THE grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared " (Titus 2:1111For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, (Titus 2:11), see margin). What wondrous words GRACE... TO ALL MEN. And what is grace but the undeserved kindness, or unmerited favor of God. And if you, beloved reader, desire salvation, it can be yours only on these conditions, "that in the ages to come he (God) might show the EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE, in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by GRACE are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:7-97That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:7‑9)). All how humbling to the pride of man to be told that heaven can only be entered on the ground of God's free, sovereign, undeserved, and unmerited favor and kindness! What! are there none worthy in themselves? No, for there is "none righteous, no, not one "(Rom. 3:1010As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10)). But are there any too unworthy? No, thank God, for" the grace of God bringeth salvation to ALL MEN.”
In the spring of 1884, during a visit to the colony of Tasmania, for the purpose of preaching the glad tidings of salvation, the writer came across an instance that might well be called a trophy of divine grace, in the person of one whose voice will not be silent whilst “Rich, eternal bursts of praise Shall fill you courts through endless days.”
C. B. was an old man of over eighty years of age.
As a young man he had been "sent out" to the Colonies with a prohibition to return; in other words, he was a convict. His early life had been dark indeed, as he himself said with a heart melted at the thought of God's goodness to him. “I’ve seen the rope twice, sir; you can understand that I've been a bad 'un.”
It was an unspeakable privilege just to go and sit with him, and listen to him pouring out his heart in thanksgiving, and to hear his simple testimony to the love of God, and the value of the precious blood of Christ. He seemed so at home with his Savior, and nothing filled him with greater delight than the thought that he must soon be with Him, and then he would see Him, face to face. And truly it is in proportion as we realize the enormity of our sins, and the vastness of divine forgiveness, that we shall appreciate the immensity of divine grace.
Never shall I forget the day of our departure from the island. A company of Christians had gathered on the wharf to bid farewell, possibly forever, to two who had spent a few weeks in their midst. The dear old man hobbled down to the wharf, and just as I was about to step on to the steamer he drew me back to say "good-bye." " We shall never meet in this world again," said he," I am an old man, and you are going back to England; but there is one thing I wish to say to you before you leave," and then, his eyes filled with tears, his lips trembling with emotion, and with a depth of feeling I shall ever remember, he slowly repeated the lines—
“Law and terror do but harden
All the while they work alone,
But a sense of blood-bought pardon
Will dissolve a heart of stone.”
I need hardly say what burning power these words possessed coming from the lips of such a man. "Law and terror" he tasted something, if not much of. He had known what it was to stand and tremble beneath the deserved and threatened terror of the law; but all this, as he said, had merely hardened his heart. Oh! how different the effect of grace I this had subdued his stubborn will, and broken his hard heart to pieces.
Beloved reader, have you ever felt your need of this self-same grace? Think not that because he was a convict, and was guiltier in the sight of men than you, that therefore you are less guilty in the sight of a holy God than he was, or that you stand less in need than he did of God's free and sovereign grace. By no means; for in His sight “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:2222Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (Romans 3:22)), and sin cannot abide in His holy presence.
You need not be a murderer, a thief, or such like, in order to be unfit for heaven—all you need is to be a sinner. The smallest sin just as much as the greatest crime would shut you out from heaven for eternity; and if shut out from heaven, you must be shut up in hell forever. Let not Satan, then, make you believe that your sins are not great or many enough to keep you out of heaven-" there shall in no wise enter into it ANYTHING that defileth" (Rev. 21:2727And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Revelation 21:27)).
But on the other band let him not make you think that they are too great or too many to be forgiven.
“The grace of God bringeth salvation to ALL MEN,"—then, however bad you may feel yourself to be, salvation is possible for you.
“The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from ALL sin” (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)),—then, however great a sinner you may be, cleansing and forgiveness are possible for you. Though deserving of condemnation, God offers you a free pardon through Jesus Christ; though worthy of nothing but hell, God invites you to share the eternal heaven of His presence.
Then delay no longer, but yield yourself this very hour, "a captive in the chains of love!”
A. H. B.