S. S.–or, the Sinner Saved

S. S.–or, the Sinner Saved

A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, MAY 1, 1887,

BY C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

"What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after
righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness
which is of faith? But Israel, which followed after the law of
righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why?
Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were, by the works of
the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone; as it is written,
Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense: and
whoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed." Romans 9:30-33.

FOR several Sabbath mornings I have sought the comfort and edification
of God's people, although I trust I have not, even in such discourses,
overlooked the unconverted. How can we forget them while they are in
such peril? At the same time, the main drift of the service has been
for the people of God and it will not be wise to continue long in that
line. We must not forget the lost sheep–it were better that we left
the 99 than that we neglected the rambler. We must this morning,
therefore, seek to go after that which is gone astray until we find it.
Oh, that God the Holy Spirit would make every word to be full of His
power! He can fill each sentence with a celestial dynamite, an
irresistible energy which will blast the rocks of self-righteousness
and make a way for the Gospel of the Grace of God through the
impenetrable barriers of sin! For that end I am anxious that while I
speak on God's behalf, the prayers of the faithful may bring down God's
power and make the feeble voice of man to be the vehicle for the
Omnipotence of God!

It is very necessary to go over the elements often –the foundation
Truths of the Gospel. Schools may rise to the classics, but they can
never dispense with the spelling book. All over the country there must
be the repetition of the alphabet and words of one syllable–or there
will be no scholarship. I feel that it is necessary to give line upon
line, precept upon precept, as to the first principles of the Gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Multitudes of persons are in bondage and will
continue to be so until they hear a very clear and simple description
of the way of salvation! This is the key of their liberty. You that
know these first things must be willing to hear them often. Indeed, I
find that you are the people that never grow tired of viewing that
stone which God has laid in Zion for a foundation, for it never becomes
a rock of offense to you. To you the repetitions of Jesus are more
acceptable than the novelties of human invention. The system and method
of salvation, therefore, will come before you, again, this morning. Oh,
that to some it may seem to be heard for the first time, though they
may with the outward ear have heard "the old, old story" a thousand
times! Oh, that they may now understand it, grasp it, find the blessing
of it and so rejoice in God their Savior!

Paul had two facts before him. The first was that wherever he went
preaching Jesus Christ, certain Gentiles believed the doctrine and
straightway became justified persons, receiving forgiveness of sin and
a change of heart at once. He had been in Ephesus and Thessalonica, in
Corinth and in Rome–and at his preaching of the Word of Life, the
heathen who were outside of the pale of true religious profession had
believed in the Lord Jesus–and so had attained to righteousness and
proved that they had done so by their righteous, pure, devout lives. On
the other hand, there was the sad fact that whereas he had usually
commenced his ministry in the synagogues and so had opened his
commission by addressing the seed of Abraham to whom belonged the
covenants of promise, yet they had almost everywhere rejected the
Messiah and refused the Grace of the Gospel. At the same time, it was
evident that they had missed the righteousness which they conceived
they had obtained, for, as a nation, they were in bondage to
superstitious prejudice and were fallen low, both as to morality and
spirituality, insomuch that they were correctly described by the
Prophet when he said, "Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed,
we had been as Sodom and been made like unto Gomorrah."

There were these two facts before the Apostle 's mind–the Gentiles,
who had been far off, had attained to righteousness. And the
Israelites, on the border of it, yet perished there and did not attain
to the law of righteousness. To this he calls our attention and I shall
ask you to look, first of all, at a wonder of Grace–"The Gentiles,
which followed not after righteousness, have attained to
righteousness." Secondly, I shall ask you to note a marvel of
folly–"Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, has not
attained to the law of righteousness." And when I have done that, I
shall have to throw my whole strength into a discourse of affectionate
concern about those of you who, as yet, have not attained unto the
righteousness which is of faith. Oh that you may see yourselves and
then see the Lord Jesus by the light of the Holy Spirit! Like the
prodigal, may it be said of each one of you, "He came to himself," and
then, "he arose, and came to his Father."

