains what some call
high doctrine. If by "high" they mean "glorious towards God," I fully
agree with them, for it is a grand, God-honoring Truth which our Lord
Jesus declares in these words–"All that the Father gives Me shall come
to Me." Some have styled this side of the Truth of God Calvinistic, but
while it is true that Calvin taught it, so, also, did Augustine, Paul
and our Lord, Himself, whose Words are these. However, I will not
quarrel with those who see in this sentence a statement of the great
Truth of God of predestinating Grace.
The second sentence sets forth blessed, encouraging, evangelical
doctrine and is, in effect, a promise and an invitation–"Him that
comes to Me I will by no means cast out." This is a statement without
limitation of any kind. It has been thought to leave the free Grace of
God open to the free will of man, so that whoever pleases my come and
may be sure that he will not be refused. We have no permission to pare
down either sentence, nor is there the slightest need to do so. The
first sentence appears to me to say that God has chosen a people and
has given these people to Christ–and these people must and shall come
to Christ–and shall be saved. The second Truth of God declares that
every man who comes to Christ shall be saved, since he shall not be
cast out–and that implies that he shall be received and accepted.
These are two great Truths of God–let us carry them both with us and
they will balance each other.
I was once asked to reconcile these two statements and I answered, "No,
I never reconcile friends." These two passages never fell out–they are
perfectly agreed! It is folly to imagine a difference and then set
about removing it! It is like making a man of straw and then going out
to fight with it. The grand declaration of the purpose of God that He
will save His own is quite consistent with the widest declaration that
whoever will come to Christ shall be saved! The pity is that it should
ever be thought to be a difficulty in the two Truths, or that,
supposing there is a difficulty, we should have thought it our duty to
remove it.
Believe me, my dear Hearers, the business of removing religious
difficulties is the least remunerative labor under Heaven. The truest
way is to accept the difficulty, wherever you find it in God's Word,
and to exercise your faith upon it. It is unreasonable to suppose that
faith is to be exempted from trials–all the other Divine Graces are
exercised–and why should not faith be put to the test? I often feel a
joy within my spirit in having to believe what I cannot understand! And
sometimes, when I have to say to myself, "How can it be?" I find a joy
in replying that it is so written and, therefore, it must be so. In
spite of all reasoning stands the utterance of God–our Father speaks
and doubts are silenced–His Spirit writes and we believe! I feel great
pleasure in gliding down the river of Revelation upon a voyage of
discovery and, hour by hour, obtaining fresh knowledge of Divine
Truths.
But when I come to an end of progress and see my way blocked up by a
sublimely awful difficulty, I find equal pleasure in casting anchor
under the lee of the obstacle and waiting till the Pilot tells me what
to do next. When we cannot go through a Truth of God, we may be led
over it, or around it and what does that matter? Our highest benefit
comes not of answering riddles, but of obeying commands by the power of
love! Suppose we can see no further into the subject–what then? Shall
we be troubled about that? Must there not be an end of human knowledge
somewhere? May we not be perfectly satisfied for God to appoint the
boundary of understanding? Let us not, therefore, run our heads against
difficulties of our own invention–and certainly not against those
which God has seen fit to leave for us.
Take, then, these two Truths of God, and know that they are equally
precious portions of one harmonious whole! Let us not quibble over
them, or indulge a foolish favoritism for one and a prejudice against
the other, but let us receive
both with a candid, large-hearted love of the Truth of God such as
children of God should exhibit. We are not called upon to explain, but
to accept! Let us believe if we cannot reconcile! Here are two
jewels–let us wear them both. As surely as this Book is true, God has
a people whom He has chosen and whom Christ has redeemed from among
men! And these must and shall, by Sovereign Grace, be brought, in due
time, to repentance and faith, for not one of them shall ever perish.
But yet is it equally true that whoever among the sons of men shall
come and put his trust in Christ shall receive eternal life. "Whoever
will, let him take the Water of Life freely."–
"None are excluded but those Who do themselves exclude. Welcome the
learned and polite, The ignorant and rude."
