The God of Grace
“That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” — Eph. ii. 7.
But the past has not exhausted this grace; the
future is as much connected with it as is the past.
It is in “the ages to come “that he is” to shew
the exceeding riches of his grace.” The Lord’s
first coming displayed much of these exceeding
riches, his second coming is to bring them to light
in yet larger fulness. From the foot of the cross
the fountain of free love poured itself plenteously
forth; but from the foot of the throne this same
fountain is again to break out and send abroad its
unexhausted abundance. Of the many ways in
which grace shall then get vent to itself, I do not
mean here to speak; yet this much may be said,
that in a thousand forms and ways shall grace yet
unfold itself, — in bringing back the captivity of
Zion, in converting the world, in binding the strong
man, in removing the curse, in making all things
new, so that Go:.’s last demonstration of grace shall
be the strongest and the fullest, — proving that
where sin has abounded grace has much more
abounded.
Of these, however, I do not speak further, as the Apostle’s words in the passage before us speak more especially of the Church, and of what grace is yet to do for her in the ages to come. To this same thing and time refer the words of the apostle Peter, when he speaks of “the grace that is to be brought unto us at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. i. 13). Both passages point us forward to the day of Christ’s appearing, as the day in which new treasures of grace shall be unlocked to us, and God’s free love have a new manifestation which shall shew that the past has not exhausted it; nay, that the past has merely been the earnest of the wonders yet to come. It is grace that strives with the sinner, grace that renews him, grace that leads him to the cross, grace that forgives him, grace that heals all his diseases, grace that bears with him after forgiveness, grace that guides him along, grace that fights for him, grace that comforts him, grace that trains him for the kingdom and makes all things work together for his good, grace that keeps his soul in peace amid the tumults of a stormy world, grace that maintains his unbroken fellowship with the Lord, grace that lays him down quietly to sleep in Jesus, with the blessed hope of soon rising again and putting on immortality; — it is grace that does all these marvels for him and in him. In experiencing these things, he feels oftentimes as if grace had gone to its utmost stretch, as if it were not possible nor conceivable that grace could do more for him than it has done.
Its past dealings with him have been so marvellous, that it seems ingratitude as well as presumption to anticipate more. Yet that which he is afraid even to imagine, is that which God has in store for him. Grace, nay, riches of grace, nay, exceeding riches of grace, are yet to be unfolded to him in the ages to come. Eye hath not seen them, ear hath not heard them, the heart has not conceived them; yet they are not the less surely provided for him. There is, of course, a difference in the ages to come. There are no more sins to be forgiven, and no more perversity and unbelief to be borne with; but still the man is the same man that was once in the miry clay, that was once a sinner and an alien, and accordingly he can only be dealt with, even hereafter, by grace. It was only grace that could meet his case here in his sins; and it is only grace that can deal with him hereafter, even when made perfect. All that shall be done for him in the ages to come, shall be the result of grace. Here it is grace seen in justifying; hereafter it is grace seen in glorifying the justified. The amount of grace given out here is just the amount needed for the forgiveness of his sins, and the new-moulding of his nature, and the helping of his infirmities; but the amount of grace to flow forth in the ages to come, is to be measured by the excellency of the inheritance which is then to be bestowed. That which man calls “exceeding riches of grace ’ is just that extent of grace which he needs here, when fighting his way to the kingdom, for his finite soul can hardly conceive of anything larger; but that which God calls the “exceeding riches of grace” is that which is measured by “the exceeding and. eternal weight of glory.”
