The Curse and the Curse-Bearer

Text — ‘For as many as ave of the ee of tha a are under the curse.... Christ hath redeemed 7

from the curse of the law, being made a curse for Galatians 3: 10-14.

THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO ABRAHAM. — CAME TO HIM BY FAITH. — I. THE BLESSING NOT ATTAINABLE BY WORKS OF THE LAW. — ALL MEN UNDER THE LAW BY NATURE. — NO EXEMPTION ON; ACCOUNT OF RANK. — OR GENERAL OBEDIENCE. — OR CHUR net ATTENDANCE, — II, THE BLESSING FOR THOSE WHO ARE ( oe FAITH. — REDEEMED AND CHANGED. — RECEIVE THE BLESSIN

OF ABRAHAM. — JUSTIFICATION. — THE PROMISE. — PRACTICA: ADVISE. — AN UNFASHIONABLE PREACHER.

‘Tue apostle tells us, in the eighth verse, that the — Gospel was preached to Abraham. Very briefly, very tersely, but very fully, was the Gospel proclaimed —

to him in these words, “In thee shall all families of —

serge the earth be blessed.” The true Gospel is no new thing, it is as old as the hills. It was heard in Eden ere man was driven from the garden, and it has” since

Be been repeated in sundry ways and in divers places —

even to this day. Oh that its very antiquity would

lead men to venerate it, and then to listen to its voice!

It is ‘‘Gospel,” or good news — the best of news for —

fallen men. Oh that they would receive it with glad-

FAITH THE ONLY CHANNEL.

The Gospel blessing which was thus oteacheae to a

ml Abraham, and to his seed, came to him by faith. He; ot 270

There were some in Paul’s day who were “of the one of the law,” and expected to obtain the blessing through their own doings; but they could not find it. We have many around us who are practically looking for Gospel blessings upon legal principles. The object of our sermon is to show them their certainty of fail- - ure; and, at the same time, to make clear that way of — faith, by which the curse is rolled away and the blessing comes to the chosen seed. b I. Let us learn at the outset, that blessedness

4 comes not to those who are of the works of the law.

First, observe the fact, as the apostle states it very

positively: “As many as are of the works of the law are

UNDER THE CURSE.’

Ree We are all “of the works of the law” by nature, because it is our bounden duty, as creatures, to keep the law of our Creator. He is our benefactor, our King, our Lord and God, and He has claims upon us which we ought not to disown. He has set forth those claims in the law of the Ten Commandments, and these are binding upon all of us without exception. Because we have disobeyed that law, and denied to God His just claims, our violation of the law has brought us under its penalty, which is described as “the ran sorted ia ite one vacn iat: uae ify ved rea those Ten Commandments through, as you should do eo gedit woke Ace will Hae: to pak at each one, “:

; “this.” oe Especially will this be the case if you rcrican a 3 the truth that the law is spiritual, and deals with ore desires, imaginations, motives, — yea, with + your nature itself. Surely you will have to cry — “Guilty! guilty!” every way, and “guilty” every day. This being the case, you are under the curse. You I may have been moral, and outwardly commendable; but the heart and intent are what the Lord looks at; and because you have not loved the Lord yourGod with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your —: mind, and with all your strength, and have not loved. your neighbor as yourself, you have come short of the demands of His righteous law, and you are under the curse. ee, I am not talking now of thieves and murderers, and - such like; I am speaking of as many as are of the works of the law, and especially of those who believe that they are keeping the law, and are looking for

their salvation by their obedience. Those who think that they are not to be numbered with the guilty, and need not to be saved by grace, these are of the works of the law by their own choice, and they are under the curse. If you come before God in your own self:

t]
to £ under the curse. is
you may no longer abide in|

FALSE SECURITY,

Gabe ‘he curse; J a not fest as 7 I could are i them or expound them; but I must simply repeat aes ae path under a curse!” The a ee oe R

a a man; for he speaketh 6 inspiration hee heyo saith, “As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse.” It is a curse that was pronounced -

of old by the authority of the Lord, and confirmed by the Amens of assembled Israel; it is, in fact, the 3 essence of all those curses which of old were declared oe on Mount Ebal, the rolling thunder of threatened - wrath. Dare you sleep to-night under the. curse? = Will you wake to-morrow and go forth to your busia ness under the curse? Can you sport and laugh and frolic under the curse? God grant we may be suff- ciently sensible to be filled with anguish at the sound of these dreadful words — “under the curse!”