The two Truths of my text are by no means inconsistent with each
other–they are perfectly agreed. Happy is the man who can believe them
both, whether he sees their agreement or does not see it. I was
cruising, one day, in the western Highlands. It had been a splendid day
and the glorious scenery had made our journey like an excursion to
Fairy Land. But it came to an end, for darkness and night asserted
their primeval sovereignty. Right ahead was a vast headland of the isle
of Arran. How it frowned against the evening sky! The mighty rock
seemed to overhang the sea. Just at its base was a little bay and into
this we steamed and there we lay at anchorage all night, safe from
every wind that might happen to be seeking out its prey. In that calm
loch we seemed to lie in the mountain's lap while its broad shoulders
screened us from the wind.
Now, the first part of my text, "All that the Father gives Me shall
come to Me," rises like a huge headland high into the heavens. Who
shall scale its height? Upon some it seems to frown darkly. But here at
the bottom lies the placid, glassy lake of Infinite Love and
Mercy–"Him that comes to Me I will by no means cast out." Steam into
it and be safe under the shadow of the great rock! You will be the
better for the mountain-truth as your boat snugly reposes within the
glittering waters at its foot–while you may thank God that the text is
not all mountain to repel you–you will be grateful that there is
enough of it to secure you.
First, I shall bid you view that goodly mountain and then we shall sail
into that pleasant loch.
I. Consider, then, with reverential joy THE ETERNAL PURPOSE. Our Lord
Jesus Christ, when He found that the mass of the people rejected Him,
turned round upon them and said, "You believe not, because you are not
of My sheep." He knew in His own heart that even if they refused Him,
all would not do so–a number would assuredly believe on Him. Therefore
He boldly said, "All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me." He
threw this grand fact in the teeth of His fierce revilers! It was His
own comfort and their rebuke.
Now, I do not want to throw it at anybody tonight! On the contrary, I
desire to use it as a beckoning finger to any troubled heart that longs
to come to Jesus and be saved. I saw the other day, round a gentleman's
park, a very strong and lofty palisade–and to recomplete the exclusive
apparatus, a superabundant number of tenter-hooks were nailed upon the
top of the fence and a liberal quantity half-way up. I somewhat
jokingly observed upon the kindness of the proprietor, in placing so
many nails for the boys to climb up by–and so many more for them to
hold on by when once they were up. "Why," said my companion, "those
tenter-hooks would tear fingers and clothes to pieces! They are no help
to climbers." "No," I replied, "No more help to climbers than the
remarks which your minister made upon the Sovereignty of God could be
considered to be no help to seekers of the Lord Jesus."
The good man set forth the truth in the most awkward and pernicious
manner possible; not making, thereof, steps for earnest climbers, but
tenter-hooks for unwelcome intruders. I never yet saw such a crowd
desirous of salvation that there was the slightest call for fences and
tenter-hooks to keep them out–but I do see so many tremblers needing
en-couragement–and so many doubters needing instruction that I delight
to turn every Word, promise and doctrine of the Lord into sweet
invitations to all around me to come and welcome to the great heart of
the Crucified! I am not afraid that too many will come–my fears are
all in the opposite direction! Oh, that I could hope that all my
present hearers would come to Jesus at once!
First, notice carefully, that if all that the Father gives to Christ
shall come to Him, then some people shall most surely come to
Christ–and why should not you be among them? This seems to me to be a
sweet suggestion for the help of despondency when she is at her
worst–some must come to Christ, why should not I come? When the devil
says to you, "You cannot come to Christ," and you, yourself, feel as if
you could not come. When sin hampers you, when doubt drags
you down, when you cannot do what you want to do–still it is decreed
and determined that some people must come– then why not you? By Divine
decree they shall come! Why should not you be among them? Does not that
help you? If God blesses it, you will no longer sit on the borders of
despair!
Suppose there is a plague in the city, but there are some people
predestinated to be healed? I would be glad to know of that fact! I
would be almost glad of it if it was sure that I was not one of the
favored ones, for I rejoice in the good of others–but I would be still
more glad to press to the physician with this assurance upon my
mind–some must be healed, why should not I? There is a famine in the
land. I hear that it is revealed by a sure prophet that a certain
number never shall die of famine. Then why should not I outlive the
dreadful days and be among them? Why not? I hear one say, "Suppose I am
not one of God's elect?" To Him I answer, "Suppose you are?" Better
still, suppose that you leave off supposing altogether and just go to
Jesus Christ and see!
