The Condescension of Christ

The Condescension of Christ

A Sermon

(No. 151)

Delivered on Sabbath Morning, September 13, 1857, by the

REV. C.H. SPURGEON

at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens.

"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was
rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty
might be rich"–2 Corinthians 8:9.

THE APOSTLE, in this chapter, was endeavoring to stir up the
Corinthians to liberality. He desired them to contribute something for
those who were the poor of the flock, that he might be able to minister
to their necessities. He tells them, that the churches of Macedonia,
though very much poorer than the church at Corinth, had done even
beyond their means for the relief of the Lords family, and he exhorts
the Corinthians to do the same. But suddenly recollecting that examples
taken from inferiors seldom have a powerful effect, he lays aside his
argument drawn from the church of Macedonia, and he holds before them a
reason for liberality which the hardest heart can scarcely resist, if
once that reason be applied by the Spirit. "My brethren," said he,
"there is One above, by whom you hope you have been saved, One whom you
call Master and Lord, now if you will but imitate him, you can not be
ungenerous or illiberal. For, my brethren, I tell you a thing which is
an old thing with you and an undisputed truth–'For ye know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes
he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.' Let this
constrain you to benevolence." O Christian, whenever thou art inclined
to an avaricious withholding from the church of God, think of thy
Saviour giving up all that he had to serve thee, and canst thou then,
when thou beholdest self-denial so noble,–canst thou then be selfish,
and regard thyself, when the claims of the poor of the flock are
pressed upon thee? Remember Jesus; think thou seest him look thee in
the face and say to thee, "I gave myself for thee, and dost thou
withhold thyself from me? For if thou dost so, thou knowest not my love
in all its heights and depths and lengths and breadths."

And now, dear friends, the argument of the apostle shall be our subject
to-day. It divides itself in an extremely simple manner. We have first,
the pristine condition of our Saviour–"He was rich." We have next, his
condescension–"He became poor." And then we have the effect and result
of his poverty–"That we might be made rich." We shall then close by
giving you a doctrine, a question, and an exhortation. May God bless
all these, and help us to tell them aright.

I. First, then, our text tells us THAT JESUS CHRIST WAS RICH. Think not
that our Saviour began to live when he was born of the Virgin Mary;
imagine not that he dates his existence from the manger at Bethlehem;
remember he is the Eternal, he is before all things, and by him all
things consist. There was never a time in which there was not God. And
just so, there was never a period in which there was not Christ Jesus
our Lord. He is self-existent, hath no beginning of days, neither end
of years; he is the immortal, invisible, the only wise God, our
Saviour. Now, in the past eternity which had elapsed before his mission
to this world, we are told that Jesus Christ was rich; and to those of
us who believe his glories and trust in his divinity, it is not hard to
see how he was so. Jesus was rich in possessions. Lift up thine eye,
believer, and for a moment review the riches of my Lord Jesus, before
he condescended to become poor for thee. Behold him, sitting upon his
throne and declaring his own all-sufficiency. "If I were hungry, I
would not tell thee, for the cattle on a thousand hills are mine. Mine
are the hidden treasures of gold; mine are the pearls that the diver
can not reach; mine every precious thing that earth hath seen." The
Lord Jesus might have said, "I can stretch my scepter from the east
even to the west, and all is mine; the whole of this world, and yon
worlds that glitter in far off space, all are mine. The illimitable
expanse of unmeasured space, filled as it is with worlds that I have
made, all this is mine. Fly upward, and thou canst not reach the summit
of the hill of my dominions; dive downward, and thou canst not enter
into the innermost depths of my sway. From the highest throne in glory
to the lowest pit of hell, all, all is mine without exception. I can
put the broad arrow of my kingdom upon every thing that I have made.

But he had besides that which makes men richer still. We have heard of
kings in olden times who were fabulously rich, and when their riches
were summed up, we read in the old romances, "And this man was
possessed of the philosopher's stone, whereby he turned all things into
gold." Surely all the treasures that he had before were as nothing
compared with this precious stone that brought up the rear. Now,
whatever might be the wealth of Christ in things created, he had the
power of creation, and therein lay his boundless wealth. If he had
pleased he could have spoken worlds into existence; he had but to lift
his finger, and a new universe as boundless as the present would have
leaped into existence. At the will of his mind, millions of angels
would have stood before him, legions of bright spirits would have
flashed into being. He spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it
stood fast. He who said, "Light, be," and light was, had power to say
to all things, "Be," and they should be. Herein then, lay his riches;
this creating power was one of the brightest jewels of his crown.

