The Great Salvation
How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? — Hebrews ii: 3.
The apostle had just been speaking of the glorious author of this salvation. He calls him ‘’ the brightness of the Father’s glory, and the express image of his person.” In view of his exalted character, and of what he had done and suffered for the salvation of sinners, the apostle warns us to take heed; “For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received the just recompense of reward; how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation 1 Which at the first, began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.”
In discoursing from the text I propose to consider
I. In what the greatness of this salvation consists.
II. Who are guilty of neglecting it?
III. The import of the language, ‘’liow shall we escape.^^
I. In what the greatness of this salvation consists.
It is a great salvation.
1. Because it delivers from great and awful punishment. The punislnnent denounced against the wicked is dreadful in its nature. “They sha)! have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” ‘’ The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” This punishment will be inflicted by God himself. Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.” When God arises to take vengeance, it will be inconceivably dreadful. ‘On the wicked God shall lain snares, fire and brimstone, an horrible tempest; this shall be the portion of their cup.”
This punishment will be dreadful in its duration. The eternal happiness of the righteous, is no more clearly revealed, than the eternal punishment of the wicked. Those who shall be cast into the prison of hell, will have nothing with which to discharge their immense debt to the justice of God; and yet our Saviour has declared, ‘’Verily I say unto thee, thoushalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.” The duration of this punishment, is set forth in such language as the following — “They shall awake to shame and everlasting contempt” — “To whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever’’ — “To whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever” — ‘’Punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” — “The smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever.” But what decides the point, are these despairing expressions — “Cast into fire that “shall never be quenched” — ^’’ Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” — “Nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned” — “Whose end is destruction.” If there should ever be a period in eternity when the wicked will be delivered from hell, this language would not be true. It could not be said, ‘’their end is destruction.” However long- they might suffer in hell, iheiv beginning would be destruction, and their end salvation. Abraham said to the rich man, ‘’between us and you there is a great gulf fixed; so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.” And is not this a great and awful punishment? And is not deliverance from such a punishment, a great salvation?
2. It is a great salvation because it could be effected by nothing short of the death of the Son of God. “Redeemed, not with corruptible things as silver and gold; but with the precious blood of Christ.” “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission” — no not of a single sin — not the blood of a sinner — not the blood of an angel. The mystery runs back to the triune God. Nothing but the precious blood of the Son of God, can atone for sin. Here justice and mercy are gloriously displayed. For when Christ stood in the place of sinners, God did not in the least, suffer his wrath to cool. He said, “Awake 0 sword against my shepherd, against the man that is my fellow.” Surely a salvation, purchased at so dear a rate, is a great salvation.
3. It is a great salvation, because it delivers from the reigning power and dominion of sin. It is not merely a deliverance from punishment, the effect of sin; but a deliverance from sin itself. “The wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest; whose waters cast up mire and dirt.” With their present disposition, they would be forever hateful and hating one another — tormented, and tormenting one another, by the rage and fury of their passions. Now it is the glory of this salvation, that it delivers from the dominion of sin, and sets the prisoner free from all these dreadful evils.
The Christian who now exclaims, ‘• 0 wretched man that I am,” can add, “I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The author of this salvation, was ‘^ called Jesus, becaaise he should save his people from their sins.” This salvation is every way suited to those who hate sin, and who desire to be delivered from it as the worst of evils.
4. It is a great salvation, beca,useit introduces those who accept it, into a state of complete holiness and eternal happiness, in the full enjoyment of God, and the society of all holy beings. There they will be adorned with every grace, which can render them happy in themselves, and lovely in the sight of God. “He will beautify the meek with salvation.” They will be ‘’ accounted worthy to obtain that Vvorld.” “Neither can they die any more, for they are equal to the angels.” ^’Then shall the righteous shine forth in the kingdom of their father,” And they shall sing “Salvation to our God, who sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb forever and ever.”
