DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, AUGUST 7, 1870,
BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
"Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how
much evil he has done to Your saints at Jerusalem: and here he has
authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on Your name.
But the Lord said unto him, Go your way: for he is a chosen vessel unto
Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of
Israel: for I will show him how great things he must suffer for My
name's sake." Acts 9:13-16.
THE conversion of Saul of Tarsus was one of the most remarkable facts
in Christian history. Perhaps there has never happened an event of
equal importance since the days of Pentecost. It was important as a
testimony to the power and Truth of the Gospel. When such a man, so
violently opposed, so intelligent and well-instructed, could be
converted to the faith of the Nazarene by the appearance of the Lord
from Heaven, it was a testimony alike to the fact of our Lord's
Resurrection, and to the power of His Word.
Paul also occupied a high place among the defenders of the faith when
the Gospel had to struggle for a footing against Judaism and
philosophy. Being well-versed in the Scriptures of the Old Testament
and in the traditions of the Jews, and possessing great argumentative
powers, he became a leading apologist for the faith. In the synagogues
and the schools he overthrew those who opposed the doctrines of Jesus.
In addition to this, the conversion of the Apostle Paul gave a great
impetus to the missionary spirit of the Christian Church. Here he shone
preeminently.
Into what lands did he not carry the Gospel? Ordained to be the Apostle
of the uncircumcision, he proclaimed in the utmost ends of the earth
the name of Jesus Christ. The Apostle, moreover, as a writer takes the
highest place in the Christian canon. It pleased God to select this
most remarkable man to be the medium of Inspiration by whose writings
we should receive the most thorough and complete exhibition of the
Gospel of the Grace of God. Turn to the New Testament and see with
astonishment how large a space is occupied by the letters of one first
called Saul of Tarsus, but afterwards Paul, the servant of Jesus
Christ.
It is a matter of fact that Paul not only directed the energy of the
Christian Church of his own day, but he shaped its mode of action. In
addition he so toned the thought of the Christian world that to this
moment I suppose he exercises, under God, a greater influence over the
theology of Christendom than any other man. We claim him as the great
Apostle of the Doctrines of Grace. Heading a line of teachers, among
whom Augustine and Calvin stand conspicuous, he remains unrivalled as
"a wise master-builder." Even the things hard to be understood which he
was not afraid to grapple with have continued to have their effect upon
Christian theology.
The Pauline mark will never be erased from the page of Church history.
That, however, is not my business this morning. I would rather remind
you that the conversion of the Apostle Paul was, in itself,
instructive. It was not only operative upon the Church, but as a
narrative it is instructive to us. We are not to look upon it as a
strange phenomenon to be only gazed upon, and wondered at–it is a
lesson book for all time. It contains a world of teaching within it,
and principally teaching upon this point–the fact of the Divine
interposition in the Church of God.
God has been pleased by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe. This is the era of instrumentality– Christ bids His disciples
go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. And it
is by the communication of one earnest heart to another that men are
usually converted. Such, however, was not the way by which Paul was
converted. He was called into the Church by an interposition of the
living Christ out of Heaven, speaking directly to his soul. And we
doubt not that the same Jesus has still His own ways of reaching human
hearts when human instrumentality is not available.
Paul's conversion is a type, or as our version reads it, a pattern, and
it is natural to believe that the pattern has been copied. I shall look
upon his conversion as being typical of some others that have occurred,
and that will occur till the last hour of the Christian dispensation.
Certain men will be brought to God not by manifest instrumentality, but
more secret means. The Church has reason to believe that while she
industriously uses all the power committed to her, there will be
interpositions of a power far higher than her own which will work for
her great successes and bring to her great additions of strength.
While Barak fights below, the stars in Heaven shall also fight against
Sisera. That is the point I want to speak upon, this morning, for the
glory of God, and the encouragement of any desponding spirits among us.
