The Spurgeon Series 1857 & 1858. Charles H. Spurgeon

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СКАЧАТЬ saved them for his name’s sake.”

      8. Thus I have endeavoured to set out clearly the first truth of the divine and glorious Saviour.

      9. II. Now, secondly, THE FAVOURED PEOPLE — “He saved them.” Who are they? You will reply, “They were the most respectable people who could be found in the world; they were a very prayerful, loving, holy, and deserving people; and, therefore, because they were good he saved them.” Very well, that is your opinion, I will tell you what Moses says, — “Our fathers did not understood your wonders in Egypt, they did not remember the multitudes of your mercies; but provoked him at the sea; even at the Red Sea. Nevertheless he saved them.” Look at Psalms 106:7, and you will have their character. In the first place, they were a stupid people — “Our fathers did not understand your wonders in Egypt.” In the next place, they were an ungrateful people — “they did not remember the multitude of your mercies.” In the third place, they were a provoking people — “they provoked him at the sea even at the Red Sea.” Ah, these are the people whom free grace saved, these are the men and women whom the God of all grace condescends to take to his bosom and to make anew.

      10. Note, first, that they were a stupid people. God does not always send his gospel to the wise and prudent, but to fools;

      He takes the fool and makes him know

      The wonders of his dying love.

      Do not suppose, my hearer, because you are very unlettered and can scarcely read — do not imagine, because you have always been brought up in extreme ignorance, and have scarcely learned how to spell your name, that therefore you cannot be saved. God’s grace can save you, and then enlighten you. A brother minister once told me a story of a man who was known in a certain village as a simpleton, and was always considered to be soft in the head; no one thought he could ever understand anything. But one day he came to hear the gospel preached. He had been a drunken fellow, having wit enough to be wicked, which is a very common kind of wit. The Lord was pleased to bless the word to his soul, so that he became a changed character; and what was the marvel of all, his religion gave him something which began to develop his latent faculties. He found he had something to live for, and he began to see what he could do. In the first place he wanted to read his Bible, so that he might read his Saviour’s name; and after much hammering and spelling away, at last he was able to read a chapter. Then he was asked to pray at a prayer meeting; here was an exercise of his vocal powers. Five or six words made up his prayer, and down he sat abashed. But by continually praying in his own family at home, he came to pray like the rest of the brethren, and he went on until he became a preacher, and, singularly enough, he had fluency — a depth of understanding and a power of thought, such as are seldom found among ministers who only occasionally occupy pulpits. It was strange, that grace should even tend to develop his natural powers, giving him a purpose, setting him devoutly and firmly upon it, and so bringing out all his resources that they were fully shown. Ah, ignorant ones, you need not despair. He saved them; not for their sakes — there was no reason in themselves why they should be saved. He saved them, not for their wisdom’s sake, but, ignorant though they were, not understanding the meaning of his miracles, “he saved them for his name’s sake.”

      11. Note, again, they were a very ungrateful people, and yet he saved them. He delivered them times without number, and worked for them mighty miracles; but they still rebelled. Ah, that is like you, my hearer. You have had many deliverances from the borders of the grave; God has given you housing and food day after day, and provided for you, and kept you to this hour; but how ungrateful you have been, As Isaiah said, “The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master’s crib; but my people does not know, Israel does not consider.” How many there are of this character, who have favours from God, the history of which they could not give in a year; but yet what have they ever done for him? They would not keep a horse that did not work for them, nor as much as a dog that would not notice them. But here is God; he has kept them day by day, and they have done a great deal against him, but they have done nothing for him. He has put the bread into their very mouths, nurtured them, and sustained their strength, and they have spent their strength in defying him, in cursing his name and breaking his Sabbath. “Nevertheless he saved them.” Some of this sort have been saved. I hope I have some here now who will be saved by conquering grace, made new men by the mighty power of God’s Spirit. “Nevertheless he saved them.” When there was nothing to recommend them, but every reason why they should be cast away for their ingratitude, “Nevertheless he saved them.”

      12. And note, once more, they were a provoking people — “They provoked him at the sea, even at the Red Sea.” Ah! how many people there are in this world that are a provoking people to God! If God were like man, who among us would be here today? If we are provoked once or twice, up goes the hand. With some men their passion stirs at the very first offence; others, who are somewhat more placid will bear offence after offence, until at last they say, “there is an end to everything, and I can bear that no longer; you must stop it, or else I must stop you!” Ah! if God had that temper, where would we be? Well might he say, “My thoughts are not as your thoughts; I am God, I do not change, or else you sons of Jacob had been consumed.” They were a provoking people, “nevertheless he saved them.” Have you provoked him? Take heart; if you repent, God has promised to save you; and what is more, he may this morning give you repentance, and even give you remission of sins, for he saves provoking people for his name’s sake. I hear one of my hearers say, — “Well, sir, that is encouraging sin with vengeance!” Is it, indeed, sir! Why? “Because you are talking to the very worst of men, and you are saying that they may yet be saved.” Pray, sirs, when I spoke to the worst of men, did I speak to you or not? You say “No; I am one of the most respectable and best of men.” Well then, sir, I have no need to preach to you, for you think you do not need any. “The healthy have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” But these poor people, whom you say I am encouraging in sin, need to be spoken to. I will leave you. Good morning to you! You keep to your own gospel, and I wonder whether you will find your way to heaven by it. No, I do not wonder, I know you will not, unless you are brought as a poor sinner to take Christ at his word, and be saved for his name’s sake. But I say farewell to you, and I will keep on in my course. But why did you say I encourage men in sin? I encourage them to turn from it. I did not say he saved the provoking people, and then let them still provoke him as they had done before; I did not say he saved the wicked people, and then let them sin as they did before. But you know the meaning of the word “saved”; I explained it the other morning. The word “saved” does not mean merely taking men to heaven; it means more — it means saving them from their sin; it means giving them a new heart, new spirits, new lives; it means making them into new men. Is there anything licentious in saying that Christ takes the worst of men to make them into saints? If there is, I cannot see it. I only wish he would take the worst of this congregation and make them into the saints of the living God, and then there would be far less licentiousness. Sinner, I comfort you; not in your sin, but in your repentance. Sinner, the saints of heaven were once as bad as you have been. Are you a drunkard, a swearer, an unclean person? “Such were some of them; but they have been washed — but they have been sanctified.” Is your robe black? Ask them whether their robes were ever black? They will tell you, “Yes, we have washed our robes.” If they had been black, they would have needed washing. “We have washed our robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Then, sinner, if they were black, and were saved, why not yourself?

      Are not his mercies rich and free?

      Then say, my soul, why not for thee?

      Our Jesus died upon the tree,

      Then why, my soul, why not for thee?

      Take heart, penitents; God will have mercy on you. “Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake.”

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