Sermons and Notes of Sermons. NOTES OF A SERMON. BY C. H. MARSTON, M.D., DEVIZES. And let him that heareth, say, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. Come. And let him that is athirst come. the water of life freely."-REV. xxii. 17. CHRIST JESUS is the great centre of the Gospel, for the Gospel is just the testimony of Jesus Christ. It shows the Lord Jesus as the Covenant Head of all His people, existing from eternity as one with His Father in glory, will, and power; and as so, one with His dear people who were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, that all their responsibilities, charges, sins, and deserts were laid to His account, while He was stored with all the communicable fulness of God for the supply of their need; and in fulness of time this glorious Son of the Father in truth and love was made the Son of Man. "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same (Heb. ii. 14). "Though He was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich" (2 Cor. viii. 9). Having received His Church as His purposed bride from the hand of His Father, He espoused her to Himself in His own flesh, laid Himself open to all who had a claim against her, and boldly and fearlessly met her creditors, paid her every debt, even to the wages of sin, which is death, overcoming the world and the devil and sin and death, which held her in slavish bondage; and then, having done all, went again to His Father's throne, until He shall come to fetch her home, that where He is, there she may be also. But of all this the bride is by nature ignorant. She has no love in her heart towards Him, sees no glory in His person, no desirableness in His love and grace. She is wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, yet supposes herself to be rich and increased in goods, and to have need of nothing. But Jesus is determined to win her love; and this He will do by causing His blessed Spirit to come down into her soul. As Abraham's servant was sent to bring a wife to Isaac, so the Holy Ghost is sent to fetch the heart of Christ's loved one to Himself; and this He does, first, by painful things: He lays her sins to her charge, opens up the long account, and shows that she has nothing wherewith to pay; so that she feels in what a ruined position she stands, knows that she deserves the anger and the curse of God, loses her pleasure in herself and in the ways of sin and of the world; can find no rest, no peace, no comfort, no help; her heart meditates terror, nothing suits her; she is fretful, peevish, ill-tempered, impatient, rebellious, and knows not what to do; tries to make herself clean by duties, but finds it like trying to wash her flesh in a polluted sewer. All her works are marred, and her righteousnesses are as filthy rags; she hears about repentance, but finds her heart like a stone; is told to believe, but knows not how or what to believe; is encouraged to hope, but sinks deeper into despondency; knows that God must be loved, while she trembles at her own rebellion; she cannot feel that she is anything like a saint, and, as the work advances, becomes even more broken-down at the discovery of what she is than at the sight of what she has been, so that she is now feelingly and experi mentally what she is actually, "miserable and wretched and blind and poor and naked." But now is the time for the Spirit of the Lord to take of the things of Christ. Salvation without price, pardon without merit, righteousness without works, all through the doing and dying of God's only-begotten Son, reach her heart, and then draw forth her affections towards Him, until in God's time the love of God is made known to her very heart, and perfect love casts out tormenting fear. I. Let us mark the threefold voice in our text: 1st. The Spirit says, "Come." This is the great call of the Spirit; by stripping, by reproving, by chastening, by comfort, by threatenings, by promises, He draws to Christ. I have spoken of His work already. 2nd. The Bride says, "Come." Those who have experience of Christ's mercy, she says, "come," by her experience, by her words, by her life. 3rd. The hearer says, "Come." Souls raised to hope, encourage one another. II. The invited one; thirsty, willing. There is need to drive, there is precious suitability to draw. Thirst.-It denotes discomfort, pain, inability to obtain relief. The will.-To choose Christ, to trust in Christ, to obey Christ. To such who are miserable, grieved at sin, unable to obtain relief, who see Christ the only way, the only help, the only friend, the only comfort, who lean upon His mighty arm and all-sufficient grace, and submit to His authority, the Spirit says, "Come," the bride says, Come," the hearing one says, "Come;" and now Christ Himself speaks, "Let him come." 66 III. The welcome, "Let him come." "Ah, may I come?" The word implies permission. Sinner, thou mayest come. Jesus says, "Let him come." "Let him çome." "Ah, but sin holds me, fear holds me, Satan holds me. There is a crowd about Him, and I feel as though in a prison, unable to come forth." "Let him come," is a word of authority to those that hold thy soul. As God said to Pharaoh, "Let my people go," so He says to sin, to Satan, to law, and unbelief, "Let him come. "Let him come." "Ah, but I am helpless, lame, and broken down. I feel as though I could not move one step, and when I try I fall down; my spirits sink, and I think I shall never find Christ." "Let him come, is a word of power. He who said, "Let there be light; and there was light," says, "Let him come." Sinner, He does not mock thee. He means it; He knows that thou art weak and lame and faint; and, if He will but now speak to thy soul, thou shalt come. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John vi. 37). IV. The blessing.-That which is given to the soul is life. "All that a man hath will he give for his life;" but life is forfeited. Jesus only can give it. Eternal life-pardon of sin, free justification, and everlasting glory. Spiritual life-faith, repentance, fear, love, peace, and joy; our holy desires, our fruit to God's glory, Jesus only gives. The water of lifethe Holy Ghost. What terms? Without money, without price; let him take it freely. The fountain is always flowing with all its rich blessings for the life that now is, and for that which is to come; and he that cometh to Jesus shall have it freely, it shall not only flow to him, it shall be in him. And nowhere else is life. "He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (1 John v. 12). The Triumphs of Grace over Death and the Grade; OR, WHISPERS FROM THE DYING PILLOWS OF GOD'S SERVANTS. "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace."-PSALM Xxxvii. 37. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND HAPPY DEPARTURE OF SAMUEL YOUNG (SIXTH SON OF MAJOR YOUNG), WHO DIED NOVEMBER 30, 1845, AGED 11 YEARS. FOR some years previous to the illness which terminated the earthly career of Samuel, he had given a good testimony of the work of grace upon his soul. This appeared from his fear of doing wrong; his great dread of telling a falsehood; the deep sense he had of his being a sinner befors God; his longing after an assurance that Jesus died for him.§ The following manuscript which he left, shows that his faith was much tried, and that the temptations he had to struggle with were very severe. It is written, "All thy children shall be taught of God." Hence the knowledge of the deceitfulness and plague of the heart, the conviction of original and actual sin, self-condemnation, poverty of spirit, brokenness of heart, and a justifying God in all things, will be found in all God's quickened children, whether regeneration takes place in the adult or in the little child; so that, from the least to the greatest, all shall give to the Lord all the glory, ascribing salvation to God alone-to His sovereign, free, and electing grace. The blessed truths of the eternal election of the Church in Christ, of particular redemption and discriminating grace, have never been kept back by the parents of this child, when speaking to their children upon spiritual things; and God will bless His own truth to His children, of which Samuel is a happy witness. G. Y. COPY OF THE MANUSCRIPT. [In transcribing this manuscript I have retained, as closely as possible, the expressions of the original, which have the mark, in many instances, of the childish simplicity natural to the age of the writer.-G.Y.] "O Lord, may I bless Thee all the days of my life! Make me to do what is right, and, Jesus, be with me, and keep me from doing wrong, and teach me. "I felt unhappy to-day; afterwards I felt a good deal better. O Lord, may I praise Thee all the days of my life! Blessed are they that trust in Him. "I felt unhappy, and I read the 1st of John, and it comforted me a little. "I felt great temptations, and I prayed to God to help me. "A blessed day. I felt no temptations. "This morning they tempted me to kill myself; but God will not let the devil overtempt me. Sometimes it makes me feel unhappy, but then it goes off for a time, and I feel better; but they are very bad. O. Lord, may I love Thee for ever, even for everlasting. "I will put my fear in their hearts" (Jer. xxxii. 40). "For He said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so He was their Saviour" (Isaiah lxiii. 8). "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matt. ix. 13). "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matt. v. 6). "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure (2 Peter i. 10). "Praise God, from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him, all creatures here below."" "Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord' (Psalm cxxxiv. 