The Lord solemnly assures us, that the moment His position is changed, the door is shut; and that there would be no hope for those who were outside, who had refused to enter by the strait gate. The position of the door depends entirely upon the position of the Master. While He is seated, the door is open; but when He is risen up, the door is shut. " When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are." It was those who had enjoyed the greatest privileges, such as eating and drinking in the Lord's presence, and hearing Him teach, that were hopelessly shut out. They might seek to get in at the shut door, but there was no admittance for them. " For many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able." The seeking here, and the not being able to enter, do not refer to the strait gate, but entirely to the shut door. So it may have been in the days of Noah. Those who refused to enter the ark through the preaching, of Noah, could not get in after the door was shut. They might seek, and seek earnestly, pleadingly, and touchingly, as they saw the waters rising on the earth, but it was too late, God had shut the door and none could open it. They had despised the day of His long-suffering grace, although He had waited a hundred and twenty years for them, but a day of solemn reckoning came at last, and there was no escaping. They might see the ark of God's salvation rising securely on the swelling deep, but there was no refuge for them. Some might flee from one summit to another, but the raging billows pursued after them, until the highest summit was reached, and every mountain swept by the dark waters of judgment.
Surely, dear reader, there is something peculiarly and especially solemn, in the truth here stated by the Lord. Does it not plainly teach us, that the doom of all would be sealed forever, who have refused to come to Him by the open door, were He, at this moment, to change His position? Assuredly it does. " When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door," &c. All depends upon this. How solemn! Were He to arise to-day, where would you be? on which side of the door? The question is not, ' I am young, in good health, and may live many years.' Oh, no! but in a moment when we think not, the Master may rise up, shut the door, and what then? If outside the door, amongst those who have deliberately refused to come in, all hope is lost. He is " the master of the house;" " he openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth."
And now, in conclusion, let me faithfully and affectionately warn my dear reader, not to rest in privileges. Privileges, however great, are not Christ. These can never save the soul. He only can. Have you-oh, have you, come to Himself! Have you ever spoken to Himself about your condition as a sinner, and His grace and love as the Savior, in dying for you? Oh! let me again ask you, have you come to Himself? Have you had to do with Himself, in the secret of His own presence? Your precious opportunities may be near an end. Who can tell how soon the Master may rise up? Is He not now gathering souls in great numbers, and filling His house rapidly? May it not be nearly full? Oh, delay not! While the door is open, enter in, and be at rest. " The master calleth thee " and every poor blinded sinner. Why refuse? " Come unto me," are His own words of gracious invitation, and His sure promise is, " I will give you rest." Do, then, oh do, come to Jesus. " Strive" to break away from everything that would hinder thee coming. " Strive to enter in by the strait gate." Oh, let nothing hinder thee. Come to Jesus. He is worth more to thy soul, than the whole world a thousand times over. Only think, then, of the precious Jesus. Oh! how precious He is-and at once come to Him. The companionship of Jesus, the fellowship of the holy, the bright glories of heaven, and the unutterable torments of hell are set before thee. Oh! which is it to be? Canst thou hesitate for a moment? Choose, oh I choose at once, as the portion of thy heart, that blessed One who has waited so long, and so patiently for thee. Rest on His finished work for thee. Let Him have thy whole heart, and be eternally happy in His changeless love.
The Gospel Of The Old And New Testament.
When God gave His law from Mount Sinai, He addressed it to one nation only, and that a very small nation, "to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the promises." (Rom. 9:4.) But these revelations were confined to Israel. They had a priesthood within, but no ministry going out. Doubtless the presence of God in Israel would be felt in some measure by the nations around, but the Jewish system was not a missionary one; rather, they were walled in. But we would not forget that the day is coming when they will be, in the truest sense, a missionary people. " For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." And of the spared remnant in the latter day, we read, " I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory, and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles." (Isa. 2:3; 66:19.) But these happy days for the now despised Jew, we need not say, are still future. The church-the present vessel of testimony-must be off the scene, and Israel restored, before the activities of God's love are thus displayed in His ancient people. "Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in." The church, the body of Christ-His fullness-must first be completed and caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Then shall the joyous prediction be fulfilled, "And so all Israel shall be saved." Rom. 11:25, 26 Thess. 4:13-18.