I. Our first thought shall be, this morning, THERE ARE OTHER PRODUCTIVE
FORCES AT WORK FOR THE CHURCH BESIDES HER TEACHING. Her teaching is her
main source of growth. She is to look to the instruction that she can
give through her members, and her ministers, for the birth of most of
her sons and daughters. But she is also to remember that there are
other forces at work over and above these appointed agencies. The
mountain is full of horses of fire and chariots of fire round about the
Gospel.
And, first, let me remind you of what may be expected from the work of
the Holy Spirit in the Church of Christ. All the success of the Church
comes through Him. That blessed Person of the Divine Trinity in Unity
is pleased to give power to the Truth of God whereby it operates upon
the hearts and consciences of men. It is not to that point, however,
that I draw your attention. I would ask you a question: Have we not
reason to expect that the Holy Spirit will occasionally display His
power, by working apart from the ordinary agencies of the Church?
It is certain that the Holy Spirit can act directly upon the minds of
men apart from human agency, for He has often done so in past ages. He
can, if it so pleases Him, melt the stubborn heart, subdue the obdurate
will, and purify the depraved affections. And though I believe He never
works apart from the Truth and the things of Christ, yet He can do all
this while acting altogether apart from any human teaching. There have
been many cases of the kind. We have heard of persons at their labor
who have not been accustomed to attend the house of God, nor of reading
religious books–and yet in the middle of their work they have been
filled with penitent and devout thoughts–and have suddenly commenced
an altogether new life.
We have known cases of persons not engaged in lawful pursuits, but
intending to perpetrate vice, who have, nevertheless, found the power
of God to be greater over them than the power of their corrupt
affections. They have been struck with certain reflections which they
had never recognized before, have paused, and have been led to turn
altogether in another direction. They have, in fact, become believers
in Christ and men of holy and ardent lives.
Why should not the Holy Spirit do so still? If He pleases to employ us,
it is to His honor to work by such poor instruments, but if He shall
please occasionally to do without us, it is also to His honor, and I
may add it is equally to our satisfaction. For we delight that He
should display His power. We have reason to expect that He will so work
sometimes, and this is one of the forces which may work apart from
instrumentality.
Think again, my Brethren, of the intercession of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. Most potent in Heaven is the plea of Him who here on
earth offered Atonement for the sins of His people. For Zion's sake He
does not hold His peace, and for Jerusalem's sake He does not rest. Nor
will He till His Glory shall fill all the earth, and His elect bride
shall share there. Now our Lord Jesus Christ not only prays for those
whom we pray for, but He prays for those we never thought of praying
for.
There are some whom He mentions before the Eternal Throne whom we have
never mentioned. They have never yet been observed by any interceding
Christian, whose cases have never impressed a single godly heart. Yet
Jesus knows them–and He does cry to God for them, and shall there not
come to them Grace in due season? Yes, my Brethren, I rejoice in this,
that where through ignorance or through the narrowness of my charity,
my prayer has never stretched itself, the prayer of the great High
Priest who wears the Urim and Thummim can yet reach, and the salvation
of God shall come to such.
I doubt not Jesus might well have said to Paul, "I have prayed for you,
and therefore you shall be Mine," and in many other cases the same is
true. The intercession of our Lord is a mighty power, and as it wins
gifts for men, yes, for the rebellious also, Apostles, and preachers,
and teachers, are called forth by Divine Grace. Not our colleges, our
coun-
cils, our societies, or our conferences, but the intercession of Jesus
is the mainstay of our strength–the secret cause of the calling of men
into the mystery of the Gospel.
Think, too, of another force, the result of which is not altogether
expended in connection with manifest instrumentality. I mean the daily
and incessant intercession of the faithful in all places. Of course,
this intercession brings success to instrumentality, the work of the
Church would be nothing without it–true prayer is true power. But
there are prayers, I doubt not, which go up to Heaven but are not
offered in connection with any particular agency, and are not answered
through any manifest instrumentality.
