The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 5: Salvation by Grace

8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 5: Salvation by Grace

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CI--IAPTER V

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SALVATION BY GRACE

Y REV. THOMAS SPURGEON,

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LOND ,ON, ENGLAND

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WHAT IS ''G ·RACE''?

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Once u.pon a tim·e, I me.t,. on b

1

oa.rd an A.ustra]ian liner,

an aged

man

of genial

temperamen ·t,

and

of

sound and

ex

tensive learning. He

man ,aged

to dwell

in ·well-nigh

per

petual sunsl1ine, f o,r he f oll,owed the sun rot1nd the globe year

after

y,ear,

and he was

hims.,lf

so s

1

unny that

t.he

pass,eng

1

ers

made friends with

him,

and sought

information

from

him.

It

fell out that a discussion ha.ving arisen as to what ''Grace''

was, someone said, ''Le .t us ask 'The Walking Encyc lopcedia';

li

will be sure to know.'' So to him they went with their

.inquiry as to the meaning of the theo1ogica1 te .rm, ''Grace.''

They retu .rned woef u11y disappointed, for all he could say

w·as, ''I confes ,s that I do,n't ·unders ·tand it .. At th

1

e same time

·he volt1nteer

1

ed the following ,extrao ,rdinary statement: ''I

don't

think that

they understand

it either who

so

often

speak

of

it.

1

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Like , the medical man of

who1n

the Rev. T .. Phillips told in

hi.s

Baptist World Congress sermon who sai,d of Grace, ''It i,s

utterly

meaningless to me, this well-read traveller compre

hend1d.

it

not. Some

among us. were

hard]y

as

1

tonished

at

this ,

but it

1

did occur

to

us

that

he might have allowe ,d

that

it

was

j11stpossible t'hat on this particular t'heme, at all event .s, some,

l

1

ess. learned

f

ol.k might be more enlightened than himself.

Now~

it

chanced tl1at on

th ,a.t.

same vess ,el there w,as a Christi ,an

seaman,

wh

1

0,

if h

1

e cottld not have gi,v

1

en a concise and ade

quate definition o,f· ''Grace,'' nevertheless knew pe,r·fect1y well

its

,significanc

1

e, and would

have said,

''Ay, ay,

sir;

that's it,'' '

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49

with hounding heart and beaming face, if one had suggested

that ''Grace is

God's

f ree, unmerited

favor, graciously

be

st~1owed upon

the

unwortl 1y

and sinful.' · And if Mr. Phi llips

himself had been on board, an.cl had preached his Co11gress ser

mon the ,re, and had declared that ''G race is something in Gold

which is at

the

heart of all His redeeming activities, . the down

v,ard stoop and reach

of

God, God

bending from the

heights

of His majesty, to touch and grasp our insignificance and

pover ·t,y,' ''

the

weath ,er-beaten

face woul

1

d have beamed

,again,

and the converted sailor .... an would have

,said

within himself,

''Oh, to Grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be.

Ve·rily,

th ,e

world

thro ,ugh its wis,do1n ]


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so

The

Fundam entals

· own loveliness.'' Shall we hear Dr. Alexande~ Whyte her~

'ttpon? ''Grace means favor ,, mercy, pard ,on. Gr ,ac

1

e and love

are essentiall ,y the same, o,nly Grace is

love manifesting

itself

arid operating under

certain

conditions, and a,dapting

it,seif

to

certain circumstances. As, for instance ,, love ha ,s no l'imit or

Jaw such as Grace has. Love may exist between ,equals, or

i,t ,

ma,y rise to t'hose above 'US, or flow do·wn to tho ise in an,y

way beneath us. But Grace, from its nature, has only one

directio ,n

i,t

can take. GRACE ALWAYS FLOWS DOWN.

Grace is love indeed, hut it is love to creatures , humbling itself.

A king's love to his e,quals,

0

1

r to his own royal house, is love;

but his love to

h,is

st1bjects 'is.called grace ,. And thus ,

it

is

that

God's

1ove

to sinners is always called GRACE in t'he Scrip

tur 1s:.

It

is

.1ov,e

indeed,

but

it

is

),1ve

t O creatures ,and t

1

creatures who do not deserve His

Jove.

And therefore all He

does for ,

11s

in

CJ1rist,

and

all that

j.s disclos ,ed to us of His

goo,dwill i11 the Gospel, is ca,lled Grace.''

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IS ''GRACE'' DEFINABLE?

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Delightful as these

defin itions

are, we

are conscious that

the ha.If has not b,ee,n told. Oh I the e,xceeding ric'hes of His

gra

1

ce. Wher ,eunto shall we liken the mercy of God, or with

,vhat comparison shall

\ve compar ,e

it?