I. First, I crave your earnest attention to A WONDER OF GRACE. Certain
men had attained to righteousness. They had, so to speak, "put their
hand upon righteousness." They had grasped the righteousness of faith
which is the righteousness of God! They could say, "therefore, being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ." These, without boasting, could declare that Jesus Christ was
made of God unto them wisdom and righteousness. In them the
righteousness of the Law of God was fulfilled. They were at peace, for
the fruit of righteousness is peace. They were grateful, earnest,
devoted, zealous–and they yielded their members as instruments of
righteousness unto God. The Lord had covered them with the
righteousness of Christ and had imputed into them the righteousness of
His indwelling Spirit. Saintly men and saintly women were produced
among those who once had used "curious arts" and enchant-ments–in
those in whom sin abounded, Grace reigned through righteousness unto
eternal life by Jesus Christ!

There were people in the world whom God, the Judge of All, accepted as
righteous. Now that, alone, is a great wonder, for we are all sinners
by nature and by practice–and it is as great a marvel as the making of
a world–that anyone of our race should attain to righteousness! Sit
down, Christian, and rejoice in the righteousness which you have
received by faith and you will be filled with amazement! The more you
consider the righteousness which you have received in Christ Jesus by
your faith in Him, the more you will cry out, "Oh the depths!" It is,
indeed, a miracle of love that we, who by nature were under the curse,
have now obtained the blessing of righteousness, as it is written, "For
He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be
made the righteousness of God in Him."

The wonder grows when we consider that these persons who had attained
to righteousness had come to it under great disadvantages, for they
were Gentiles. The Gentiles were considered by the Jews to be off
casts, outcasts and aliens from the commonwealth of Grace. They were
given up to idolatry or to atheism–and the most degrading lusts were
rife among them. They had gone very far from original righteousness. A
true picture of the Gentile world in the days of Paul would have
terribly dark colors in it–it would be injurious to morals to describe
in public the details of the lives of the best of the heathen. If you
speak of the manners of the common people, you must be prepared to hear
of vices which crimson the cheek of modesty. There are virtues for
which the heathen had no name and they practiced vices for which, thank
God, you have no name! The Gentiles were filled with all
unrighteousness and, therefore, they were ignorant of the requirements
of the Law and of the holiness of God.

The light which shone upon the seed of Israel had not yet dawned on
them. There may have been, here and there, a chosen few like Cornelius
the centurion, and others, who followed the light which is found in
nature and in the human conscience–and so welcomed all that they
learned from Israel–but, taken in the bulk, John fitly described the
Gentiles when he said, "The whole world lies in wickedness." The
strange thing is that such, originally, were those men who attained
unto righteousness! The Gospel came into their streets and, at first,
they heard it with opposition, saying, "What will this babbler say?"
But their attention was attracted and they were willing to hear, again,
the preacher concerning this matter! Conscience was awakened and soon
they began to enquire, "What must we do to be saved? "Having no
righteousness of their own and being convinced that they needed one,
they fled at once to the righteousness which God has prepared in His
dear Son for all who believe in Him–and multitudes believed and turned
to God. Thus those who knew not the Lord became His obedient
worshippers–and those who were far off were made near by faith!

Are there not persons here whose condition is somewhat similar to that
of the Gentiles? You are not religious. You are not members of godly
families. Neither are you frequenters of our sanctuaries. But why
shouldn't you, also, attain to righteousness by faith? Wonders of Grace
are things which God delights in! Why should He not work such wonders
in

you? At any rate, while I preach, I am exercising faith concerning you,
that you shall at once be brought to salvation and eternal life.