To go to Him is your wisdom–your immediate business, as laid down in
His Word–therefore, delay not! Instead of shutting myself out, as some
do, because it is written, "All that the Father gives Me shall come to
Me"–I shut myself in and say–"Then I will be among them." Why should
I not? Oh, Lord, if You have ordained that some shall come, then I see
that to them no difficulties can be insuperable and I will, therefore,
come to You, myself, and in Your name enter in where every coming one
is welcome!
In the next place, I find that those that come to Christ, according to
this text, come because of the Father and the Son. Read it. "All that
the Father gives Me shall come to Me." That is, they come to Jesus. Why
is it that they are made to come? Because the Father has given them to
Christ! Why is it that they shall come? Is it because there is some
good thing in them? No, there is nothing said upon that point either
one way or the other. Is it because they have strong wills and firm
determinations and, therefore, come? The Scripture is equally silent
upon that point, except that it says elsewhere that the New Birth is
not of the will of man! The reason that is given why they shall come to
Jesus is because something was done for them by the Father and by the
Son. Why, then, should I not come?
Suppose I am weak? Suppose I am sinful? Suppose I am seven times more
sinful than anybody else? Yet, since this "shall come" depends not on
the character of those to whom the promise is made, but upon a certain
something done for them by the Father and the Son, why should I not be
among those for whom the Father and the Son have done this certain
thing? And why should I not, therefore, be made to come to Jesus? There
never was a soul that really wanted to come to Jesus but what it could
come and did come! There never was a pining, longing sinner that was
long kept away from Christ! When he wanted Christ, Christ wanted him a
hundred times as much!
If you have the least desire or the faintest longing after the Lord
Jesus Christ, then the cords of love are about you and His mighty hands
are drawing home those cords! Yield to the sweet pressure and you shall
come, not because of what you are, or what you have ever been, but
because of what the Father is doing and because of what the Son is
doing! It is written, "No man can come to Me except the Father which
has sent Me draws him." And when He is drawing, you can come. The
Father is drawing you since you are longing to come and are anxious to
find a Savior! Now, do not turn this Truth of God about so as to set it
edgeways and make a chevaux de frise of it to keep yourself from
getting to Christ. The doctrine of the Divine Purpose is not a thorn
hedge to keep you off from the Tree of Life–on the contrary, you are
bound to regard it as an open door! "Some must come. Why not I? Those
that come do so because of something done for them by the Father and of
the Son–why should not that have been done for me? Why should I not
draw near to God?"
Notice, thirdly, that these people are, all of them, saved because they
come to Christ. Observe the words–"All that the Father gives Me shall
come to Me." They are not saved in any other way than by coming to
Christ. Here are certain people that are different from others, for the
Father has given them to Christ. Yes, but it does not matter how
different they are from others–they have to be saved in the same way
as other people. There is no way of salvation specially prepared for
these peculiar people–they must still follow the King's highway. The
one common way of salvation is by coming to Christ–and all that the
Father has given to Christ must come in by this gate! This is the one
door that God has opened–there is no other–there shall never be any
other!
Come! Pluck up heart, my dear Friend–you that are bowing your head
like a bulrush–the best saint in Heaven found his way there by a
simple trust in Jesus Christ! Why cannot you get there in the same way?
Many sinners of the deepest dye have been saved through Jesus
Christ–and why should not you be saved in the same way? Ask Peter, and
James, and John, and Paul and all the rest of them, whether they
entered into Heaven by a private bridge thrown across
for them, alone–and they will tell you that they were saved by the one
Redeemer! As no Scripture is of private interpretation, so be sure that
there is no private and secret Savior for a few favored persons!
Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus
Christ. God's elect can only be saved by coming to Christ. Jesus says,
"All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me," for they cannot be
saved any other way! Coming to Christ is the one essential thing. "Oh,"
says one, "I sometimes wish that I knew whether I was one of God's
elect." Why should you wish to know anything out of its turn, when you
can learn every Truth that you need by studying other Truths which lead
up to it? You come to Christ and you will know that you were given to
Christ–for none come to Him but those who are His–and by their coming
to Him they give the best evidence of their election.
