I heard of a friend who deeply desired to be the means of th

Transcriber's Notes:

Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by

=equal signs=.

Small uppercase have been replaced with regular uppercase.

Blank pages have been eliminated.

Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been left as in the

original.

AROUND

THE WICKET GATE;

OR,

A FRIENDLY TALK WITH SEEKERS

CONCERNING FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

BY

C. H. SPURGEON.

"Enter ye in at the strait gate."--_Matt._ vii. 13.

AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY,

10 EAST 23D STREET, NEW YORK.

This book is published by special arrangement with the author and his

publisher.

COPYRIGHT, 1890,

BY A. C. ARMSTRONG & SONS.

TRANSFERRED TO THE

AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY.

PREFACE.

Millions of men are in the outlying regions, far off from God and

peace; for these we pray, and to these we give warning. But just now we

have to do with a smaller company, who are not far from the kingdom,

but have come right up to the wicket gate which stands at the head of

the way of life. One would think that they would hasten to enter, for

a free and open invitation is placed over the entrance, the porter

waits to welcome them, and there is but this one way to eternal life.

He that is most loaded seems the most likely to pass in and begin the

heavenward journey; but what ails the other men?

This is what I want to find out. Poor fellows! they have come a long

way already to get where they are; and the King's highway, which they

seek, is right before them: why do they not take to the Pilgrim Road

at once? Alas! they have a great many reasons; and foolish as those

reasons are, it needs a very wise man to answer them all. I cannot

pretend to do so. Only the Lord himself can remove the folly which is

bound up in their hearts, and lead them to take the great decisive

step. Yet the Lord works by means; and I have prepared this little

book in the earnest hope that he may work by it to the blessed end of

leading seekers to an immediate, simple trust in the Lord Jesus.

He who does not take the step of faith, and so enter upon the road to

heaven, will perish. It will be an awful thing to die just outside the

gate of life. Almost saved, but altogether lost! A man just outside

Noah's ark would be drowned; a manslayer just outside the wall of the

city of refuge would be slain; and the man who is within a yard of

Christ, and yet has not trusted him, will be lost. Therefore am I in

terrible earnest to get my hesitating friends over the threshold. _Come

in! Come in!_ is my pressing entreaty. May the Holy Spirit render it

effectual with many who shall glance at these pages! May he cause his

own almighty voice to be heard creating faith at once!

My reader, if God blesses this book to you, do the writer this

favour--either lend your own copy to one who is lingering at the gate,

or buy another and give it away; for his great desire is that this

little volume should be of service to many thousands of souls.

To God this book is commended; for without his grace nothing will come

of all that is written.

[Illustration]

PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION.

The host of American Christians who have had the privilege of listening

to the prince of modern preachers of the gospel in his own London

Tabernacle, and the countless thousands who have read his printed

sermons, have long desired to see and hear him on this side of the

ocean. The state of his health, however, which requires frequent

respites from his incessant and exhausting labors, precludes the hope

of an American tour, with its inevitable demands upon his already

overburdened strength.

All the more on this account they will welcome a new volume from his

pen, designed for the benefit of a class found in every Christian

community, the object of the deepest concern to the Church of Christ:

a volume written by a master in Israel who has shown such a profound

knowledge both of the human heart with all its needs, and of the wisdom

and power of God in the gospel, and who has been to so many souls the

blessed means of leading them to Christ.

This new volume, like the author's many previous books and tracts,

his well-organized Colporter Society, etc., testifies to his high

appreciation of the power of the press, and to his desire thus to win

for Christ myriads of those whom his voice cannot reach.

To all who are hovering around the "Wicket Gate," or who even from time

to time come within sight of it and wish they were safe within it,

this little book is commended, with the hope that even while they are

reading they will knock and it shall be opened to them.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

AWAKENING 9

JESUS ONLY 16

FAITH IN THE PERSON OF THE LORD JESUS 24

FAITH VERY SIMPLE 35

FEARING TO BELIEVE 48

DIFFICULTY IN THE WAY OF BELIEVING 57

A HELPFUL SURVEY OF CHRIST'S WORK 65

A REAL HINDRANCE TO FAITH 73

ON RAISING QUESTIONS 80

WITHOUT FAITH NO SALVATION 88

TO THOSE WHO HAVE BELIEVED 93

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

Around the Wicket Gate.

AWAKENING.

Great numbers of persons have no concern about eternal things. They

care more about their cats and dogs than about their souls. It is a

great mercy to be made to think about ourselves, and how we stand

towards God and the eternal world. This is full often a sign that

salvation is coming to us. By nature we do not like the anxiety which

spiritual concern causes us, and we try, like sluggards, to sleep

again. This is great foolishness; for it is at our peril that we trifle

when death is so near, and judgment is so sure. If the Lord has chosen

us to eternal life, he will not let us return to our slumber. If we are

sensible, we shall pray that our anxiety about our souls may never

come to an end till we are really and truly saved. Let us say from our

hearts:--

"He that suffered in my stead,

Shall my Physician be;

I will not be comforted,

Till Jesus comfort me."