is writing a part of the New Testament under inspiraa tion of the Holy Spirit; but he turns back to the Old,

and gives authority to his writing, by showing that it

always was the mind of the Spirit, “for it is written.” If anything be written by the pen of inspiration, it is The apostle goes on to give a Scriptural confirma- — -/tion of this fact. He says, ‘“For it is written.” He

true, and we accept it as infallible. I hope you are.

Bas ng tl ifle wit

part of Holy Writ; for ae $0 Bhi ‘text h with you. “It is written” is a thing of omnipo authority with many of us. “It is written, Cursed every one that continueth not in all things which written in the book of the law to do them.” This i is 35 the summary of the whole passage in the twenty-seventh chapter of Deuteronomy, and also of the — fifteenth verse of the eighth chapter. 5 Attend to each word of the passage. There is wie NO EXEMPTION OF PERSONS. “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law.” The sentence is sweeping; there are no exceptions to its killing force. You may have kept the law in many — points, but if you have broken it in one, you are under — its curse. If you want to send a message by the telegraph wire, it may be perfectly sound for one hundred miles, but if it is only broken in one inch, nay, if it is simply cut across, you cannot send the message by it.

No blessing can come to a man by the law unless the law has been perfectly kept! but one single infraction — of the law involves the curse. Observe that there is no limit of time. It says, “continueth not.” What ifaman should have kept the law, in his own judgment, for many years — his — service is not over. Men join our army for a certain number of years, and then they are discharged; but a man is under the law as long as he lives; neither et can he escape from under its yoke by the mere lapse oe of time. And so, if we had accomplished obedience.

we Deutds come pide its curse.: E hie = s not excused because he was heretofore bones nor pavers because szerine he had not shed lees

. conscience: Aas sees the utter impossibility a ny, ever obtaining justification by the works of the law. If up till now I had never sinned, which, alas! is very,: very far from being the case, yet I should still stand —

in jeopardy every hour; for, being tempted, I should oe, yet fall and perish, if my aiae were that of the law. — 2 There is no Me os: INDULGENCE AS TO CERTAIN SINS. oe

“Cursed is every one that continueth not in @/ things.” What a range these words have! Yet they do not so much concern ceremonial things as the moral con- duct of daily life. If you will turn to Deuteronomy 27, from which Paul is quoting, you will find that the works which are mentioned in detail as bringing the curse are not works of worship and oblation and ritual, but of morality or immorality; works which concern the morallaw. We must continue in the keeping of the Ten Commandments, and abide in the spirit of them in “all things;” or, if not, it is utterly impossible that the law can ever save us: all it can do is to put us under its curse.; How cutting is the sentence, ‘Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them”! It is an awful pasae sage. It seems to me to shut up the gate of hope by works, yea, to nail it up. I bless God it does fasten ae es ance poreias or pence or eee; ‘their own, is the favorite delusion of sinners. Were ay bless God that He has rolled a great stone at the ela of the grave of legal hope. He has dashed in Seid ‘tie treasures of our conceit. ‘By the works of he law shall no flesh be justified.” My dear hearers, let us deal faithfully and personcity: with the solemn truth now before us. I pray that everyone may examine himself to see whether he is, of the works of the law. Are we legal in our feelings? ae 3 kv we relying upon self and its doings? Does any one among us feel that there is not in London a more; deserving person than himself? Because heisa good church or chapel goer, does he think himself accepted of the Lord? Because of confirmation or baptism or attendance on the sacrament, does he hope to be saved? Because of his decent and respectable life, does he reckon himself just? If such be the hope of any one of you, you are confessedly ‘of the works of

the law,” and it is not my word, but the Word of the é Lord, that you are under the curse. Think of this, you who are so very good, so free from fault! There A is nothing for you but the curse. |: II. Secondly, this blessedness comes to those who ae

are of faith, even to those who look for salvation to the Lord Jesus, in whom God declares Himself to be

