I. GOD'S LOVE FOR A SINNING WORLD
"For God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life."-John 3:16
Sin is the most expensive thing in the universe. Nothing else
can cost so much. Pardoned or unpardoned, its cost is infinitely great.
Pardoned, the cost falls chiefly on the great atoning Substitute; unpardoned,
it must fall on the head of the guilty sinner.
The existence of sin is a fact everywhere experienced --
everywhere observed. There is sin in our race everywhere and in awful
aggravation.
Sin is the violation of an infinitely important law -- a law
designed and adapted to secure the highest good of the universe. Obedience to
this law is naturally essential to the good of creatures. Without obedience
there could be no blessedness even in heaven.
As sin is a violation of a most important law, it cannot be
treated lightly. No government can afford to treat disobedience as a trifle,
inasmuch as everything -- the entire welfare of the government and of all the
governed -- turns upon obedience. Just in proportion to the value of the
interests at stake is the necessity of guarding law and of punishing disobedience.
The law of God must not be dishonoured by anything He
shall do. It has been dishonoured by the disobedience of man; hence, the more
need that God should stand by it, to retrieve its honour. The utmost dishonour
is done to law by disowning, disobeying, and despising it, All this, sinning
man has done. Hence, this law being not only good, but intrinsically necessary
to the happiness of the governed, it becomes of all things most necessary that
the law-giver should vindicate his law. He must by all means do it.
Hence, sin has involved God's government in a vast expense.
Either the law must be executed at the expense of the wellbeing of the whole
race, or God must submit to suffer the worst results of disrespect to His law
-- results which in some form must involve a vast expense.
Take for example any human government. Suppose the righteous and
necessary laws which it imposes are disowned and dishonoured. In such a case
the violated law must be honoured by the execution of its penalty, or something
else not less expensive, and probably much more so, must be endured.
Transgression must cost happiness, somewhere, and in vast amount.
In the case of God's government it has been deemed advisable to
provide a substitute -- one that should answer the purpose of saving the
sinner, and yet of honouring the law. This being determined on, the next great
question was -- How shall the expense be met?
The Bible informs us how the question was in fact decided. By a
voluntary conscription -- shall I call it -- or donation? Call it as we may, it
was a voluntary offering. Who shall head the subscription? Who shall begin
where so much is to be raised? Who will make the first sacrifice? Who will take
the first step in a project so vast? The Bible informs us. It began with the
Infinite Father. He made the first great donation. He gave His only begotten
Son -- this to begin with -- and having given Him first, He freely gives all
else that the exigencies of the case can require. First, He gave His Son to
make the atonement due to law; then gave and sent His Holy Spirit to take
charge of this work. The Son on His part consented to stand as the
representative, of sinners, that, He might honour the law, by suffering in
their stead. He poured out His blood, made a whole life of suffering a free
donation on the altar -- withheld not His face from spitting, nor His back from
stripes -- shrunk not from the utmost contumely that wicked men could heap on
Him. So the Holy Ghost also devotes Himself to most self-denying efforts unceasingly,
to accomplish the great object.
It would have been a very short method to have turned over His
hand upon the wicked of our race, and sent them all down quick to hell, as once
He did when certain angels "kept not their first estate." Rebellion
broke out in heaven. Not long did God bear it, around His lofty throne. But in
the case of man He changed His course -- did not send them all to hell, but
devised a vast scheme of measures, involving most amazing self-denials and
self-sacrifices, to gain men's souls back to obedience and heaven.
For whom was this great donation made? "God so loved the World," meaning
the whole race of men. By the "world in this connection cannot be meant
any particular part only, but the whole race. Not only the Bible, but the
nature of the case, shows that the atonement must have been made for the whole
world. For plainly if it had not been made for the entire race, no man of the
race could ever know that it was made for himself, and therefore not a man
could believe on Christ in the sense of receiving by faith the blessings of the
atonement. There being an utter uncertainty as to the persons embraced in the
limited provisions which we now suppose to be made, the entire donation
must fail through the impossibility of rational faith for its reception.