It would be an awful thing to go dreaming down to hell, and there to

lift up our eyes with a great gulf fixed between us and heaven. It

will be equally terrible to be aroused to escape from the wrath to

come, and then to shake off the warning influence, and go back to our

insensibility. I notice that those who overcome their convictions and

continue in their sins are not so easily moved the next time: every

awakening which is thrown away leaves the soul more drowsy than before,

and less likely to be again stirred to holy feeling. Therefore our

heart should be greatly troubled at the thought of getting rid of its

trouble in any other than the right way. One who had the gout was cured

of it by a quack medicine, which drove the disease within, and the

patient died. To be cured of distress of mind by a false hope, would be

a terrible business: the remedy would be worse than the disease. Better

far that our tenderness of conscience should cause us long years of

anguish, than that we should lose it, and perish in the hardness of our

hearts.

Yet awakening is not a thing to rest in, or to desire to have

lengthened out month after month. If I start up in a fright, and find

my house on fire, I do not sit down at the edge of the bed, and say

to myself, "I hope I am truly awakened! Indeed, I am deeply grateful

that I am not left to sleep on!" No, I want to escape from threatened

death, and so I hasten to the door or to the window, that I may get

out, and may not perish where I am. It would be a questionable boon to

be aroused, and yet not to escape from the danger. Remember, awakening

is not salvation. A man may know that he is lost, and yet he may never

be saved. He may be made thoughtful, and yet he may die in his sins. If

you find out that you are a bankrupt, the consideration of your debts

will not pay them. A man may examine his wounds all the year around,

and they will be none the nearer being healed because he feels their

smart, and notes their number. It is one trick of the devil to tempt

a man to be satisfied with a sense of sin; and another trick of the

same deceiver to insinuate that the sinner may not be content to trust

Christ, unless he can bring a certain measure of despair to add to the

Saviour's finished work. Our awakenings are not to help the Saviour,

but to help us to the Saviour. To imagine that my feeling of sin is

to assist in the removal of the sin is absurd. It is as though I said

that water could not cleanse my face unless I had looked longer in the

glass, and had counted the smuts upon my forehead. A sense of need of

salvation by grace is a very healthful sign; but one needs wisdom to

use it aright, and not to make an idol of it.

Some seem as if they had fallen in love with their doubts, and fears,

and distresses. You cannot get them away from their terrors--they seem

wedded to them. It is said that the worst trouble with horses when

their stables are on fire, is that you cannot get them to come out of

their stalls. If they would but follow your lead, they might escape the

flames; but they seem to be paralyzed with fear. So the fear of the

fire prevents their escaping the fire. Reader, will your very fear of

the wrath to come prevent your escaping from it? We hope not.

One who had been long in prison was not willing to come out. The door

was open; but he pleaded even with tears to be allowed to stay where

he had been so long. Fond of prison! Wedded to the iron bolts and the

prison fare! Surely the prisoner must have been a little touched in the

head! Are you willing to remain an awakened one, and nothing more? Are

you not eager to be at once forgiven? If you would tarry in anguish and

dread, surely you, too, must be a little out of your mind! If peace is

to be had, _have it at once_! Why tarry in the darkness of the pit,

wherein your feet sink in the miry clay? There is light to be had;

light marvellous and heavenly; why lie in the gloom and die in anguish?

You do not know how near salvation is to you. If you did, you would

surely stretch out your hand and take it, for there it is; and _it is

to be had for the taking_.

Do not think that feelings of despair would fit you for mercy. When

the pilgrim, on his way to the Wicket Gate, tumbled into the Slough of

Despond, do you think that, when the foul mire of that slough stuck

to his garments, it was a recommendation to him, to get him easier

admission at the head of the way? It is not so. The pilgrim did not

think so by any means; neither may you. It is not what _you_ feel that

will save you, but what _Jesus_ felt. Even if there were some healing

value in feelings, they would have to be good ones; and the feeling

which makes us doubt the power of Christ to save, and prevents our

finding salvation in him, is by no means a good one, but a cruel wrong

to the love of Jesus.

Our friend has come to see us, and has travelled through our crowded

London by rail, or tram, or omnibus. On a sudden he turns pale. We ask

him what is the matter, and he answers, "I have lost my pocket-book,

and it contained all the money I have in the world." He goes over

the amount to a penny, and describes the cheques, bills, notes, and

coins. We tell him that it must be a great consolation to him to be so

accurately acquainted with the extent of his loss. He does not seem to

see the worth of our consolation. We assure him that he ought to be

grateful that he has so clear a sense of his loss; for many persons

might have lost their pocket-books and have been quite unable to

compute their losses. Our friend is not, however, cheered in the least.

"No," says he, "to know my loss does not help me to recover it. Tell me

where I can find my property, and you have done me real service; but

merely to know my loss is no comfort whatever." Even so, to believe

that you have sinned, and that your soul is forfeited to the justice

of God, is a very proper thing; but it will not save. Salvation is not

by our knowing our own ruin, but by fully grasping the deliverance

provided in Christ Jesus. A person who refuses to look to the Lord

Jesus, but persists in dwelling upon his sin and ruin, reminds us of a

boy who dropped a shilling down an open grating of a London sewer, and

lingered there for hours, finding comfort in saying, "It rolled in just

there! Just between those two iron bars I saw it go right down." Poor

soul! Long might he remember the details of his loss before he would

in this way get back a single penny into his pocket, wherewith to buy

himself a piece of bread. You see the drift of the parable; profit by

it.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

JESUS ONLY.

