Set Forth Mark Order with airSlate SignNow

Set forth mark order

this is charles cal sh inviting you to listen to a message from the prince of preachers CH Spurgeon preached this message on March 29th 1861 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle it is entitled Christ set forth as a propitiation the text is found in Romans chapter 3 and verse 25 Christ Jesus whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood we commenced the services in this place by the declaration that here Christ shall be preached our brother who followed us expressed his joy that Christ was preached here in he did rejoice yay and would rejoice and our friends must have observed how throughout the other services there has been a most blessed admixture not only of the true spirit of Christ but have pointed an admirable reference to the glories and beauties of his person this morning which is the beginning of our more regular and constant ministry we come again to the same noble theme Christ Jesus is today to be set forth you will not charge me as repeating myself you will not look up to the pulpit and say pulpits are places of tautology you will not reply that you have heard this story so often that you have grown weary with it for well I know that with you the person the character and the work of Christ are always fresh themes for wonder we have seen the see some of us hundreds of times and what an abiding sameness there is in his deep green surface but whoever called the sea monotonous traveling over it as the Mariner does sometimes by the year together there is always a freshness in the undulation of the waves the whiteness of the form of the breaker the curl of the crested billow and the frolics in pursuit of every wave by its long train of brothers which of us has ever complained that the son gave us but little variety that at morn yoked the same steeds flashed from his car the same Golden Glory climbed with dull uniformity to the summit of the skies then drove his chariot downward and bad his flaming coursers steep they're burning fetlocks in the western deep who among us has complained of the monotony of the bread that we eat we ate it today tomorrow the next day we have eaten it for years that our past and though we have other savoury matters therewith yet still the one unvarying food is served upon the table and the bread remains the staff of life surely I know that as Christ is your food and your spiritual bread as Christ as your son your heavenly light as Christ is the sea of love in which your passions swim and all your Joy's are found it is not possible that you as Christian men should complain of a monotony in him he is the same yesterday and today and forever and yet he has the dew of his youth he is the manna in the golden pot which was always the same but he is the manner which came down from heaven which was every morning new he is the rod of Moses which was dry and changed not its shape but he is also to us the rod of Aaron which buds and blossoms and brings forth almonds I come then now to preach Christ crucified as God hath set him forth to be a propitiation for us through faith in his blood to begin at once then we shall notice first what is meant here by God's setting forth Christ as a propitiation secondly we shall dwell upon the truth which may very naturally be drawn from the first Christ the propitiation as looked upon by the believer and then the thirdly putting the two together I mean inverting the two thoughts we shall look at Christ set forth by us and looked upon by God first then the text says of Christ Jesus whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood the words set forth in the original may signify foreordained but according to eminent critics it hath also in it the idea of our translation of setting forth as well as a four ordnance barn says the word properly means to place in public view to exhibit in a conspicuous situation as goods are exhibited or exposed for sale or as premiums or rewards of victory were exhibited to public view in the games of the Greeks so has God the Father set forth manifested made conspicuous the person of the Lord Jesus as the propitiation of sin now how has he done this he has done it first by ordaining him in the divine decree as the propitiation of sin Christ did not take upon himself the office of high priest without being chosen there unto as was Aaron as surely as every member of Christ's body is elect according to the foreknowledge of God as certainly as in God's book all his members were written which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them so certainly was the head himself ordained the chosen of God as our poet puts it Christ be my first elect he said then chose our souls in Christ our head perhaps some might say there could be no election where there was no room for choice but how do we know there was no room for choice we can scarce imagine that angel or archangel could have been set forth as propitiation for sin yet who can tell whether the almighty mind might not have devised another plan who shall dare to limit the Holy One of Israel at any rate there was this choice between the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit the divine wisdom conjoined with divine sovereignty chose and appointed and determined that Christ Jesus the second of the mysterious three should be the propitiation for our sins when Christ cometh into the world he comes as one of whom all have spoken he is the child born born from the womb of destiny he is the Lamb whom God had appointed from before the foundation of the world long ere this world was made for Adam fell Christ had been set forth in the volume of the book it had been written of him I delight to do thy will O God I think those who are afraid of looking back upon the great decrees of God because they say they are secrets have a fear where no fear is there is never fear my brethren of our meddling with secret things if they be secret it is quite certain that we shall not meddle with them only let it be announced once for all that they are secret and there is no one who can betray the secrets of God but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children and this is one of the things that are revealed this is the decree and we will declare it the Lord said unto Christ thou art my son this day have I begotten thee and he hath said unto Him moreover I will make him my firstborn higher than the kings of the earth and all this that he may be the propitiation for our sins by faith in his blood and next God has set forth Christ to be a propitiation for sins in his promises before the advent did he not send him forth most plainly in the garden where we fell was he not plainly revealed afterwards in the ark in which no was saved did not God speak constantly not only by verbal promises but by typical promises which are just as sure and certain as those which are spoken in words did he not - a hundred seers and two multitudes of holy men and women constantly reveal the coming of him who should bruise the Serpent's head and deliver his people from the power of the curse it is wonderful to see how engaged the Holy Spirit was through every age and era in ordaining types in bringing forth represent Asians and symbols in which Christ should be set forth as being the appointed propitiation for sins through faith in his blood but the great setting forth was the actual doing of the deed when Christ Jesus came forth from the chambers of mystery and revealed himself in the manger when God set him forth by angelic messengers appointed to be his attendants set him forth by the star in the east which should guide the distant strangers to the place where the young child was when he set him forth afterwards by preserving his life in the midst of imminent perils fulfilling promises made concerning his infancy in the place where he was hidden from Herod's fury and in the spot where he was educated and brought up throughout the life of Christ how constantly did his father set him forth the voice of God was in the voice of John behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world and on the cross itself when it pleased the father to bruise him and to put him to grief what an exhibition was there of Christ to the eye of Jew and Gentile of Prince and peasant of the lurid Greek of the ruder Roman that God had appointed Christ to be the full propitiation for sin I think my dear friends while we must always regard the cross as being the representation of Christ's love to his church we must also view it as being God setting forth to man the way by which he will accept man pardon his sin hear his prayer and be reconciled with his erring creatures but all my dear friends that is not all God the Father set forth Christ since then by signs following what is setting forth that was of Christ the propitiate or when the Holy Ghost came down at Pentecost and what of all conversions been since then have they not been repeated seals to the testimony that Christ is the appointed Redeemer of men that threw him the faithful are justified and accepted you I trust have many of you had such a special setting forth of Christ in your own hearts that you will can set your seal to the text before us for him hath God set forth in you as being the propitiation by effectual grace your eyes have been opened by infinite love your stubborn heart has been melted you have been turned from every other hope and every other refuge you have seen Christ to be the power of God and the wisdom of God constrained by an omnipotent influence which you neither could nor would resist you have received him as the scent of God have taken him as being God's Messiah and your only refuge God in you has graciously fulfilled the text him hath God set forth to be a propitiation but now to change the subject for a moment and yet to continue on the same point what is it that God has so manifestly set forth we have seen how he has done it we turn now to what sinner listen and a thousand already accepted that which the father has revealed let thy joy become full God has set forth Christ as being a propitiation the Greek word hath it being translated a mercy seat or a covering now God it Seth to the sinner do you desire to meet me would you no longer be my enemy would you tell me your sorrows would you receive my blessing would you establish a commerce between your Creator and your soul I set forth Christ to you as being the mercy seat where I can meet with you and you can meet with me or take the word as signifying a covering as the mercy seat covered the tables of the law and so covered