Suppose a will is made by a rich man bequeathing certain property to certain
unknown persons, described only by the name of "the elect." They are
not described otherwise than by this term, and all agree that although the
maker of the will had the individuals definitely in his mind, yet that he left
no description of them, which either the persons themselves, the courts, nor
any living mortal can understand. Now such a will is of necessity altogether
null and void. No living man can claim under such a will, and none the better
though these elect were described as residents of Oberlin. Since it does not
embrace all the residents of Oberlin, and does not define which of them, all is
lost. All having an equal claim and none any definite claim, none can inherit.
If the atonement were made in this way, no living man would have any valid
reason for believing himself one of the elect, prior to his reception of the
Gospel. Hence he would have no authority to believe and receive its blessings
by faith. In fact, the atonement must be wholly void -- on this supposition --
unless a special revelation is made to the persons for whom it is intended.
As the case is, however, the very fact that a man belongs to the
race of Adam -- the fact that he is human, born of woman, is all-sufficient. It
brings him within the pale. He is one of the world for whom God gave His
Son, that whosoever would believe in Him might not perish, but have everlasting
life.
The subjective motive in the mind of God for this great gift was
love, love to the world. God so loved the world that He gave His Son to
die for it. God loved the universe also but this gift of His Son sprang from
love to our world. True in this great act He took pains to provide for the
interests of the universe. He was careful to do nothing that could in the least
let down the sacredness of His law. Most carefully did He intend to guard
against misapprehension as to His regard for His law and for the high interests
of obedience and happiness in his moral universe. He meant once for all to
preclude the danger lest any moral agent should be tempted to undervalue the
moral law.
Yet farther, it was not only from love to souls, but from
respect to the spirit of the law of His own eternal reason, that He gave up His
Son to die. In this the purpose to give up His Son originated. The law of His
own reason must be honoured and held sacred. He may do nothing inconsistent
with its spirit. He must do everything possible to prevent the commission of
sin and to secure the confidence and love of His subjects. So sacred did He
hold these great objects that He would baptize His Son in His own blood, sooner
than peril the good of the universe. Beyond a question it was love and regard
for the highest good of the universe that led Him to sacrifice His own beloved
Son.
Let us next consider attentively the nature of this love.
The text lays special stress on this -- God so loved -- His love was of
such a nature, so wonderful and so peculiar in its character, that it led Him
to give up His only Son to die. More is evidently implied in this expression
than simply its greatness. It is most peculiar in its character. Unless we understand
this, we shall be in danger of falling into the strange mistake of the
Universalists, who are forever talking about God's love for sinners, but whose
notions of the nature of this love never lead to repentance or to holiness.
They seem to think of this love as simply good nature, and conceive of God only
as a very good-natured being, whom nobody need to fear. Such notions have not
the least influence towards holiness, but the very opposite. It is only when we
come to understand what this love is in its nature that we feel its moral power
promoting holiness.
It may be reasonably asked, If God so loved the world with a
love characterized by greatness, and by greatness only, why did He not save all
the world without sacrificing His Son? This question suffices to show us that
there is deep meaning in this word so, and should put us upon a careful
study of this meaning.
1. This love in its nature is not complacency -- a
delight in the character of the race. This could not be, for there was nothing
amiable in their character. For God to have loved such a race complacently would
have been infinitely disgraceful to Himself.
2. It was not a mere emotion or feeling. It was not a blind
impulse, though many seem to suppose it was. It seems to be often supposed that
God acted as men do when they are borne away by strong emotion. But there could
be no virtue in this. A man might give away all he is worth under such a blind
impulse of feeling, and be none the more virtuous. But in saying this we do not
exclude all emotion from the love of benevolence, nor from God's love for a
lost world. He had emotion, but not emotion only. Indeed, the Bible
everywhere teaches us that God's love for man, lost in his sins, was paternal
-- the love of a father for his offspring -- in this case, for a rebellious,
froward, prodigal offspring. In this love there must of course blend the
deepest compassion.