We cannot, too often or too plainly tell the seeking soul that his

only hope for salvation lies in the Lord Jesus Christ. It lies in him

completely, only, and alone. To save both from the guilt and the power

of sin, Jesus is all-sufficient. His name is called Jesus, because "he

shall save his people from their sins." "The Son of man hath power on

earth to forgive sins." He is exalted on high "to give repentance and

remission of sins." It pleased God from of old to devise a method of

salvation which should be all contained in his only-begotten Son. The

Lord Jesus, for the working out of this salvation, became man, and

being found in fashion as a man, became obedient to death, even the

death of the cross. If another way of deliverance had been possible,

the cup of bitterness would have passed from him. It stands to reason

that the darling of heaven would not have died to save us if we could

have been rescued at less expense. Infinite grace provided the great

sacrifice; infinite love submitted to death for our sakes. How can

we dream that there can be another way than the way which God has

provided at such cost, and set forth in Holy Scripture so simply and

so pressingly? Surely it is true that "Neither is there salvation in

any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men,

whereby we must be saved."

To suppose that the Lord Jesus has only half saved men, and that there

is needed some work or feeling of their own to finish his work, is

wicked. What is there of ours that could be added to his blood and

righteousness? "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." Can these

be patched on to the costly fabric of his divine righteousness? Rags

and fine white linen! Our dross and his pure gold! It is an insult to

the Saviour to dream of such a thing. We have sinned enough, without

adding this to all our other offences.

Even if we had any righteousness in which we could boast; if our fig

leaves were broader than usual, and were not so utterly fading, it

would be wisdom to put them away, and accept that righteousness which

must be far more pleasing to God than anything of our own. The Lord

must see more that is acceptable in his Son than in the best of us.

_The best of us!_ The words seem satirical, though they were not so

intended. What best is there about any of us? "There is none that doeth

good; no, not one." I who write these lines, would most freely confess

that I have not a thread of goodness of my own. I could not make up

so much as a rag, or a piece of a rag. I am utterly destitute. But if

I had the fairest suit of good works which even pride can imagine,

I would tear it up that I might put on nothing but the garments of

salvation, which are freely given by the Lord Jesus, out of the

heavenly wardrobe of his own merits.

It is most glorifying to our Lord Jesus Christ that we should hope for

every good thing from him alone. This is to treat him as he deserves to

be treated; for as he is God, and beside him there is none else, we are

bound to look unto him and be saved.

This is to treat him as he loves to be treated, for he bids all those

who labour and are heavy laden to come to him, and he will give them

rest. To imagine that he cannot save to the uttermost is to limit

the Holy One of Israel, and put a slur upon his power; or else to

slander the loving heart of the Friend of sinners, and cast a doubt

upon his love. In either case; we should commit a cruel and wanton sin

against the tenderest points of his honour, which are his ability and

willingness to save all that come unto God by him.

[Illustration]

The child, in danger of the fire, just clings to the fireman, and

trusts to him alone. She raises no question about the strength of his

limbs to carry her, or the zeal of his heart to rescue her; but she

clings. The heat is terrible, the smoke is blinding, but she clings;

and her deliverer quickly bears her to safety. In the same childlike

confidence cling to Jesus, who can and will bear you out of danger from

the flames of sin.

The nature of the Lord Jesus should inspire us with the fullest

confidence. As he is God, he is almighty to save; as he is man, he is

filled with all fulness to bless; as he is God and man in one Majestic

Person, he meets man in his creatureship and God in his holiness. The

ladder is long enough to reach from Jacob prostrate on the earth, to

Jehovah reigning in heaven. To bring another ladder would be to suppose

that he failed to bridge the distance; and this would be grievously

to dishonour him. If even to add to his words is to draw a curse upon

ourselves, what must it be to pretend to add to himself? Remember that

he, himself, is the Way; and to suppose that we must, in some manner,

add to the divine road, is to be arrogant enough to think of adding to

him. Away with such a notion! Loathe it as you would blasphemy; for in

essence it is the worst of blasphemy against the Lord of love.

To come to Jesus with a price in our hand, would be insufferable pride,

even if we had any price that we could bring. What does he need of us?

What could we bring if he did need it? Would he sell the priceless

blessings of his redemption? That which he wrought out in his heart's

blood, would he barter it with us for our tears, and vows, or for

ceremonial observances, and feelings, and works? He is not reduced to

make a market of himself: he will give freely, as beseems his royal

love; but he that offereth a price to him knows not with whom he is

dealing, nor how grievously he vexes his free Spirit. Empty-handed

sinners may have what they will. All that they can possibly need is in

Jesus, and he gives it for the asking; but we must believe that he is

all in all, and we must not dare to breathe a word about completing

what he has finished, or fitting ourselves for what he gives to us as

undeserving sinners.