We call men rich, too, who have honor, and though men have never so
much wealth, yet if they be in disgrace and shame, they must not reckon
themselves among the rich. But our Lord Jesus had honor, honor such as
none but a divine being could receive. When he sat upon his throne,
before he relinquished the glorious mantle of his sovereignty to become
a man, all earth was filled with his glory. He could look both beneath
and all around him, and the inscription, "Glory be unto God," was
written over all space; day and night the smoking incense of praise
ascended before him from golden viols held by spirits who bowed in
reverence; the harps of myriads of cherubim and seraphim continually
thrilled with his praise, and the voices of all those mighty hosts were
ever eloquent in adoration. It may be, that on set days the princes
from the far off realms, the kings, the mighty ones of his boundless
realms, came to the court of Christ, and brought each his annual
revenue. Oh, who can tell but that in the vast eternity, at certain
grand eras, the great bell was rung, and all the mighty hosts that were
created gathered together in solemn review before his throne? Who can
tell the high holiday that was kept in the court of heaven when these
bright spirits bowed before his throne in joy and gladness, and, all
united, raised their voices in shouts and hallelujahs such as mortal
ear hath never heard. Oh, can ye tell the depths of the rivers of
praise that flowed hard by the city of God? Can ye imagine to
yourselves the sweetness of that harmony that perpetually poured into
the ear of Jesus, Messias, King, Eternal, equal with God his Father?
No; at the thought of the glory of his kingdom, and the riches and
majesty of his power, our souls are spent within us, our words fail, we
can not utter the tithe of his glories.

Nor was he poor in any other sense. He that hath wealth on earth, and
honor too, is poor if he hath not love. I would rather be the pauper,
dependent upon charity, and have love, than I would be the prince,
despised and hated, whose death is looked for as a boon. Without love,
man is poor–give him all the diamonds, and pearls, and gold that
mortal hath conceived. But Jesus was not poor in love. When he came to
earth, he did not come to get our love because his soul was solitary.
Oh no, his Father had a full delight in him from all eternity. The
heart of Jehovah, the first person of the Sacred Trinity, was divinely,
immutably linked to him; he was beloved of the Father and of the Holy
Spirit; the three persons took a sacred complacency and delight in each
other. And besides that, how was he loved by those bright spirits who
had not fallen. I can not tell what countless orders and creatures
there are created who still stand fast in obedience to God. It is not
possible for us to know whether there are, or not, as many races of
created beings as we know there are created men on earth. We can not
tell but that in the boundless regions of space, there are worlds
inhabited by beings infinitely superior to us: but certain it is, there
were the holy angels, and they loved our Saviour; they stood day and
night with wings outstretched, waiting for his commands, hearkening to
the voice of his word; and when he bade them fly, there was love in
their countenance, and joy in their hearts. They loved to serve him,
and it is not all fiction that when there was war in heaven, and when
God cast out the devil and his legions, then the elect angels showed
their love to him, being valiant in fight and strong in power. He
wanted not our love to make him happy, he was rich enough in love
without us.

Now, though a spirit from the upper world should come to tell you of
the riches of Jesus he could not do it. Gabriel, in thy flights thou
hast mounted higher than my imagination dares to follow thee, but thou
hast never gained the summit of the throne of God.

"Dark with insufferable light thy skirts appear."

Jesus, who is he that could look upon the brow of thy Majesty, who is
he that could comprehend the strength of the arm of thy might? Thou art
God, thou art infinite, and we poor finite things, are lost in thee.
The insect of an hour can not comprehend thyself. We bow before thee,
we adore thee; thou art God over all, blessed for ever. But as for the
comprehension of thy boundless riches, as for being able to tell thy
treasures, or to reckon up thy wealth, that were impossible. All we
know is, that the wealth of God, that the treasures of the infinite,
that the riches of eternity, were all thine own: thou wast rich beyond
all thought.

