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| The Sum and Substance of All Theology
Unpublished Notes of a Sermon
Intended for Reading on Lord's-Day, April 17th, 1892,
Delivered by
C. H. SPURGEON,
Delivered at Bethesda Chapel, Swansea
On June 25th, 1861.
From Sword and Trowel |
Note: On Tuesday, June 25th, 1861, the beloved C. H. Spurgeon visited Swansea. The day was wet, so the services could not be held in the open-air; and, as no building in the town was large enough to hold the vast concourses of people who had come from all parts to hear the
renowned preacher, he consented to deliver two discourses in the morning; first at Bethesda, and then at Trinity Chapel. At each place he preached for an hour and a quarter. The weather cleared up during the day; so, in the evening, Mr. Spurgeon addressed an immense gathering of people in the open-air.—T.W.M.
FORWARDED BY PASTOR T. W. MEDHURST, CARDIFF. |
"All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh
to Me I will in no wise cast out."—John 6:37.
 hat a difference there
is between the words of Christ, and those of all mere men! Most men
speak many words, yet say but little; Christ speaks few words, yet
says very much. In modern books, you may read scores of pages, and
scarcely come across a new thought; but when Christ speaks, every
syllable seems to tell. He hits the nail on the head each time He
lifts the hammer of His Word. The Words of Christ are like ingots of
solid gold; we preachers too often beat out the gold so thin, that
whole acres of it would scarcely be worth a farthing. The Words of
Christ are always to be distinguished from those of His creatures,
not only for their absolute truthfulness, but also for their profound
fulness of matter. In all His language He is "full of grace and
truth." Look at the text before us. Here we have, in two small
sentences, the sum and substance of all theology. The great
questions which have divided the Church in all ages, the apparently
contradictory doctrines which have set one minister of Christ against
his fellow, are here revealed so simply and plainly, "that he may run
that readeth" (Habakkuk ii.2). Even a child may understand the Words
of Christ, though perhaps the loftiest human intellect cannot fathom
the mystery hidden therein.
Take the first sentence of
my text: "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me."
What a weighty sentence! Here we have taught us what is called, in
the present day, "High Calvinistic doctrine"—the purpose of God;
the certainty that God's purpose will stand; the invincibility of
God's will; and the absolute assurance that Christ "shall see of the
travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied."
Look at the second sentence
of my text: "And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast
out." Here we have the richness, the fulness, the unlimited
extent of the power of Christ to save those who put their trust in
Him. Here is a text upon which one might preach a thousand sermons.
We might take these two sentences as a life-long text, and never
exhaust the theme.
Mark, too, how our Lord
Jesus Christ gives us the whole truth. We have many ministers who
can preach well upon the first sentence: "All that the Father giveth
Me shall come to Me." Just set them going upon Election, or
everlasting covenant engagements, and they will be earnest and
eloquent, for they are fond of dwelling upon these points, and a
well-instructed child of God can hear them with delight and profit.
Such preachers are often the fathers of the Church, and the very
pillars thereof; but, unfortunately, many of these excellent brethren
cannot preach so well upon the second sentence of my text: "And him
that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." When they get to that
truth, they are half afraid of it; they hesitate to preach what they
consider to be a too open salvation. They cannot give the gospel
invitation as freely as they find it in the Word of God. They do not
deny it, yet they stutter and stammer sadly, when they get upon this
theme.
Then, on the other hand, we
have a large number of good ministers who can preach on this second
clause of the text, but they cannot preach on the first clause. How
fluent is their language as they tell out the freeness of salvation!
Here they are much at home in their preaching; but, we are sorry to
be compelled to say that, very often, they are not much at home when
they come to doctrinal matters, and they would find it rather a
difficult matter to preach fluently on the first sentence of my text.
They would, if they attempted to preach from it, endeavour to cut out
of it all that savours of Divine Sovereignty. They do not preach the
whole "truth" which "is in Jesus."
Why is it that some of us
do not see both sides of God's revealed truth? We persist in closing
one eye; we will not see all that may be seen if we open both our
eyes; and, sometimes, we get angry with a brother because he can see
a little more than we do. I think our text is very much like a
stereoscopic picture, for it presents two views of the truth. Both
views are correct, for they are both photographed by the same light.