We often feel as if grace had done its utmost when it has carried us safely through the desert, and set us down at the gate of the kingdom. We feel as if, when grace has landed us there, it has done all for us that we are to expect. But God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. He does exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think. It is just when we reach the threshold of the prepared city, that grace meets us in new and more abundant measures, presenting us with the recompence of the reward. The love that shall meet us then to bid us welcome to the many mansions, shall be love beyond what we were here able to comprehend; for then shall we fully realise, as if for the first time, the meaning of these words, “The love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord;” and then shall we have that prayer of Christ fulfilled in us, “That the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.” It is grace that bestows the inheritance; and the greatness of that inheritance will be the measure of the grace. It is grace that crowns and enthrones us; and the crown and throne, which shall then be ours, will be the measure of the grace. It is grace that provides for us the New Jerusalem, with its bright beauty and divine magnificence; and that celestial city will be the measure of the grace. It is grace that spreads for us the Lamb’s marriage-supper, and clothes us with the bridal-dress; and that marriage-supper, that bridal-dress, will be the measure of the grace. It was grace that on earth said to us, u Come unto Me, and I will give you rest;” and it will be grace, in all its exceeding riches, that will hereafter say to us, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
No doubt, in one sense, we might say that God’s Son, his unspeakable gift, is the measure, even as he is the pledge of the grace; and, speaking generally, we might say, the grace must be boundless, seeing the gift is infinite, so that we do not need to wait for the ages to come to disclose the riches of the grace. But let us remember that it is one thing to know that a friend’s bountifulness is large, and another thing to know in what gifts that large bountifulness will display itself. God’s gift of his own Son assures us that there is nothing too costly for him to bestow on us; so that, applying this measurement generally, we may say, “He that spared not his own Son, how shall he not, with him, freely give us all things?” But not until these “all things “are made ours in the ages to come, can we realise all the grace that the” unspeakable gift ’ includes and implies. Faith uses this as the great standard of measurement when calculating the extent of its anticipated possessions; hope assures itself by means of it that it shall not be put to shame. But all this is only seeing things “in a glass darkly.” Possessing Christ, we feel assured that we can possess nothing of greater value; but still the things which we receive in him and through him, will most marvellously contribute to make us understand the grace which is given us in him. In giving us Christ, the Father traces round us, as it were, an illimitable circle; but then our exact appreciation of its wide dimensions depends much upon its contents, upon the nature of the things which it comprehends. To say that our treasure-house is infinite, is one thing, and to bring forth its treasures and spread them out before us, is another. It is one thin£ to tell us that there is over our heads a vast and all-including firmament, bright with the glory and the love of God; and it is another to withdraw the clouds that veil it, and to present us with a whole sky of stars. And j ust as, in receiving our daily forgivenesses at his hand, God made us to understand the riches of his grace, while here, in a way such as we never could by any mere statement of their greatness; so, in conferring on us the incorruptible inheritance hereafter, he will give us conceptions of his unutterable grace such as, till then, we could not realise. The truth is, though it may seem almost a contradiction, that while we measure the greatness of the coming glories by the unspeakable gift, we are also to measure the greatness of the unspeakable gift by the glories which shall then be revealed. We stand at the cross just now, and, realising the love of which that cross gives us the happy pledge, we look forward into the ages to come and say, What will not God give? so hereafter, when these ages shall have begun, we shall turn our eye backward to the cross, and, encircled with the glory of the kingdom that shall then be ours, we shall exclaim, “Oh, what hath God given us in giving us his Son!”
This glance into “the ages to come,” with all their “exceeding riches of grace,” is plentiful in lessons, as practical as they are precious. It opens out so largely, in all its breadth and length, in all its depth and height, the infinitely gracious character of “the God of all grace,” that we cannot give it admission for a moment without feeling what a new intensity of light it casts upon “the gospel of the grace of God.”
Pointing to these “ages to come,” we can reason with the man of this age, the man who is walking “according to the course of this age,” and who, if Christ were coming now to introduce the age to come, would be found all unready; we can reason with him and say, Behold these riches of grace! are they not enough to startle even your heedlessness into solemnity, and to convince you that there is a better portion, than this poor world, for that empty soul of yours? Is that boundless store of love, which the eternal ages are to unfold, not more satisfying, more gladdening to the spirit than this present evil world? And does it not assure you, though you be the guiltiest and most alienated that earth contains, that there is grace enough in God to receive you, save you, pardon you, bless you, and make you, even you, an heir of God and joint-heir with Jesus Christ.