Piers we. have — A BLESSED FACT: eit 6 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law.” He pane the former truth, that we are under the curse, should <a pate us sit uneasily, this blessed doctrine should make us dance for joy. The ransom is paid: we are ran Bice. “Christ hath redeemed ws,” that is, so many ie as believe in Him. He hath “redeemed us from the mer curse’ of ‘the ane” “He hath bought us out from oe under the curse.” Our deliverance from the curse is by a process similar to that by which slaves are set ce free, namely, by being bought with a price. Ba % ie We are not merely delivered from the curse bya

ed rst t division of ie arly
ot 2»,
fr
ve

Tie *
ene
Mi
oe “add

y moral change in us, but by a redemptive work for us. Christ was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by

a His blood. A ransomed captive is by the ransom

FE justly freed, and has a right to his freedom which none may question. You that believe in Jesus are

freed from the curse of the law, and justly freed from

it. The law cannot curse you, though you have

broken it, and in your own persons incurred its pen-

4 alty. Since you are in Christ Jesus, the law has not

4 a word to say against you; the reason we will show

7 you directly, but the fact is so, and therein you should

Pe. rejoice.

E But then the apostle goes on to show the manner

fof it. The fact is clear; oh, for a grip of it! The

manner of our deliverance is this: “Christ hath

redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a must ie fallen upon us, fell ee the Anema a el he Lord, who stood sponsor for us. ‘The Lord — “a hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all,” and then, “it pledsed the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief.” Here is our hope, and here our joy, even in this abyss of woe: “He was made a curse for us.” i THE PENAL CONSEQUENCES of sin were so visited upon the great Substitute that He vindicated the law of God in the highest conceiv- able manner. Remember those words: ‘‘Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree.” - These are the echo of that prophetic sentence: “The Lord hath laid on oe the iniquity of us all.” “He — bare the sin of many.” “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” He bare our sin that He might bear them away by the fact of bearing them Himeelt This is the central doctrine tee. Of the Gospel; and although to-day it is slighted, here. I stand, by God’s grace, to declare it in plain terms — ’ while my tongue can move. I know no other hope for aS lost men but this — that the justice of God has been eh) vindicated by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Bry: it is by faith in Him that men are delivered from the — curse of the law, because He was made a curse for. them. Notice the consequence of all this: “That

1ere is no curse for the believer; but every blessing

was the blessing of Abraham? It was, first, justification. It was “accounted to him for righteousness.”

not only absolves you from sim, but He justifies you,

a * this! The next blessing to Abraham was the promise. B God had given him a great promise of a spiritual

inheritance. To us the Holy Spirit is the earnest of

us “that we might receive the promise of the Spirit i Bough faith.” Wherever the Spirit of God dwells, the covenant is fulfilled: you have in the Spirit the foretaste of the promised rest, you have the initial

THAT PROMISED GLORY.