II. The Lord Jesus Christ, then, was rich. We all believe that, though
none of us can truly speak it forth. Oh, how surprised angels were,
when they were first informed that Jesus Christ, the Prince of Light
and Majesty, intended to shroud himself in clay and become a babe, and
live and die! We know not how it was first mentioned to the angels, but
when the rumor first began to get afloat among the sacred hosts, you
may imagine what strange wonderment there was. What! was it true that
he whose crown was all bedight with stars, would lay that crown aside?
What! was it certain that he about whose shoulders was cast the purple
of the universe, would become a man dressed in a peasants garment?
Could it be true that he who was everlasting and immortal would one day
be nailed to a cross? Oh! how their wonderment increased! They desired
to look into it. And when he descended from on high, they followed him;
for Jesus was "seen of angels," and seen in a special sense, for they
looked upon him in rapturous amazement, wondering what it all could
mean. "He for our sakes became poor." Do you see him as on that day of
heaven's eclipse he did ungird his majesty? Oh, can ye conceive the yet
increasing wonder of the heavenly hosts when the deed was actually
done, when they saw the tiara taken off, when they saw him unbind his
girdle of stars, and cast away his sandals of gold? Can ye conceive it,
when he said to them, "I do not disdain the womb of the virgin; I am
going down to earth to become a man?" Can ye picture them as they
declared they would follow him! Yes, they followed him as near as the
world would permit them. And when they came to earth they began to
sing, "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward
men." Nor would they go away till they had made the shepherds wonder,
and till heaven had hung out new stars in honor of the new-born King.
And now wonder, ye angels, the Infinite has become an infant; he, upon
whose shoulders the universe doth hang, hangs at his mothers breast; he
who created all things, and bears up the pillars of creation, hath now
become so weak that he must be carried by a woman! And oh, wonder, ye
that knew him in his riches, whilst ye admire his poverty! Where sleeps
the new-born King? Had he the best room in Caesar's palace? hath a
cradle of gold been prepared for him, and pillows of down, on which to
rest his head? No, where the ox fed, in the dilapidated stable, in the
manger, there the Saviour lies, swathed in the swaddling bands of the
children of poverty! Nor there doth he rest long; on a sudden his
mother must carry him to Egypt; he goeth there, and becometh a stranger
in a strange land. When he comes back, see him that made the worlds
handle the hammer and the nails, assisting his father in the trade of a
carpenter! Mark him who has put the stars on high, and made them
glisten in the night; mark him without one star of glory upon his
brow–a simple child, as other children. Yet, leave for a while the
scenes of his childhood and his earlier life; see him when he becomes a
man, and now ye may say, indeed, that for our sakes he did become poor.
Never was there a poorer man than Christ; he was the prince of poverty.
He was the reverse of Croesus–he might be on the top of the hill of
riches, Christ stood in the lowest vale of poverty. Look at his dress,
it is woven from the top through out, the garment of the poor! As for
his food, he oftentimes did hunger; and always was dependent upon the
charity of others for the relief of his wants! He who scattered the
harvest o'er the broad acres of the world, had not sometimes
wherewithal to stay the pangs of hunger? He who digged the springs of
the ocean, sat upon a well and said to a Samaritan woman, "Give me to
drink!" He rode in no chariot, he walked his weary way, foot sore, o'er
the flints of Galilee! He had not where to lay his head. He looked upon
the fox as it hurried to its burrow, and the fowl as it went to its
resting-place, and he said, "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air
have nests; but I, the Son of man, have not where to lay my head." He
who had once been waited on by angels, becomes the servant of servants,
takes a towel, girds himself, and washes his disciples' feet! He who
was once honored with the hallelujahs of ages, is now spit upon and
despised! He who was loved by his Father, and had abundance of the
wealth of affection, could say, "He that eateth bread with me hath
lifted up his heel against me." Oh, for words to picture the
humiliation of Christ! What leagues of distance between him that sat
upon the throne, and him that died upon the cross! Oh, who can tell the
mighty chasm between yon heights of glory, and the cross of deepest
woe! Trace him, Christian, he has left thee his manger to show thee how
God came down to man. He hath bequeathed thee his cross to show thee
how man can ascend to God. Follow him, follow him, all his journey
through; begin with him in the wilderness of temptation, see him
fasting there, and hungering with the wild beasts around him; trace him
along his weary way, as the Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief.
He is the byword of the drunkard, he is the song of the scorner, and he
is hooted at by the malicious; see him as they point their finger at
him, and call him "drunken man and wine-bibber!" Follow him along his
via dolorosa, until at last you meet him among the olives of
Gethsemane; see him sweating great drops of blood! Follow him to the
pavement of Gabbatha; see him pouring out rivers of gore beneath the
cruel whips of Roman soldiers! With weeping eye follow him to the cross
of Calvary, see him nailed there! Mark his poverty, so poor that they
have stripped him naked from head to foot, and exposed him to the face
of the sun! So poor, that when he asked them for water they gave him
vinegar to drink! So poor that his unpillowed head is girt with thorns
in death! Oh, Son of Man, I know not which to admire most, thine height
of glory, or thy depths of misery! Oh, Man, slain for us, shall we not
exalt thee? God over all, blessed for ever, shall we not give thee the
loudest song? "He was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor." If I had
a tale to tell you this day, of some king, who, out of love to some
fair maiden, left his kingdom and became a peasant like herself, ye
would stand and wonder, and would listen to the charming tale; but when
I tell of God concealing his dignity to become our Saviour, our hearts
are scarcely touched. Ah, my friends, we know the tale so well, we have
heard it so often; and, alas, some of us tell it so badly that we
cannot expect that you would be as interested in it as the subject doth
demand. But surely, as it is said of some great works of architecture,
that though they be seen every morning, there is always something fresh
to wonder at; so we may say of Christ, that though we saw him every
day, we should always see fresh reason to love, and wonder, and adore.
"He was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor."