The marvel of Grace in the case of these Gentiles was all the greater
because, as the Apostle says, "They followed not after righteousness."
They had originally felt no desire after righteousness before God. Some
of them were thoughtful, just and generous towards men–but
righteousness and holiness towards God was not a matter after which
they labored. The Gentile mind ran more upon, "What shall we eat? What
shall we drink?" than upon, "What is righteousness before God?" Gold or
glory, power or pleasure were the objects for which they ran–they ran
no race for the prize of holiness! They were ignorant of such matters
as salvation, reconciliation with God, the inward life, sanctification
and all the other mysteries and blessings of the Covenant and,
therefore, they followed not after them. They were content, most of
them, to live like the cattle that plowed their fields, or like the
dogs that prowled through their streets–they followed the devices and
desires of their own hearts. Yet when the Gospel burst in upon the
midnight of their souls, they received its light with joy and accepted
the good news from Heaven with much readiness of mind! They had not
sought the Shepherd, but He had sought them and, laying them on His
shoulders, He brought them to His fold. It was a wonderful thing that,
though they did not follow after righteousness, yet they found it!

They are like that Indian who, passing up the mountain side pursuing
game, grasped a shrub to prevent his slipping and, as its roots gave
way, they uncovered masses of pure silver–and thus the richest silver
mine was discovered by a happy circumstance by one who looked not for
it! These Gentiles discovered in Christ the righteousness which they
needed, but which they had never dreamed of finding. This reminds us of
our Lord's own parable–a man was plowing with oxen and, all of a
sudden, the plowshare struck upon an unusual obstacle. He stopped the
plow, turned up the soil and, low, he found a crock of gold! This
"treasure hid in a field" at once won his heart and, for joy thereof,
he sold all that he had and bought the field. Grace finds men who
otherwise would never have found Grace! Oh, the glorious Grace of God
which brings the righteousness of Christ full often to those who never
sought it–to those who had no religiousness, nor even tendencies that
way! Saul, the son of Kish, went to seek his father's donkeys and found
the kingdom–and even thus have careless and worldly persons been made
to know the Lord when it seemed highly improbable that they would ever
do so! This is a great wonder for which all Heaven rings with
hallelujahs to God!

Observe that these unlikely persons did really believe and so attained
to righteousness. When the Gospel came to them, they heard it with deep
attention. There was a something about it which powerfully attracted
them. You know who has said, "I, if I am lifted up, will draw all men
unto Me." This Divine charm drew them to consider the doctrine and when
they came to understand it, they perceived that it suited their need as
a shoe fits a foot. It revealed their secret needs and wounds, but it
also provided for them and so, having considered the thing, they
accepted with joy the blessings brought to them in the Gospel. They at
once believed in the Lord Jesus! The thing was done suddenly, but it
was well done. Their first hearing of the Gospel saved them. We read of
one of them, that he had shut up the preacher in the prison and had
gone to bed. But in the middle of the night an earthquake shook the
prison–and that night he not only became a Believer, but he was
baptized–and all his household! These Gentiles did not need hammering
at so long as some ofyou do. They did not require the preacher to rack
his brains to find fresh illustrations and arguments–and then labor in
vain year after year! At the first summons they surrendered! They no
sooner saw the Light of God than they rejoiced in it! They rose in one
leap from depths of sin to heights of righteousness! Those who had been
ringleaders in the service of the devil became zealots in the service
of Jesus Christ! The change was as complete as it was startling–"they
attained unto righteousness"–they were accepted before God as
righteous men.

The Apostle asks us, "What shall we say, then?" We say this–here is
seen the sovereign appointment of the Lord. He will have mercy on whom
He will have mercy! He will fulfill His promise to His Son, "Behold,
You shall call a nation that You know not, and nations that knew not
You shall run unto You because of the Lord, Your God, and for the Holy
One of Israel: for He has glorified You." Here I see the Almighty Lord
of all speaking to the darkness and saying, "Let there be light," and
there is light! Here I see the Word of the Lord coming forth out of His
mouth and accomplishing the thing whereto He sent it. The voice of the
Lord which breaks the cedars of Lebanon also breaks the hard hearts of
men– "the voice of the Lord which makes the hinds to calve"–creates
new life in the minds of the ungodly! The Gospel is full of power and
it works according to the eternal purpose of God. The calling of the
Gentiles in Paul's day is only one illustration of the frequent action
of Sovereign Grace.