It defies

definition,

and beggars descriptio ,n. This is ha1·dly to, be wondered at,

f

on it is so Divine. There are som -e things of earth to which

no human pen or brush has

1

done j 'Usti

1

ce st

1

orms, rainbows,

cataracts ,, sunsets, i,cehergs, snowflakes, dewdrops, the wings

that

wanto 'n

among ,

SUmmer

flower ,s. Becaus ,e God made the(llt

man

fails

to describe

them ,.

Who,

then,,.

shall te,ll forth fully

that whjch God has and is? The definition we have quoted

from Dr:. Jowett is worthy of .his gr,eat reputati .1n, yet he

himself confesses that ''Grace'' is indefinable. Thus

choicely

t1e puts

it:

''~ome tnin .ister of the C'ross; toiling in great

.

lon,eline,s,s,, amo

1

ng a sca.,ttered and primitive people, and on the

very fringe of dark primeval forests, , sent

me

a

tittle

sample

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Salvation

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51

of his vast and wealthy environment. It was a bright and

gaily colored wing of a native bird. The color and life of

trackless leagues sampled within the confines of an envelope

And when we have made a compact little phrase to enshrine

the secret of Grace, I feel that however fair and radiant it

rnay be, we have only got a wing of a native bird, and be

wildering stretches of wealth are untouched and unrevealed.

No we cannot define it."

DESIRE FOR SALVATION

It cannot be pretended that all men desire to ·be saved.

Would to God that it were so A lack of the sense of sin

is still the most perilous omen of today, as Mr. Gladstone

declared it was in his time. Were he now alive, he would, we

believe, repeat those portentous words with added emphasis,

for this lack- this fatal lack---is approved and fostered

y

certain of those whose solemn endeavor it should be to pre

vent and condemn it. A fatal lack it assuredly is, for if ,a

sense of sin .be absent, what hope is there of a longing for

salvation, of a cry for mercy, or of appreciation of a Saviour?

So long as men imagine themselves to ·be potential Christs,

there is little likelihood that they will be sufficiently discon

tent with self to look away to Jesus, or, indeed, to suppose

that they are other than rich and increased in goods and in

need of nothing. No, no; all men ·do not desiderate salvation,

though we sometimes think that there has come to all men at

some time or other, before the process of hardening was com

plete, some consci.ence of sin, some apprehension as to the

future, some longings, faint and fitful it may be, to be right ·

with God, and assured of heaven. There is, moreover, a

tnuch larger number than we suppose of really ,anxious souls.

Deep desire is often hidden under a cloak of unconcern, and

there is sometimes a br,eaking heart under a , brazen .breast.

In addition to, and partly' in consequence of, this lao'k of a

sense of sin, there is much misconception as to the nature of


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The

Fundanie itals

salvation, and tl1e way to secure it. It is even possible to en

tertain some true conception of sin, and of

salvation ., without

c.omprel1ending, or, at

all events, with .out

su.bmitt .ing to Go,d s

method of salvatio

1

n. One may r

1

eali.ze that to be sav,ed f r,om

sin

is

to

o,vercome its po

1

wer a.s w

1

ell as

to

es.c.ape its

penalty,

and yet suppo ,se that this is not impossible to f alien men by

way of profound penitence,

radic ·al ref ·ormation,

and

precis1

piety. .

Rl

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GHTEOUSNE .SS IS ESSENTIAL

One thing is eviden ·t rig.hteo11sness

i,s

essential. B

1

ut

what ·must be. the : nature and q·uality of ·that righteousne ,ss~

and how and

w

h

1

ence is it to be obtained ? Shall it be

home

r11ade,or shall it

be

of ·

God and fr ·om above?

Shall

I

go

about t,o est .ablish my own, or shall I subj1ect myself to God s?

Shall salvation be of

wor.ks,,

or

by

f aith? Is Christ · to

be

a

Substitttte fo

1

r the sinner, or will tl1e sinner be a

s,t1b

stitute

for

the Savi

1

our? Shall

the altar sme,11

of

,sacrific.e,

Go,d

appointed ,and God-pr ·ovided ., 0

1

·r ·will we prefer to d

1

eck it. with

flowers that with

1

er an ·d wi·th fruits that sl1rivel, howsoever fair

t hey seem at

first?

Is pe·rsonal goodness, or

·s God s gr ·ace,

as revealed

in Jesus

Christ,

to

bring us

to the

world

where all

is well ? The one is a ladder that we ourselves set up and

pa .infully ascend; the. othe~ is an elev.a,tor which. God provides,

into which, ind .eed, we pass by penit .ential . faith,

but

with which

the liftin .g ·po

1

wer is, God s alo

1

ne. Salvati

1

on by work ·s is t·he

choice of

the

Pharisee, salvation

by Grace

is

the

hope

of tfie

Publican. . ,

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Nor ca.n

these

two

p,rinciples

be

combin .ed. They · are t ~

tally distinct; nay, more, they are at variance the one with

th

1

e

other. ·A blend of the

·two is

impo,ssible. If ,it is

by

grace,

it

is no more

,of works ;

other ·wise grace

is no more

grace. One cannot

merit

me,rcy. Thi ,s

field ·

must not be

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Salvation by

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race

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sown with mingl ,ed s,eed. The ox of mercy, and th

1

e, ass of

.tnerit

n1us t not be yoked

tog

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ether; indeed, they cannot be;

tl1ey are t

1

00

unequal.