I have thought that there is one peculiarity about the poverty of
Christ, that ought not to be forgotten by us. Those who were nursed
upon the lap of want feel less the woes of their condition. But I have
met with others whose poverty I could pity. They were once rich; their
very dress which now hangs about them in tatters, tells you that they
once stood foremost in the ranks of life. You meet them amongst the
poorest of the poor; you pity them more than those who have been born
and bred to poverty, because they have known something better. Amongst
all those who are poor, I have always found the greatest amount of
suffering in those who had seen better days. I can remember, even now,
the look of some who have said to me when they have received
assistance–and I have given it as delicately as I could, lest it
should look like charity–"Ah, sir, I have known better days." And the
tear stood in the eye, and the heart was smitten at bitter
recollections. The least slight to such a person, or even too unmasked
a kindness, becomes like a knife cutting the heart. "I have known
better days," sounds like a knell over their joys. And verily our Lord
Jesus might have said in all his sorrows, "I have known better days
than these." Methinks when he was tempted of the devil in the
wilderness, it must have been hard in him to have restrained himself
from dashing the devil into pieces. If I had been the Son of God,
methinks, feeling as I do now, if that devil had tempted me, I should
have dashed him into the nethermost hell, in the twinkling of an eye!
And then conceive the patience our Lord must have had, standing on the
pinnacle of the temple, when the devil said, "Fall down and worship
me." He would not touch him, the vile deceiver, but let him do what he
pleased. Oh! what might of misery and love there must have been in the
Saviour's heart when he was spit upon by the men he had created; when
the eyes he himself had filled with vision looked on him with scorn,
and when the tongues, to which he himself had given utterance, hissed
and blasphemed him! Oh, my friends, if the Saviour had felt as we do,
and I doubt not he did feel in some measure as we do–only by great
patience he curbed himself–methinks he ought have swept them all away;
and, as they said, he might have come down from the cross, and
delivered himself, and destroyed them utterly. It was mighty patience
that could bear to tread this world beneath his feet, and not to crush
it, when it so ill-treated its Redeemer. You marvel at the patience
which restrained him; you marvel also at the poverty he must have felt,
the poverty of spirit, when they rebuked him and he reviled them not
again; when they scoffed him, and yet he said, "Father, forgive them,
for they know not what they do." He had seen brighter days; that made
his misery more bitter, and his poverty more poor.

III. Well, now we come to the third point–WHY DID THE SAVIOUR COME TO
DIE AND BE POOR? Hear this, ye sons of Adam–the Scripture says, "For
your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be made
rich." For your sakes. Now, when I address you as a great congregation,
you will not feel the beauty of this expression, "For your sake."
Husband and wife, walking in the fear of God, let me take you by the
hand and look you in the face, let me repeat those words, "for your
sakes he became poor." Young man, let a brother of thine own age, look
on thee and repeat these words, "Though he was rich, yet for your sake
he became poor." Gray-headed believer, let me look on you and say the
same, "For your sake he became poor." Brethren, take the word home, and
see if it does not melt you–"Though he was rich, yet for my sake he
became poor." Beg for the influences of the Spirit upon that truth, and
it will make your heart devout and your spirit loving–"I the chief of
sinners am, yet for my sake he died." Come, let me hear you speak; let
us bring the sinner here, and let him soliloquize–"I cursed him, I
blasphemed, and yet for my sake he was made poor; I scoffed at his
ministers, I broke his Sabbath, yet for my sake was he made poor. What!
Jesus, couldst thou die for one who was not worth thy having? Couldst
thou shed thy blood for one who would have shed thy blood, if it had
been in his power? What! couldst thou die for one so worthless, so
vile?" "Yes, yes," says Jesus, "I shed that blood for thee." Now let
the saint speak: "I," he may say, "have professed to love him, but how
cold my love, how little have I served him! How far have I lived from
him; I have not had sweet communion with him as I ought to have had.
When have I been spending and spent in his service? And yet, my Lord
thou dost say, for thy sake I was made poor.'" "Yes," saith Jesus, "see
me in my miseries; see me in my agonies; see me in my death–all these
I suffered for thy sake." Wilt thou not love him who loved thee to this
great excess, and became poor for thy sake?