The reason why we may hope for forgiveness of sin, and life eternal, by

faith in the Lord Jesus, is that God has so appointed. He has pledged

himself in the gospel to save all who truly trust in the Lord Jesus,

and he will never run back from his promise. He is so well pleased

with his only-begotten Son, that he takes pleasure in all who lay

hold upon him as their one and only hope. The great God himself has

taken hold on him who has taken hold on his Son. He works salvation for

all who look for that salvation to the once-slain Redeemer. For the

honour of his Son, he will not suffer the man who trusts in him to be

ashamed. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life;" for the

ever-living God has taken him unto himself, and has given to him to be

a partaker of his life. If Jesus only be your trust, you need not fear

but what you shall effectually be saved, both now and in the day of his

appearing.

When a man confides, there is a point of union between him and God,

and that union guarantees blessing. Faith saves us because it makes

us cling to Christ Jesus, and he is one with God, and thus brings us

into connection with God. I am told that, years ago, above the Falls of

Niagara, a boat was upset, and two men were being carried down by the

current, when persons on the shore managed to float a rope out to them,

which rope was seized by them both. One of them held fast to it, and

was safely drawn to the bank; but the other, seeing a great log come

floating by, unwisely let go the rope, and clung to the great piece of

timber, for it was the bigger thing of the two, and apparently better

to cling to. Alas! the timber, with the man on it, went right over the

vast abyss, because there was no union between the wood and the shore.

The size of the log was no benefit to him who grasped it; it needed

a connection with the shore to produce safety. So, when a man trusts

to his works, or to his prayers, or almsgivings, or to sacraments, or

to anything of that sort, he will not be saved, because there is no

junction between him and God through Christ Jesus; but faith, though it

may seem to be like a slender cord, is in the hand of the great God on

the shore side; infinite power pulls in the connecting line, and thus

draws the man from destruction. Oh, the blessedness of faith, because

it unites us to God by the Saviour, whom he has appointed, even Jesus

Christ! O reader, is there not common-sense in this matter? Think

it over, and may there soon be a band of union between you and God,

through your faith in Christ Jesus!

[Illustration]

FAITH IN THE PERSON OF THE LORD JESUS.

There is a wretched tendency among men to leave Christ himself out of

the gospel. They might as well leave flour out of bread. Men hear the

way of salvation explained, and consent to it as being Scriptural, and

in every way such as suits their case; but they forget that a plan

is of no service unless it is carried out; and that in the matter of

salvation their own personal faith in the Lord Jesus is essential. A

road to York will not take me there, I must travel along it for myself.

All the sound doctrine that ever was believed will never save a man

unless he puts his trust in the Lord Jesus for himself.

Mr. Macdonald asked the inhabitants of the island of St. Kilda how a

man must be saved. An old man replied, "We shall be saved if we repent,

and forsake our sins, and turn to God." "Yes," said a middle-aged

female, "and with a true heart too." "Ay," rejoined a third, "and

with prayer"; and, added a fourth, "It must be the prayer of the

heart." "And we must be diligent too," said a fifth, "in keeping the

commandments." Thus, each having contributed his mite, feeling that a

very decent creed had been made up, they all looked and listened for

the preacher's approbation; but they had aroused his deepest pity: he

had to begin at the beginning, and preach Christ to them. The carnal

mind always maps out for itself a way in which self can work and become

great; but the Lord's way is quite the reverse. The Lord Jesus puts

it very compactly in Mark xvi. 16: "He that believeth and is baptized

shall be saved." Believing and being baptized are no matters of merit

to be gloried in; they are so simple that boasting is excluded, and

free grace bears the palm. This way of salvation is chosen that it

might be seen to be of grace alone. It may be that the reader is

unsaved: what is the reason? Do you think the way of salvation, as

laid down in the text we have quoted, to be dubious? Do you fear that

you would not be saved if you followed it? How can that be, when God

has pledged his own word for its certainty? How can that fail which

God prescribes, and concerning which he gives a promise? Do you think

it very easy? Why, then, do you not attend to it? Its ease leaves

those without excuse who neglect it. If you would have done some great

thing, be not so foolish as to neglect the little thing. To believe

is to trust, or lean upon Christ Jesus; in other words, to give up

self-reliance, and to rely upon the Lord Jesus. To be baptized is to

submit to the ordinance which our Lord fulfilled at Jordan, to which

the converted ones submitted at Pentecost, to which the jailer yielded

obedience on the very night of his conversion. It is the outward

confession which should always go with inward faith. The outward sign

saves not; but it sets forth to us our death, burial, and resurrection

with Jesus, and, like the Lord's Supper, it is not to be neglected.

The great point is to believe in Jesus, and confess your faith. Do you

believe in Jesus? Then, dear friend, dismiss your fears; you shall be

saved. Are you still an unbeliever? Then remember, there is but one

door, and if you will not enter by it, you must perish in your sins.

The door is there; but unless you enter by it, what is the use of it

to you? It is of necessity that you obey the command of the gospel.

Nothing can save you if you do not hear the voice of Jesus, and do his

bidding indeed and of a truth. Thinking and resolving will not answer

the purpose; you must come to real business; for only as you actually

believe will you truly live unto God.