No

linsey -woolsey garment

can 'We

weave of works

and grace.

As Hart quaintly puts it:

Everything we do we

,

Cho,se11 Jew,s

Must not use

.

,,

sin in,

S0

the

choice must be

n1ade

between

these

two

wa,ys to

heaven. ·The great ques ,tion still is,

How

can · m.an be

just .

wit .h God? and

it

app

1

ear .s that he tnust

1

either him.self be es

sentially and perfectly ho,Iy, ,or he must, by some

m·eans,

ac

quire a justnes .s which will bear the scrutiny of Omnis ,cience,

and p

1

ass

muster

in th ,e

High Court of Heaven .

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W H AT SAYS THE BOOK?

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What , has the Word of God to

say

about this all-import

ant matter? It declares most plainly that all hav

1

e sinned, that

sin is

exceedi ·ng

sinful, that retribution follows iniq~ity as the

cart-wheel follows the footprints .

of

the ox

that

draws

it,

tltat

none

can

ma·ke his

hands clean or

r,enew his

own heart. It

tells us also that

God,

in His infinite mercy, has d·evised

a

way of s,alvation, and that none b~t Jesus can do helpless sin-

. ners good. Behold the

bleeding

victims, and

th.e smoking aita .rs

lof the ol

1

1

dispensati 1on Th

1

y ,speak of sin thiat neede

1

d to

be pu·t.away, and they fo

1

reshadowe :d a sacrifice of nobler ·n,ame

and richer

blood than the,y, th

1

e

only

Sacrifice

·whicl1

can ·mak

1

e

the comers th,ereunto perfe ,ct.

Hea ·rk,en

to, David as he cries: ,

Enter n,ot into ju ,dgm

1

en·t with Thy servant, for in Thy sight

-

shall no fles·h living

be ju s·tified. ·

The

prophets te11 t he

sel·fsame ta1e. By

the

knowledge

of

Him

shall

My righteous

Servant justify many, for He shall

· bear

their

iniquities (Isa.

53.:11 ).

Then there is that won

derful word . whic h broke the fetters that were on Luther s

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54

The Fundamentals

I

soul as h

1

e climbed the h.oly S

1

taircase on. his knees: ''"fl1e

j iust

shall live by faith.''

The Apostles bear similar

witness. Peter

tells

of Jesus

of Naza .reth, and declares, ''In none other is there salvat :i.on;

£or

neither

is ther ·e

any

other na·me

under

·heaven,

tha ·t

is given

among men, wherein

we

mu st be saved'' (Acts 4 :12,

R.

v.).

Paul is insistent on

justification

b.Y faith

alone. ''By the

•

d.eeds of the law th .ere s,ha ll no

flesh

be ,justi .fied in

His sight ''

(Rom. 3 :20),. ''By gra

1

ce ye are saved through

faith;

and

that

not of yourselves;

i·t

is

the ,

gift

of

God; not of workst lest a ny

man should boast'' (Eph. 2 :8 and 9). ''Not

by

works of

righteou sn-es,s

which we have do11e, but according to His mercy

H'e, sav ,ed

us,

b

1

y the washing of r

1

egeneration,

and r·e·newing

ol

thf Holy Ghost, which He shed on us abundant ·ty throug r1

Jesus Chris ,t our Saviour; that being justified b

1

y

His grace,

'We

sh

1

ould be

ma

1

de h

1

eirs according

t

1

0

the ho

1

pe of

eternal

·tife''

(Ti ,tus 3:5; ,

1

6, 7).

(See .also

Gal . .

3:11,

Ph .ii.

3:8

1

and

9, Acts 13 :39,

a11d

2 Tim. 1 :9.) ·

NO THOROUGHF 'ARE

.

What nee,d ha·ve we 0

1

£. further w:tness,·? It is evjden ,t tha·t

the way of Works is close·d .. Athwart the narrow track have

fallen · the Tree of Life and the broken

t.ables

of

the

Law,

and God ha s affixed

a n,otice

there ,, large

and

legible ,,

so, that

he w·ho reads may ru.n into a

better

p

1

ath

N

1

0 TH

1

0R

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0U

I

i -- -

FARE It ·is given '' .By Order,'' and the King's re ·d seal is

011 it.; there£ ore doth

it

stand fast for

e·ver.

Levitical instruc

tions,

Davidi ,c

confessions, Prophetic and Apostolic

declara ,

·tions are .

all

the

vo,ice

o,f

the Lo

1

rd the voice that

breaketh

•

the cedars of

Leban ,on

and strippeth

the

forests bare declar~

ing

that salvation is

by

G1 acealone ..