That, however, is not the point to which we wish to bring you, just
now; the point is this, the reason why Christ died was, "that we
through his poverty might be rich." He became poor from his riches,
that our poverty might become rich out of his poverty. Brethren, we
have now a joyful theme before us–those who are partakers of the
Saviour's blood are rich. All those for whom the Saviour died, having
believed in his name and given themselves to him, are this day rich.
And yet I have some of you here who can not call a foot of land your
own. You have nothing to call your own to-day, you know not how you
will be supported through another week; you are poor, and yet if you be
a child of God, I do know that Christ's end is answered in you; you are
rich. No, I did not mock you when I said you were rich: I did not taunt
you–you are. You are really rich; you are rich in possessions; you
have in your possession now things more costly than gems, more valuable
than gold and silver. Silver and gold, have I none, thou mayest say;
but if thou canst say afterward, "Christ is all," thou hast outspoken
all that the man can say who had piles of gold and silver. "But," thou
sayest, "I have nothing." Man, thou hast all things. Knowest thou not
what Paul said? He declares that "things present and things to come,
and this world, and life and death, all are yours and ye are Christ's,
and Christ is God's." The great machinery of providence has no wheel
which does not revolve for you. The great economy of grace with all its
fullness, is yours. Remember that adoption, justification,
sanctification, all are yours. Thou hast everything that heart can wish
in spiritual things; and thou hast everything that is necessary for
this life; for you know who hath said, "having food and raiment, let us
therewith be content." You are rich; rich with true riches, and not
with the riches of a dream. There are times when men by night do scrape
gold and silver together, like shells upon the sea shore; but when they
wake in the morning they find themselves penniless. But, yours are
everlasting treasures; yours are solid riches. When the son of eternity
shall have melted the rich man's gold away, yours shall endure. A rich
man has a cistern full of riches, but a poor saint has got a fountain
of mercy, and he is the richest who has a fountain. Now, if my neighbor
be a rich man, he may have as much wealth as ever he pleases, it is
only a cistern full, it will soon be exhausted; but a Christian has a
fountain that ever flows, and let him draw, draw on forever, the
fountain will still keep on flowing. However large may be the stagnant
pool, if it be stagnant, it is but of little worth; but the flowing
stream, though it seem to be but small, needs but time, and it will
have produced an immense volume of precious water. Thou art never to
have a great pool of riches, they are always to keep on flowing to
thee; "Thy bread shall be given thee, and thy water shall be sure." As
old William Huntingdon says, "The Christian has a hand-basket portion.
Many a man, when his daughter marries, does not give her much, but he
says to her, I shall send you a sack of flour one day, and so-and-so
the next day, and now and then a sum of gold; and as long as I live I
will always send you something." Says he, "She will get a great deal
more than her sister, who has had a thousand pounds down. That is how
my God deals with me; he gives to the rich man all at once, but to me
day by day." Ah, Egypt, thou wert rich when thy granaries were full,
but those granaries might be emptied; Israel was far richer when they
could not see their granaries, but only saw the manna drop from heaven,
day by day. Now, Christian, that is thy portion–the portion of the
fountain always flowing, and not of the cistern-full, and soon to be
emptied.