You know what the Brother in Cornwall said to Malachi, who was rather a
stout Calvinist? He said, "Now, Mala-chi, I owe you £2. Before I
discharge the debt I need you to tell me whether I am predestinated to
pay you." Malachi opened wide his hand and said, "Put the £2 there and
I will tell you directly." Like most sensible folk, he preferred to
prophesy after the event–and there are many advantages in keeping to
that method! It is evidently the natural order of things for uninspired
folk. Whether the Father gave me to Christ or not, I cannot discover
till I know whether I have come to Christ! When I know that I have
truly come to Christ with all my heart, then I am certain that I was
given to Christ and I find no difficulty in so believing! Yes, my heart
is glad to think that I am saved in the same way as others are saved!
Yet, once again, from this text it is most clear that if I come to
Christ, the Father gave me to Christ. If I, whoever I may be, do but
simply trust Jesus–for that is the coming, here, meant–then I am one
whom the Father gave to His Son. If, just as I am, I cast myself upon
His blood and righteousness and become His disciple, sworn to follow
Him, hoping, by His help, to tread in His footsteps–then I may know
that, long before the daystar knew its place, or planets ran their
round, the Eternal Father had looked upon me with eyes of everlasting
love–and that He still accepts me and will never cast me away! Is it
not so? "All that the Father gives Me shall come to me" and, if I have
come, then the Father has given me to Christ! The great question is
answered; the eternal mystery is unveiled and my spirit may rejoice in
God, my Savior, and in all the precious things of that Everlasting
Covenant which is ordered in all things and sure!
So much about that huge, overhanging mass of rock! Of that I am going
to say no more. Only under its lee I have anchored long ago and at that
anchorage I mean, still, to remain. Since I have come to Jesus, I know
that I belong to Him by the Great Father's gift–and I am right well
assured that the purpose of God shall be fulfilled in me–and that He
will assuredly bring me, with all the rest of His elect, to His Kingdom
and Glory, where we shall see His face forever! This may be called
old-fashioned doctrine–I care not what it is called–it is my life and
I dare rest my soul's weight upon it for time and for eternity!
II. Now we enter into smooth water–the mystery is opened, let us
partake of the joy of it. We have, in the second place, to speak to you
for a little time on THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL–"Him that comes to Me I
will by no means cast out." You may forget my first head if you like,
especially if you are troubled by it, but I earnestly beseech you
remember the second. "Him that comes to Me I will by no means cast
out." This is one of the most generous Gospel texts that I remember to
have met with between the covers of this Book. Generous, first, as to
the character to whom the promise is made. "Him that comes to Me"–that
is the character. The man may have been guilty of an atrocious sin, too
black to mention, but if he comes to Christ, he shall not be cast out!
To that atrocious sin he may have added many others, till the
condemning list is full and long–but if he comes to Christ, he shall
not be cast out. He may have hardened his neck against the
remonstrances of prudence and the entreaties of mercy. He may have
sinned deeply and willfully–but if he comes to Christ, he shall not be
cast out! He may have made himself as black as night–as black as
Hell–but if he shall come to Christ, the Lord will not cast him out! I
cannot tell what kind of persons may have come into this Hall
tonight–but if burglars, murderers and dynamite-men were here, I would
still bid them come to Christ, for He will not cast them out!
I suppose that the most of you are tolerably decent as to moral
character and to you I say, if you come to Christ, He will not cast you
out. Children of godly parents, hearers of the Word of God, He will not
cast you out! You who lack only one thing, but that the one thing
necessary, He will not cast you out! Backsliders! Are there some such
here who have almost forgotten the way to God's sanctuary–for whom the
Sabbath bell proclaims no Sabbath now? Come to Jesus and He will not
cast you out! Oh, you Londoners, you have grown weary of God's House
and of God's Day–
millions of you, but if with all your irreligion you are here tonight,
this Truth of God holds good for you, also–if you trust in Jesus, He
will not cast you out!