3. On the part of Christ, considered as Mediator, this love was fraternal.
"He is not ashamed to call them brethren." In one point of
view, He is acting for brethren, and in another for children. The Father gave
Him up for this work and of course sympathizes in the love appropriate to its
relations.
4. This love must be altogether disinterested, for He had
nothing to hope or to fear -- no profit to make out of His children if they
should be saved. Indeed, it is impossible to conceive of God as being selfish,
since His love embraces all creatures and all interests according to their real
value. No doubt He took delight in saving our race -- why should He not? It is
a great salvation in every sense, and greatly does it swell the bliss of heaven
-- greatly will it affect the glory and
the blessedness of the Infinite God. He will eternally respect Himself for love
so disinterested. He knows also that all His Holy creatures will eternally
respect Him for this work and for the love that gave it birth. But let it also
be said, He knew they would not respect Him for this great work unless they
should see that He did it for the good of sinners.
5. This love was zealous -- not that cold-hearted state of mind
which some suppose -- not an abstraction, but a love deep, zealous, earnest,
burning in his soul as a fire that nothing can quench.
6. The sacrifice was a most self-denying one. Did it cost the
Father nothing to give up His own beloved Son to suffer, and to die such a
death? If this be not self-denial, what can be? Thus to give up His Son to so
much suffering -- is not this the noblest self-denial? The universe never could
have the idea of great self-denial but for such an exemplification.
7. This love was particular because it was universal; and also
universal because it was particular. God loved each sinner in particular, and
therefore loved all. Because He loved all impartially, with no respect of
persons, therefore He loved each in particular.
8. This was a most patient love. How rare to find a
parent so loving his child as never to be impatient. Let me go round and ask,
how many of you, parents, can say that you love all your children so well, and
with so much love, and with love so wisely controlling, that you have never
felt impatient towards any of them -- so that you can take them in your arms
under the greatest provocations and love them down, love them out of
their sins, love them into repentance and into a filial spirit? Of which of
your children can you say, Thank God, I never fretted against that child -- of
which, if you were to meet him in heaven, could you say, I never caused that
child to fret? Often have I heard parents say, I love my children, but oh, how
my patience fails me! And, after the dear ones are dead, you may hear their
bitter moans, Oh, my soul, how could I have caused my child so much stumbling
and so much sin!
But God never frets -- is never impatient. His love is so deep
and so great that He is always patient.
Sometimes, when parents have unfortunate children -- poor
objects of compassion -- they can bear with anything from them; but when they
are very wicked, they seem to feel that they are quite excusable for being
impatient. In God's case, these are not unfortunate children, but are intensely
wicked -- intelligently wicked. But oh, His amazing patience -- so set upon
their good, so desirous of their highest welfare, that however they abuse Him, He
sets Himself to bless them still, and weep them down, and melt them into
penitence and love, by the death of His Son in their stead!
9. This is a jealous love, not in a bad sense, but in a
good sense -- in the sense of being exceedingly careful lest anything should
occur to injure those He loves. Just as husband and wife who truly love each
other are jealous with ever wakeful jealousy over each other's welfare, seeking
always to do all they can to promote each other's true interests.
This donation is already made -- made in good faith -- not only
promised, but actually made. The promise, given long before, has been
fulfilled. The Son has come, has died, has made the ransom and lives to offer
it -- a prepared salvation to all who will embrace it.
The Son of God died not to appease vengeance, as some seem to
understand it, but under the demands of law. The law had been dishonoured by
its violation. Hence, Christ undertook to honour it by giving up to its demands
His suffering life and atoning death. It was not to appease a vindictive spirit
in God, but to secure the highest good of the universe in a dispensation of
mercy.