How can we bring these two truths together? We get the stereoscope
of the scripture, and looking with both eyes, the two pictures melt
into one. God has given us, in His Word, the two pictures of divine
truth; but we have not all got the stereoscope properly adjusted to
make them melt into one. When we get to heaven, we shall see how all
God's truth harmonizes. If we cannot make these two parts of truth
harmonize now, at any rate we must not dare to blot out one of them,
for God has given them both.
Now, as God shall help me
this morning, I want to expand both sentences of my text with equal
fidelity and plainness. I shall not expect to please some of you
while speaking on the first sentence, and I shall not be surprised if
I fail to please others of you when I come to the second sentence;
but, in ether case, it will be a small matter to me if I have an easy
conscience because I have proclaimed what I believe to be the whole
truth of God. I am sure you will be willing to give a patient
hearing to that which you may not fully receive, if you believe it to
be declared in all honesty. Reject what I say, if it be not true,
but if it be the Word of God, receive it; and, be it known unto you
that it is at your peril if you dare to reject the truthful Word of
the glad tidings of God.
I. I will begin with the
first sentence of the text: "All that the Father giveth Me shall come
to Me." We have here, first, THE FIRM FOUNDATION UPON WHICH OUR
SALVATION RESTS.
It rests, you perceive, not
on something which man does, but on something which God the Father
does. The Father gives certain persons to His Son, and the Son says,
"All that the Father giveth Me Shall come to Me." I take it that the
meaning of the text is this,—that, if any do come to Jesus Christ,
it is those whom the Father gave to Christ. And the reason why they
come,—if we search to the very bottom of things,—is, that the
Father puts it into their hearts to come. The reason why one man is
saved, and another man is lost, is to be found in God; not in
anything which the saved man did, or did not do; not in anything
which he felt, or did not feel; but in something altogether
irrespective of himself, even in the sovereign grace of God. In the
day of God's power, the saved are made willing to give their souls to
Jesus. The language of Scripture must explain this point. "As many
as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God"
(John i. 12, 13). "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him
that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy" (Romans ix. 16). If you
want to see the fount of grace, you must go to the everlasting God;
even as, if you want to know why that river runs in this direction,
and not in that, you must trace it up to its source. In the case of
every soul that is now in heaven, it was the will of God that drew it
thither. In the case of every spirit that is on its way to glory
now, unto God and unto Him alone must be the honour of its salvation;
for He it is who makes one "differ from another" (1 Cor. iv. 7).
I do not care to argue upon
this point, except I put it thus: If any say, "It is man himself who
makes the difference," I reply, "You are involving yourself in a
great dilemma; if man himself makes the difference, then mark—man
himself must have the glory." Now, I am certain you do not mean to
give man the glory of his own salvation; you would not have men throw
up their caps in heaven, and shout, "Unto ourselves be the
glory, for we, ourselves, were the hinge and turning point of our own
salvation." No, you would have all the saved cast their crowns at
the feet of Jesus, and give to Him alone all the honour and all the
glory. This, however, cannot be, unless, in that critical point,
that diamond hinge upon which man's salvation shall turn, God shall
have the control, and not the will of man. You know that those who
do not believe this truth as a matter of doctrine, do believe
it in their hearts as a matter of experience.
I was preaching, not very
long ago, at a place in Derbyshire, to a congregation, nearly all of
whom were Methodists, and as I preached, they were crying out,
"Hallelujah! Glory! Bless the Lord!." They were full of excitement,
until I went on to say in my sermon, "This brings me to the doctrine
of Election." There was no crying out of "Glory!" and
"Hallelujah!" then. Instead, there was a great deal of shaking of
the head, and a sort of telegraphing round the place, as though
something dreadful was coming. Now, I thought, I must have their
attention again, so I said, "You all believe in the doctrine of
Election?" "No, we don't, lad," said one. "Yes, you do, and I am
going to preach it to you, and make you cry 'Hallelujah!' over it."
I am certain they mistrusted my power to do that; so, turning a
moment from the subject, I said, "Is there any difference between you
and the ungodly world?" "Ay! Ay! Ay!" "Is there any difference
between you and the drunkard, the harlot, the blasphemer?" "Ay! Ay!
Ay!" Ay! there was a difference indeed. "Well, now," I said, "there
is a great difference; who made it, then?" for, whoever made the
difference, should have the glory of it. "Did you make the
difference?" "No, lad," said one; and the rest all seemed to join in
the chorus. "Who made the difference, then? Why, the Lord did it;
and did you think it wrong for Him to make a difference between you
and other men?" "No, no," they quickly said. "Very well, then; if
it was not wrong for God to make the difference, it was not wrong for
Him to purpose to make it, and that is the doctrine of Election."