I heard of a friend who deeply desired to be the means of the

conversion of a young man, and one said to him, "You may go to him, and

talk to him, but you will get him no further; for he is exceedingly

well acquainted with the plan of salvation." It was eminently so;

and therefore, when our friend began to speak with the young man, he

received for an answer, "I am much obliged to you, but I do not know

that you can tell me much, for I have long known and admired the plan

of salvation by the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ." Alas! he was

resting in _the plan_, but he had not believed in _the Person_. The

plan of salvation is most blessed, but it can avail us nothing unless

we personally believe in the Lord Jesus Christ himself. What is the

comfort of a plan of a house if you do not enter the house itself?

The man in our cut, who is sitting out in the rain, is not deriving

much comfort from the plans which are spread out before him. What is

the good of a plan of clothing if you have not a rag to cover you?

Have you never heard of the Arab chief at Cairo, who was very ill, and

went to the missionary, and the missionary said he could give him a

prescription? He did so; and a week after he found the Arab none the

better. Did you take my prescription?" he asked. "Yes, I ate every

morsel of the paper." He dreamed that he was going to be cured by

devouring the physician's writing, which I may call the plan of the

medicine. He should have had the prescription made up, and then it

might have wrought him good, if he had taken the draught: it could do

him no good to swallow the recipe. So is it with salvation: it is not

the plan of salvation which can save, it is the carrying out of that

plan by the Lord Jesus in his death on our behalf, and our acceptance

of the same. Under the Jewish law, the offerer brought a bullock, and

laid his hands upon it: it was no dream, or theory, or plan. In the

victim for sacrifice he found something substantial, which he could

handle and touch: even so do we lean upon the real and true work of

Jesus, the most substantial thing under heaven. We come to the Lord

Jesus by faith, and say, "God has provided an atonement here, and

I accept it. I believe in the fact accomplished on the cross; I am

confident that sin was put away by Christ, and I rest on him." If

you would be saved, you must get beyond the acceptance of plans and

doctrines to a resting in the divine person and finished work of the

Lord Jesus Christ. Dear reader, will you have Christ now?

[Illustration]

Jesus invites all those who labour and are heavy laden to come to him,

and he will give them rest. He does not promise this to their merely

dreaming about him. They must come; and they must come TO HIM, and

not merely to the Church, to baptism, or to the orthodox faith, or

to anything short of his divine person. When the brazen serpent was

lifted up in the wilderness, the people were not to look to Moses,

nor to the Tabernacle, nor to the pillar of cloud, but to the brazen

serpent itself. Looking was not enough unless they looked to the right

object: and the right object was not enough unless they looked. It

was not enough for them to know about the serpent of brass; they must

each one look to it for himself. When a man is ill, he may have a good

knowledge of medicine, and yet he may die if he does not actually take

the healing draught. We must receive Jesus; for "to as many as received

him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God." Lay the emphasis

on two words: _We must receive_ HIM, and _we must_ RECEIVE _him_. We

must open wide the door, and take Christ Jesus in; for "Christ in you"

is "the hope of glory." Christ must be no myth, no dream, no phantom

to us, but a real man, and truly God; and our reception of him must be

no forced and feigned acceptance, but the hearty and happy assent and

consent of the soul that he shall be the all in all of our salvation.

Will we not at once come to him, and make him our sole trust?

[Illustration]

The dove is hunted by the hawk, and finds no security from its restless

enemy. It has learned that there is shelter for it in the cleft of the

rock, and it hastens there with gladsome wing. Once wholly sheltered

within its refuge, it fears no bird of prey. But if it did not hide

itself in the rock, it would be seized upon by its adversary. The rock

would be of no use to the dove, if the dove did not enter its cleft.

The whole body must be hidden in the rock. What if ten thousand other

birds found a fortress there, yet that fact would not save the one

dove which is now pursued by the hawk! It must put its whole self into

the shelter, and bury itself within its refuge, or its life will be

forfeited to the destroyer.

What a picture of faith is this! It is entering into Jesus, hiding in

his wounds.

"Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in thee."

The dove is out of sight: the rock alone is seen. So does the guilty

soul dart into the riven side of Jesus by faith, and is buried in him

out of sight of avenging justice. But there must be this personal

application to Jesus for shelter; and this it is that so many put

off from day to day, till it is to be feared that they will "die in

their sins." What an awful word is that! It is what our Lord said to

the unbelieving Jews; and he says the same to us at this hour: "If ye

believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." It makes one's

heart quiver to think that even one who shall read these lines may yet

be of the miserable company who will thus perish. The Lord prevent it

of his great grace!

I saw, the other day, a remarkable picture, which I shall use as an

illustration of the way of salvation by faith in Jesus. An offender had

committed a crime for which he must die, but it was in the olden time,

when churches were considered to be sanctuaries in which criminals

might hide themselves, and so escape from death. See the transgressor!

He rushes towards the church, the guards pursue him with their drawn

swords, athirst for his blood! They follow him even to the church door.