1). When temptations come upon me, these are very nice things to think of, for they do comfort me a great deal. One night the temptations were so great, that I sat up in my bed, and I was so unhappy; I was almost raving, and Jenny read to me in the Bible, and I went to sleep. Once I had such temptations, that I put my knife to my throat; but it was the back, and God kept me from doing it. Is not God kind to me? What could I do without Him? No; we could not live without Him. My temptations were a great deal better to-day. How kind of Jesus to die on the cross for us, and save us from hell-for wicked me! And, by nature, what devils we are! There is not any hour in the day that man is not doing wrong. "To-day (a Sunday), I saw some boys playing with pennies on the road to Charlecombe. Would it not break the hearts of those who love God? (Oh, how it did me!) God, who created heaven and earth, and the stars, and all living creatures, in six days! And we do such things! We cannot do the least thing without the help of Christ. Jesus did not die for all men; but He died for His lambs. For the wicked, when they die, are cast into burning fire, and there is no end to it. But the righteous shall go to heaven. Oh, what a blessed thing to know! The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but my people doth not consider.' "If we believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall go to heaven, without doing our own good works. "Jesus kept the whole law. When I hear of those who were struck by our God for doing wicked things, I am tempted to do them. I do not read my Bible, and I wish that God would make me like it more. I do not praise Him, and I am not fond of my Bible as I ought to be; when I had temptations, I used to read more than I do. Oh, that I could praise Him more! Only think, the Greatest that lives should die for such reptiles as we are! Ought I not to love Him? "No temptations to-day; in my mind I am not a minute without doing something wrong. Every man is as bad as another, so we ought not to boast; we are all alike by nature; we all tell stories, but we ought not to tell them, if we can help. "On Saturday I was afraid that Jesus did not die for me. I went to papa and told him. He comforted me; he told me that Jesus did die for all who believe, and all the next day I was very happy. "Thank God, who has kept me this day. Oh, that I could pray to God with all my heart; I have plenty of things to ask of Him. O Lord, make me more wise in Thee, and in the Scriptures! make me to read them more, and to delight in them. He that goeth forth, and weepeth, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him' (Psalm cxxxvi. 6). These are beautiful words for a broken-hearted sinner to think, that after sorrows and temptations, to come rejoicing, received into glory, without spot or blemish, and 'the seed shall be sown * A valuable Christian servant. into the heart of His people.' God is so merciful and good that, after all, I sometimes hope I shall be received into glory. Come, Lord, save me from hell and damnation! May Thy beloved Son, who died upon the cross to save sinners (I hope He died for me)-O Lord, answer my prayer, lest I go down into the pit! Make me more earnest about my soul. Make mo to think more of the Lord, who sent a Lamb to be hung upon the cross, and the blood of Him to wash off the sins, which are many, of His people. May mine be washed with them; and let me see Christ crucified on Calvary, that I may fly upon eagles' wings to Mount Sion and sing, "Glory to God in the highest, Christ upon the cross was slain; "How merciful Thou art to keep me from horrible temptations, and not cast me into hell in a moment. For we deserve it; for we are too wicked to stand before Thee. I hope Thou wilt take us to heaven at last. 'But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the Image of God, should shine unto them' (2 Cor. iv. 3, 4). 666 Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places' (Deut. xxxiii. 29). "Some time ago I thought I was telling a lie very often, which made made me very unhappy; but, blessed be the name of the Lord, He has made me more happy. "I think too much of myself. Lord, take away the heart of pride, but give me a heart of flesh. Wash me, make me clean, with the blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. "Although I am so proud, God is, I hope, going to take me to heaven at last. O Lord, make me to pray with my heart. "Oh, what an Almighty God! not to send me to hell for ever and ever, where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth, only fit for the devil and his angels. I wish to love Almighty God with all my heart; but all His people will be taken to heaven to live with Him, for they all go to glory, where there is no sickness, no pain or sorrow. "Sometimes when I am in the garden, or playing, I feel like some one telling me to go and read my Bible, and something telling me not; it is something like two roads. I cannot tell which way to go; but I ought to read my Bible more. "I felt great temptations, and I prayed to Jesus to help me." A text for every day in the year: Jan. 30.-Psalm xxxvii. 3: "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." Jan. 31.-Matt. v. 11: "Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake." Feb. 1.-Matt. v. 4: "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Feb. 2.-Psalm xxxvii. 16: "A little that the righteous hath, is better than the riches of many wicked." |