that which was the cause of divine anger because we had broken his commandment wouldst thou have anything which could cover thy sin cover it from me thy God so that I need not be provoked to anger cover it from you so that you need not be cowed with excessive fear and tremble to approach me as thou didst when I came in thunders and lightnings upon Sinai wouldst thou have a shelter which will hide altogether thy sins and thy iniquities I set it forth to thee in the person of my bleeding son trust in his blood and thy sin is covered from my eyes nay it shall be covered from thine own eyes - and being justified by faith thou shalt have peace with God through Jesus Christ your Lord o that we may have grace to accept now what God the Father sets forth the Romish presets for this and that our own Romish heart set forth such-and-such another thing but God sets forth Christ the preacher of doctrine sets forth a dogma the preacher of experience sets for the feeling the preacher of practice often sets forth an effort but God puts before you Christ here will I meet with you this is the place of my rest glorious to me safe to you come to Christ come to Christ and you will come to me the Lord Almighty comes to Christ and there he comes to you God then hath set forth Christ Jesus made him conspicuous as being the mercy seat and the great hider of sin what has he set forth he has set forth Christ before every one of you in the daily preaching of the word and in yon inspired book as his anointed to do his work suffering in the stead and place of all who believe on him he has set him forth has nailed to Calvary's cross that your sins might be nailed there said him forth is dying that your sins might die nay buried that your iniquities might be buried risen that you might rise to newness of life ascended that you may ascend to God received in triumph that you might be received in triumph - made terrain that you might reign in him forever loved forever crowned that you in him may be forever loved and forever crown to him hath God the Father set forth that by faith in his blood your sins being put away you might enjoy the blessing of complete justification who is he that condemneth Christ hath died yeh rather hath risen again and sitteth at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect thus then and in these respects as God the Father set forth Christ and now I proceed in the second place and may the Spirit of God descend more visibly into our midst than at present to speak upon a duty a privilege rather which so naturally Rises out of God's having shown forth his son as being the propitiation through faith in his blood that privilege is that we should look to Christ and look to Christ alone as the propitiation for our sins and take care that our faith be simple and fixed solely on his precious blood a very common mistake is to look to our sense of need as being at least in some degree a propitiation for sin repentance is an absolute duty and a Christian grace a grace without which there can be no salvation but there has been a strong temptation upon many minds to make repentance a preparation for Christ and to regard a sense of need as being a kind of wedding garment in which they may approach the Savior how many read that promise come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest and they fondly imagine that if they could be more weary and more heavily laden then they would have rest whereas being weary and heavy-laden gives no man rest it is coming to christ that gives him rest it is not being weary and to being heavy laden and i have known some ministers who preached what is called a deep experience and law work and preached very rightly too because many of the people of god have to endure this but I think they lead the people into error for the people imagine that this law worked this deep experience has something to do with the propitiation of their sins now my hearers the sins of God's people are taken away by the blood of Christ and not by any repentance of their own I have already guarded my statement and now I will make it as bold as possible I say that repentance of sin death in no wise contribute to the removal of that sin meritoriously I say that our sense of need does not take away our guilt nor help to take it away but the blood the blood the blood alone pure and unmixed hath forever washed the people of God and made them whiter than snow so poor heart if thy soul be as hard as another millstone if I conscience seemed to thyself to be seared by long habits of sin if you cannot force tears from your eyes and scarce can get a groan from your heart yet you are groaning today because you cannot groan weeping because you cannot weep and sorrowing because you cannot sorrow hear thou then this Gospel message God the Father hath set forth Christ to be thy propitiation not thy tender conscience not like groans not thy sense of need not by law work not thy deep experience he is enough without any of these have faith in his blood and thou art saved but again many have fallen into another mistake they make their propitiation to and upon their evidences I would be the last to say away with evidences away with evidences where they are good things in their proper place but there are so many persons who always judge their past