He rushes up the steps, and just as they are about to overtake him,

and hew him in pieces on the threshold of the church, out comes the

Bishop, and holding up the cross, he cries, "Back, back! Stain not the

precincts of God's house with blood! Stand back!" The fierce soldiers

at once respect the emblem, and retire, while the poor fugitive hides

himself behind the robes of the Bishop. It is even so with Christ. The

guilty sinner flies straight away to Jesus; and though Justice pursues

him, Christ lifts up his wounded hands, and cries to Justice, "Stand

back! I shelter this sinner; in the secret place of my tabernacle do

I hide him; I will not suffer him to perish, for he puts his trust

in me." Sinner, fly to Christ! But you answer, "I am too vile." The

viler you are, the more will you honour him by believing that he is

able to protect even you. "But I am so great a sinner." Then the

more honour shall be given to him if you have faith to confide in

him, great sinner though you are. If you have a little sickness, and

you tell your physician--"Sir, I am quite confident in your skill to

heal," there is no great compliment in your declaration. Anybody can

cure a finger-ache, or a trifling sickness. But if you are sore sick

with a complication of diseases which grievously torment you, and you

say--"Sir, I seek no better physician; I will ask no other advice but

yours; I trust myself joyfully with you;" what an honour have you

conferred on him, that you can trust your life in his hands while it is

in extreme and immediate danger! Do the like with Christ; put your soul

into his care: do it deliberately, and without a doubt. Dare to quit

all other hopes: venture all on Jesus; I say "venture" though there is

nothing really venturesome in it, for he is abundantly able to save.

Cast yourself simply on Jesus; let nothing but faith be in your soul

towards Jesus; believe him, and trust in him, and you shall never be

made ashamed of your confidence. "He that believeth on him shall not be

confounded" (1 Peter ii. 6).

[Illustration]

FAITH VERY SIMPLE.

To many, faith seems a hard thing. The truth is, _it is only hard

because it is easy_. Naaman thought it hard that he should have to wash

in Jordan; but if it had been some great thing, he would have done it

right cheerfully. People think that salvation must be the result of

some act or feeling, very mysterious, and very difficult; but God's

thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are his ways our ways. In order

that the feeblest and the most ignorant may be saved, he has made the

way of salvation as easy as the A, B, C. There is nothing about it to

puzzle anyone; only, as everybody expects to be puzzled by it, many are

quite bewildered when they find it to be so exceedingly simple.

The fact is, we do not believe that God means what he is saying; we act

as if it could not be true.

[Illustration]

I have heard of a Sunday-school teacher who performed an experiment

which I do not think I shall ever try with children, for it might turn

out to be a very expensive one. Indeed, I feel sure that the result in

my case would be very different from what I now describe. This teacher

had been trying to illustrate what faith was, and, as he could not get

it into the minds of his boys, he took his watch, and he said, "Now, I

will give you this watch, John. Will you have it?" John fell thinking

what the teacher could mean, and did not seize the treasure, but made

no answer. The teacher said to the next boy, "Henry, here is the watch.

Will you have it?" The boy, with a very proper modesty, replied, "No,

thank you, sir." The teacher tried several of the boys with the same

result; till at last a youngster, who was not so wise or so thoughtful

as the others, but rather more believing, said in the most natural way,

"Thank you, sir," and put the watch into his pocket. Then the other

boys woke up to a startling fact: their companion had received a watch

which they had refused. One of the boys quickly asked of the teacher,

"Is he to keep it?" "Of course he is," said the teacher, "I offered it

to him, and he accepted it. I would not give a thing and take a thing:

that would be very foolish. I put the watch before you, and said that

I gave it to you, but none of you would have it." "Oh!" said the boy,

"if I had known you meant it, I would have had it." Of course he would.

He thought it was a piece of acting, and nothing more. All the other

boys were in a dreadful state of mind to think that they had lost the

watch. Each one cried, "Teacher, I did not know you meant it, _but I

thought_--" No one took the gift; but every one _thought_. Each one

had his theory, except the simple-minded boy who believed what he

was told, and got the watch. Now I wish that I could always be such

a simple child as literally to believe what the Lord says, and take

what he puts before me, resting quite content that he is not playing

with me, and that I cannot be wrong in accepting what he sets before

me in the gospel. Happy should we be if we would trust, and raise no

questions of any sort. But, alas! we will get thinking and doubting.

When the Lord uplifts his dear Son before a sinner, that sinner should

take him without hesitation. If you take him, you have him; and none

can take him from you. Out with your hand, man, and take him at once!

When enquirers accept the Bible as literally true, and see that

Jesus is really given to all who trust him, all the difficulty about

understanding the way of salvation vanishes like the morning's frost at

the rising of the sun.

Two enquiring ones came to me in my vestry. They had been hearing

the gospel from me for only a short season, but they had been deeply

impressed by it. They expressed their regret that they were about to

remove far away, but they added their gratitude that they had heard me

at all. I was cheered by their kind thanks, but felt anxious that a

more effectual work should be wrought in them, and therefore I asked

them, "Have you in very deed believed in the Lord Jesus Christ? Are

you saved?" One of them replied, "I have been trying hard to believe."