But remember, O saint, that thy wealth does not all lie in thy
possession just now; remember thou art rich in promises. Let a man be
never so poor as to the metal that he hath, let him have in his
possession promissory notes from rich and true men, and he says, "I
have no gold in my purse, but here is a note for such-and-such a sum–I
know the signature–I can trust the firm–I am rich, though I have no
metal in hand." And so the Christian can say, "If I have no riches in
possession, I have the promise of them; my God hath said, ' No good
thing will I withhold from them that walk uprightly,'–that is a
promise that makes me rich. He has told me, My bread shall be given me,
and my water shall be sure.' I can not doubt his signature, I know his
word to be authentic; and as for his faithfulness, I would not so
dishonor him as to think he would break his promise. No, the promise is
as good as the thing itself. If it be God's promise, it is just as sure
that I shall have it, as if I had it."

But then the Christian is very rich in reversion. When a certain old
man dies that I know of, I believe that I shall be so immensely rich
that I shall dwell in a place that is paved with gold, the walls of
which are builded with precious stones. But, my friends, you have all
got an old man to die, and when he is dead, if you are followers of
Jesus, you will come in for your inheritance. You know who that old man
is, he is very often spoken of in Scripture; may the old man in you die
daily, and may the new man be strengthened in you. When that old man of
corruption, your old nature, shall totter into its grave, then you will
come in for your property. Christians are like heirs, they have not
much in their minority, and they are minors now; but when they come of
age, they shall have the whole of their estate. If I meet a minor, he
says, "That is my property." "You can not sell it, sir; you can not lay
hold of it." "No," says he, "I know I can not; but it is mine when I am
one-and-twenty, I shall then have complete control; but at the same
time, it is as really mine now as it ever will be. I have a legal right
to it, and though my guardians take care of it for me, it is mine, not
theirs." And now, Christian, in heaven there is a crown of gold which
is thine to-day; it will be no more thine when thou hast it on thy head
than it is now. I remember to have heard it reported that I once spoke
a metaphor, and bade Christians look at all the crowns hanging in rows
in heaven–very likely I did say it–but if not, I will say it now. Up,
Christian, see the crowns all ready, and mark thine own; stand thou and
wonder at it; see with what pearls it is bedight, and how heavy it is
with gold! And that is for thy head, thy poor aching head; thy poor
tortured brain shall yet have that crown for its arraying! And see that
garment, it is stiff with gems, and white like snow; and that is for
thee! When thy week-day garment shall be done with, this shall be the
raiment of thy everlasting Sabbath. When thou hast worn out this poor
body, there remaineth for thee, "A house not made with hands, eternal
in the heavens." Up to the summit, Christian, and survey thine
inheritance; and when thou hast surveyed it all, when thou hast seen
thy present possessions, thy promised possessions, thine entailed
possessions, then remember that all these were bought by the poverty of
thy Saviour! Look thou upon all thou hast, and say, "Christ bought them
for me." Look thou on every promise, and see the bloodstains on it;
yea, look too, on the harps and crowns of heaven, and read the bloody
purchase! Remember, thou couldst never have been anything but a damned
sinner, unless Christ had bought thee! Remember, if he had remained in
heaven, thou wouldst for ever have remained in hell; unless he had
shrouded and eclipsed his own honor, thou wouldst never have had a ray
of light to shine upon thee. Therefore, bless his dear name, extol him,
trace every stream to the fountain; and bless him who is the source,
and the fountain of everything thou hast. Brethren, "Ye know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes
he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."

IV. I have not done, I have three things now to say, and shall say them
as briefly as possible.

The first is a doctrine; the doctrine is this: If Christ in his poverty
made us rich, what will he do now that he is glorified. If the Man of
Sorrows saved my soul, will the man now exalted suffer it to perish? If
the dying Saviour availed for our salvation, should not the living,
interceding Saviour, abundantly secure it?

"He lived, he lives and sits above,

For ever interceding there;

What shall divide us from his love,

Or what shall sink us in despair?"

If when the nail was in thine hand, O Jesus, thou didst rout all hell,
canst thou be defeated now that thou hast grasped the scepter? If, when
the thorn crown was put about thy brow, thou didst prostrate the
dragon, canst thou be overcome and conquered now that the acclamations
of angels are ascending to thee? No, my brethren, we can trust the
glorified Jesus; we can repose ourselves on his bosom; if he was so
strong in poverty, what must he be in riches?

The next thing was a question, that question was a simple one. My
hearer, hast thou been made rich by Christ's poverty? Thou sayest, "I
am good enough without Christ; I want no Saviour." Ah, thou art like
her of old, who said, "I am rich and increased in goods, and have need
of nothing, whereas, saith the Lord, Thou art naked, and poor, and
miserable.'" O ye that live by good works, and think that ye shall go
to heaven because you are as good as others; all the merits you can
ever earn yourselves, are good for nothing. All that human nature ever
made, turns to a blot and a curse. If those are your riches, you are no
saints. But can you say this morning, my hearers, "I am by nature
without anything, and God has by the power of his Spirit taught me my
nothingness."