conversion and ultimate salvation by present evidence judgy brethren whether you could ever form a proper estimate of the world by its appearance on any one day if I had taken you out a month ago into the fields you would have declared that the trees were dead what signs of life would you have perceived the bulbs were buried in the ground you might have taken a solemn oath that flowers were banished and you might have imagined that because there were none there never would be any but what was your evidence of the world state worth look at it now when the buds are bursting on the trees when the flowers are springing from the sod when everything is hastening onwards towards spring and summer why as it is absurd and ridiculous for us to judge of the world's estate by the fact that there was a cloud today and there was a shower of rain yesterday therefore infer that the Sun has lost its force and will never shine it is just as ridiculous to judge of our standing before God by our present standing according to our evidences on some one day the right way to read evidences is this first my soul whether thou art saved or not look to Christ as a poor guilty sinner when thou has done this then read the evidences then and not till then then the blest evidence will be a confirmation the witness of the spirit will confirm thy faith but if thou look to that evidences first thou will be foolish indeed it is as in a reflector first let us have the lights then will the reflector be of use to us to increase and reflect back the light but if I take my reflector into a dark place and look for light in it I shall find none I must first see to the light itself and then to the reflection of it our Grace's are the reflection of Christ's love they are the tokens of it but we had better go to Christ first and then look to the tokens afterwards I am sure if you as a spouse had offended your husband you would find but very sorry comfort in looking at those little tokens of love which in the past he had conferred on you you would go to him first ask him whether his love was still firm whether he had forgiven the fault and when you would receive the assurance of his unabated and pure affection then you could go upstairs to the secret drawer and look over the love notes and the love tokens but they would have afforded you very sorry comfort before so with any child was mute rationed by his parents if he think that his father is angry with him he will not if he be a wise child a simple hearted child go up to the nursery and look at the gifts which his father gave him but going to his father's knee he will look up with a tear in his eye and say father do you love me can you forgive your child and when he has had the personal token the kiss of acceptance then may the child go back and see in every mouthful that he eats and every garment which he wears the shirt oaken of his father's continued affection evidences are good as second things but as first things they are usurpers and may prove antichrists to Christ whatever my evidences may say if I believe in the precious blood there is not a sin against me in God's book and in the teeth of everything which might make me tremble just as I am without one plea but that his blood was shed for me and that he bids me come I come again and come afresh to him whom God hath set forth to be the propitiation for our sins friends I may surprise you by what I'm about to say but there is another Fault into which we fall namely looking to God's promises instead of looking to Christ as the propitiation of sin the text does not say that God the Father hath set forth promises indeed he has given us exceeding great and precious promises and they are true in Christ we often herb I going to promise instead of going to Christ I know many Christians who when they are in distress take up the Bible to find a promise a very good and a very admirable plan if mark it be preceded by something else if they go to Christ first they may come to the promise afterwards yes says one but suppose a promise be applied very good you have comfort out of it but I say suppose the promise is not applied what then why it is just assure for all that whether the promise is applied or not application is not my duty my business is to take Christ whom God the Father is set forth as the propitiation of my sins and if in searching this book through there is not a single promise which I dare lay hold of if I cannot find one bottle filled with the rich wine of consolation if I can lay hold on no bunch of The Grapes of Eshcol still God the Father has set forth Christ whatever else he has not set forth and my eye looks to Christ and to Christ alone there is a man who very much desires an estate at the same time his heart is smitten with the beauty of some fair eros he gets the title deeds to her estate well the title deeds are good but the estates are not his though he has got the title deeds by-and-by he marries the lady and everything is his own yet the eros and you have got the estate it is so in Christ promises are the title deeds of his estates a man may get the promise and not get Christ and then they will be of no more use to him than the deeds of another man's estate would be to me if I be not the lawful proprietor but when my soul is married unto Christ then I am