Again, pointing to these ages to come, we can reason with the troubled spirit, weary of its burdens, yet doubting whether its wounds can be healed or its sins forgiven: — These “ages to come,” my friend, with all their exceeding riches of grace, do they not speak peace to your sorrowful spirit? Do they not tell you of grace so free and ample that it is not within the bounds of possibility that your sins can exceed it? You do not need to vex yourself with the thought, “But what are these riches of grace, so long as I am not assured of my portion in that kingdom?” This is not the point with which you have more immediately to do. The question on which the commencement of your peace depends is not, “What is your ascertained participation in that promised heritage?” but, What is the character of the God with whom you have to do, and what is the light which these future ages cast upon his character as the God of all grace? His past dealings with sinners reveal his graciousness, and is not that enough to make you feel that there is a welcome for you? The cross of his Son; where the great pacification was accomplished, in virtue of which his grace has got righteous vent to itself; that cross makes known his graciousness, and is it not sufficient to pacify your conscience and win your reluctant confidence? But, as if all that were still inadequate, he gives you a prophetic glance into the fountainhead of his immeasurable grace, and disclosing to you the gracious bosom out of which all grace has come, he shews you such a vastness of love, and such an infinite magnitude of resources ready to be poured forth at the bidding of that love, that it seems as if he would not allow the very shadow of an excuse to remaia for one distrustful imagination, one suspicious thought. This God of all grace, the God of these coming ages, is he not just such a God as even you may go to, with the whole outcry of your complaints, the whole burden of your wants and sins? Whether it be your sense of sin or your want of a sense of sin tl it is saddening you; whether it be a new and sudden rising of doubts within you, or a long-protracted course of unbelief, and insensibility, and darkness; whatever it be, know this, that there is grace enough in this God of all grace even for such a case as yours. And if you would but be persuaded to give yourselves at once to the blessed impression which the simple announcement of these tidings of grace is fitted to make, you would know, ere you were aware, the divine peace that calms every tumult within; and, tasting that the Lord is gracious, you would go upon your way rejoicing, the Lord directing your heart into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ.
Lastly, pointing to these ages to come, we can reason with the struggling saint and say, Look at these exceeding riches of grace which are to be unfolded at the revelation of Jesus Christ, and then ask yourself, Is there any room for that faintness and oppressive despondency which sometimes weighs you down? Is there room for care, and anxiety, and dread, and sadness? Is there room for anything save joy in the Lord, and exultation in the hope of his appearing? It was thus that our Lord reasoned with his disciples, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom;” the meaning of which passage is not, as some take it, “Be not afraid, for you shall soon have a kingdom that will make up for all poverty and privation here;” but, “Fear not, neither despond respecting your present lot; he who is about to give you a kingdom will assuredly supply all your need according to his riches in glory; the kingdom which you have in prospect is a pledge that he will deny you nothing here.” So we say, He that has made you heirs of his kingdom, will he withhold anything from you? Nay, what will he not fully give, whether pertaining to the soul or the body? Is his grace large enough to give you a kingdom, and yet not large enough to provide for you on the way to it? Are not these exceeding riches of grace, which are to be unrolled in the ages to come, the pledge of all present grace which your case requires? That which God purposes to do hereafter tells you how much he is willing to do just now. What sin is he not willing to forgive? What want is he not willing to supply? What infirmity is he not willing to help? What enemy is he not willing to bruise under your feet? What evil in you is he not willing to uproot? What fruits of his Spirit will he not ripen in you? What fear is he not willing to remove? What burden is he not willing to bear? What desire of your heart is he not willing to grant? What trial is he not willing to alleviate? What wound is he not willing to heal? What sorrow is he not willing to turn into joy? Ah, these exceeding riches of grace in the ages to come, — these are the Church’s pledge for all needed blessings now! If we may expect these hereafter, what may we not count upon now? He that has prepared for us a crown of righteousness, will he not uphold our goings here? He that has built for us the New Jerusalem with all its glory, will he not give us a place on earth whereon to lay our head? He that has provided the white raiment of the bridal feast, will he not give us clothing for our bodies in the days of our pilgrimage? He that is to spread for us the table with the hidden manna and the fruit of the tree of life, will he not give us bread to eat, while passing onwards to the kingdom? He that is ere long to give us the bright and morning star, will he not shed light upon the darkness of our dreary path, till the day break and the shadows flee away? ’