Since this atonement has been made, all men in the race have a
right to it. It is open to every one who will embrace it. Though Jesus still
remains the Father's Son, yet by gracious right He belongs in an important
sense to the race -- to everyone; so that every sinner has an interest in His
blood if he will only come humbly forward and claim it. God sent His Son to be
the Saviour of the world -- of whomsoever would believe and accept this great
salvation.
God gives His Spirit to apply this salvation to men. He comes to
each man's door and knocks, to gain admittance, if He can, and show each sinner
that he may now have salvation. Oh, what a labour of love is this!
This salvation must be received, if at all, by faith. This
is the only possible way. God's government over sinners is moral, not physical,
because the sinner is himself a moral and not a physical agent. Therefore, God
can influence us in no way unless we will give Him our confidence. He never can
save us by merely taking us away to some place called heaven -- as if change of
place would change the voluntary heart. There can, therefore, be no possible
way to be saved but by simple faith.
'Now do not mistake and suppose that embracing the Gospel is
simply to believe these historical facts without truly receiving Christ as your
Saviour. If this had been the scheme, then Christ had need only to come down
and die; then go back to heaven and quietly wait to see who would believe the
facts. But how different is the real case! Now Christ comes down to fill the
soul with His own life and love. Penitent sinners hear and believe the truth
concerning Jesus, and then receive Christ into the soul to live and reign there
supreme and for ever. On this point many mistake, saying, If I believe the
facts as matters of history it is enough. No! No! This is not it by any means. "With
the heart man believeth unto righteousness." The atonement was indeed
made to provide the way so that Jesus could come down to human hearts and draw
them into union and sympathy with Himself -- so that God could let down the
arms of His love and embrace sinners -- so that law and government should not
be dishonoured by such tokens of friendship shown by God toward sinners. But
the atonement will by no means save sinners only as it prepares the way for
them to come into sympathy and fellowship of heart with God.
Now Jesus comes to each sinner's door and knocks. Hark! what's
that? what's that? Why this knocking? Why did He not go away and stay in heaven
if that were the system, till men should simply believe the historical facts
and be baptized, as some suppose, for salvation. But now, see how He comes down
-- tells the sinner what He has done -- reveals all His love -- tells him how
holy and sacred it is, so sacred that He can by no means act without reference
to the holiness of His law and the purity of His government. Thus impressing on
the heart the most deep and enlarged ideas of His holiness and purity, He
enforces the need of deep repentance and the sacred duty of renouncing all sin.
REMARKS
1. The Bible teaches that sinners may forfeit their birthright
and put themselves beyond the reach of mercy. It is not long since I made some
remark to you on the manifest necessity that God should guard Himself against
the abuses of His love. The circumstances are such as create the greatest
danger of such abuse, and, therefore, He must make sinners know that they may not
abuse His love, and cannot do it with impunity.
2. Under the Gospel, sinners are in circumstances of the
greatest possible responsibility. They are in the utmost danger of trampling
down beneath their feet the very Son of God. Come, they say, let us kill Him
and the inheritance shall be ours. When God sends forth, last of all, His own
beloved Son, what do they do? Add to all their other sins and rebellions the
highest insult to this glorious Son! Suppose something analogous to this were
done under a human government. A case of rebellion occurs in some of the
provinces. The king sends his own son, not with an army, to cut them down quick
in their rebellion, but all gently, meekly, patiently, he goes among them,
explaining the laws of the kingdom and exhorting them to obedience. What do
they do in the case? With one consent they combine to seize him and put him to
death!
But you deny the application of this, and ask me, Who murdered
the Son of God? Were they not Jews? Aye, and have you, sinners, had no part in
this murder? Has not your treatment of Jesus Christ shown that you are most
fully in sympathy with the ancient Jews in their murder of the Son of God? If
you had been there, would any one have shouted louder than you, Away with Him
-- crucify Him, crucify Him? Have you not always said, Depart from us -- for we
desire not the knowledge of Thy ways?