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THE

'VERDICT

OF HISTORY

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The history of man is the history of

si·n.

lt is. one long,

·lurid

record

of

fall and failure.

Adam

had

the. best

opportun-

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Sal'vation by Grace

55

it) of all.

The

law was fragmentary

a11d rud ·im

ental then.

Tl1ere was but one command a

solitary

test. B.ut it was one

t.oo

ma:n y

for

ou.· first

par ,ents~ Later,

the

fl1ood-sw1

p,t world

was soon defiled again. Lat -er still, there came a law to

Israel, holy an

1

d j ·u.st and good. Did t]1ey obey? Let the

carcasses tl1at strew tl1e wilderness

bear

witness. Is

ther ,e

a

~lerfect

life

in all Tin1e's annals? Th ,e Pharisees were p1~

e111inentas professional religionists,

y,et

Jesus said, '''Except

Your righteo ,usnes,s shall

exceed

the

righteousnes

1

s of the scribes

and Ph .a.r.i.se,es,

ye

shall in no wis,e· enter int ,o the king

1

dom o·f

heaven. They, as it were, traveled in an express train, and,

of course, fi.rst -class, but

i.t

was t·,ie ·iuron,g ,train Saul of

Tarsus

was a Pharisee of

the Pharise

1

es, and he

was

n

1

0

hypo

crite, mind

Y·OU,

bu.t he, too, was on the wron .g track, till he

c·hanged trains at Dam,asctts

J 111ction.

Ther ,e, he re1in.quished

a)] con.fidence in tl1e flesh, and thenceforth exclaimed:

''What

things wer ·e gain to, me, these have I

,count.ed

loss for

1

Christ~

Yea, verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excel

lency ,of t·he knowledge o,f· Chri st _Jesus. my Lord, for whom

I suffered the loss of ·all things,

a11d

do coun ·t them b·ut dung

that I may ,vin Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine

OWn

righteousne ss which

is of

th

1

e

law, but that whi

1

c'h

is ·

througl1 faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of

God

by

fa-tl1.'

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GRACE, NOT GRACES

Personal experience bears similar testimony. ·Our own

g~aces can ne·ver s.atisf y as does God's

Gra.ce.

He who is not

flar f'rom the kingdom, nevertl1eless inquir

1

es, ''What lac·k I

yet

r

One might as well think to lift himself by hauling at

his hoots, as, expect to win heav,en

by

tl1e deeds of the law.

The fact is, that fallen human nature is incapable of perfectly

keeping

the perfect law

of

God. It isl we11

when this

is

un- ·

derstood

a11d humbly lacknowledg ,ed ;,

it may be the dawn of

better things, even as it was with one of· whom I have heard •


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56 The Fundamentals

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\vho was br ,ought to Christ

by

the S,pirit's application of 'the

wordst ''The heart is dec

1

eitful above all things, and desperately

v;icl


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Salva ltion by

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As for the prQud Pharisee, ''God grant h.im grace to groan.'~

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WHAT SAITH THE CROSS?

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Grace and atonement go hand in hand r Dr. Adolph Saphir ·,

has well said: ''The world does not know what grace is. Grace

•

is not pity; grace is not indulgence nor leniency; grace is not

long-suffering. · Grace is as infinite an attribute of '

1

God as is

.Eis power, and as is His wis.dom.

1

Grace manifests itself in

righteoustless, Grace has a righteousness which is based upon

•

atone .ment or

substitution,

land

through the

whole

1

Scriptµre

there run the golden thread of grace and tl1e scarlet thread

of

ato

1

ne·me11t, wl1icl1

t

1

ogether reveal to us, for man, a

rig ·hteous-

•

ness

that comes

dow11 from heaven.'' The fact

that Christ

has died, a Sacrifice for sin, surely settles the question as to

whether salvation is

or

is

not b,y

Grace. ''If righteousness is

througl1 the law, then Christ died for nought." Yon great

Sacrifice were worse than waste, if

man can save himself.

They

who think to be saved through works of the flesh make

voi

1

d the gr ·ace of God. The unspe ,akable gift had never been

donated ; the substitutionary sacrifice had never been o:ff red,

had

any

other

way

been possible.

Calvary

says, more plainly

than anytl1ing else, ''Salvation is of the Lord.'' Away, ye

•

tnerit-mongers from the Cross, where ''the sword of Justice

i..:scabbarded in the jeweled sheath of Grace.'' Penances,

and

pieties, 3ind p,erformances

are

less

than vanity

in view

of

the

''unknown sufferings'' of the spotless Lamb of God. It is

•

impossible for self-righteousness to thrive on the slopes of the

hill cal.led Calvary.

-

.

''Oh bring no price;

God s

grace

Te Paul, to

Magdale11e,

to

me '

1

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ALL OF GRACE

...