Lord, hasten these promised, and longed-for days, in thy• good time, that a groaning creation may be relieved-that thy name may be excellent in all the earth, and thy glory set above the heavens!
In the proclamation of the gospel, which is our present theme, we have the perfect contrast to the giving of the law. God, in making known the full gospel of His grace, after the death and resurrection of Christ, commands that it be preached, not to one nation only, but to all the nations of the earth. " According to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith." (Rom. 16:26.) The middle wall of partition was broken down by the cross, and the barriers of the ancient economy swept away. The gospel of God's grace now flows on like the rising wave, and overflows all Jewish limits-all lands. "Where sin abounded grace did much more abound." Rom. 5:20.
The good news of a full and free salvation, through faith in Christ, is thus preached to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews. " Be it known therefore unto you," said Paul to his brethren the Jews, "that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it." (Acts 28:28.) Nothing can be wider in its aspect than our Lord's commission to His disciples. "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Neither is it addressed to us in the form of a promise, but of a proclamation. It is no longer a covenant with its conditions and promises. This makes an immense difference. Salvation is preached as a present reality to all who own Christ by faith, and put their trust in Him. At the same time, it is also true that all the promises are ours in Christ, from the moment that we have faith in His name As in the case of Rebekah; when she consented to marry Isaac, she became a joint heir with him of Abraham's riches. But had she refused Isaac, she must have remained penniless, so far as Abraham was concerned. All depended on her accepting Isaac-all depends on our receiving Christ. This is the point of all importance. The apostle presents it in the plainest manner possible. " Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins." (Acts 13:38.) Forgiveness is not promised, observe, on certain conditions, but preached, or proclaimed, through Christ, to all who hear its joyous sound. Those, of course, who believe the glad tidings are forgiven. They are plainly told so. And to make assurance, as it were, doubly sure, the apostle adds, " And by him, all that believe are justified from all things." If the word of God, thus distinctly and fully set before us, is believed, peace, as a matter of course, must be enjoyed.
" Kind hearts there are, yet would the tenderest one
Have limits to its mercy, God has none,
And man's forgiveness may be true and sweet,
And yet he stoops to give it; more complete
Is love that lays forgiveness at Thy feet,
And pleads with Thee to raise it: only heaven
Means crowned, not vanquished, when it says FORGIVEN."
The responsibility of hearing such a gospel is indeed great, and the results are beyond all conception important; they are eternal, either in a state of happiness or misery.
If the gospel of the grace of God be thus proclaimed to all, and the salvation which it brings free to all, it necessarily follows, that all who hear it must, in God's sight, be either receivers or rejecters of His love. There is no middle ground in scripture. The merely careless hearer may not think that he is either despising or rejecting the offer of salvation; but, surely, to be indifferent in a matter of such unspeakable interest to God, and of such unspeakable importance to man, is, in some respects, the most guilty treatment of the message. To hear plainly set forth the pressing invitations of redeeming love, the great work of Christ for us, the value of the immortal soul, the ineffable blessedness of heaven, the unutterable torments of hell, and, after all, to go away in a state of careless indifference, is, in the strongest sense, to despise what has been said.
Many, we are aware, go to hear the gospel or a sermon, as a religious duty, and when they have done so, think themselves all the better for doing it. They are satisfied with having been present on such an occasion; but the thought of being responsible for either accepting or refusing the message, never enters the mind. This, alas! is the lamentable condition of thousands. But we must not forget to add, that the fault may not be altogether in the hearers. That which they have been listening to, may be little calculated either to arrest the attention, or touch the heart and conscience. All that has been said may be true, but unsuitable for the unconverted, and unfitted to awaken the soul that is asleep in sin. Hence the solemn responsibility of the preacher! Lord, grant to all Thy workmen, the needed love, zeal, earnestness for this great work, that they may be " pure from the blood of all men."
We would now make a few remarks as to the gospel itself; and in the first place we would refer to-
THE SOURCE OF THE GOSPEL.