3. It was said of Christ that, Though rich He became poor that
we through His poverty might be rich. How strikingly true is this? Our
redemption cost Christ His life; it found Him rich, but made Him poor; it found
us infinitely poor, but made us rich even to all the wealth of heaven. But of
these riches none can partake till they shall each for himself accept them in
the legitimate way. They must be received on the terms proposed, or the offer
passes utterly away, and you are left poorer even than if no such treasures had
ever been laid at your feet.
Many persons seem entirely to misconceive this case. They seem
not to believe what God says, but keep saying, If, if, if there only
were any salvation for me -- if there were only an atonement provided for the
pardon of my sins. This was one of the last things that was cleared up in my
mind before I fully committed my soul to trust God. I had been studying the
atonement; I saw its philosophical bearings -- saw what it demanded of the
sinner; but it irritated me, and I said -- If I should become a Christian, how
could I know what God would do with me? Under this irritation I said foolish
and bitter things against Christ -- till my own soul was horrified at its own
wickedness, and I said -- I will make all this up with Christ if the thing is
possible.
In this way many advance upon the encouragements of the Gospel
as if it were only a peradventure, an experiment. They take each forward
step most carefully, with fear and trembling, as if there were the utmost doubt
whether there could be any mercy for them. So with myself. I was on my way to
my office, when the question came before my mind -- What are you waiting for?
You need not get up such an ado. All is done already. You have only to consent
to the proposition -- give your heart right up to it at once -- this is all.
Just so it is. All Christians and sinners ought to understand that the whole
plan is complete -- that the whole of Christ -- His character, His work, His
atoning death, and His ever-living intercession -- belong to each and every
man, and need only to be accepted. There is a full ocean of it. There it
is. You may just as well take it as not. It is as if you stood on the shore of
an ocean of soft, pure water, famishing with thirst; you are welcome to drink,
and you need not fear lest you exhaust that ocean, or starve anybody else by
drinking yourself. You need not feel that you are not made free to that ocean
of waters; you are invited and pressed to drink -- yea to drink abundantly!
This ocean supplies all your need. You do not need to have in yourself the
attributes of Jesus Christ, for His attributes become practically yours for all
possible use. As saith the Scripture -- He is of God made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. What do you need? Wisdom? Here
it is. Righteousness? Here it is. Sanctification? Here you have it. All is in
Christ. Can you possibly think of any one thing needful for your moral purity,
or your usefulness which is not here in Christ? Nothing. All is provided here.
Therefore you need not say, I will go and pray and try, as the hymn,
"I'll go to Jesus tho'
my sin
Hath like a
mountain rose,
Perhaps He will admit my plea;
Perhaps will hear my prayer."
There is no need of any perhaps. The doors are always
open. Like the doors of Broadway Tabernacle in New York, made to swing open and
fasten themselves open, so that they could not swing back and shut down upon
the crowds of people thronging to pass through. When they were to be made, I
went myself to the workmen and told them by all means to fix them so that they
must swing open and fasten themselves in that position.
So the door of salvation is open always -- fastened open, and no
man can shut it -- not the Pope, even, nor the devil, nor any angel from heaven
or from hell. There it stands, all swung back and the passage wide open for
every sinner of our race to enter if he will.
Again, sin is the most expensive thing in the universe. Are you
well aware, O sinner, what a price has been paid for you that you may be
redeemed and made an heir of God and of heaven? O what an expensive business
for you to indulge in sin.
And what an enormous tax the government of God has paid to
redeem this province from its ruin! Talk about the poor tax of Great Britain
and of all other nations superadded; all is nothing to the sin-tax of Jehovah's
government -- that awful sin-tax! Think how much machinery is kept in
motion to save sinners! The Son of God was sent down -- angels are sent as
ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation; missionaries are sent,
Christians labour, and pray and weep in deep and anxious solicitude -- all to
seek and save the lost. What a wonderful-enormous tax is levied upon the
benevolence of the universe to put away sin and to save the sinner! If the cost
could be computed in solid gold what a world of it -- a solid globe of itself!