.

is free

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Salvation, the~, is necess~rily a.11of

1

Grace. Man's . fall is

-.

.

so complete, God's justic

1

e is so

inexora·ble,

heaven is so

holy,

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S8

The Fundamental'

that nothing short

of Omni·potent lov,e

can

·tift

the sinner, mag

nify

the law

which he has

mutilated~ ancl make

him pure

enough to dwell in Lig 'ht. Tl1e thought of s,aving si,nners is

God's, born, in the secret places of His

great loving '

·heart.

' 'Grace first contrived

the way

to

s.ave

r

1

ebellio,us man.w''

The

accomplishment

of

the wondrous plan

reveals God's

Grace

tliroughollt.

He sent His

Son to

be tl1e Saviour o.f

the World.

He

freely delivered Him up

for

us all. He acknow]edged Him

in

Hi ·s

11u1niliation

as,

Hi ,s

beloved

Son,

but

fors ,ook

Him

on

the t.ree, 'because He was made sin f

o,r us.

Moreover, He

brought ·.

again -· f'rom

rthe

dead our Lord Jesus,

that ·

great

•

Shepl1erd of

the

s11eep,

and

enthroned Him at the right

hand

Qf the Majesty on high. There followed the shedding

forth

of the S,pir it to

convict the world

of

sin,

and

of

r.igh,t,eou,sness,

_and

of

ju ,dgment .

He re is grace at

every

turn.

f

, ''THROUGH FAITI1:''

•

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· A Work

of G1~ace, oo, has been

eff

ec·ted

in

each believing

~heart.. · We

are .

not

saved merely becaus ,e Cl1rist

died.

Tl1e

•

good news would be to us as rain

upon Sah.ara,

did not

Grace

i11cli.ne

to penitence and

pra}rer

and faith. ·

•

•

...

•'Grace ta .ugh.t my soul to pray,

And made my eyes o'e ,rfiow.''

..

Salvation by

grac e

is

appropriated

by

faith : ·

Grace is the

fountain, but faith is the

channel.

,Grace is the life -line, but

faith is

tlie ·hand

tha t

,clutcl1es it. And, thoroughly

and

final.ly

t.o

exclude all

boasting,

it is

declared

tl1at

the

salvation and ·

the faith

are

botl;i the gift of God. '' And

t.hat not

of your-

selves,

it

is the

gift of

God. T'hat salvation is

Go,d's

gif ·t is

e,vident. ''Tl1e gift 0 1 God is

eternal

life through ,Christ~'' '

''The free gift,'' ''The gift of grace,''

''The

gift of righteous

ness''

these

phrases det ,errri'ine

the f'act tha 't

s.a]·vation is

itself ·

a

Divi·ne

pre sen t

t.o

ma·n.. ''Salvation,''

1

cried

C1'

H. Sp

1

urgeon

•


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•

•

•

59

jn the great co11gregation, '' ·is every thing f or not hing J Christ

f·ree

·

Pa rdon free

Heaven free '' Thanks

be

·to ,

God for

a gratuitous salvation I

But is faith, also, the gift o.f God ?

As,,ur ,edly it is, ii

enly

because it is one of the most precious faculties of the human

h

1

eart. What have

,ve

that we have not ~eceived ?

But

f

1

aitb

in

Christ is, in

a very special sense, a Divine gift.

''Not

that

something

is given

us

which is

different

from

abs ,olute trust

as exercised · in.

other

cases , but that such trust

is

divinely

guided

and

fixed

upon

the right object.

Gracious manifesta- · .

tio .ns

of

t·he soul's ne·ed,

a11d

of

tl1e

Lord's glory , prevail upon

the will to repose tru st upon . that

1objec.t.''

To trust is natura,Jt

but to trust Christ, rather · than self,

O·r

ceremonies,

is

sup er

natural it is ·the gift of God , More ,over , faith, to be worthy

-

o ·f 'the name, must not he

1

dry-ey .ed, and wh ,o can melt tb

1

e

heart

and turn the flint into ,a fountain of water s b11t the God of al)

G

i)

1race.

•

''The Grace · that made me feel

my

sin,

1·t

·taught me

to believe;

•

•

Then, in believin g, peace I f·ound,

•

And now I live,

I Jive.,"

•

•

l

Nor is

it to be

supposed tha .t

Grace

has

1

done with 11s ~as

soon as we have believ ·e·d. The · mighty call of Grac

1

e that rie-

sults in ou ·r awake ,ning , is bttt ·the

begin~ing

of good

things .

•

Grace k,eeps us to the

end . .

It will no.t

Jet.

us g

1

0 ·.. t is

the

..

n1orning and the · evening Star of Christ ·ian

exp,erienc~

It

puts

•

us in the

way,

helps us by the ,vay, and takes us qll the way,;

•

..

''LEST

ANY MAN .SHOU{J) BOAST'; . •

•

..