It is called " the gospel of God " (Rom. 1:1), which means that it has its source in God. It is also called " the gospel of Christ," because it reveals Him; He is its great subject; but here the apostle is speaking of the Author of the gospel. This is a great and blessed truth, and one of much power in the work of evangelization. He who is the object of man's natural fear and dread, reveals Himself as the fountain of all His blessing. It is the first thought in the first epistle. And this epistle, too, more than any other, is addressed to both Jew and Gentile-to man as such. Its solemn address is to " the whole world." But before God's judgment is given on man's condition, His love to man himself is fully revealed. The lost sinner is assured that the spring of his salvation is the heart of God-that the One whom he so fears, so seeks in every way to avoid, is the Author of all his mercies, and the One who meets him in the gospel, with all the blessings of His grace. What a thought! What a truth! What a gospel! The God of all grace goes out in His own goodness-in the activities of His own nature, with the joyous message of salvation to the chief of sinners. But still He holds to the one way -" through this man." This is the only way. No blessing can come to any sinner but through Christ-in Christ-with Christ. " What think ye of Christ?" is the Father's one question. His grand object in the gospel, is the honor and glory of His Son. " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." This is the test. God will never yield this point to the sinner.
Hence it is that many quickened souls go without peace for years, and, in many cases, all their earthly days. The scriptures say, plainly enough, " Through this man"-" By him." Own Christ, honor Christ, look to Christ, confide in Christ, give Him your thoughts, your affections, your worship, and what then? Why, every blessing that is in the Father's heart to give is yours. He will bless you with Christ's own portion-with that which is due to Him; He will make you-what? "An heir of God, a joint-heir with Christ." But, of course, the truth must be believed before it can be enjoyed. And herein lies the point at issue between God and the soul.
The doubting, unhappy -soul says, " If I could feel that these blessings were mine-L-0, if I could only realize that I am interested in them, I should be the happiest soul on earth." Such a case has been so often stated, and so often answered, that it is not a little humbling to have to face it again and again; nay, daily and hourly. And still there is no answer but the old one-" Look to Jesus, and believe God's word."
But so long as the soul keeps looking to its
feelings, both Christ and the word of God, in a practical point of view, go for nothing. All that God reveals to us of His love, all that Christ has done and suffered for us, all that the Spirit bears witness to, are practically set aside, that the feelings may have undisputed authority over the poor, distressed, unhappy soul. What a fearful state of things this is, and yet it is the most common in Christendom! But God cannot alter His word. There it is written, "Kiss the Son"-be reconciled to the Son; be friends with the Son, make everything of the Son, and what then? Let the word of God answer: "Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." And, surely, when God says, "Blessed," blessed it shall indeed be! " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." (Eph. 1:3.) And, surely, 0 doubting heart, Christ is fit to be trusted, whatever our feelings may be -nay, in spite of our feelings; ought we not to be ashamed of our ourselves, when we cannot trust the One that loves us, and died for us, and lives again in power and glory. And if we do but simply trust Him, the feelings will come all right. Let every doubt and fear then perish-yes, perish forever, in the presence of a love which nothing could turn aside from its object-in the presence of a work that is finished-in the presence of a Savior who has all power in heaven and on earth; and whose love knows no change.
But there may be some who do trust in Jesus, and who are yet far from being happy. Why is this? The heart may be really trusting Christ, as every believer does, however feebly; but the full truth of God is not believed. In place of looking to Jesus, and then to the word of God, they look to Jesus, and then to themselves. They think that if their prayers were answered, they must have the feelings of peace, assurance, or whatever it may be that they are waiting for. But if these feelings are not experienced, they conclude that the answer has not come-that God is not regarding them, and that peace is further off than ever. This is a snare of Satan.
An interesting circumstance was reported by a missionary years ago, of an old African chief, which illustrates this point. He was converted in his old age, after a life such as heathen chiefs usually live. His desire to learn to read was very great, that he might read for himself about Jesus-the Jesus who loved Africans and died for them. He was shown the way, he persevered, and, so far, he succeeded. One day as the missionary was passing along, he saw the aged chief sitting under a palm tree. He paused; he observed a book lying open on his knees. After looking on the book a little, he raised his head, clasped his hands, and looked up, as if conversing with some one in heaven. After a few moments he turned his eyes again to the book. The scene was too sacred for the missionary to intrude; so he passed on without disturbing him. Some time after, when he had an opportunity, he reminded him of what he had witnessed, and asked him what he was doing? " 0, Massa," he replied, " when me look down on de book and read, den God talk to me; and when me stop and look up, me talk to God." May both reader and writer profit by the old chief's example.