Then they cried, "Hallelujah!" as I said they would.
The doctrine of Election is
God's purposing in His heart that He would make some men better than
other men; that He would give to some men more grace than to other
men; that some should come out and receive the mercy; that others,
left to their own free will, should reject it; that some should
gladly accept the invitations of mercy, while others, of their own
accord, stubbornly refuse the mercy to which the whole world of
mankind is invited. All men, by nature, refuse the invitations of
the gospel. God, in the sovereignty of His grace, makes a difference
by secretly inclining the hearts of some men, by the power of His
Holy Spirit, to partake of His everlasting mercy in Christ Jesus. I
am certain that, whether we are Calvinists or Arminians, if our
hearts are right with God, we shall all adoringly testify: "We love
Him, because He first loved us." If that be not Election, I know not
what it is.
II. Now, in the second
place, note THE CERTAINTY OF THE ETERNAL SALVATION OF ALL WHO WERE
GIVEN TO JESUS; "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me."
This is eternally settled,
and so settled that it cannot be altered by either man or devil. All
whose names are written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world, all whom God the Father designed to save
when He gave up His well-beloved Son to die upon the cross of
Calvary, shall in time be drawn by the Holy Spirit, and shall surely
come to Christ, and be kept by the Spirit, through the precious blood
of Christ, and be folded for ever with His sheep, on the hill-tops of
glory.
Mark! "All that the
Father giveth Me shall come to Me." Not one of those whom the Father
hath given to Jesus shall perish. If any were lost, the text would
have to read: "Almost all," or, "All but one;" but it positively
says "All," without any exception; even though one may have
been, in his unregenerate state, the very chief of sinners. Yet even
that chosen one, that given one, shall come to Jesus; and when he has
come, he shall be held by that strong love that at first chose him,
and he shall never be let go, but shall be held fast, even unto the
end. Miss Much-afraid, and Mrs. Despondency, and
Mr. Feeble-mind, shall as certainly come to the arms of
Christ, as Mr. Great-heart, and Mr. Faithful, and
Mr. Valiant-for-Truth. If one jewel were lost from Christ's
crown, then Christ's crown would not be all-glorious. If one member
of the body of Christ were to perish, Christ's body would not be
complete. If one of those who are one with Christ should miss his
way to eternal life, Christ would not be a perfect Christ.
"All that the Father
giveth Me Shall come to Me." "But suppose they will not
come?" I cannot suppose any such thing, for He says they
"shall come." They shall be made willing in the day of God's
power. God knows how to make a passage through the heart of man; and
though man is a free agent, yet God can incline him, willingly, to
come to Jesus. There are many sentences even in Wesley's hymn-book
which contain this truth. If God took away freedom from man, and
then saved him, it would be but a small miracle. For God to leave
man free to come to Jesus, and yet to so move him as to make him
come, is a divinely-wrought miracle indeed. If we were for a moment
to admit that man's will could be more than a match for God's will,
do you not see where we should be landed? Who made man? God! Who
made God? Shall we lift up man to the sovereign throne of Deity?
Who shall be master, and have his way, God or man? The will of God,
that says they "shall come", knows how to make them come.
"But suppose it should
be one of those who are living in the interior of Africa, and he does
not hear the gospel; what then?" He shall hear the
gospel; either he shall come to the gospel, or the gospel shall go to
him. Even if no minister should go to such a chosen one, he would
have the gospel specially revealed to him rather than that the
promise of the Almighty God should be broken.
"But suppose there
should be one of God's chosen who has become so bad that there is no
hope for him? He never attends a place of worship; never listens to
the gospel; the voice of the preacher never reaches him; he has grown
hardened in his sin, like steel that has been seven times annealed in
the fire; what then?" That man shall be arrested by God's grace,
and that obdurate, hard-hearted one shall be made to see the mercy of
God; the tears shall stream down his cheeks, and he shall be made
willing to receive Jesus as Saviour. I think that, as God could bend
my will, and bring me to Christ, He can bring
anybody.
"Why was I made to hear His voice,
And enter while there's room;
When thousands make a wretched choice,
And rather starve than come?
"'Twas the same love the spread the feast,
That sweetly forced me in;
Else I had still refused to taste,
And perish'd in my sin."