It is di·ffic,ult to imagine by what ot.h,er pro ,cess salvati .on

co,uld have been secur ,ed, consistently ,vith God's honor. Sup

i,ose, fo,r a moment, that salvation

·by

works were a possibJo

a]ternat .ive. Boasting, so fa:r f

r,om

being ex·eluded, ~oufti

Ile

ir..vited. Man

would boast

n

p -ospect.

How proud .

hC

Would

•

•


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•

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60

Tlie Fundamentals

beof hislpur ,pose,,

and hopes. On such

a

task

as this, he

w,ould

embark with bands playing and

C

1

0l

1

ors flying~ Th

1

ere

would

be credit and eclat from the first. A]as

1

vain

ma,n;

this can

only end disastrously. Thou art building o,n the sand. This

is not of

1

God, and ,must th ,erefo ,re

1

come to naught. The Divine

Spirit hum b]es m,en to conviction and ,deep

1

repentance ; H

1

e.

never prompts to self '-righteousness and p,ride; as Hart's

simp'le, stanza

bas it : · . ·

'' 'He never moves a man to say,

·Thank God, 'I

am so,

good,'

But

turns

his eye another way

To , Jesus and

His

bilood.''

•

He would bo,as

1

t in progress. How his meanest achieveme ,nt

would e,J,ate him? What crowing there would be over tl1e

slightest advance

TI1ere

would be no need for indebtedness

to G,od,. The ne,w birth, the , cleansing bl,ood,, the conve ,rting

Spirit w·hat call for thes ,e? The self ,-made man, they say,

v1orships

'his creator, and t'he self-rigl1teous

,man a.dores

his

saviour,

that

is to

s,ay, himse.lf.,

While the

Pharisee

is brag

ging of what he doe s the publican mourns over wh ,at he

is.

Because his

l1eart

smites ·him, he smites his heart; he cannot

look up

1

, for he has

looked

within,

but 'be,cause he

cries f

1

or

niercy he is justified.

This

is as God wou]d have it, for

He

hath S1id: ''My glo,ry will I not . give u.nto an,other.''

He would boast

w .lien

perfect. If real peace an ,d lasti ,ng

joy

could

come to him, he w

1

ould 'boast

ane,w·.

''I have made

my

heart

cleanj,

and washed my

hands

in innocency,"

'he

w.ould

cry.

The ,re would

be

n

1

0

room

for

God, and for His

sovereign

cla ,im to th ,e wh

1

ole, praise of

0

1

Ur salvati

1

on. Ins ,tead of the

sweet ~iming ' of the bells of St~ Saviou ,r's,

''I forgave

thee I

-

f'orgave thee I forgave thee all t'hat debt,'' we s'hould be

d,eafened with the ho~rse brass of every man's own trumpet .

blaring

about the good

some

wi,Jl even dare to

say,,

the God

th t· • • 11 ...

~ a ,

5

1n a

1

•

•

•

•


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•

SaJvatio1iby Grace

61

I know which

music

I

p1·efer.

t.o that pardoning word, like

h

1

ells

soul has scor ned a]l other .strains.

,

bells .

Since first I hearkened

at ·ev

1

ening pealing,

my

Ring on,

ring on.,

sweet

•

Again .,

he

would

boast in Paradise.

Think of

it Heaven

as it is,. is. full . of perfect prais .e to

1

God. Its every song

is in hono ,r of F .ather, , .Son, or Spirit. ''Unto Him that loved

us and w.ashed us, from ,our sins in His own blood, and hath

n1ade u.s

kings and

prie ,sts unto

God and His Father,

to Him

be g·,ory and

do

1

minio ,n for

1

ever

and ever.'' That i.s tl1e chorus

,

f tl1e skies, the sweet r,efrain of tl1e

e.verl.a"sting

song,.

'·Worthy

is, the

Lamb,'' they cry

.and ,again

tl1ey s,a.y,

''Ha .Jle

luj ah ''

Bu t we·re

salva ti.on.by w·orks

inst

1

ead of

by

Grace ·,

th,e

songs

'"r,ould be in praise of man. Ea ,ch w,oul,d

laud

his

f

1

ellow

or

himself, and et

1

ernity · ·would be: s,p,ent in re·c:o·u11ting perso

1

11a1

,~irtt1es and victories. Oh what a tir ·esome et,ernity · that

would be·. ·

· Ah it is better as it is,

With

the Lamb in the mid st of the

throne ,

and tl1e har ps all ·tuned to

Jesus'

praise. ·There will

be no self-admiration tl1ere, a·nd, co·nsequently, no, co1npari

sons and no rivalry, unless, indeed, we vie one with the other

•

..

as to who shall honor

Grace

the most. 'The

motto of each ·

will be, ''He t'hat

gloriet11t let

hitn glory in the

Lord.''

As

McC'heyne puts it, we shall be ''dressed in

'beauty

not our

awn.