This statement I have often heard, but I will never let it go by me

unchallenged. "No," I said, "that will not do. Did you ever tell your

father that you tried to believe him?" After I had dwelt a while upon

the matter, they admitted that such language would have been an insult

to their father. I then set the gospel very plainly before them in as

simple language as I could, and I begged them to believe Jesus, who is

more worthy of faith than the best of fathers. One of them replied, "I

cannot realize it: I cannot realize that I am saved." Then I went on

to say, "God bears testimony to his Son, that whosoever trusts in his

Son is saved. Will you make him a liar now, or will you believe his

word?" While I thus spoke, one of them started as if astonished, and

she startled us all as she cried, "O sir, I see it all; I am saved!

Oh, do bless Jesus for me; he has shown me the way, and he has saved

me! I see it all." The esteemed sister who had brought these young

friends to me knelt down with them while, with all our hearts, we

blessed and magnified the Lord for a soul brought into light. One of

the two sisters, however, could not see the gospel as the other had

done, though I feel sure she will do so before long. Did it not seem

strange that, both hearing the same words, one should come out into

clear light, and the other should remain in the gloom? The change which

comes over the heart when the understanding grasps the gospel is often

reflected in the face, and shines there like the light of heaven. Such

newly-enlightened souls often exclaim, "Why, sir, it is so plain; how

is it I have not seen it before this? I understand all I have read in

the Bible now, though I could not make it out before. It has all come

in a minute, and now I see what I could never understand before." The

fact is, the truth was always plain, but they were looking for signs

and wonders, and therefore did not see what was nigh them. Old men

often look for their spectacles when they are on their foreheads; and

it is commonly observed that we fail to see that which is straight

before us. Christ Jesus is before our faces, and we have only to look

to him, and live; but we make all manner of bewilderment of it, and so

manufacture a maze out of that which is plain as a pikestaff.

The little incident about the two sisters reminds me of another. A

much-esteemed friend came to me one Sabbath morning after service, to

shake hands with me, "for," said she, "I was fifty years old on the

same day as yourself. I am like you in that one thing, sir; but I am

the very reverse of you in better things." I remarked, "Then you must

be a very good woman; for in many things I wish I also could be the

reverse of what I am." "No, no," she said, "I did not mean anything

of that sort: I am not right at all." "What!" I cried, "are you not a

believer in the Lord Jesus?" "Well," she said, with much emotion, "I, I

will try to be." I laid hold of her hand, and said, "My dear soul, you

are not going to tell me that you will try to believe my Lord Jesus! I

cannot have such talk from you. It means blank unbelief. What has HE

done that you should talk of him in that way? Would you tell _me_ that

you would try to believe _me_? I know you would not treat me so rudely.

You think me a true man, and so you believe me at once; and surely you

cannot do less with my Lord Jesus." Then with tears she exclaimed, "Oh,

sir, do pray for me!" To this I replied, "I do not feel that I can do

anything of the kind. What can I ask the Lord Jesus to do for one who

will not trust him? I see nothing to pray about. If you will believe

him, you shall be saved; and if you will not believe him, I cannot ask

him to invent a new way to gratify your unbelief." Then she said again,

"I will try to believe"; but I told her solemnly I would have none of

her trying; for the message from the Lord did not mention "trying,"

but said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."

I pressed upon her the great truth, that "He that believeth on him

hath everlasting life"; and its terrible reverse-- "He that believeth

not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of

the only-begotten Son of God." I urged her to full faith in the once

crucified but now ascended Lord, and the Holy Spirit there and then

enabled her to trust. She most tenderly said, "Oh, sir, I have been

looking to my feelings, and this has been my mistake! Now I trust my

soul with Jesus, and I am saved." She found immediate peace through

believing. There is no other way.

[Illustration]

God has been pleased to make the necessities of life very simple

matters. We must eat; and even a blind man can find the way to his

mouth. We must drink; and even the tiniest babe knows how to do this

without instruction. We have a fountain in the grounds of the Stockwell

Orphanage, and when it is running in the hot weather, the boys go to

it naturally. We have no class for fountain-drill. Many poor boys have

come to the Orphanage, but never one who was so ignorant that he did

not know how to drink. Now faith is, in spiritual things, what eating

and drinking are in temporal things. By the mouth of faith we take the

blessings of grace into our spiritual nature, and they are ours. O you

who would believe, but think you cannot, do you not see that, as one

can drink without strength, and as one can eat without strength, and

gets strength by eating, so we may receive Jesus without effort, and by

accepting him we receive power for all such further effort as we may be

called to put forth?

Faith is so simple a matter that, whenever I try to explain it, I am

very fearful lest I should becloud its simplicity. When Thomas Scott

had printed his notes upon "The Pilgrim's Progress," he asked one of

his parishioners whether she understood the book. "Oh yes, sir," said

she, "I understand Mr. Bunyan well enough, and I am hoping that one

day, by divine grace, I may understand your explanations." Should I not

feel mortified if my reader should know what faith is, and then get

confused by my explanation? I will, however, make one trial, and pray

the Lord to make it clear.