Yes, "sweetly forced me
in;"—there is no other word that can so accurately describe my
case. Oh, how long Jesus Christ stood at the door of my heart, and
knocked, and knocked, and knocked in vain! I asked: "Why should I
leave the pleasures of this world?" Yet still He knocked, and there
was music in every sound of His pleading voice; but I said, "Nay, let
Him go elsewhere." And though, through the window, I could see His
thorn-crowned head, and the tears standing in His eyes, and the
prints of the nails in His hands, as He stood and knocked, and said,
"Open to Me," yet I heeded Him not. Then He sent my mother to me,
and she pleaded, "let the Saviour in, Charlie;" and I replied, in
action, though not in words, "Nay, I love thee, my mother; but I do
not love Christ, thy Saviour." Then came the black hours of
sickness; but in effect I said, "Nay, I fear not sickness, nor death
itself; I will still defy my Maker." But it happened, one day, that
He graciously put in His hand by the hole of the door, and I moved
toward Him, and then I opened the door, and cried, "Come in! Come
in!" Alas! alas! He was gone; and for five long years I stood, with
tears in mine eyes, and I sought Him weeping, but I found Him not. I
cried after Him, but He answered me not. I said, "Whither is He
gone? Oh, that I had never rejected Him? Oh, that He would but come
again!" Surely the angels must then have said, "A great change has
come over that youth; he would not let Christ in when He knocked, but
now he wants Christ to come." And when He did come, do you think my
soul rejected Him? Nay, nay; but I fell down at His feet, crying,
"Come in! Come in! thou Blessed Saviour. I have waited for Thy
salvation, O my God!"
There is no living soul
beyond the reach of hope, no chosen one whom Christ cannot bring up
even from the very gates of hell. He can bare His arm, put out His
hand, and pluck the brand "out of the fire" (Zechariah iii.2). In a
horrible pit, in the miry clay, His jewels have been hidden; but down
from the throne of light He can come, and thrusting in His arm of
mercy, He can pull them out, and cause them to glitter in His crown
for ever. Let it be settled in our hearts, as a matter of fact, that
what God has purposed to do, He will surely accomplish.
I need not dwell longer
upon this point, because I think I have really brought out the
essence of this first sentence of my text: "All that the Father
giveth Me shall come to Me." Permit me just to remark, before I pass
on, that I am sometimes sad on account of the alarm that some
Christians seem to have concerning this precious and glorious
doctrine. We have, in the Baptist denomination,—I am sorry to have
to say it,—many ministers, excellent brethren, who, while they
believe this doctrine, yet never preach it. On the other hand, we
have some ministers, excellent brethren, who never preach anything
else. They have a kind of barrel-organ that only plays five tunes,
and they are always repeating them. It is either Election,
Predestination, Particular Redemption, Effectual Calling, Final
Perseverance, or something of that kind; it is always the same note.
But we have also a great many others who never preach concerning
these doctrines, though they admit they are doctrines taught in
Sacred Scripture. The reason for their silence is, because they say
these truths are not suitable to be preached from the pulpit. I hold
such an utterance as that to be very wicked. Is the doctrine
here—in this Bible? If it is, as God hath taught it, so are
we to teach it. "But," they say, "not in a mixed assembly." Where
can you find an unmixed assembly? God has sent the Bible into a
mixed world, and the gospel is to be preached in " all the world",
and "to every creature." "Yes," they say, "preach the gospel, but
not these special truths of the gospel; because, if you preach these
doctrines, the people will become Antinomians and Hyper-Calvinists."
Not so; the reason why people become Hyper-Calvinists and
Antinomians, is because some, who profess to be Calvinists, often
keep back part of the truth, and do not, as Paul did, "declare all
the counsel of God"; they select certain parts of Scripture, where
their own particular views are taught, and pass by other aspects of
God's truth. Such preachers as John Newton, and in later times, your
own Christmas Evans, were men who preached the whole truth of God;
they kept back nothing that God has revealed; and, as the result of
their preaching, Antinomianism could not find a foot-hold anywhere.
We should have each doctrine of Scripture in its proper place, and
preach it fully; and if we want to have a genuine revival of
religion, we must preach these doctrines of Jehovah's sovereign grace
again and again. Do not tell me they will not bring revivals. There
was but one revival that I have ever heard of, apart from Calvinistic
doctrine, and that was the one in which Wesley took so great a part;
but then George Whitefield was there also to preach the whole Word of
God. When people are getting sleepy, if you want to arouse and wake
them up thoroughly, preach the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty to
them; for that will do it right speedily.