T liat is the beauty of

it

So,

sa]vation

is of Grace.

and

of Grace

alone. God

will

have no

man

boasting,

and

boast

h

1

e assuredly

wou1d,

were

he

saved,

even

in

part, , by the works

of

his own hands. It is

admittedI ,y a hun1bling

doctrine ,.

We

wonder

not

that

it

is

not popu]ar.

Truth

seldom is. ''Truth is unwe1come, how~ver .

Divine.,, But is it not well to be humbled? · We are not dis•

posed to favor

any teaching

whi

1

ch

be-littles

God:t or magni

fies ma ·n,.

It

has been well

and truly

said that

''the

.man

who

•

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15/18

62

The

undamentals

•

•

has been snat

1

che

1

d f r ·o1m helplessness and despai :r

by un,merited

grace,

will

never

forg ·et

to

carry

himself

as

a

fo:r,given

man. ' '

(Rev ~T.

Phil]ips.)

He ,vill not fail to

look

back to

the

rock

whence he was hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence he

v;,as digged. Gipsy Smith

keeps

the hedge row at the fo ,o·t

0

1

f. his Camb ·rid,ge gard .en that he may enjoy u.ninterrupted

view of the Common on Which his, fatl1er's tent was ·pitched,

and

whenc -e

he us

1

ed

to eally

forth as a

young timber-merchant.

(He

sold clothes -pegs, you remember.) We love him

for

this.

Lifted to

honor and

usef ulnes s by Grace,

he

·gives God

the

praise. Grac

1

e Divine make s graci ,ous men. Good works and

g·races

are b,y

no means .

excluded from believ

1

ers.'

lives. They

are the produ ct of gratuitous salvation, the eviden ce of saving

faith,

the acknowledgment of grateful hearts.

Tl1e Grace

,saved si.nner

W

1

orks ou,t th ,e

s.alvation

th.at has

been

wr

1

o·ught

iL him. He i.s his Savio ·ur's willi,ng bon ,d-slave. He cannot

be c:ointent witl1 trium ,phing in Cl1ris,t's grace; he must grace

His triumph, too. It

is,

with him as

it

is with the

inhabita~ts

of the city of B.ath, who r·ecord

their

,appreciation

of

its

heal

ing waters

on

a tablet

inscribed

as follows :

•

•

''Thes ,e healing

1

waters have

flow ,e·d

on

r ·om tim

1

e ,imme ,mor .ial,

Thei ·r virtu

1

e animpai ·red, their

heat

undimini .s·hed,

Their volume unabated;

they

explain the origin,

Account for

th e progress, and

demand the gratitude

Q,f

the City of B,ath .. ·

•

The analogy

i . nearly

perfect. Go,d'

1

s,

grac

1

e may well b

1

e

lik ,ened t.o

flowing

waters,

t

1

0 streams hot

and

h,ealth-giv ·i,ng,

to

streams th.at never cool

nor fai]. Moreover, '''they account

for

our

origin

and

progress,''

that is, we

owe

our spiritual

being

and we,]1-being to them.

And

as for

demanding gratitude ·

weJJ, '' 1Str

1

eams of m

1

er

1

cy nev

1

r c

1

easi·ng cal.I for so11gsof lou

1

d-

.

s,t praise. · ·

Oh, Jet us preach up · Grace, even if it be not gracio ,usly ,

received. ''If the peepJe d,on't like

the

doctrine

of

Grace,''

•


16/18

•

•

Salvation b y Grace

63

said C. H. Spur ,geon, ''give them the more of it.'' Not what

they wa~t; but what they need we must supp]y. If the age

•

is

pleasure-loving,

unbelieving,

self-satisfied,

the more call for

faithful

testimony

as to the nature of sin, God's attitude

to

wards 1t

1

and the terms on which He offers salvation. We

must aim the more at heart , and consci

1

ence. We m,ust seek

to ar ,ous,e and evc,n alarm the sinner, while we invite as ,vvoo

ingly as ever

to

the one Mediator. A full-orbed Gospel treats

. -

alike of ab~unding sin,

and

of

much

more

abounding Grace.

· Si'urely

Dr. Wat ·ts san ,g

truly

when he,

pictured

the ,r,an ...

somed

recountin ,g

their experie .nces of .G:race:

''Then all the chose ,n. s,eed

Shall m

1

eet around , the throne, ·

Shall

ble '.SS

th

1

e

conduct

1

0f

His

grac ,e,,

. And mak ,e His glories known.''