What an array of toil and cost, from angels, Jesus Christ, the Divine Spirit,
and living men Shame on sinners who hold on to sin despite of all these
benevolent efforts to save them! who instead of being ashamed out of sin, will
say -- Let God pay off this tax; who cares! Let the missionaries labour, let
pious women work their very fingers off to raise funds to keep all this human
machinery in motion; no matter: what is all this to me? I have loved my
pleasures and after them I will go! What an unfeeling heart is this
Sinners can very well afford to make sacrifices to save their
fellow sinners. Paul could for his fellow sinners. He felt that he had done his
part toward making sinners, and now it became him to do his part also in
converting them back to God. But see there -- that young man thinks he cannot
afford to be a minister, for he is afraid he shall not be well supported. Does
he not owe something to the grace that saved his soul from hell? Has he not
some sacrifices to make, since Jesus has made so many for him, and Christians
too, in Christ before him -- did they not pray and suffer and toil for his
soul's salvation? As to his danger of lacking bread in the Lord's work, let him
trust his Great Master. Yet let me also say that churches may be in great fault
for not comfortably supporting their pastors. Let them know God will assuredly
starve them if they starve their ministers. Their own souls and the souls of
their children shall be barren as death if they avariciously starve those whom
God in His providence sends to feed them with the bread of life.
How much it costs to rid society of certain forms of sin, as for
example, slavery. How much has been expended already, and how much more
yet remains to be expended ere this sore evil and curse and sin shall be rooted
from our land! This is part of God's great enterprise, and He will press it on
to its completion. Yet at what an amazing cost! How many lives and how much
agony to get rid of this one sin!
Woe to those who make capital out of the sins of men! Just think
of the rumseller -- tempting men while God is trying to dissuade them from
rushing on in the ways of sin and death! Think of the guilt of those who thus
set themselves in array against God! So Christ has to contend with rumsellers
who are doing all they can to hinder His work.
Our subject strikingly illustrates the nature of sin as mere
selfishness. It cares not how much sin costs Jesus Christ -- how much it costs
the Church, how much it taxes the benevolent sympathies and the
self-sacrificing labours of all the good in earth or heaven; no matter; the
sinner loves self-indulgence and will have it while he can. How many of you
have cost your friends countless tears and trouble to get you back from your
ways of sin? Are you not ashamed when so much has been done for you, that you
cannot be persuaded to give up your sins and turn to God and holiness?
The whole effort on the part of God for man is one of suffering
and self-denial. Beginning with the sacrifice of His own beloved Son, it is
carried on with ever renewed sacrifices and toilsome labours -- at great and
wonderful expense. Just think how long a time these efforts have been
protracted already -- how many tears, poured out like water, it has cost -- how
much pain in many forms this enterprise has caused and cost -- yea, that very
sin which you roll as a sweet morsel under your tongue! God may well hate it
when He sees how much it costs, and say -- O do not that abominable thing that
I hate!
Yet God is not unhappy in these self-denials. So great is His
joy in the results, that He deems all the suffering but comparatively a trifle,
even as earthly parents enjoy the efforts they make to bless their children.
See them; they will almost work their very hands off; mothers sit up at night
to ply their needle till they reel with fatigue and blindness; but if you were
to see their toil, you would often see also their joy, so intensely do they
love their children.
Such is the labour, the
joy, and the self-denial of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, in their
great work for human salvation. Often are they grieved that so many will refuse
to be saved. Toiling on in a common sympathy, there is nothing, within
reasonable limits, which they will not do or suffer to accomplish their great
work. It is wonderful to think how all creation sympathizes, too, in this work
and its necessary sufferings. Go back to the scene of Christ's sufferings.