This also is according to Divine prophecy. What said the Lord by His
servant, Hosea? "I will call them My people, which were not My people
and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that
in the place where it was said unto them, You are not My people, there
shall they be called the children of the living God." Thus spoke the
Prophet and so it must be. The Lord has many more such chosen ones to
call forth from their death in sin. I expect as I stand here that God's
infinite power is about to save certain of you. I do not know to whom
this Grace will be vouchsafed, but I know that the Word of the Lord
will not return unto Him void. He may bless the least likely of you. He
may call the man who now says, "I do not believe a word of it." Friend,
you do not know what you will believe before this day is over! I trust
that God's power is going forth to bring you within the bounds of
salvation. It may be that some persecuting Saul of Tarsus will, at this
hour, cry, "Lord what will You have me to do?" And, on the other hand,
it may be that some young man who lacks only one thing will this day
find it! So does God work in the majesty of His power, that persons who
have not sought after righteousness, nevertheless are led to faith in
Christ and by that faith they are immediately made righteous before
God! This is what we have reason to expect, for many promises declare
that it shall be so. Did not Isaiah boldly say, "I was found of them
that sought Me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after

Me"?

This is, in fact, the Gospel of the Grace of God. That God smiles upon
worthy people and rewards their goodness is not the Gospel. The Gospel
is that God has mercy upon the guilty and undeserving! The Gospel gives
us this "faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners." It is not the Gospel that
you will be saved who do your best and will, therefore, have some claim
upon mercy. No, no! By such statements you sail upon quite another
tack. The Gospel declares to you that though you have done your worst,
the Lord will yet have mercy upon you if you believe in the Atonement
of His dear Son! If you were turned upside down and shaken for a week,
not even a dust of goodness would fall from some of you–and yet even
you shall be made the children of God if you believe in Christ Jesus!
Repent and be converted! Believe in Jesus and live!

That the most guilty may yet attain to righteousness is the glorious
Gospel of the blessed God which it is my delight to preach! Behold, I
set before you an open door of Grace and beseech you to enter in just
as you are. We come not to mend the garments of those of you who are
already clothed, but to present the naked with the robe of Christ's
righteousness! We come not here to search for your beauties, but to
unveil your deformities, your wounds, bruises and putrefying sores–and
then to point you to the Lord Jesus who can heal you–and cause the
beauty of the Lord to rest upon you. We preach not merit, but mercy!
Not human goodness, but Divine Grace! Not works of the Law, but wonders
of love! This is the Gospel of which the salvation of the Gentiles was
a blessed result.

II. We see, in the second place, A MARVEL OF FOLLY–"Israel, which
followed after the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of
righteousness." Multitudes have never yet found true righteousness. I
fear that many of my present congregation are in the number. They are
not righteous, though, perhaps they trust in themselves that they are.
Their consciences are not at ease–they are conscious of serious
shortcomings. They have not yet found a safe anchorage. I commend to
their study the case of Israel.

In Paul's day these people were, first of all, very advantageously
placed. They were of the chosen race of Israel. They had been born, as
it were, within the visible Church, circumcised and brought up to know
the Law of Moses. And yet they had never attained to righteousness!
Like Gideon's fleece, they were dry while the floor around was wet.
There are those present who were nursed in the lap of piety–from their
babyhood they heard the name of Jesus! They have scarcely been absent a
single Sabbath from the courts of the Lord's House. They went from the
Sunday school to the Bible class and it was hoped that they would go
from there to the Church, but it has not proved so. Now that they have
reached riper years, they are still hovering around the gates of mercy,
but they have not entered upon the way of life. My Hearer, I am
frightened for you and such as you. I tremble for you who are so good,
so religious, so zealous and yet are not regenerate! You are the child
of Nature finely dressed, but not the living child of Grace! You look
somewhat like a Christian, but as you are not converted and have never
become as a little child, you have not entered the Kingdom of Heaven.
It is a misery of miseries that you should stand on such a vantage
ground, as many of you do, and yet be lost! Shall it be so? Turn you,
turn you, why will you die?