If, amidst this company, there should be some whose characters we had
better not describe and who already shrink into themselves at the very
idea of being picked out and mentioned by name–yet if such persons
come to Jesus, He will gladly receive them! Be your character what it
may, you who are wrapped in mystery–you shall not be cast out! I wish
that I could convince those who are troubled about a life of grievous
sin, for to the life-long transgressor the text is still true! My Lord
proclaims an act of oblivion concerning all the past. It shall be as
though it had never been! Through Jesus Christ, if you will but believe
in Him, the whole past shall be rolled up and put away as though it had
never known an existence–and you, yourself, shall be born again!
When Naaman came up from washing in the Jordan we read that, "His flesh
came again like unto the flesh of a little child and he was clean." And
so it shall be with you. The old man took the fair-haired child upon
his knee and ran his fingers through its locks, and said, "Young child,
God keep you from the sin into which I have plunged. My old life is
full of evil. It is now almost over and I am past hope. Would God I
were a child again!" Lo, the Angel of Mercy whispers to anyone in that
condition, "You may be a child again!" The man a hundred years of age
may yet be made a child! And he that is a gray-beard in infamy may yet
become a babe in innocence through the cleansing power of the water and
the blood which flowed from the side of Jesus!
Go and write it across the brow of night! Write it in new stars if you
can–"Him that comes to Me I will by no means cast out." Then hang it
up over the midday heavens and let the sun cast all his beams upon it,
till it seems written in the splendor of God–"Him that comes to Me I
will by no means cast out." The character who will be received is not
mentioned, lest in mentioning one sinner, another should seem to be
excluded. No limit is set to the extent of sin–any "him" in all the
world–any blaspheming, devilish "him" that comes to Christ shall be
welcomed! I use strong words that I may open wide the gate of mercy.
Any "him" that comes to Christ–though he come from slum or taproom,
betting ring or gambling hall, prison or brothel–Jesus will by no
means cast out!
Further, this text is a very generous one because it gives no limit to
the coming. The only limit to the way of coming is that they come to
Christ. I have known some come to Christ running to Him–a willing,
speedy, earnest pace. You read of that in the Gospels. They were so
glad to hear of a Savior that they flew to Him at once! Many young
children and young people do this and they are blessed in the deed.
Come along with you, you lively and tender spirits! He will not cast
you out if you leap and rush to Him! If you run all of a sudden to Him
tonight–if you make a dash for Christ–He will not cast you out. Alas,
a great many, when they come to Christ, advance very limpingly. They
are burdened with a huge load of sin and fettered with doubts and
fears–and so they make slow progress. They do not look to Jesus and
live all at once. They keep looking here and looking there, instead of
looking to Him. They are a long while in coming, for they are afraid,
ignorant and dull.
Never mind, Brothers and Sisters. The snail got into the Ark! And if
you come to Christ, He will not cast you out though your pace is sadly
sluggish. Some look to Christ as soon as they hear of Him, with clear,
bright eyes like those of Rachel. Oh, such a look! They seem to drink
in Christ and His salvation all at once with those bright eyes. But I
have met with many whose look is like that of Leah, who had tender
eyes–they look through the mists of their doubt and the showers of
their tears–and they do not half see Christ as they should. Yes, but
that half-clouded look will save them! Any looking will save you if it
is looking to Christ–and any coming, if it is coming to Chris, will
save you!
Coming to sacraments may condemn you! Coming to priests will ruin you!
But coming to Christ will save you! If your simple faith takes hold of
Christ's salvation, there is life in that grip. If your thoughts think
of Him, if your heart embraces Him, if your soul trusts Him, however
weakly and imperfectly you do it, He will not cast you out! Oh, this is
glorious truth to my mind–is it not so to yours? So long as we but
come to Him, our Savior will not cast us away! I feel glad to be
preaching this Gospel in Exeter Hall–are you not glad to hear it? If
you are not, you are a sorry lot.
