The Spurgeon Series 1857 & 1858. Charles H. Spurgeon

that is to say, the proud and obstinate hypocrites. Elijah, not being able to abide these terrors of the law, which by these things are signified, covered his face with his mantle. Notwithstanding, when the tempest ceased, of which he was a beholder, there came a soft and a gracious wind, in the which the Lord was; but it behoved that the tempest of fire, of wind, and the earthquake should pass, before the Lord should reveal himself in that gracious wind.”

      7. III. And now, a step further. You who know the grace of God can follow me in this next step. The law is intended to show man the misery which will fall upon him through his sin. I speak from experience, though I am young; and many of you who hear me will hear this with ears of attention, because you have felt the same. There was a time with me, when very young in years, I felt with much sorrow the evil of sin. My bones waxed old with my roaring all day long. Day and night God’s hand was heavy upon me. There was a time when he scared me with visions, and frightened me by dreams; when by day I hungered for deliverance, for my soul fasted within me: I feared lest the very skies should fall upon me, and crush my guilty soul. God’s law had gotten hold upon me, and was showing me my misery. If I slept at night I dreamed of the bottomless pit, and when I awoke I seemed to feel the misery I had dreamed. Up to God’s house I went; my song was only a groan. I retired to my bedroom, and there with tears and groans I offered up my prayer, without a hope and without a refuge. I could then say with David, “The owl is my partner and the bittern is my companion”; for God’s law was flogging me with its ten-thonged whip, and then rubbing me with brine afterwards, so that I shook and quiver with pain and anguish, and my soul chose strangling rather than life, for I was exceedingly sorrowful. Some of you have had the same experience. The law was sent on purpose to do that. But, you will ask, “Why that misery?” I answer, that misery was sent for this reason: that I might then be made to cry to Jesus. Our heavenly Father does not usually make us seek Jesus until he has whipped us clean out of all our confidence; he cannot make us in earnest after heaven until he has made us feel something of the intolerable tortures of an aching conscience, which has foretaste of hell. Do you not remember, my hearer, when you used to awake in the morning, and the first thing you took up was Alleine’s Alarm, or Baxter’s Call to the Unconverted? Oh, those books, those books; in my childhood I read and devoured them when under a sense of guilt, but they were like sitting at the foot of Sinai. When I turned to Baxter, I found him saying some such things as these: — “Sinner, consider; within an hour you may be in hell. Consider; you may soon be dying — death is even now gnawing at your cheek. What will you do when you stand before the bar of God without a Saviour? Will you tell him you had no time to spend on religion? Will not that empty excuse melt into thin air? Oh, sinner, will you, then, dare to insult your Maker? Will you, then, dare to scoff at him? Consider; the flames of hell are hot and the wrath of God is heavy. If your bones were of steel, and your ribs of brass, you might quiver with fear. Oh, you had the strength of a giant, you could not wrestle with the Most High. What will you do when he shall tear you in pieces, and there shall be no one to deliver you? What will you do when he shall fire off his ten great guns at you? The first commandment shall say, ‘Crush him; he has broken me!’ The second shall say, ‘Damn him; he has broken me!’ The third shall say, ‘A curse upon him; he has broken me!’ And so shall they all let fly upon you; and you without a shelter, without a place to flee to, and without a hope.” Ah! you have not forgotten the days when no hymn seemed suitable to you but the one that began,

      Stoop down my soul that used to rise,

      Converse awhile with death;

      Think how a gasping mortal lies,

      And pants away his breath.

      Or else,

      That awful day shall surely come,

      The ’pointed hour makes haste,

      When I must stand before my Judge,

      And pass the solemn test.

      Indeed, that was why the law was sent — to convict us of sin, to make us shake and shiver before God. Oh! you who are self-righteous, let me speak to you this morning with just a word or two of terrible and burning earnestness. Remember, sirs, the day is coming when a crowd more vast than this shall be assembled on the plains of earth; when on a great white throne the Saviour, Judge of men, shall sit. Now, he is come; the book is opened; the glory of heaven is displayed, rich with triumphant love, and burning with unquenchable vengeance; ten thousand angels are on either hand; and you are standing to be tried. Now, self-righteous man, tell me now that you went to church three times a day! Come, man, tell me now that you kept all the commandments! Tell me now that you are not guilty! Come before him with a receipt of your mint, and your anise, and your cummin! Come along with you! Where are you? Oh, you are fleeing. You are crying, “Rocks hide us; mountains fall on us.” What are you after, man? Why, you were so fair on earth that no one dared to speak to you; you were so good and so comely; why do you run away? Come, man, pluck up courage; come before your Maker; tell him that you were honest, sober, excellent, and that you deserve to be saved! Why do you delay to repeat of your boastings? Out with it — come, say it! No, you will not. I see you still fleeing, with shrieks, away from your Maker’s presence. There will be no one found to stand before him, then, in their own righteousness. But look! look! look! I see a man coming forward out of that motley throng; he marches forward with a steady step, and with a smiling eye. What! is there any man found who shall dare to approach the dread tribunal of God? What! is there one who dares to stand before his Maker? Yes, there is one; he comes forward, and he cries, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?” Do you not shudder? Will not the mountains of wrath swallow him? Will not God launch that dreadful thunderbolt against him? No; listen while he confidently proceeds: “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ that died; yes, rather, that has risen again.” And I see the right hand of God outstretched — “Come, you blessed, enter the kingdom prepared for you.” Now is fulfilled the verse which you once sweetly sang: —

      Bold shall I stand in that great day,

      For who ought to my charge shall lay?

      While, through your blood, absolv’d I am

      From sin’s tremendous curse and shame.

      8. IV. And now, my dear friends, I am afraid of wearying you; therefore, let me briefly hint at one other thought. “What purpose then does the law serve?” It was sent into the world to show the value of a Saviour. Just as foils set off jewels, and as dark spots make bright tints more bright, so does the law make Christ appear the fairer and more heavenly. I hear the law of God curse, but how harsh is its voice. Jesus says, “Come to me”; oh, what music! all the more musical after the discord of the law. I see the law condemns; I behold Christ obeying it. Oh! how ponderous that price — when I know how weighty was the demand! I read the commandments, and I find them strict and awfully severe — oh! how holy must Christ have been to obey all these for me! Nothing makes me value my Saviour more than seeing the law condemn me. When I know this law stands in my way, and like a flaming cherubim will not let me enter paradise, then I can tell how sweetly precious must Jesus Christ’s righteousness be, which is a passport to heaven, and gives me grace to enter there.

      9. V. And, lastly, “What purpose then does the law serve?” It was sent into the world to keep Christian men from self-righteousness. Christian men — do they ever get self-righteous? Yes, that they do. The best Christian man in the world will find it hard work to keep himself from boasting, and from being self-righteous. John Knox on his deathbed was attacked with self-righteousness. The last night of his life on earth, he slept some hours together, during which he uttered many deep and heavy moans. Being asked why he moaned so deeply, he replied, “I have during my life sustained many assaults of Satan; but at present he has assaulted me most fearfully, and put forth all his strength to make an end of me at once. The cunning Serpent has laboured to persuade me, that I have merited heaven and eternal blessedness by the faithful discharge of my ministry. But blessed be God, who has enabled me to quench this fiery dart, by suggesting to me such passages as these: ‘What do you have that you have not received?’ and, ‘By the grace of God I am what I am.’ ” Yes, and each of us have felt the same.