heir of all things in him and with him why Christian what right have you to say that promise is not mine because it is not applied your right to the promise does not lie in its being applied nor yet in your power to lay hold of it every promise that is in the Bible belongs to every man who is in Christ and belongs to him as much one day as another day because Christ is his at all times evermore the same though I do not know whether I can put this exactly as I mean it but I mean this that the devil has often tempted me with you who have not had a promise sent home to your heart for months you are no child of God you cannot get that sweetness out of such in such a passage that some men can I reply to Satan in this way well God has never said that he has set forth the promise to be a propitiation through faith but he has set forth Christ and my soul accepts that which God has set forth and if never promised be applied to me the promise is mine for all that and in faith I will lay hold on it and defy thee to rob me of it when my soul has laid hold on Christ o that we lived more on Christ's and less on anything but Christ nearer to Christ's person more surely resting on Christ blood more simply accepting him as our all-in-all I have not yet done on this second head a remark of to suggest themselves to me now God has set forth Christ to be the propitiation through faith in his blood and we ought to accept Christ as being an all sufficient propitiation I believe in Christ today but if some sin lies upon my conscience and I'm worried and troubled about it ah die not to perceive it once that I have failed to accept Christ as an all sufficient propitiation whether my sin be little or be great whether it be fresh or old it is the same sin and blessed be God has all been atoned for through Christ the propitiation we ought to take Christ as being the death of every sin and of all sin as having expunged and wiped out the great debt as well as the little a ten thousand talents as well as the one hundred Pence we have never got the full idea of Christ till we know that every sin the thought of word of deed that the believer have ever been guilty of finds its death its drowning its total annihilation in the propitiation which God hath set forth oh we want to come where Kent was when he said now free from sin I walk at large my saviors blood my full discharge at his dear feet my soul I lay a sinner saved an homage pay well but when we have come as far as this we need to add a second thought God had set forth Christ to be not only an all-sufficient but an immutable propitiation for sin Christ is as much my soul's propitiation when my soul is fallen into sin as when I have stood firm and resisted temptation if I be a believer that is putting it you say in a bold and almost antinomian way I cannot help it it is true it is true that the propitiation of Christ is never more never less it cannot be more it is complete it cannot be less for it is the same yesterday today and forever that man has been washed in blood is white his doubts and fears have not spoiled that whiteness his powerlessness yesterday in prayer his despondency a week ago is all but complete unbelief last month do not Mar the perfection of Jesus righteousness do not take away the complete achievement of the pardon of his sin by precious blood I do believe and hold and rejoice in that precious truth that our standing before God when we have believed in Jesus depends no more upon our frames and our feelings than the Sun itself in its native glory depends when the clouds and darkness that are here below the same the same in all its splendor the same undimmed as full of glory as full of majesty the righteousness and blood of Christ abides and we standing before God in him and not in ourselves are ever complete in him ever accepted in the beloved never more so never less so strong meat this says one be it strong nothing short of this will ever satisfy the tried Christian in the hour when sin rolls over his head if any man can make a bad use of the doctrine of the real substitution of Christ and the standing of Christ's people in Christ place every day if any man can make a licentiousness of that his damnation is just he has no part nor lot in this matter but I know this that I am NOT to be restrained from the comfort of a doctrine because some licentiousness to destroy his soul with it still there stands the glorious truth and nothing short of this is the full glory of Christ's atonement then when once he shed his blood and when once that blood has been applied to us by it and it alone we stand completely pure and are as pure one day as another day perfect complete accepted made secure and safe in Christ Jesus the Lord him hath God the Father set forth to be a propitiation force in my soul accepts him today as he did yesterday and knows that the sin is put away forever now I shall come to my third and last points turn the thoughts over we have said God sets forth Christ's and we look at it now as a matter of duty and privilege we must set forth Christ and God will look at him the preacher standing here as he does today before this immense assembly knows that without God's looking upon the ministry it will be vain and void how shall God's eye be secured how shall his presence be guaranteed if in