Thirdly, there is no limit, here, as to time. "Him that comes to Me I
will by no means cast out" is a glorious, free utterance, compassing
every age. There may be some little children here–indeed, I am glad to
see boys and girls mingling with the congregation. Listen to me, my
children! I am always glad to see you and we preachers make a great
mistake if we do not preach to you. Oh, dear John and Jane, Mary and
Thomas–I wish you would come to Christ while you are yet young–and
put your trust in Him and become young Christians. There is no reason
why you should not! You are old
enough to die; and you are old enough to sin; and you are old enough to
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ! Why should you not do so at once?
When I was just about 15 years of age I was helped by God's Spirit to
cast myself upon Christ. And have I ever regretted that I came to Jesus
so soon? No! I wish that I could have come 15 years before and that I
had known Christ as soon as I learned to know my mother! Some of you
have heard about Jesus from your infancy. His name was part of the
music with which your mother sang you to sleep. Oh, that you may know
Jesus by faith as well as by hearing! Do not think that you have to
wait till you are grown up before you may come to Jesus. We have
baptized quite a number of boys and girls of 10, 11 and twelve. I spoke
the other day with a little boy nine years of age and I tell you that
he knew more about Christ than many gray-headed men do–and he loved
Jesus most heartily!
As the sweet child talked to me about what Christ had done for him, he
brought tears into my eyes, to see how happily and brightly he could
speak of what he had felt in his own soul, of the Savior's power to
bless. You young children are like rosebuds and you know everybody
likes a rosebud better than a full-blown rose. My Lord Jesus will
gladly receive you as rosebuds! Offer yourselves to Him, for He will
not cast you away! I am sure He never will. If any here are in the
opposite extremity of life, I would remind them that, "him that comes
to Me I will by no means cast out" applies to the aged as well as to
the young!
I heard it said by a minister–a very earnest man–that if persons were
not converted before they were 45, he hardly believed that they would
ever be converted afterwards. And he gave it as a note of his
observation that he had not seen any persons converted after
forty-five. I wished that I had been in his pulpit. I should not have
questioned his statements, but I would have overlaid them with others
of another character. Surely this Brother had been living in some
minute hamlet or other, or else he had never preached the Gospel, in
its fullness, to every creature! Perhaps he did not believe in the
conversion of the aged and, consequently, no aged persons were
converted by his means. I have seen as many people converted of one age
as another–that is to say, in proportion to the number of them–for
there are not so many people in the world over 50 as there are under 50
and, consequently, a large proportion of those persons who make up our
congregations are young.
We have in our regular gatherings a fair number of all ages. And as to
the additions to the Church, I have noticed that there is about the
same proportion of very young children as of very old men and women. We
have baptized, upon profession of faith, men and women over 80 years of
age, about whose conversion we had as firm a conviction as we had about
the conversions of the little ones–neither more nor less. Who shall
dare say that there is an age after which God's Grace does not work? I
challenge anyone to bring a text which looks that way! Furthermore, I
challenge the truth of any observations which arrive at such a result.
My own preaching has been such that young and old in equal proportions
have attended it and in equal proportions they have been saved. However
old you may be, my Master bids me say to you, "him that comes to Me I
will by no means cast out."
Come along, come along, dear old Friend, though you cannot come without
your cane! Come along, though your eyes are failing–come in your
spectacles! Though you cannot do much for my Master, He can do
everything for you! Though you have only a little time to live on
earth, you will have all eternity in Heaven through which you can
praise Him! I am sure you will be one of the most eager at that work. I
think you will be like an old woman of my acquaintance. When I spoke to
her about her conversion at an advanced age, she said, "Sir, if the
Lord Jesus Christ ever does save such a poor old sinner as I am, He
shall never hear the last of it." That is just why I want Him to save
you–for then He will never hear the last of it! You will praise Him
forever and forever for what He has done for you! Will you not?
Oh, my dear Hearers, come to Jesus! Come in the morning when the dew is
on your branch, for He will not cast you out. Come in the heat of noon,
when the drought of care parches you–and He will not cast you out.
Come when the shadows have grown long and the darkness of the night is
gathering about you, for He will not cast you out! The door is not
shut, for the gate of Mercy closes not, so long as the gate of Life is
open! Oh, fly to Christ and find mercy, now!
Once again, dear Friends, I want you to notice in my text the blessed
certainty of this salvation. "Him that comes to Me I will by no means
cast out." Two or three negatives in the Greek language make a negation
stronger, though they would have no such effect in the English tongue.