This, my hearers, is the salvation offered in the gospel. With a sense of the vast importance of the subject, let us inquire
n. Who are guilty of neglecting this salvation 1
Need I mention the openly immoral 1 The covetous, drunkards, swearers, railers, thieves, and all liars, we are assured shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. All who live in open wickedness — all who speak lightly of religion and its professors, are convinced in their own consciences, and need not to be informed that they are g-uilty of neglecting salvation. Passing by these, I remark, that all who do not comply with the terms on which salvation is offered, are guilty of neglecting it. These terms are repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. All, therefore, who do not repent and believe, are, by the living God, charged with the guilt of neglecting the salvation of the gospel.
But is the awakened sinner, who trembles under the fearful apprehensions of divine wrath, and who cries earnestly for mercy, chargeable with this guilt? Christ says, ‘’He that is not with me is against me.” It is plain that all who do not repent, whatever else they may have done, shall perish. It is equally plain that all who perish from under the light of the gospel, whatever may have been their distress and their strivings, will be charged with the guilt of neglecting salvation, and of treading under foot the Son of God. It must be remembered, that this is a holy salvation. The name of its author is Jesus. He saves his people from their sins. Whatever sinners may do, for the purpose merely of escaping punishment, while they do not long for deliverance from sin, they are still guilty of neglecting the Saviour. ‘’ He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity.” If, therefore, sinners do not desire deliverance from their sins, they do not desire .such a Saviour. What the prophet says is true of them. “He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” All sinners desire to be delivered from punishment, and to be made eternally happy. But if this is all, they do not desire the salvation offered in the gospel; for that is a salvation from sin. Now, my hearers, do you desire this salvation? Is sin odious in itself? Is it your greatest burden, and that from which above all things, you long to be delivered? If so, then you desire the salvation of the gospel; and this salvation shall be yours. But if you do not desire to be delivered from sin, you do not desire the salvation of the gospel; and you do, of course, neglect it. Mistake not your hatred of punishment, for hatred of sin. Mistake not the fear of hell, for the dread of offending a holy God. “Devils believe and tremble.” Let no one imagine that he desires the holy salvation of the gospel, while he cannot be persuaded to lead a holy life; or while his repentance does not flow from supreme love to God. For here that salvation begins, which is to be consummated in complete deliverance from sin, and in perfect love to God and his law. However much the sinner may flatter himself that by his good wishes and laborious exertions, he is seeking salvation, if he does not now repent of sin, he is still under the condemning sentence of God’s law, and stands charged with the guilt of neglecting the only method of deliverance.
I proceed to consider
III. The import of the expression iiow shall we escape?
It is an interrogation containing the strongest assertion that those who neglect the salvation of the gospel, shall not escape destruction. Merely neglecting salvation is sufficient to insure this result. Overt acts of wickedness are not mentioned in the text. It does not say, that those only who have been guilty of grossly immoral conduct, shall not escape. All that is necessary to render the sinner’s damnation certain, is mere indiOerence and neglect. He need not scoff at religion, if he will only let it alone, and like Galleo care for none of these things, he will be lost. Those who are saved must strive, and run, and fight, and make great exertions; but to treat religion with neglect, is all that is necessary to destroy the soul.
If this salvation is neglected, all the sinner’s schemes to escape, will utterly fail. I know that those who have hitherto neglected salvation, flatter themselves they shall in some way escape. But how will you escape? Do you presume that you shall repent and embrace the Saviour before life closes ‘? But have not your hearts long been hardening under the gospel; and are they not becoming harder and harder every day’? What reason have you to suppose you shall hereafter love what you now hate? Have 3’ou not great reason to fear, that you will continue to reject the offers of mercy, and die in your sins 1
Do you imagine that you may, in some way or other appease the anger of God? But how can you appease his wrath, while you continue to reject the Saviour 1 God out of Christ, is a consuming fire. He is angry with the wicked every day.
Do you imagine that if you cry earnestly to God for mercy at some future time, he will certainly pity your case, and have mercy on your soul 1 But how can you presume on his mercy, if you refuse now to listen to his calls? His Spirit shall not always strive with man. Your day of grace is limited. There is a day — an hour — a moment — which if you pass impenitent, you arc lost forever.