Could the sun in the heavens look down unmoved on such a scene? O no, he could
not even behold it -- but veiled his face from the sight! All nature seemed to
put on her robes of deepest mourning. The scene was too much for even inanimate
nature to bear. The sun turned his back and could not look down on such a
spectacle!
The subject illustrates forcibly the worth of the soul. Think
you God would have done all this if He had had those low views on this subject
which sinners usually have?
Martyrs and saints enjoy their sufferings -- filling up in
themselves what is lacking of the sufferings of Christ; not in the atonement
proper, but in the subordinate parts of the work to be done. It is the nature
of true religion to love self-denial.
The results will fully justify all the expense. God had well
counted the cost before He began. Long time before He formed a moral universe
He knew perfectly what it must cost Him to redeem sinners, and He knew that the
result would amply justify all the cost. He knew that a wonder of mercy would
be wrought -- that the suffering demanded of Christ, great as it was, would be
endured; and that results infinitely glorious would accrue therefrom. He looked
down the track of time into the distant ages -- where, as the cycles rolled
along, there might be seen the joys of redeemed saints, who are singing their
songs and striking their harps anew with the everlasting song, through the long
long, LONG eternity of their blessedness; and was not this enough for
the heart of infinite love to enjoy? And what do you think of it, Christian?
Will you say now, I am ashamed to ask to be forgiven? How can I bear to receive
such mercy! It is the price of blood, and how can I accept it? How can I make
Jesus so much expense?
You are right in saying that you have cost Him great expense --
but the expense has been cheerfully met -- the pain has all been endured, and
will not need to be endured again, and it will cost none the more if you accept
than if you decline; and moreover still, let it be considered Jesus Christ has
not acted unwisely; He did not pay too much for the soul's redemption -- not a
pang more than the interests of God's government demanded and the worth of the
soul would justify.
O, when you come to see Him face to face, and tell Him what you
think of it -- when you are some thousands of years older than you are now,
will you not adore that wisdom that manages this scheme, and the infinite love
in which it had its birth? O what will you then say of that amazing
condescension that brought down Jesus to your rescue! Say, Christian, have you
not often poured out your soul before your Saviour in acknowledgment of what
you have cost Him, and there seemed to be a kind of lifting up as if the very
bottom of your soul were to rise, and you would pour out your whole heart. If
anybody had seen you they would have wondered what had happened to you that had
so melted your soul in gratitude and love.
Say now, sinners will you sell your birthright? How much will
you take for it? How much will you take for your interest in Christ? For how
much will you sell your soul? Sell your Christ! Of old they sold Him for thirty
pieces of silver; and ever since, the heavens have been raining tears of blood
on our guilty world. If you were to be asked by the devil to fix the sum for
which you would sell your soul, what would be the price named? Lorenzo Dow once
met a man as he was riding along a solitary road to fulfil an appointment, and
said to him -- Friend, have you ever prayed? No. How much will you take never
to pray hereafter? One dollar. Dow paid it over, and rode on. The man put the
money in his pocket, and passed on, thinking. The more he thought, the
worse he felt. There, said he, I have sold my soul for one dollar! It must be
that I have met the devil! Nobody else would tempt me so. With all my
soul I must repent, or be damned forever!
How often have you bargained to sell your Saviour for less than
thirty pieces of silver! Nay, for the merest trifle!
Finally, God wants volunteers to help on this great work. God
has given Himself, and given His Son, and sent His Spirit; but more labourers
still are needed; and what will you give? Paul said, I bear in my body the
marks of the Lord Jesus. Do you aspire to such an honour? What will you do --
what will you suffer? Say not, I have nothing to give. You can give yourself --
your eyes, your ears, your hands, your mind, your heart, all; and surely nothing
you have is too sacred and too good to be devoted to such a work upon such a
call! How many young men are ready to go? and how many young women? Whose heart
leaps up, crying, Here am I! send me?