It is a very strong negative here. "Him that comes to Me I will not not
cast out," or, "I will never never cast out." As much as to say–On no
account, or for no reason, or on no pretence, or from no motive
whatever will I ever, in time or in eternity, cast out the soul that
comes to Me. That is how it stands–a
declaration of absolute certainty from which there can be no escaping!
What a blessed thing it is to get your foot on certainties!
Certain preachers, who are much cried up nowadays, are very uncertain
preachers, for they do not, themselves, know what they will be
propounding tomorrow! They make their creed as they go along and a very
poor one it is when they make it. I believe in something sure and
certain, namely, in Infallible Scripture and that which the Lord has
written therein, never to be altered while the world stands. My text is
certain as the Truth of Christ Jesus and if we have ever seen that
beautiful face of His, we could not distrust Him! Can your imagination
picture, for a minute, the ever-blessed face of the Son of God? Could
you look into that face and suspect Him of a lie? And when He says,
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believes in Me has everlasting
life," the saying must be true! If you believe in Him, you have
everlasting life!
When He says, "him that comes to Me I will never never cast out," the
declaration must be true. He never, never, can cast you out, whoever
you may be, however long you may live, or whatever else may happen–if
you but come to Him! There are plenty of reasons, apparently, why He
should cast you out, but He has knocked them all on the head by saying,
"I will by no means cast out!" That is, "In no way, and under no
pretext, will I ever cast out a soul that comes to Me." Now, if Christ
does not cast us out, then He receives us–and if He receives us, we
are received into the heart of God! We are received into eternal life
and, by-and-by, we shall be received into everlasting blessedness! Oh,
the joy of my text, in that it is so certain!
So I shall close here, dear Friends, with just a word or two of further
encouragement by noticing the personality of my text, for in this, a
part of the liberality consists. Do you observe that the first part of
the text began with, "All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me"?
Yes, but when Christ began to deal with sinners with broken hearts, He
dropped the, "all," and every form of general statement, and He came to
the personal singular pronoun –"him that comes to Me I will by no
means cast out." Now, herein He meant to say to everyone in this Hall,
"Ifyou come to Me, I will not cast you out." It is not, "If you and
another come," for, if so, it would be put in the plural–"If you
come." But it is, "him that comes." You alone! Your servant alone! Your
child alone! But specially yourself alone–if YOU come to the Lord
Jesus, He will not cast you out!
You cannot doubt this. Come, then, my dear Hearers, believe your
Savior! I am not talking, tonight, to persons who doubt the veracity of
the Son of God. I am not talking to persons who think Christ a liar.
You know that He would receiveyou if you would come. Then, why do you
not come? But you mean to come, do you, by-and-by? Then why not now?
What is it that holds you back? How dare you delay! Will you be alive
next week? How can you be sure of a day, or an hour? When money is to
be given away, I do not find that persons generally delay to receive
it, and say, "I should rather have it next year." No, they say, "A bird
in the hand is worth two in the bush."
Oh, to have Christ in the hand and to get Him now! And why not now? Is
it because you really do not understand what it is to receive Him, or
to believe in Him? It is, indeed, the simplest thing in the world–and
that is the only reason why it is so difficult! It is so exceedingly
simple that men cannot believe that it can be as we put it. Indeed, it
is so! Faith is simply to trust Christ! And trusting Christ brings with
it the new life and salvation from sin. I sometimes put it in Watt's
way —
"A guilty, weak, and helpless worm, On Christ's kind arms I fall."
But after I had once been preaching, a young man said to me, "Sir, I
cannot fall." "Oh dear," I said, "then I do not know how to talk; for I
meant not a thing you could do, but the cessation of all your efforts!
Just falling, or if you will see it better, just tumbling down–because
you cannot stand upright." Because I cannot save myself, I fall into
Christ's arms. Ceasing to hold to anything of my own, I just drop upon
Him. "Still," you say, "there must be something more than that."