There are groanings which cannot be uttered for the general cause, for
the regeneration of the elect, for the Glory of the Redeemer in which
we appeal directly to God, and look for Him to rend the heavens and
arise in His might–such prayers most probably have a reply after their
own likeness. The prayers of the Church come down in a great measure,
as I have said, upon instrumentality, but they also drop, I doubt not,
on solitary and uncultivated places. The prayers of God's Church are
like the clouds which ascend from the sea, as the sun shines on the
waves–they fall on the fields which have been sown by man, but they
also drop upon the pastures of the wilderness–and the little hills
rejoice on every side.
Who shall say that Saul's conversion was not traceable to the prayer of
Stephen, when, as he expired, he said, "Lord, lay not this sin to their
charge"? Yet there was no distinct connection between the two such as
could be defined and described. Who shall say that the gatherings in
Jerusalem for earnest prayer may not have had about them power with God
for the conversion of the persecutors, the dread of whom may have made
them more earnest in supplication? Yet we do not see the same
connecting link as between the famous Prayer Meeting in the house of
John Mark's mother, and the escape of Peter from prison.
Pray on, Beloved Brethren, for though there should seem to be no
connection between your prayers and the salvation of the sons of men,
yet this shall be one of the forces in operation which shall not spend
itself in vain. God will be pleased, in answer to humble and unknown
pleaders, to bring out His own hidden ones.
Then remember there is another impalpable, but very potent force–the
aroma of the Truth of God in the world. The Truth is mainly spread by
plain earnest statements of it, but there is also a savor in Truth, an
inherent perfume, whereby even in our silence it spreads itself. Paul
declared that where he had preached the Gospel he was a sweet savor of
God, both in them that were saved and in them that perished. The Gospel
is like myrrh, and cassia, and aloes. It will make itself felt even
where it is not sought after. Place some Oriental perfume in a room and
all the air will be loaded with its sweetness.
Where the Gospel of Jesus Christ comes, it impregnates the social
atmosphere, it permeates society, it has an effect far beyond its local
habitation. I do not doubt that many men who have not yet bowed before
the Deity of Christ have unconsciously learned much from Him, and what
they perhaps think to be their own is but a blessed plagiarism from the
Jesus of Nazareth. Even the philosophies of men have been all the more
sober, and the laws of men all the gentler, because of the existence of
the Gospel.
Men cannot live in the midst of Christians, and yet altogether shut out
the influence of Christianity. There is a lavender field over yonder,
and though a man may hate the smell of it, and block up his windows and
keep his doors closed, somehow or other, he may count on it, when the
wind blows in the right direction, the perfume will reach him. And so
it is here–if a man will not listen to the preaching of the Gospel, if
he constantly neglects attendance upon the means of Grace–yet for all
that, the kingdom of Heaven has come near to him. And in some form or
other the angel of mercy will frequently cross his path.
May we not hope for results from these influences? May not these things
be the thin end of the wedge which shall be driven home by Divine force
until the sinner is divided from his sins? I feel sure it is so in
cases numberless. For we may say of the Gospel as David did of the sun,
"His going forth is from the end of the Heaven, and his circuit unto
the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof."
Further, remember there is at work in the world, wherever there are
Believers, the influence of Christian life and of Christian death.
Christian life wields a mighty power. Wherever the Christian acts up to
his profession, and the Grace within him shines forth in holiness,
those who observe him take knowledge of him that he has been with
Jesus. And as example speaks more loudly than precept, we may look for
very marked results. The eloquence of Christian holiness is more potent
for conversion than all the speaking of Christian orators–may we not
therefore hope for converts by it?
So, too, there are secret forces in every real Christian's death. When
the ungodly man stands at the bedside and sees a Christian die singing
in holy triumph, there may not be a word addressed to him–the dying
Christian may be so absorbed in Heaven that he may scarcely have a
thought of the sinner who is looking on–but that happy death will be a
potent agency to arouse, to attract, to win the heart for Christ Jesus.