My brother, my sister, hast than taken Christ to be thine all in all?
Canst thou say this day, with an unfaltering tongue, "My Lord, my God,
I have nothing; but thou art my all?" Come, I beseech thee, do not
shirk the question. Thou art careless, heedless; answer it, then, in
the negative. But when thou hast answered it, I beseech thee, beware of
what thou hast said. Thou art sinful, thou feelest it. Come, I beseech
thee, and lay hold on Jesus. Remember, Christ came to make those rich,
that have nothing of their own. My Saviour is a physician; if you can
heal yourself, he will have nothing to do with you. Remember, my
Saviour came to clothe the naked. He will clothe you, if you have not a
rag of your own; but unless you let him do it from head to foot, he
will have nothing to do with you. Christ says he will never have a
partner; he will do all, or none. Come then, hast thou given up all to
Christ? Hast thou no reliance and trust save in the cross of Jesus?
Then thou hast answered the question well. Be happy, be joyous; if
death should surprise thee the next hour, thou art secure. Go on thy
way, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

And now I close with the third thing, which was an exhortation. Sinner,
dost thou this morning feel thy poverty? Then look to Christ's poverty.
O ye that are to-day troubled on account of sin–and there are many
such here–God has not let you alone; he has been plowing your heart
with the sharp plowshare of conviction; you are this day saying, "What
must I do to be saved?" You would give all you have, to have an
interest in Jesus Christ. Your soul is this day sore broken and
tormented. O sinner, if thou wouldst find salvation, thou must find it
in the veins of Jesus. Now, wipe that tear from thine eye a moment, and
look here. Dost thou see him high, where the cross rears its terrible
tree? There he is. Dost see him? Mark his head. See the thorn-crown,
and the beaded drops still standing on his temples. Mark his eyes; they
are just closing in death. Canst see the lines of agony, so desperate
in woe? Dost see his hands? See the streamlets of blood flowing down
them. Hark, he is about to speak. "My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me!" Didst hear that, sinner? Pause a moment longer, take
another survey of his person; how emaciated his body, and how sick his
spirit! Look at him. But hark, he is about to speak again–"It is
finished." What means he by that? He means, that he has finished thy
salvation. Look thou to him, and find salvation there. Remember, to be
saved, all that God wants of a penitent, is to look to Jesus. My life
for this–if you will risk your all on Christ, you shall be saved. I
will be Christ's bondsman to-day, to be bound for ever, if he break his
promise. He has said, "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of
the earth." It is not your hands that will save you; it must be your
eyes. Look from those works whereby you hope to be saved. No longer
strive to create a garment that will not hide your sin, throw away that
shuttle; it is only filled with cobwebs. What garment can you weave
with that? Look thou to him, and thou art saved. Never sinner looked,
and was lost. Dost mark that eye there? One glance will save thee, one
glance will set thee free. Dost thou say, "I am a guilty sinner?" Thy
guilt is the reason why I bid thee look. Dost thou say, "I cannot
look?" Oh, may God help thee to look now. Remember, Christ will not
reject thee; thou mayest reject him. Remember now, there is the cup of
mercy put to thy lip by the hand of Jesus. I know, if thou feelest thy
need, Satan may tempt thee not to drink, but he will not prevail; thou
wilt put thy lip feebly and faintly, perhaps, to it. But oh, do but sip
it; and the first draught shall give thee bliss; and the deeper thou
shalt drink, the more of heaven shalt thou know. Sinner, believe on
Jesus Christ; hear the whole gospel preached to thee. It is written in
God's Word, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Hear me
translate it–He that believeth and is immersed shall be saved. Believe
thou, trust thyself on the Saviour, make a profession of thy faith in
baptism, and then thou mayest rejoice in Jesus, that he hath saved
thee. But remember not to make a profession till thou hast believed:
remember, baptism is nothing, until thou hast faith. Remember, it is a
farce and a falsehood, until thou hast first believed; and afterwards,
it is nothing but the profession of thy faith. Oh, believe that; cast
thyself upon Christ, and thou art saved for ever! The Lord add his
blessing, for the Saviour's sake. Amen.