It was not merely that they had many advantages, but these Israelites
were earnest and zealous in following after the law of righteousness.
Alas, many who have never forgotten a single outward rite or ceremony
of the church and are al-

ways zealous for taking the sacrament and regular attendance at their
place of worship are, nevertheless, quite dead as to spiritual things!
Some even kneel down every morning and night and repeat a prayer. They
pay everybody they owe. They are always kind to their neighbors and
they do not refuse their help to the subscription list! And yet they
are quite out of the running. Some of you know that it is so! You dare
not die as you are–in fact, you can hardly go on living as you now
feel. Nobody could put a finger upon an open fault in you and yet you
are like a rosy apple which is rotten at the core. You know it is so!
At least you have a shrewd suspicion that all is not right between you
and God. You have no peace, no joy–and when you hear others rejoicing
in the Lord, you either think they are presumptuous, or else you envy
them–as well you may!

Thousands of people in England are perishing in the light, even as the
heathen perish in the dark! Many are wrapping themselves up in their
own righteousness and are as sure to be lost as if the nakedness of
their sin could be seen by all men! I pray you, take heed to
yourselves, you that follow after the law of righteousness. It is
concerning such as you that the Apostle Paul had great heaviness and
continual sorrow of heart. Remember, you may be in the visible Church
and yet may be strangers to the Grace of God! You may be earnestly
seeking righteousness in the wrong way–and this is a terrible thing.

Notice that these people made a mistake at the very beginning–it may
not seem a great one, but it was so in reality. Israel did not follow
after righteousness, but after "the law of righteousness." They missed
the spirit, which is righteousness, and followed after the mere letter
of the Law. To be really righteous was not their aim, but to do
righteousness was their utmost notion. They looked at, "You shall not
kill," "You shall not commit adultery," "Remember the Sabbath day, to
keep it holy" and so forth. But to love God with all their heart was
not thought of and yet this is the essence of righteousness! They
looked at the letter of the Law and were careful to pay tithe upon mint
and anise and to attend to all sorts of small points and niceties–but
to cleanse the heart and purify the motive did not occur to them. They
thought of what a man does, but they forgot the importance of what a
man is. Love to God and likeness to God were forgotten in a servile
attempt to observe the letter of the Law.

And so we see people everywhere, nowadays, consider what kind of dress
a clergyman ought to wear on a certain day and which position he should
occupy at the communion table! And what should be the decoration of the
place of worship and what should be the proper music for the hymn and
so forth. But to what purpose is all this? To be right in heart with
God, to trust in His dear Son and to be renewed in His image is better
than all rituals! Among ourselves there are certain people who are
nothing if they are not orthodox–they make a man an offender for a
word–and are never so happy as when they are up to their necks in
controversy! In each case the external and the letter are preferred to
the inward and the spiritual. O my dear Hearers, escape from this
error! Be not so eager for the shell as to lose the kernel, so zealous
for the form of godliness as to deny the power thereof!

What was the reason why these zealous Israelites did not attain to
righteousness? They went upon a wrong principle. The principle of these
Israelites was that of works. They said within themselves, "We must
keep the Law of God and in that way we shall be saved." In this way no
man was ever saved, nor ever will be! Listen diligently to what I now
say. The principle of salvation by our own works exalts man and you may
be sure that it must be an error for that reason. On that principle you
are your own Savior! Everything hinges upon what you do and what you
feel–and Jesus Christ is nowhere. If you were to get to Heaven by this
road, you would sing to your own praise and glory. This system puffs
you up and makes you feel what an important person you are to deserve
so much of God. It smells of that pride which the Lord abhors!