Besides that, my Brethren, we ought never to forget that all the work
of God in Providence is on the side of those who fight for the Gospel
of Jesus.
I might truly say of the Church that the stones of the field are in
league with her, and the beasts of the field are at peace with her, for
all things work her good. Sickness, when it stalks through the land, is
a powerful preacher to the unthinking masses. We have seen men
impressed, in years of cholera, who despised religion before. We have
marked them listening to us with attention when a disease has humbled
them. When death has come into the house, and the dear babe has died,
it has frequently happened that ears were opened which never heard the
Gospel before. And hearts were impressed that were hard as iron until
the fire of affliction melted them.
I believe Death himself to be an able ally of a faithful minister. The
funerals which break men's hearts with natural sorrow are often
overruled for the breaking of their hearts in a spiritual sense, also,
so that oftentimes there are brought to Jesus, by the death of beloved
ones, men who, to all human appearance, would otherwise have been lost.
Have courage, you that fight for Christ–disease and death itself shall
be overruled to help you. Physical calamities and catastrophes shall
subdue the rebellious spirits of men, and you, then, stepping in with
consolation, shall find a welcome for the Gospel.
As God sent the hornet before his conquering Israel to overthrow the
Canaanites, so does He send Providences to work together, for our help,
that the Truth may prevail. Providence, like the angel at the
sepulcher, rolls away the stone for us. It makes straight in the desert
a highway for God. It is the Elijah which clears the way for the coming
Savior.
In addition to this, I must not fail to remind you that every man has a
conscience. And though conscience is sadly impaired, it still leans to
the right side. Conscience is not perfect, though some assert it to be
so. In common with all the faculties of man it was disarranged by the
Fall, and conscience is therefore no infallible judge of right and
wrong. Still, for all that, half-blinded as it is, it yet knows which
is light and which is darkness. And though it puts bitter for sweet,
and sweet for bitter, still in the violence which it puts upon itself,
it reveals an inner sense as yet undestroyed.
Still is it a fact that even those who have not the Law, "are a Law
unto themselves: which show the work of the Law written in their
hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the
meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another." The right awakens
still an echo in man's bosom. The pure, the good, the true still may
count on recognition from the glimmering moral sense within. To the
preacher this is a fact full of hope, and he ought not to forget it.
See then, that over and above our work which ought to be constant,
incessant, intense, we have the Holy Spirit at work. We have Christ
pleading. We have the whole company of the faithful sending up their
perpetual intercessions. We have the blessed savor of the Truth of God
spreading itself abroad. We have the evidence and power of holy living
and triumphant dying. We have the wheels of Providence revolving, and
the consciences of men made to yield an acquiescence to the Truth of
God. I have thus very hurriedly run over a very extensive range of
consideration.
II. Secondly, reflect, my Brethren, that FROM THESE SOURCES WE MAY
EXPECT REMARKABLE CONVERSIONS. We expect to see the major part of
conversion through the daily instruction given to the children of
Christian people, through the constant preaching of the Gospel, the
distribution of religious literature, and the direct efforts of the
followers of Christ. But over and above all this, we have a right to
expect remarkable conversions from the less manifest sources of which I
have spoken.
As in the case of Saul, these conversions will bring to us persons
formerly violently opposed to the Truth through prejudice. In Paul we
see a man opposed to Christ not because he was opposed to the Truth of
God, but because he thought that Jesus was not the Messiah. He
worshipped God, the God of his fathers, with a fervent heart–and
because he conceived that Jesus of Nazareth claimed to be what He was
not–he hunted down His disciples to the death.
Once convinced that he was wrong, he followed the right at once. And we
may hope that interpositions will occur in which the Holy Spirit will
enlighten the darkness of men who are honest in their darkness, and
that they, seeing the light, will embrace the Gospel and bow before our
King. Be that a subject of your prayers. I doubt not there are to be
found, this day, devoted to an evil cause, men who nevertheless would
not willfully choose what they knew to be error. They are devoted to it
because in their ignorance they sincerely believe it to be true.