This is what we want every anxious soul to do. Look up-look on-never within In place of looking within, after looking up to Jesus, look on the book, read God's answer in His own book; His word is definite and never changes. Faith's object is never within, but always outside of self. And what does the book say to every soul that looks to Jesus?-" saved." " Look unto me and be ye saved." And what does it say to those who come to Jesus with a deep sense of their sin and unworthiness, and can only cast themselves on His mercy? The answer is ready, listen, and, 0, believe. " Thy sins are forgiven, thy faith hath saved thee, go in peace." (Luke 7:36-50.) And so for every case there is the ready answer in God's book. An awakened soul, in the depths of heathen darkness, and in a state of despair, through conscious guilt, may cry out, " Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Can there be an answer in God's book for such an one? Most assuredly there is! "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." But what could the Philippian jailor know of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of faith in Him? Scarcely anything, we may be sure. Nevertheless the salvation of his soul did not depend on his knowledge, but on Christ. At such a moment there was no time to lose or to explain Hence, the apostle, with a readiness and an energy suited to the moment, exclaims, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." As if he had said, " Cast thyself on the Savior of sinners-throw thyself this moment-as thou art, where thou art, on the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe that thou art safe, trusting in Him " He believed the apostle's word, was saved, then instructed, then rejoiced, and brought forth abundantly the fruits of faith. His noble example was blest to the saving of his house. Another may come as a prodigal, who has sinned against knowledge, love, and every form of kindness; the answer perfectly suits the condition. He is welcomed. with open arms, and with the kiss of perfect reconciliation. Thus every prodigal is welcomed. To say " No," would be to contradict the word of God; and, worse still; it would be, in effect, to say, that it misleads. But, in " the gospel of God," He acts for Himself, and of Himself, and for His own glory. The Father goes out to meet the prodigal son. His heart overflows with compassion while the son is yet a great way off, and He must run to meet him. A father's heart is a father's heart after all. " God is love;" and will act worthy of Himself in spite of our unbelief.
The prevailing thought in almost all minds that are not at rest about their salvation, is as to what they ought to be for God, in place of what God is for them. This is one of Satan's most subtle snares. But supposing the Philippian jailor had begun to reason with Paul about what he had been, and how he then felt, in place of simply believing his word, and at once trusting all to Christ; what would have been the result? Only misery in place of joy. And so it must be in every case. This is the grand mistake of multitudes, and one that is the fruitful source of endless troubles, and in a thousand different ways. The former is the principle of law, the latter of grace. The spirit of law in the nature of things, throws the soul back on itself, to look for something there, that will suit the requirement; so long therefore, as the exercised soul keeps looking within for this something, the principle of law is at work. On the other hand, grace reveals Christ to the soul as its proper object, and not only so, but the believer's place in Him.
Christ having met all the requirements of God, and all the necessities of the sinner, faith finds perfect rest in His finished work. When Christ is thus known by the believer, He becomes the object of His supreme delight, his refuge in all troubles, and his answer to all questions. He very naturally says, " The One who so loves me as to die for me, is worthy of all my trust!" But in the proportion that a soul is taken up with what it ought to be for God, grace is lost sight of, which, in plain terms, is to lose sight of the work of Christ, our acceptance in Him, and the testimony of God's word to us as one with Him.
But it may be urged, that God has His claims on man, and although Israel only, as a nation, was formally and definitely put under the law at Sinai, yet it surely is of universal application. Most true, as to human conduct, but the covenant of Sinai is not the gospel of the grace of God. The former required a righteousness from man, the latter brings a divine righteousness to the sinner; and from the moment he bows to Jesus as his Savior, he stands before God in all its dignity and blessedness. And further, we must bear in mind, that the believer, however young in the faith, is not on the ground where law applies. His standing is neither that of Jew nor Gentile. " But ye are not in the flesh," says the apostle, " but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you." (Rom. 8:9.) The Christian's standing is in a risen Christ. The law applies to man in the flesh, or in the first Adam.