While it thus lifts man up, it altogether ignores the great fact that
you have already sinned. Are you going to be saved by your works? What
about the past? If I am going to pay my way for the future, this will
not discharge my old debts. What have you to say for your former sins
and follies? Do you imagine that you can make up for wasted years by
using the rest of life as you ought to do? If you do your best in the
future, you will do no more than you are bound to do! This will not
remove your old sins! Why, if you could start afresh as a new-born babe
and keep God's Law perfectly throughout all time, yet the faults of the
past would remain like indelible blots. Sin is sin and God will punish
it! And all your future obedience can be no atonement for it.

Note again that this principle of salvation by works, while it makes
much of man, makes nothing of God. It shuts out both His justice and
His mercy. Do you really know what you are? You think you are somebody
and can merit something

of God, but this is a delusion! I will tell you where you are. You are
already convicted of rebellion! You are "condemned already." Nothing
that you can do can reverse that condemnation which is already passed
upon you! Your only hope lies in the royal prerogative of God, who can
grant a free pardon if He pleases to do so. You can never deserve
pardon–it must be an act of pure Grace! Nothing but the long-suffering
of God at this moment keeps you out of Hell. Yes, I mean you who think
so much of yourselves! I mean you who set yourselves down among the
naturally good. I would gladly strip you of your finery and throw away
the false jewelry with which you have decorated yourselves–for a
self-righteous man's religion is nothing but a painted pageantry to go
to Hell in! Oh, how I loathe to see the plumes and feathers of
self-confidence which are an awful mockery–the lying ensigns of a
false hope–flaunted by a soul that is on its way to sure damnation! O
presuming souls, may God in His mercy make you see where you are! Let
your cry be, "God be merciful to me a sinner." Until you have taken the
sinner's place, you are in a false position and God will treat you as
one of those liars who shall not tarry in His sight.

Moreover, dear Friends, the system of salvation by works is impossible
to you. You cannot perfectly keep the Law of God, for you are sold
under sin. I remember when I resolved never to sin again. I sinned
before I had finished my breakfast! It was all over for that day, so I
thought I would begin the next day–and I did, but my failure was
repeated. Who can get clean water from a polluted spring? You will
never keep the Commandment without spot–it is so pure and you are so
impure–it is so spiritual and you are so earthly. "There is not a just
man upon earth that does good and sins

not."

But suppose you could outwardly keep the Law of God out of a sense of
obligation to do so, yet the work is not done unless you, yourself, are
made right with God. Your heart must love God as well as your hands
serve Him. If you only obey Him from fear of Hell and hope of Heaven,
what are you? Nothing but a mere hireling! This is not the filial
nature of a child, whose service is all for love. As for myself, I
serve God this day with my whole heart, but it is not from fear of
Hell. My sins are forgiven me and there is no Hell for me. Neither do I
serve the Lord because I hope for Heaven by doing so, but because I
love Him who loved me and gave Himself for me. There is evidence of
righteousness in this, but no claim of any. Mere obedience to the Lord,
if there were no heart in it, would be a poor affair.

We have many servants who regard their work as drudgery and though they
do their duties, they do them with no regard for our interests. But the
old-fashioned servants were of another kind. If you have any such, you
will prize one of such above a thousand others! They love their master
and they identify themselves with his interests. Old John did not need
orders–he was a law to himself–he served from love. When his master
spoke one day about their parting, he wanted to know where his master
was going, for he had no idea of going, himself! He was part and parcel
of the household and was worth his weight in diamonds. You may well
say, "I would give my eyes to get such a servant as that." I dare say
you would! Our Lord Jesus gave Himself that He might make such servants
out of us. Mere work-mongering will never do this–it still leaves the
man a self-seeker, a slave working under fear of the lash with no
delight either in his master or in his work. O my Hearers, "you must be
born again," or you cannot attain to righteousness! And there is no
being born again on the principle of the works of the Law–that must be
a gift of Grace–and it can only be given into that hand of faith which
receives Christ Jesus the Lord!