•

•

•

To me it h.a.s been what the same

poet

calls ''a drop of

heaven, to review God's plan fo,r my salva .tion, and to try to

•

s

1

e:t it f·orth. Toward , t'he stou t ,ships that have

C,a,r1·ied

me

acr ,0

1

ss

't.he

seas

I have

ever

cherished a

grateful

fee],i:ng.l How

•

n1uch more do

1

I

10

ve the, good ship of Grace th ,at has born

1

e

tne thus far on

.my way

'to th

1

e Fair Hav ,ens. An 'Unttstta1

opportunity was once

o·£fered

me

of

viewing

the v·essel on

which I was a passenger, before the voyage was quite com-

•

plete. After nearly three months in a sailing ship, we were

greeted by a:harbor tug, whose n1aster doubtless hoped for

the task of towing us into poft. There was, however, a

favorable breeze which,

though

light, promised to

hold

steady.

So ·the tng's . services w

1

ere dec,Jined. Anxious t,o e,arn an hon-

•

est pennyJ l1er master ranged alongsid

1

e the clipper, and trans - ·

shipped such passengers as

cared

to get a view from another

deck of the good ship that had brought them some fifteen

thousand ,nii1es. Y

1

ou may be sure that I was one of the,se. A

delightful

experience it was to

draw away from our floating

home, to mark her graceful ·

lines·,

her towering masts, her


17/18

•

•

•

•

•

64

T he undament,aJs

ta ,per .ing ya r,ds, her sW,elling sails th

1

e white wave curling

at

h

1

er for

1

e-foo ,t,, and th,e

green

wak ,e win

1

ding ast

1

ern ,.

From

our new

view-point

items that

had

,grovvn familiar

were

in..,

vested with fresh interest. Tl1ere was the wheel to which we

had se

1

en six seamen lasl1ed in time ,of storm, and there the

binnacle, who se sheitet"ed compa ss had bee11 s.o constantly

studied

Sr,nce

the

S,tart,

and tl1ere the ,ch,am·,-11

0USe

with

its

treasur

1

es of wisdom, and yonder the l1uge-flul{edanchors, and

over al.I the

netw ,ork

of ropes a

tangle

to

the uninitiated ,.

Even the smok

1

e from the galley fire inspired

respect,

as we

remembered tl1e many meals that

·appetite ,s,

sharpened by

the

keen ·air of tl1e Sou ·thern S,eas, had dem

1

olished. And ·yond

1

er

•

is the port

of

one

1

s own cabin I What marvelous things had

been view

1

ed thr ·o

1

ugh that narro ,w peep,hole., and what sweet

sleep

had been

etijoyed beneath

it,

''rocked in tl1e

cradle

of

the

. deep.'' Oh it was a

brave

sight, that full-rigged ship,so long our

ocean home, which, despite contrary winds ·and

cross-cur1·ents,

and terrifying gales and t .antalizing calms, had ha'lf compassed

the

globe, and

had

bro,ught

her

11umerous,

passengers and

·val

uable freig .ht across , the trackl

1

es,s, l,eagu,es in ·safety. Do you

wonder that we cheer ,e,d the staunch ves ,,el, a,nd her skilful

co1nman,1e.r.,

and the ,ship's com.pany again

and

again?

I

1

can

hear the echoes of thos ,e hurrahs today .. Do you wonder that

we ,g~ve thanks for a prosperous voyage

by

the will of God,

and presently stepped back from the tug-boat to the ship

with

out question that what remained of the

journey

would

be soon

and

succeslsf

ully ,a,c

1

o·mplishe

1

d? . .

Let

me

apply

this incident. The good

ship is

FREE

GRACE,, an,d

I have taken

my

readers aboard

my

tug-boat

to

give them opportunity to view the means by which they have

already come so near (

how

near

we

know not) to

the

Haven ·under , the hill. . We

have

sailed ar ,ound

abotit her ',

and

told the tow,ering ' masts tl1ereof, and m,arked W e I her 1:pul

warks. We

h .ave

seen the breath of God fil,ling h

1

et

sails

•

•

•


18/18

Salvation y race

65

brightened by the smile of His love. We have noted the

scarlet thread in all her rigging, and the crimson flag flying

at the fore . We have seen at the stern the wheel of God's

sovereignty by which the great ship is turned whithersoever

the Governor listeth, and on the prow the sinner's sheet

anchor: "Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast

out." The chart-house is the Word, and the compass is the

Spirit,

and there are well-plenished store-rooms , and spacious

saloons, and never -to- be-forgott en chambers wherein He has

given His beloved precious things in sleep, and outlooks

whence they have seen His wonders in the deep. Through

stress of storn1 and through dreary doldrums; through leagues

of entangling weed, and past many a chilling and perilous

iceberg, with varying speed and zigzag course, and changing

clime, FREE GRACE has brought us hitherto. We have, per

chance, a few n1ore leagues to cover . We may even stand off

·and on a while, near the harbor mouth, but , please God, we

shall have abundant entrance at the last. We have circled the

ship, and I call on every passenger to bless her in the name of

the Lord, and to shout the praise of Him who owns and

navigates her. All honor and blessing be unto the God of

Grace and unto the Grace of God Ten thousand, thousand

thanks to Jesus And to the blessed Spirit equal praise

t

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The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 5: Salvation by Grace

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