Many a heretic has died for his heresy, believing it to be the very
Truth of God. Our prayers should be that these men who would do right
if they but knew it, may receive the blessed help of Him who is the
light of the world, and may be brought to see in His light the true
light. In such cases I should hope for their enlightenment. They are
seeking goodly pearls, and I trust they will find the Pearl of Great
Price. He who has made them honest and good ground will, we trust, sow
them with good seed.
We may expect, too, from these sources, the conversion of persons who
have been doing much mischief to the good cause, and who are resolved
to do still more. Does not Ananias put it so? "He has done great evil
to the Church at Jerusalem, and here he has authority to bind all who
call on Your name." Yes, but do not despair of a man because he is
industriously opposed. Do not despair of him even because he is
furious. Anything is better than to slumber in indifference. Provoke a
man by the Gospel till he gnashes his teeth at you and he is none the
less likely to be converted.
Preach to him till he says, "He plays well upon a goodly instrument, he
makes sweet sounds to charm my ears," and you will probably lull him
into everlasting destruction. I love to see men rather aroused to
oppose, than made to acquiesce, because they care not whether the
Gospel is true or false. We may expect the Lord to arrest the chief
ones among His enemies, for it will glorify Him.
These sources will probably produce converts from among those who are
beyond the reach of ordinary ministries. We sometimes regret that the
voice of a thoroughly faithful ministry is seldom heard in the courts
of kings, and that there is little hope of the Gospel's reaching the
great ones of the earth. No, but for all that, the Lord can reach those
whom we cannot reach. He can in life or in the dying hour come to the
hearts of men whose ears were never reached by any testifier to the
Truth, and He can bring them yet to His feet. He is able of these
stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Paul would not have heard a preacher of Christ. He would have hurried
him to prison, but never have listened to him. There was no likelihood
of Saul's conversion by ordinary means. He would not stop to examine
any documents had they been offered to him. Apologists for Christ he
would have rejected with scorn–but the Lord has a way where we have
none–and He calls whom He will by His own Sovereign power.
We may expect persons who shall be converted by these causes to become
very earnest. A man who feels that God has had singular mercy upon him
feels that being much loved, and having had much forgiven, he must
render much service. If I have been brought to Christ in the Sunday
school, or after habitual listening to the Truth, I am a great debtor
to the mercy of God. But the probabilities are that I shall not be so
much impressed with my indebtedness as I ought to be. But if I have
been quite out of the way, as it were, in the wilderness of sin, and
yet the voice of the Lord that breaks the cedars of Lebanon has sounded
in my ears–then I shall glorify that voice–and glorifying it
consecrate myself to the God who uttered it.
Such men, too, become profoundly evangelical. I trace Paul's exceeding
evangelism to the fact that he was so remarkably converted. He could
not be content with the surface of Truth–he dived into the depths of
Grace and Sovereignty. He saw in himself the boundless power, the
infinite mercy, the absolute Sovereignty of God. And therefore he bare
witness more clearly than any other to these Divine attributes. He
spoke of election, and predestination, and the deep things of God. Who
but he could have written the ninth of Romans, or the Epistle to the
Galatians?
Courage, then, my Brothers and Sisters–the noble minds will yet be
engaged in the service of our Master. They tell us that the power of
Popery spreads in the land, that everywhere men are going back to the
old falsehoods from which they once were delivered. We are told that we
are to be ground down again beneath the iron wheels of superstition.
And on the other hand, we hear that infidelity and skepticism spread
themselves like a plague over the land. Be not afraid. God will convert
the priests and convince the infidel demagogue. You need not fear. The
leaders on the enemy's side shall yet be champions in our Master's
army.