There is nothing more than that! If you believe that Jesus is the
Christ, you are born of God. "He that believes and is baptized shall be
saved, but he that believes not shall be damned." "He that with his
heart believes, and with his mouth makes confession of Him, shall be
saved." "Oh, but I must–I must–I must do something mysterious, or
feel something which at present is far beyond me." Thus you call God a
liar and put away from you eternal life! Have you never read the story
of the good ship that had been a long time at sea and the captain had
lost his reckoning? He drifted up the mouth of the great Amazon River
and, after he had been sailing for a long time up the river without
knowing that he was in a river at all, they ran short of water.
When another vessel was seen, they signaled her, and when they got near
enough for speaking they cried, "Water! We are dying for water!" They
were greatly surprised when the answer came back, "Dip it up! Dip it
up! You are in a river. It is all around you." They had nothing to do
but to fling a bucket overboard and have as much water as they liked!
And here are poor souls crying out, "Lord, what must I do to be saved?"
when the great work is done and all that remains for them is to receive
the free gift of eternal life! What must you do? You have done enough
for one lifetime, for you have undone yourself by your doing! That is
not the question! It is, "Lord, what have You done?" And the answer is,
"It is finished! I have done it all. Only come and trust Me."
Sinner, you are in a river of Grace and mercy! Over with the bucket,
man! And drink to the full, for you will never exhaust the stream of
Grace. A river is free to every dog that runs along the bank–every cow
that stands by the river may drink to the full! So is the mercy of God
free to every sinner, be he who he may, that does but come to Jesus!
That river runs near to you tonight! Stoop down, you thirsty ones, and
drink and live! But you say, "I must feel different from what I do
now." You need not come with your bad feelings. "Oh, I have not yet a
broken heart," says one. Come to Christ and He will break your heart.
"But I do not feel my need as I ought." Come to Christ and He will help
you to feel your need. "Oh, but I am nobody!" You are the very person
that Christ delights in, for to you He will be everybody!
Do you see that beautiful tree in the orchard loaded with fruit? It is
a pear tree. From top to bottom it is covered with fruit. I think I
never saw such a sight–every branch is bowing down. Some boughs are
ready to break with the luscious burden. As I listen to the creaking
boughs, I can hear the tree speak. What does it say? It says, "Baskets,
baskets, baskets! Bring baskets!" Now, then, who has a basket? "I have
one," cries yonder friend, "but it is of no use, for there is nothing
in it." Bring it here, man! That is the very kind of basket the tree
needs! A person over there says, "Oh, I have a basket–a splendid
basket. It is just the thing. It is full from top to bottom."
You may keep your basket to yourself. It is of no use to my loaded
tree. Where is there an empty basket? Who has an empty basket? Come
along with you! Come and pick from the tree as long as you like. Bring
all your baskets. Bring thousands and thousands of baskets, all empty,
and fill them all! Do you notice as we fill the baskets that the fruit
begins to multiply? There is more when we have filled the baskets than
there was at first, for this inexhaustible tree produces more and more
fruit, as fast as we pluck from it. What is wanted by the Lord Jesus is
an empty soul to receive out of the fullness which God has treasured up
in Him!
God bless every one of you, for His name's sake. Amen.
LETTER FROM MR. SPURGEON
DEAR FRIENDS–It is with very sincere regret that I find myself obliged
to prolong my absence. I have been exceedingly full of pain and have
been very much a prisoner to my room, or I should have returned upon
the appointed day. The deacons judged it better for me to remain till I
could recover and certainly there is a far better hope for a man here
in the sunshine than in a London fog. I rejoice to say that I already
feel much better. Though I cannot quite maintain the erect figure which
is becoming an upright man, yet the pains of lumbago are less acute
than they were. I am full of confidence that I shall soon be well, in
answer to your prayers. My heart is at home. I long to be preaching
Christ and winning souls. May your work be blessed while I am silenced.
Innumerable are the forms of your holy activity–may the Holy Spirit
fill them all with His power. I send my love to all who are in Christ
Jesus. As for those who are not in Him–what shall I say? No blessing
can come to the soul which refuses the Lord Jesus. May there be none
such among us. Wishing you a glorious Sabbath, I am your willing but
suffering Pastor. C. H. SPURGEON Mentone, France January 17, 1884