Once more, the full development of the unrighteousness of these zealous
Israelites came when they stumbled at Christ. "They stumbled at that
stumbling stone." Jesus Christ came among them and became to them a
rock of offense. They seemed to stand upright until then–but when He
came among them, down they went into actual rebellion against the Lord
and His Anointed! Yes, your moralists are the great enemies of the
Cross. They do not need an atonement–they can hardly endure the
doctrine. "Washed in the blood?" They cannot bear the sound of the
word–they need no washing. They have kept the Law of God and what do
they lack? Jesus came to proclaim salvation by Grace, but these men
spurn the idea of Grace. When Jesus told them of a certain creditor who
frankly forgave those debtors who had nothing to pay, such parables
were worthless to them, for they were not in debt to God, but quite the
reverse!

The reception of returning prodigals might make a pretty picture, but
it had no relation to them. They were not sinners like the publican and
they did not need to be taught, like the Samaritan woman, to look to
Jesus for the living water. "He that believes on Me has everlasting
life" was not a doctrine that they cared to hear. They could see and
needed not to have their eyes opened! They were born free and were
never in bondage to any man! In fact, they were the whole who had no
need of a physician. They regarded the mission of Christ as an insult
to their virtues and, therefore, they cru-

cified Him. Self-righteousness is the enemy of the Cross–it does
despite to the blood of Jesus. It sets itself up in rivalry with the
Divine Sacrifice and, therefore, it rejects the Gospel and rails at
imputed righteousness. "They followed after the law of righteousness,"
but Christ, who was Righteousness itself, they would have nothing to do
with. Their proud self-conceit thought itself above all need of Him!

III. In the last place, I am to come to close-hand fighting. I must
deliver A DISCOURSE OF AFFECTION. As I love you, I would have you saved
at once. It is the first day of May. Londoners in the olden time used
to go into the country on the First of May to wash their faces in the
dew. Oh, that God would make His heavenly dew to wash your hearts this
May morning! Oh, that you may enjoy the perfume of the Plant of renown
at this hour! Some Gentiles have attained to righteousness by faith,
why should not you? Believe in Jesus–and His righteousness is
yours–to you, God imputes righteousness without works (Rom 4:6). Why
do you not trust my Lord, my bleeding Lord, my risen Lord, my
interceding Lord? There is no conceivable reason for doubting Him! Come
and rely upon Him and righteousness is yours!

Did I hear you say, "But_"? Away with your buts! Others have been just
where you now are and they have believed in Jesus and have attained to
righteousness–why should not you? Try it. Believe, I pray you, and
God's righteousness is yours! Why should you not believe? Do I hear you
say, "I cannot feel"? Did I say anything about feeling? Salvation by
feelings is only another form of salvation by works and it is not to be
thought of! Salvation is by Jesus Christ and it is received by faith,
alone! It is bestowed as a free gift and it must be received as a free
gift, or not at all. Trust Jesus to save you and you are saved! Believe
Him and be happy. Take to yourself what is freely presented to you in
the Gospel. If you can believe, you are saved! I cannot help quoting my
Brother Hill's expression the other day–"He that believes on Me has
everlasting life" (John 6:47). You know how he put it–"H.A. S. spells
got it." So it does, it is a curious but a perfectly correct way of
spelling it! If you take Christ to yourself, He will never be taken
from you. Breathe the air and the air is yours! Receive Christ and
Christ is yours and you have attained to righteousness!

Next, see why it is that you have failed, up to now, to find rest. You
have been earnest and sincere for a great many years and you have kept
on hearing and reading and, after a fashion, you have even kept on
praying. But all the while you have been on the wrong road! Suppose
yonder young man should start with his bicycle to go to Brighton and he
should travel due north? He will never get there. The faster he
travels, the further he will go from the place! If you follow after
righteousness by the works of the Law, the more you do, the further off
you will be from the righteousness of God! It must be so.