Reckon not your feeble bands. Count not the timid soldiers already
enlisted. Say not, "How few we are and how weak!" You know not where
the Lord's hidden warriors are, nor what chief among the mighties He
has concealed. They are not merely hidden among the stuff of
worldliness, but they are there, in open hostility to His Cross and
Crown–the mightiest warriors against Christ. Some of these shall,
through conquering Grace, become the servants of God. Can you not
believe it? Have you no faith in Jesus Christ? Believing it, will you
not pray for it? Praying for it, will you not expect
it? All things are possible to him that believes. Above all, everything
is possible to the might of the eternal God and His ever-blessed
Spirit. We must say no more on that, but pass on to a third reflection.
III. THIS OCCASIONAL SINKING OF INSTRUMENTALITY ANSWERS ADMIRABLE ENDS.
It might be
thought to be a dangerous thing that sometimes God should work in Grace
apart from man. I mean dangerous to the industry of the Church, for
some are always ready enough to clutch at excuses for leaving God's
work alone. And there are always certain indolent spirits who would
gladly say, "Let God do His own work, it can be accomplished without
us, we therefore may be excused."
These men know better. They know the falsehood of their talk. It were
not worth the Master's while to confute them, their own hearts condemn
them. There are admirable reasons for the Lord's sole working–for,
first, these interpositions disclose the Presence of the living Christ.
We, too, often forget the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and yet the
power of the Church lies in Christ. He is the Wisdom of God, and the
Power of God. Some may remember Jesus, but not in His present Personal
Character.
In the Roman Catholic Church its power over devout minds lies in no
small degree in the fact that the Person of Christ is much spoken of,
loved, and reverenced. But mark well that you seldom see the Christ of
the Romish Church in any but two attitudes. As a rule, either He is a
babe in His mother's arms, or else He is dead–scarcely ever is He set
forth by them as the living King, Head, and Lord. In both of those
first aspects let Him be reverenced, let the incarnate God and the
dying Savior have your hearts. But there is another fact to be borne in
mind, and that is that He ever lives! That Church which, not forgetting
His birth, nor His sacrifice, yet most clearly recognizes that He still
lives, is the Church that shall win the day.
We must have a living Head to the Church, we cannot do without one. Men
will assuredly invent a living head on their own account, if they
overlook the living Christ. They will find some priest or other whom
they would gladly gird with the attributes of Deity, and set up as the
Vicar of Christ. But we have a living Christ, and when He is pleased to
appear to any man by His Spirit–I speak not of miraculous appearances,
but of other direct operations of His Spirit upon the spirits of
men–when He reveals Himself apart from instrumentality to man, then
the Church discovers yet, again, that He is in her midst fulfilling His
promise–"Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world."
Still the Lord Jesus walks among the golden candlesticks and exerts a
living force in the hearts and consciences of men–and He would have us
remember this.
Further, dear Friends, these interpositions tend to remind the Church
of the supernatural agency of the Holy Spirit. The tendency nowadays is
to expunge the supernatural, to bring everything down to the rule of
reason, and the denial of faith. But for all that, there is a Holy
Spirit. Rest assured that that doctrine of the creed, "I believe in the
Holy Spirit," is a matter of reality. I am as certain that there is a
Holy Spirit as that I live, for unto my spirit He has spoken, and I
have come into contact with Him. I know that there are men's minds, for
those minds have affected me. I know also that there is an Eternal
Spirit, for He has affected my spirit, and I speak concerning Him what
I know, and testify what I have seen. In proportion as that Truth is
made clear to the Church by her personal experience, by the Spirit's
moving where He wishes, and working Divine wonders, the Church will be
girt with power from on High.
This, too, tends to unveil many of the Divine attributes. Men so
remarkably converted are sure to display the Sovereignty of God. "I
will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion," is an utterance which rolls like
thunder over the head of Paul when he sinks amidst the blaze of the
light from Heaven. God is saving whom He wills, for He stops the
persecutor in the fury of his rage. There, too, was seen God's power.