this pulpit Christ be set forth God will look down upon that Christ set forth and honor and bless the word brethren I might preach clear doctrine but God might never look down upon doctrine for I could point you to churches with a tear in my eye because I'm able to do so we're conversions are rare things the doctorate is high high enough perhaps so high has to have become putrid I will not say that but I do know some churches where there has not been in addition to the church by the stretch of 10 or a dozen years together and I've known the reason Christ was not set forth therefore God did not look down and what was set forth because it was the wrong thing I have known to churches and with equal sorrow do I mention them where practice has been preached but not Christ people have been exhorted to do ten thousand things moral duties presented before the people in pleasing and well polished essays have taken the place of the cross of Christ and there have been no conversions by degrees the attendance has become very slender for where Christ is not preached it is a strange thing there are some exceptions to this rule but still the rule is there are not many to listen only preach so cineon ISM and what a splendid hunting ground this Tabernacle will be for the spiders give up Christ and preach philosophy you need not have an organ and a skillful person to play the people out of the church they would never need that they will never come in so is it those flimsy doctrines Kevin never prevail because no one will listen to them they are not attractive they look as if they would attract all but none can receive them the secret being that God will not look down on any man's ministry unless that man sets forth what God sets forth even Christ Jesus as the propitiation for sin it is not a question as to whether there will be conversions when Christ is set forth that is certain some good brethren quote the text Paul may plants and Apollo's may water but and they are a long while upon the butt and they pervert the text a little but God gives the increase now the text does not say any such thing it says Paul planteth and Apollo's watered God giveth the increase they are all linked together Paul does not plant in vain Apollo's does not water in vain God gives the increase sure to do it and that there be not soul saved there is always some reason for it and the reason to which I would look leaving now the inscrutable sovereignty of God out of the question for a moment the reason would be either that Christ is not preached or else he is preached in such a way as he ought never to be preached with cold-heartedness with want of zeal with want of tenderness only let Christ be preached by an earnest heart though there be no eloquence though the elocution be defective Christ being set forth God the Holy Spirit will come forth - and the word must and will be blessed his word shall not return unto Him void it shall prosper in the thing whereto he hath sent it but again as in the ministry we must set forth Christ if we would have God's smile so you my brothers and sisters in your pleadings for the souls of men must set forth Christ what a mass of wickedness is hereabouts what tens of thousands in this immediate neighbourhood who know nothing of God here is a city with very nearly 3 millions of inhabitants it is not a city but an empire in itself what shall we do when we are on our knees I confess I have sometimes found myself utterly unable to express my desires in prayer to God for this city when you once get a notion of its sin its infamy its dens its innumerable missionaries teaching satanic doctrines its multitudes of men and women whose livelihood it is to ensnare the simple ones it is an awful burden to carry before God you cannot pray for London except in size and groans good old Robby Flockhart who stood for many years in the streets of Edinboro and used to be much laughed at but who preached every night in the week in had during the winter months a little lantern which he put upon a stick and then stood in a corner and preached the passers-by with a great power but much eccentricity that good man was eminent in his prayers when he was alone a gentleman told me that he went one night to see poor Robert he was extremely poor the candle had been blown out and he stumbled his way up two or three pair of stairs and came at last to flock Arts room he opened the door and he could not see the good old man but he could hear him say O Lord dinna forget Edinboro didn't forget Edinboro turn not away thine hand from all three key then I forget her Lord thy servant will never give the rest till thou pour out thy spirit upon Edinboro my friend stood still there was that old man of with his God my friend had never heard such groaning and crying it seemed as if he could even hear the falling of his tears while he prayed for God to bless Edinboro and to pour out his Spirit upon that city he made some noise the old man said there is somebody there I suppose he struck a light and found that he had taken one of the pillows of his bed to kneel upon by the side of an old chair which was about the only furniture with the exception of the bend he would pray for Edinboro by the hour together and then go out to preach though many laughed at and hooted him ho one wants to feel