Do you flatter yourselves that you shall not die suddenly, but shall have sufficient warning of approaching death, to make preparation? But will God in condescension to your desire of continuance in sin, defer the stroke of death, lest you should go down quickly into hell? Those who are now in hell, once thought and felt as you do now. But “he that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” How will you escape the solemn hour of death? How will you retain the Spirit, when these bodies shall turn to corruption, and crumble into dust’?
The blood of Christ now proclaims mercy to the sinner, but it will shortly cry for vengeance on the guilty soul. ‘’ Behold he cometh in clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also who pierced him, and all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.” And how will you escape the dreadful sight, ye murderers of the Son of God? Will you flee from the presence of the judge? Will you escape to the rocks and mountains for shelter; or will you dig into the bowels of the earth, to find a place of concealment? “The hour cometh when all that are in their graves shall hear his voice and come forth.” The sea shall give up the dead that are in it. Death and hell shall deliver up the dead that are in them. The judge shall “sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him, shall be gathered all nations.” In vain will guilty sinners now call to the rocks and mountains, saying, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stancn” How will you escape? Who will be able to stand?
Do you expect to be overlooked in the transactions of the judgment day? Will you be unobserved in the vast assembly? But how can you escape the omniscient and all searching heart of Jehovah?
Will you resist? Have you an arm like God? Will you raise your feeble arm against omnipotence? How shall you escape?
Now the righteous judge descends. The long neglected Saviour comes. Every eye shall see him. Mercy turns to wrath. Sleeping vengeance now awakes. Rebels once deaf to his call, now shall hear his voice.
“See the judge’s hand arising,
Filled with vengeance on his foes.”
Jesus, whose charming and inviting voice once sounded in the gospel, shall now pronounce their final doom — depart. And how will you escape the dreadful sentence?
Horror and despair shall seize their guilty souls. And how will you escape the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels? Now they that are filthy will be filthy still. When ages on ages have rolled away, how will you escape the wrath to come? How will filthy and horrid blasphemers pay the still increasing debt, or pass the fixed gulf, or enter the pure and spotless regions of immortal life?
Once more I entreat you, cast your thoughts forward into a boundless eternily, before you take the tremendous leap into the bottomless pit, and remember that the great salvation is still within your reach. What must be the reflection of that sinner who has lost his soul? ‘’Once I enjoyed a day of salvation — once I heard the offer of pardon; but wretch that I am, I rejected it.”
He suffers on millions of ages, and then reflects again. “Once I enjoyed a day of salvation. Once, millions of ages back, I remember well the time — it was near the commencement of my being — I was for a moment on trial for eternity. I heard of heaven, and I heard of hell. I was warned to flee from the wrath to come, but I neglected the great salvation.
Again, he suffers on millions and millions of ages, and then reflects again.” 0, what a precious season I once enjoyed. But alas! it is gone forever. 0, that I could once more hear the voice of the Saviour, and the sound of the gospel. But
“In that lone land of deep despair,
No Sabbath’s heavenly light shall rise.
No God regard your bitter prayer,
Nor Saviour call you to the skies.
No, wonders to the dead are sholn,
The wonders of redeeming love:
No voice his glorious truth makes known,
Nor sings the bliss of climes above.”
I look forward to blackness of darkness forever — Eternity — It is an ocean without a shore. 0 eternity, eternity! — But stop, my hearers, — Here you are, out of hell. This is the time which thousands will lament for their neglect of salvation, through a long eternity. Awake, sinner. “Behold now is the accepted time.
160 SERMONSj REMAINS &. C.
behold now is the day of salvation. Now heaven, with all its glories, is brought within your reach.
“Salvation, 0 the joyful sound.”
Yet a little while, my hearers, and time with you will be no more.
“Seize the kind promise while it waits,
And march to Zion’s heavenly gates.
Believe and take the promised rest.
Obey and be forever blest.”