There might have been heard as a thunderclap from Heaven, "Power
belongs unto God," when down fell Saul, wounded beneath the arrows of
the Prince of Peace. There, too, was seen Divine Grace. Paul looked
upon himself as the fairest pattern of God's longsuffering, obtaining
mercy, though he had persecuted the Church of God. The very chief of
sinners, and yet made not a whit behind the chief of the Apostles.
And so these remarkable conversions aid very much the faith of the
Church. When she is beginning to droop and to sink, when holy men fancy
that at least, for awhile, the cause must wither, and even the bravest
spirits wait rather than press forward–then it is that these
remarkable conversions come in and inspirit the whole band–and they
take courage and march to the victory with willing footsteps!
And this also startles and impresses the world. What does the world
know of the conversion of those who have sat in these pews ever since
they were children? What does the world care about the faith of those
who, happily for themselves, were led to Jesus from their youth? But
let some gross blasphemer weep the tear of penitence. Let some bold
persecutor preach the faith which once he sought to destroy, and the
whole city hears of it! The land is astonished and in proportion God is
glorified, and the power of His Grace is manifested.
Thus, you see, there are good reasons for the Lord thus working. He may
do as He wills. He will have us see that He does not need us. He may,
if He pleases, use us. It is His rule to do so, and we are to work
knowing that to be the rule. But we must adore, and admire, and bless
Him that sometimes, putting us aside, He puts His own bare arm to the
work. Thus His glorious right arm is exalted, for the right hand of the
Lord does valiantly.
IV. We shall now come to our fourth point, and draw towards a close.
ALL THIS BY NO MEANS LOWERS THE
VALUE OF INSTRUMENTALITY. It is not so intended, and only stupidity
would so interpret it. For, first, such cases are rare, very much rarer
than conversions by the agency of the Church. One Saul is struck to the
earth, only one. But Peter preaches at Pentecost, and three thousand
are pricked in their hearts. See the difference in numbers!
The preaching of the Gospel is God's way of converting–His usual and
general way. "Since all His paths drop fatness," it is especially so
with this path of the ministration of the Truth by an earnest heart to
other hearts. One Paul, I say, one Paul on the road to Damascus–but
three thousand saved by the preaching of the word by Peter. I read of
one Colonel Gardner who, on the very night he was about to commit a
great sin saw, or fancied he saw, the appearance of our Lord, and heard
the words, "I have done all this for you, what have you done for Me?"
There is one such case–only one–I believe most certainly a true case.
But there were fifty thousand, perhaps, in Scotland and in England at
that time who were brought to a knowledge of the Truth by the ordinary
methods of mercy. So the exhibition of special interposing Grace now
and then does not interfere with the regular work of the Church, or
lower our esteem of it. Riding along, I see in the hedgerow a tree with
rich fruit upon it. I am surprised, I do not know how it came there, it
is a very unusual thing to see our garden fruit trees in public
hedgerows. But when I have seen it I do not think any the less of my
neighbor who over yonder is planting fruit trees in his orchard.
That is the ordinary way to get fruit. If now and then a fruit tree
springs up upon the heath, if we are hungry we are glad to pluck the
fruit–we do not know how it got there, and it is of no consequence
that we should know–there is the fruit, and we are glad of it. But
still we do not give up our orchard. Because sometimes a man finds a
shilling, does he give up work? Extraordinary events in nature are
always treated as such, and are not made the rule of everyday action.
Even thus wise men treat unusual displays of Divine power. To forego
regular agency that we may wait for wonders were as idle as to leave
the regular pursuits of commerce to live upon the trash washed up by
the sea.
Remember, next, that these very cases involve human agency somewhere.
Saul is on his way to Damascus, and, lo, he is struck down by the
light, and by a voice from Heaven is converted. But after the three
days of blindness and fasting, how does he get comfort? Does that come
by another voice from Heaven? It might have. But the Lord takes care
that the very instrumentality which is put aside in one place shall be
honored in another, and so Ananias must be sent forth to bless the
penitent.