like that for London too kneeling there to one's knees or sore crying do not forget London do not forget London Lord turn not thy face from London but make bear thine arm in this great city but how are we to make our prayers prevail with God brethren we must show forth Christ in prayer and then God will look upon our prayers the Methodists cry which was once heard at the prayer meeting when a poor Methodist brother could not go on and someone at the far end of the chapel cried out plead the blood brother plead the blood that old Methodists cry has force and power in it plead the blood God cannot cannot cannot resist the cry of the blood of Christ Abel's blood demanded vengeance and it had it Christ's blood demands pardon and shall have it must have it our God cannot be deaf to the cry of his own sons blood and if you and I and all of us together can plea the precious blood of Christ for London a revival must come will come shall come and the face of the times shall be changed God's arms shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it yet once again and here with affectionate earnestness I come to plead personally with each of soeul art thou this morning sick of self and longing to be saved do thy sins condemn thee do thy lusts accuse thee does thy conscience flog thee has though been to God in prayer hast thou sought for mercy has no mercy come have you read the Bible to find a promise has no promise dropped with honey to you come I pray you and obey the Word of God which I utter in your hearing come and take Christ and show Christ's blood to God and he will he must smile upon you if you cannot take the promise take the blood if you cannot come to God with any feelings come with Christ in your hands may I trust Christ Sethe 1 may you you are commanded to do it he that believeth not hath made God a liar because he believeth not he that believeth hath set to his seal that God is true sinner God is satisfied with Christ does he satisfy God and will he not satisfy you the eternal judge has accepted Jesus and do you refuse him the Lord hath opened the door and standeth at it is the door good enough for the king and yet not good enough for a rebel like yourself but away with your butts you want to bring something to add to Christ is he enough to reconcile God and not enough to reconcile you but but again so God thinks the precious blood to be a sufficient price and you think it is not o fool and slow of heart how darest thou to think that God is not set forth enough but thou must add to it instead of this I pray you in Christ's dead believe in Christ as you are whoever you may be whatever your past life has been whatever your present feelings now are and trust your soul and God declares that your sins are put away put your soul as it is I care not how black it matters not how depraved it is put it here on that mercy seat which God hath set forth and you have put it where God bad you put it and it's salvation rests no more with you nor is it any more a matter of hazard you have put your salvation in Christ's hands it is his business to save you and he will do it I know that safe with him remains protected by his power what I've committed to his hands till the decisive hour I do not know how it is but this simple doctrine is the hardest doctrine to make plain it seems so easy and yet many will mystify and doubt what no good works no good feelings all these things are fruits of grace but salvation does not depend upon them salvation is in Christ wholly in Christ in Christ alone and the moment any of you to trust him unfeigned idli to be your sole and only Savior you have accepted God's propitiation and God has accepted you it is not possible for the Lord unless he could reverse his nature stain his honor belie his character make his word a farce and the atonement of Christ a falsehood to reject any man under heaven who believes in Christ and takes him to be his all-in-all perhaps I have some here to whom I have preached these last seven years and yet you have remained unsaved I am clear of your blood if you had only heard about this one morning sermon for God witnesseth I know not how to put the plan of salvation more plainly than I have done God had set forth Christ to be a propitiation through his blood I bid you to look to Christ bleeding to Christ sweating drop some blood Christ scourge Christ nailed to the tree and if you believe in Christ's blood he is the propitiation of your sins but I can do no more than this it is mine to preach it is mine to pray and mine to plead Oh may God the Holy Spirit give you grace to receive to accept to yield to this blessed proclamation of free mercy other salvation there is none you may rack your soul with pain wear out your bones with toil but there is rest nowhere but here believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved he that with a heart believeth and with his mouth makes confession shall be saved for he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned what shall I say instead of pleading further with you I would plead with God in private that many of you may now try whether Christ cannot save you rest yourself on him trust yourself with him and he will be as good as his word and save you now and save you even to the end the Lord at his blessing for Jesus sake amen