Hear a parable. Yonder is a river, deep and broad. You imagine that the
proper way to cross it is to wade or swim through it. You will not hear
of any other way. The king has built a bridge. It is open, free and
without toll–the passage is as safe as it is plain. You refuse to be
beholden to His Majesty. You mean to get across by your own exertions.
Already you are wet and cold, but you mean to persevere. You are nearly
up to your neck in the stream and the current is too strong for you.
Come back, O foolish man, come back and cross the river by the bridge!
The way of faith is so safe, so simple, so blessed–do try it! Have you
not had enough of self-saving? After years of struggling, you are still
standing still and have no more comfort–quit the struggle and rest in
the Lord Jesus! Give up your self-confiding folly and confide in the
Son of God, the bleeding Substitute for guilty men. May the blessed
Spirit now sweetly help you to receive Jesus!

Do you not see, my Friend, that in all your selfish trusting you are
really fighting against your God? Jesus says, "Trust Me, I will save
you." And you reply, "I prefer my own doings." Is not that a great
insult to Jesus? Have you not attacked the great Father upon a tender
point? May He not appoint His own way of saving you? He has chosen the
way of Grace through faith. What arrogance to refuse that way! God
gives without money and without price–why do you provoke Him with your
fancied merits? You are flying in the face of the great God and,
therefore, your very religion is a sin! Let me justify so strong a
charge. Your very good works are evil works because you are doing them
to set aside the gift of God by Jesus Christ! The Lord appoints Jesus
to be your righteousness and you laboriously endeavor to manufacture a
righteousness of your own! You reject the Sacrifice of Calvary in whom
you are bid to trust! You virtually say that for you it is a needless
thing, for you can reach Heaven by your own doings and feelings.

O Sirs, if you could be saved by your own works and your proud hopes
could be fulfilled, then the death of our Lord would be proved to be a
gross mistake! What need of the Great Sacrifice if you can save
yourself? The Cross is a superfluity if human merit can suffice. There
was no need for the Father to put His Son to grief if, after all, men
can work out a

righteousness of their own. If works can save you, why did Jesus die?
Do you see what you are driving at? Do you mean to trample under foot
the blood of Jesus? I beseech you, abhor all notion of
self-justification! Dash down the idol which would rival your Lord–

"Cast your deadly 'doing'down, Down, at Jesus 'feet! Stand in Him, in
Him alone, Gloriously complete!"

"Well," says one, "you seem to know the ins and outs of a soul aiming
at self-salvation." I do, for I long labored to climb up to Heaven upon
the treadmill of my own works! At length I grew weary and gave myself
up to Jesus, that He might bear me there in His arms. Will you not do
the same?

Now, my Hearer, it will be an awful thing for you to understand this
way of Grace and yet to neglect it. How long am I to preach to some of
you? How long am I to wear my heart out in crying, "Come to Jesus!
Believe in Jesus!? If anybody had said 20 years ago that yonder
seat-holder would still remain an unconverted man, he would have
replied, "Impossible! I am near to the Kingdom; I am almost persuaded
and before long I shall decide." Yes, you are persuaded on Sundays, but
you forget all about it on Mondays–and all because faith is not
exercised! You believe in faith, but you do not believe in Jesus! You
know that Jesus could save you if you trusted Him, but you do not trust
Him. Oh that this moment you would end this delay!

To trust in Jesus is described in Scripture as looking. As the man
bitten by the serpent looked to the serpent of brass hung high upon the
pole–and as he looked, healing and life came to him–so if you look to
Jesus, now, you will be saved! I see God's only-begotten Son, who has
deigned to become Man for our sakes and to die in our place–and from
the Cross I entreat Him to speak to you. Speak, O my Master! He does
speak and these are His words–"Look unto Me and be you saved, all the
ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." Look, I pray
you! Look and live!