Ananias was a plain disciple. We do not know that he was either a
preacher or an Evangelist, but a disciple of good repute, living at
Damascus. And he must come and say, "Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus
that appeared unto you in the way, has sent me." So you shall always
find in conversion that there is instrumentality somewhere or other. My
dear Brother, if God is pleased to convert a soul without using you, He
may honor you by employing you to comfort him after conversion.
Conviction may be worked by the Holy Spirit without means, but in the
full decision, in the laying hold on Christ, He may give you
occupation. Somewhere or other God will use you–only be a vessel fit
for the Master's use– and you will not be long out of service.
Further, so far from dishonoring instrumentality, the conversion of
Saul and others of the kind is a provision of a most remarkable
instrumentality. "I have called him"–not to be a singular article for
exhibition–but, "to be a chosen vessel unto Me to bear My name among
the Gentiles." Remarkable converts become themselves the most
indefatigable servants of God. Paul put all the wheels of the Church in
more rapid motion than they ever knew before, and became himself one of
the greatest wheels.
He goes everywhere preaching the Gospel, so that instrumentality is not
silenced, but God helps it to a higher position than before. Was it not
through Paul that men were called into the fellowship and afterwards
into the work of Jesus Christ? Should we ever have heard of such as
Timothy and Titus and others if Paul had not been their spiritual
parent? So that here we have not only a master worker begotten by this
non-instrumental work, but he also begets other workers, and so the
work of God to distant generations receives an impetus from the
conversion of one single man. No, God does not dishonor
instrumentality. If He puts it by for awhile to glorify Himself, He
brings it forward again in due season and makes it brighter and more
fit for His purpose.
Let us adore, dear Friends, in conclusion, the power of the All-Working
God. Let us reverence and worship Him. In our gatherings as Christians,
let us worship Him with whom power still dwells. Let us not look to the
earnestness of that man, or to the wealth of this, to the judgment of a
third, to the eloquence of a fourth–but let us look to Him who has all
power in Heaven and in earth. "Whom having not seen we love," "in whom,
though now we see Him not, yet believing, we rejoice with joy
unspeakable and full of glory."
Let us believe that the Father works up to now and Christ works. Let us
think of Him, who "works all things according to the counsel of His own
will." Let us never be dispirited, but believe that the everlasting
purpose of God will be accomplished–that the success of His Church
will never be in jeopardy–that the onward march of the armies of God
can be in no peril. All flesh shall see the salvation of God. All the
earth shall worship Him, and Christ shall be acknowledged to be God to
the glory of God the Father.
The power to accomplish this is not contained in these poor vessels of
clay, nor limited by the capacities of manhood, nor bounded by the
perceptions of mortals! The arm which is on the side of the Church is
Omnipotent. The mind that works over all for the glorious cause is
infinitely wise and prudent. "Be of good courage, and He shall
strengthen your hearts. Wait, I say, on the Lord." Keep His way,
delight also yourselves in Him, and He shall bring it to pass, and you
shall see that accomplished which you would not have believed though a
man had spoken it unto you. Go on working, there is your sphere. Pray
much that God would work also, for prayer is another part of your
sphere.
Expect God to work, believe that He will surely conquer Satan. Be
confident that evil will not win the day, that error cannot be
permanent, that there will occur Divine surprises which will make the
Church to wonder at what her Lord God can do! In one word, believe, and
you shall be established. Wait upon God and you shall be strong. Never
give way to unbelief. Believe in the unseen. Rest in the invisible.
Have confidence in the Infinite. And the Lord send to us and to all
Christendom a band of men whom He has chosen whom He shall call out as
He did His Apostle–and who shall become the leaders of His Church, and
the conquerors of the world. The Lord grant that some who are here this
morning may be among that elect company. Amen.
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Ripe Fruit