[Illustration]

I am told that on a certain highland road there was a disputed right of

way. The owner wished to preserve his supremacy, and at the same time

he did not wish to inconvenience the public: hence an arrangement which

occasioned the following incident. Seeing a sweet country girl standing

at the gate, a tourist went up to her, and offered her a shilling to

permit him to pass. "No, no," said the child, "I must not take anything

from you; but you are to say, '_Please allow me to pass_,' and then you

may come through and welcome." The permission was to be asked for; but

it could be had for the asking. Just so, eternal life is free; and it

can be had, yea, it shall be at once had, by trusting in the word of

him who cannot lie. Trust Christ, and by that trust you grasp salvation

and eternal life. Do not philosophize. Do not sit down, and bother your

poor brain. Just believe Jesus as you would believe your father. Trust

him as you trust your money with a banker, or your health with a doctor.

Faith will not long seem a difficulty to you; nor ought it to be so,

for it is simple.

Faith is trusting, trusting wholly upon the person, work, merit,

and power of the Son of God. Some think this trusting is a romantic

business, but indeed it is the simplest thing that can possibly be.

To some of us, truths which were once hard to believe are now matters

of fact which we should find it hard to doubt. If one of our great

grand-fathers were to rise from the dead, and come into the present

state of things, what a deal of trusting he would have to do! He would

say to-morrow morning, "Where are the flint and steel? I want a light;"

and we should give him a little box with tiny pieces of wood in it,

and tell him to strike one of them on the box. He would have to trust

a good deal before he would believe that fire would thus be produced.

We should next say to him, "Now that you have a light, turn that

tap, and light the gas." He sees nothing. How can light come through

an invisible vapour? And yet it does. "Come with us, grandfather. Sit

in that chair. Look at that box in front of you. You shall have your

likeness directly." "No, child," he would say, "it is ridiculous. The

sun take my portrait? I cannot believe it." "Yes, and you shall ride

fifty miles in an hour without horses." He will not believe it till

we get him into the train. "My dear sir, you shall speak to your son

in New York, and he shall answer you in a few minutes." Should we not

astonish the old gentleman? Would he not want all his faith? Yet these

things are believed by us without effort, because experience has made

us familiar with them. Faith is greatly needed by you who are strangers

to spiritual things; you seem lost while we are talking about them. But

oh, how simple it is to us who have the new life, and have communion

with spiritual realities! We have a Father to whom we speak, and he

hears us, and a blessed Saviour who hears our heart's longings, and

helps us in our struggles against sin. It is all plain to him that

understandeth. May it now be plain to you!

[Illustration]

FEARING TO BELIEVE.

It is an odd product of our unhealthy nature--_the fear to believe_.

Yet have I met with it often: so often that I wish I may never see it

again. It looks like humility, and tries to pass itself off as the

very soul of modesty, and yet it is an infamously proud thing: in

fact, it is presumption playing the hypocrite. If men were afraid to

_dis_believe, there would be good sense in the fear; but to be afraid

to trust their God is at best an absurdity, and in very deed it is a

deceitful way of refusing to the Lord the honour that is due to his

faithfulness and truth.

How unprofitable is the diligence which busies itself in finding out

reasons why faith in our case should not be saving! We have God's word

for it, that _whosoever_ believeth in Jesus shall not perish, and

we search for arguments why _we_ should perish if we did believe. If

any one gave me an estate, I certainly should not commence raising

questions as to the title. What can be the use of inventing reasons why

I should not hold my own house, or possess any other piece of property

which is enjoyed by me? If the Lord is satisfied to save me through the

merits of his dear Son, assuredly I may be satisfied to be so saved. If

I take God at his word, the responsibility of fulfilling his promise

does not lie with me, but with God, who made the promise.

But you fear that you may not be one of those for whom the promise

is intended. Do not be alarmed by that idle suspicion. No soul ever

came to Jesus wrongly. No one can come at all unless the Father draw

him; and Jesus has said, "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast

out." No soul ever lays hold on Christ in a way of robbery; he that

hath him hath him of right divine; for the Lord's giving of himself

_for_ us, and _to_ us, is so free, that every soul that takes him has a

grace-given right to do so. If you lay hold on Jesus by the hem of his

garment, without leave, and behind him, yet virtue will flow from him

to you as surely as if he had called you out by name, and bidden you

trust him. Dismiss all fear when you trust the Saviour. Take him and

welcome. He that believeth in Jesus is one of God's elect.

Did you suggest that it would be a horrible thing if you were to trust

in Jesus and yet perish? It would be so. But as you must perish if you

do not trust, the risk at the worst is not very great.

"I can but perish if I go;

I am resolved to try;

For if I stay away, I know

I must for ever die."

Suppose you stand in the Slough of Despond for ever; what will be the

good of that? Surely it would be better to die struggling along the

King's highway towards the Celestial City, than sinking deeper and

deeper in the mire and filth of dark distrustful thoughts! You have

nothing to lose, for you have lost everything already; therefore make

a dash for it, and dare to believe in the mercy of God to you, even to

you.

[Illustration]

But one moans, "What if I come to Christ, and he refuses me?" My answer

is, "Try him." Cast yourself on the Lord Jesus, and see if he refuses

you. You will be the first against whom he has shut the door of hope.

Friend, don't cross that bridge till you come to it! When Jesus casts

you out, it will be time enough to despair; but that time will never

come. "This man receiveth sinners": he has not so much as begun to cast

them out.