The Spirit is the earnest of the inheritance till the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Beloved, see what has come to you, then, through the substitutionary work of Christ; - justification is yours as truly as it was Abraham’s, and you are as assuredly justified as Abraham was.

it come on hehe ‘Gentiles cia Jesus” Chriss ae r Lord Jesus Christ was made a curse for us that. e might deliver us from. the curse of the law, and at in consequence we might be blessed. This day waits him. All who are in Christ, the great seed of Abraham, are blessed with faithful Abraham. What

God counts them righteous who believe in Jesus. He

accounts you as having kept the law. Oh, rejoice in

2 s future inheritance; and Christ has so wrought for

‘stages of the promised perfection, you have the dawn

an oe no an oa ieee no erace. ‘Why s. not my sorrow be turned into joy? May God 1 Holy Ghost lead you to believe in Christ Jesus to-day ie My wonder is that any believe, from one point o view; and then my next wonder is that anybod: ‘should not believe. Is it not marvelous that G should give His own dear Son, God like Himself, — and that God should thus come among men, and put on human flesh and blood, and that in His wonderfully - complex person He should bear the consequences of ae our sin? Oh that you would look to Jesus by faith! fo) besan: by lamenting that we are under the curse; but if you will trust in my Lord, I shall conclude by bidding you relclee that “Christ hath reco us - from the curse.’ I have done when I just say these two or THREE PRACTICAL WORDS: 3 ha Humbly let us own the great evil of sin. What a — horrible thing sin must be, that it should compel God to curse His creatures! God is love, but even love curses sin. God is full of pity and compassion; but — this very God must curse those who hope to be saved by His law, and yet break that law. Child of — God, dost thou ever trifle with sin? Cease fram that — fatal folly; for God does not trifle with ir — He curses it. O man, see what a polluting thing thy sin must be, since there is no removing it save ee the blood of the only begotten Son of God! If thou hast ever Hae wi guilt, cx - by the ae ogen. 25 ‘God H dst oi be saved from guilt. How great that

it or of its Ge bankod: evil.

Me There is an old proverb which saith, “It is a pity for

to quarrel with the means of your livelihood is nothing

- in folly compared with cavilling at God’s way of sali vation. Why do you refuse a method so simple, so just to God, so safe to man? Why do men desire to find fault with it? i.

I am very old-fashioned, so ¢hey say; but does their new fashion offer men anything better than the old way? Iam not too old to learn; but I am not so young as willingly to go farther and fare worse. I cannot see what there is in the new theology which even pretends to be better than the old. I suppose that eminent divine is eminently superior to me who is so orthodox as to say that our Lord Jesus Christ by His death did something or other, he does not

know what, which in some way or other, he does not quite know how, is connected with the reconciliation of man to God. That is. rather A CLOUDY GOSPEL.

I do not think that such a dim statement would cheer ruilt! Lie low pase: thy Lord. Confess thy sin, ‘Wonder that thy heart is not

Next, let me say to you, heartily accept the way Be i 5 salvation by faith in Christ. I cannot make out why fp -men quarrel with justification by faith as they do now.

-any man to quarrel with his bread and butter.” But —

B odex. very many of nish eae 2 far Tres, and altogether deny the expiatory sacrifice. I cannot — é - pretend to have fellowship with such: they take frome -me my hope. I was a broken-hearted sinner, crushed; ae guilt, crying out in despair, and expecting soon: to be in hell; and it was only when I learned that the i: Lord Jesus suffered in my stead that I found peace of i conscience. Substitution is still the rock on which I build, and I know of no other on which a man can wisely base his hope for eternity. Comfort in the cross I have never lost, and I am not going to cast away - my confidence in it to please the philosophers of the season. The old farmer would not change his horse, is For,” said he, “I have not seen a nag that will carry: me better than my own.” The doctrine of the cross has carried me so far without a stumble, and I hope; to enter heaven by its means.

oi Finally, go and tell other people about your Lord’s a redemption. The theme will win attention if properly. set forth. Let no one within fifty miles of you be a without a knowledge of this great redemption by a

Christ’s being made a curse for us. Men try to hide Ae this truth; therefore cause it to shine out everywhere. me Vindicate the name of your great Lord by telling everyfe body that He hath redeemed us from the curse of the; law, being made a curse for us. If I could set you |: all preaching this blessed doctrine, Is hould rejoice; indeed. Rest in it, and rejoice in it, and then repeat “;