III. I shall now turn very
briefly to the second sentence of my text: "And him that cometh to
Me I will in no wise cast out."
"Now," says somebody, "he
is going to knock down all that he has been building up." Well, I
would rather be inconsistent with myself than with my Master; but I
dare not alter this second sentence, and I have no desire to alter
it. Let it stand as it is, all its glorious simplicity:—
"HIM THAT COMETH TO ME I WILL IN NO WISE CAST
OUT."
Let the whole world come,
still this promise is big enough to embrace them all in its arms.
There is no mistake here, the wrong man cannot come. If any sinner
come to Christ, he is sure to be the right one. Mark, too, as there
is no limitation in the person coming, so there is no
limitation in the manner of the coming. Says one, "Suppose I
come the wrong way?" You cannot come the wrong way; it is written,
"No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw
him." "No man can come unto Me, except it were given unto him of My
Father" (John vi.44,65). If, then, you come to Christ in any way,
you are drawn of the Father, and He cannot draw the wrong way. If
you come to Christ at all, the power and will to come have been given
you of the Father. If you come to Christ, He will in no wise cast
you out; for no possible or conceivable reason will Jesus ever cast
out any sinner who comes to Him. There is no reason in hell, or on
earth, or in heaven, why Jesus should cast out the soul that comes to
Him. If Satan, the foul accuser of the brethren, brings reasons why
the coming sinner should not be received, Jesus will "cast down" the
accuser, but He will not "cast out" the sinner. "Come unto Me, all
ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give your rest," is
still His invitation and His promise, too.
Let us suppose a case by
the way of illustration. Here is a man in Swansea,—ragged, dirty,
coal-begrimed,—who has received a message from Her Most Gracious
Majesty, Queen Victoria. It reads in this wise: "You are hereby
commanded to come, just as you are, to our palace at Windsor, to
receive great and special favours at our hand. You will stay away at
your peril." The man reads the message, and at first scarcely
understands it; so he thinks, "I must wash and prepare myself."
Then, he re-reads the royal summons, and the words arrest him:
"Come just as your are." So he starts, and tells the people
in the train where he is going, and they laugh at him. At length he
arrives at Windsor Castle; there he is stopped by the guard, and
questioned. He explains why he has come, and shows the Queen's
message; and he is allowed to pass. He next meets with a gentlemen
in waiting, who, after some explanations and expressions of
astonishment, allows him to enter the ante-room. When there, our
friend becomes frightened on account of his begrimed and ragged
appearance; he is half inclined to rush from the place with fear,
when he remembers the works of the royal command: "Stay away at
your peril." Presently, the Queen herself appears, and tells him
how glad she is that he has come just as he was. She says she
purposes that he shall be suitably clothed, and be made one of the
princes of her court. She adds, "I told you to come as you
were. It seemed to be a strange command to you, but I am glad
you have obeyed, and so come."
I do think this is what
Jesus Christ says to every creature under heaven. The gospel
invitation runs thus: "Come, come, come to Christ, just as you
are." "But, let me feel more." No, come just as you are.
"But let me get home to my own room, and let me pray." No, no,
come to Christ just as you are. As you are, trust in Jesus, and
He will save you. Oh, do dare to trust Him! If anybody shall ask,
"Who are you?" answer, "I am nobody." If anyone objects, "You are
such a filthy sinner," reply, "Yes,'tis true, so I am; but He Himself
told me to come." If anyone shall say, "You are not fit to come,"
say, "I know I am not fit; but He told me to come." Therefore,—
"Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity join'd with power;
He is able,
He is willing; doubt no more.
"Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth,
Is to feel you need of Him:
This He gives you;
'Tis the Spirit's rising beam."
Sinner, trust in Jesus: and if thou dost perish trusting in Jesus, I
will perish with thee. I will make my bed in hell, side by side with
thee, sinner, if thou canst perish trusting in Christ, and thou shalt
lie there, and taunt me to all eternity for having taught thee
falsely, if we perish. But that can never be; those who trust in
Jesus shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of His
hand. Come to Jesus, and He will in no wise cast thee out.
May the Lord bless the
words I have spoken! Though hastily suggested to my mind, and feebly
delivered to you, the Lord bless them, for Christ's sake! Amen.
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