But the Christian is in the second Adam. The law was made for the unrighteous, but the believer was made the righteousness of God in Christ. Therefore it cannot apply " to them which are in Christ Jesus." The apostle plainly says, " We are not under the law, but under grace." Rom. 6:15.
When God made known His claims on man, through the law, it was then fully manifested that no one could meet them; and, consequently, all fell under the curse of a broken law. What then was to be done with man-a sinner, a law-breaker? Either he must be hopelessly condemned, or God must find a way, consistently with Himself, to show mercy. This He has done, blessed be His name. Let the cross be witness. He gave His Son. In due time Christ came. He met God's claims on man, bore the curse, blotted out sin, died for the sinner, and opened up the way in righteousness for God's love and mercy to flow forth. This is the solid foundation of "the gospel of God"-the revelation of His boundless grace to the chief of sinners.
When man's utterly lost condition is thus seen, nothing good will be expected in the thoughts and feelings any more than in the actions. The thought of what I ought to be for God will be given up; Christ will be all in all. " For I know that in me, (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing." (Rom. 7:18.) What a relief, what a deliverance, to be done with self, to know it, and to treat it, as a good-for-nothing thing! " I am crucified with Christ," says Paul, " nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." (Gal. 2:20.) Again, he says, " Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him " (Rom. 6:6-8.) Surely these passages, and many others that might be quoted, should teach the anxious, restless soul, to be completely done with self in every form. Why look for anything good in that which God has set aside as utterly bad? Not even one right feeling towards God can ever spring from our first Adam nature. In God's sight, and according to the whole bearing of the Epistles, it is treated as a crucified, dead, buried, and forgotten thing. Strange that we should still own it as alive, and think it capable of producing some good thing for God! But so long as we do so, we increase our troubles, and get further away from rest and peace. The believer, as a child of the first Adam, came to His end on the cross. Christ is his new, eternal life; he is risen from the dead in Christ, and now before God in Him. "Ye in me, and I in you." This is grace; and, by-and-by, it will be wondrous glory.
And, now, in the view of such scriptures, what ought to be the thoughts, feelings, and language of every believer in Christ? So far as we can answer from the word of God, and from long experience, we should say-Rejoicing in the full liberty and blessing of the gospel before God. The soul is near to God as Christ is near, being in Him, and adorned with His comelinesss. Can more be needed? Can more be desired? It is thus as far removed from sin and judgment as Christ Himself. "They are not of the world," as He says, " even as I am not of the world." Such truths have only to be received, in order to fill the heart with heavenly joy. " And these things," says the apostle, " write we unto you, that your joy may be full." (1 John 1:4.) Not merely, observe, that they might have joy, but that they might have fullness of joy. And why not? To know that Christ once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, is surely enough, we need nothing more to satisfy the heart.
For a sinner to be brought to God, is to be brought to Him through death and resurrection, in union with Christ who died and rose again. This is the great foundation-truth of the soul's peace in the presence of God. All that belonged to the first Adam is left behind, and the believer stands before God in all the blessedness of the risen, exalted, and glorified Man. He is now addressed in scripture as an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ. His citizenship is in heaven, he belongs to the new creation-to God's new world. There, " old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." And to crown the blessedness of the new creation, it is added, "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. 5) These scriptures, I need not say, do not apply to the believer's experience, as many, unhappily, have taught, and many believed. The old nature in the most advanced Christian, is the same as it ever was, it has not " passed away." The passage refers to the new creation-to our association with Christ in resurrection; and of which He is the center, life, and glory. And there, as we read, " All thri/ngs are of God." It is God's new world. On everything in the old creation we find written, " passeth away." But everything in the new creation is stamped with God's own perfectness and unchangeableness. Happy thought! Blessed truth! All is perfect and unchangeable. " I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever; nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it." Eccl. 3:14.
We will now look at-the Gospel of God, as promised by the Prophets.