Sermons of the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon, Series 5

a HJa name shall be oJlad Wonderful” — ISAIAH, ir. «.

OJTE evening last week I stood by the sea-shore when tho Btorm was raging. The voice of the Lord was upon the waters; and who was I that I should tarry within doors, when my Master’s voice was heard sounding along the water? I rose and stood to behold the flash of his lightnings, and listen to the glory of his thunders. The sea and the thunders were contesting with one another; the sea with infinite clamor striving to hush the deep-throated thunder, so that his voice should not be heard; yet over and above the roar of the billows might be heard that voice of God, as he spake with flames of fire, and divided the way for the waters. It was a dark night, and the sky was covered with thick clouds, and scarce a star could be seen through the rifts of the tempest; but at one particular time, I noticed far away on the horizon, as if miles across the water, a bright shining, like gold. It was the moon hidden behind the clouds, so that she could not shine upon us; but she was able to send her rays down upon the waters, far away, where no cloud happened to intervene. I thought, as I read this chapter last evening, that the prophet seemed to have stood in a like position, when he wrote the words of my text. All round about him were clouds of darkness; he heard prophetic thunders roaring, and he saw flashes of the lightnings of divine vengeance; clouds and darkness, for many a league, were scattered through history; but he saw for away a bright spot — one place where the clear shining came down from heaven. And he sat down, and he penned these words: “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined;” and though he looked through whole leagues of space, where he saw the battle of the warrior “with confused noise and garments rolled in blood,” yet he fixed his eye upon one bright spot in futurity, and he declared, that there he saw hope of peace, prosperity and blessedness; for said he, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful.”

My dear friends, we live to-day upon the verge of that bright spot. The world has Leen passing through these clouds of darkness, and the light is gleaming on us now, like the glintings of the first rays of morning. We are coming to a brighter day, and “at evening time it shah be light.” The clouds and darkness shall be rolled up as a mantle that God needs no longer, and he shall appear in his £lory, and his people shall rejoice with him. But you must mark, that all the brightness was the result of this child born, this son given, whose name is called Wonderful; and if we can discern any brightness in our own hearts, or in the world’s history,, it can come from nowhere else, than from the one who is called “Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God.”

The person spoken of in our text, is undoubtedly the Lord Jesus Christ. He is a child born, with reference to his human nature; he is born of the Virgin, a child. But he is a son given, with reference to his divine nature, being given as well as born. Of course, the Godhead could no* be born of woman. That was from everlasting, and is to everlasting As a child he was born, as a son he was given. “The government is upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful.” Beloved, there are a thousand things in this world, that are called by names that do not belong to them; but in entering upon my text, I must announce at the very opening, that Christ is called Wonderful because he is so. God the Father never gave his Son a name which he did not deserve. There is no panegyric here, no flattery. It is just the simple name that he deserves; they that know him best will say that the word doth not overstrain his merits, but rather falleth infinitely short of his glorious deserving. His

HIS NAME — WONDERFUL. If

name is called Wonderful. And mark, it does not merely say, that God has given him the name of Wonderful — though .that is implied; but “his name shall be called so. It shall be; it is at this time called Wonderful by all his believing ipeople, and it shall be. As long as the moon endureth, there shall be found men, and angels, and glorified spirits, who shall always call him by his right name. “His name shall be called Wonderful.”

I find that this name may bear two or three interpret tions. The word is sometimes in Scripture translated ‘4 marvelous,” Jesus Christ may be called marvelous; and a learned German interpreter says, that without doubt, the meaning of miraculous is also wrapped up in it. Christ is the marvel of marvels, the miracle of miracles. “His name shall be called Miraculous,” for he is more than a man, he is God’s highest miracle. “Great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh.” It may also mean separated or distinguished. And Jesus Christ may well be called this, for aa Saul was distinguished from all men, being head and shoulders taller than they, so is Christ distinguished above all men; he is anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, and in his character, and in his acts, he is infinitely separated from all comparison with any of the sons of men. “Thou art fairer than the children of men; grace is poured into thy lips.” He is uthe chief among ten thousand and altogether lovely.” “His name shall be called the Separated One,” the distinguished one, the noble one, set apart from the common race of mankind.

We shall, however, this morning, keep to the old version, and simply read it thus, “His name shall be called Wonderful.” And first I shall notice that Jesus Christ deserveth to be called Wonderful for what he was. in the past; secondly, that he is called Wonderful by all his people for what he is in the present; and in the third place, that he shall be called Wonderful, for what he shall be in the future.

I. First, Christ shall be called Wonderful for WHAT UK WAS IN THE PAST. Gather up your thoughts, my brethren, for a moment, and center them all ou Christ, and you will soon set how wonderful he is. Consider his eternal existence, <c begotten of his Father from before all worlds,” being of the samesubstance with his Father: begotten, not made, co-equal, co eternal, in every attribute “very God of very God.” For a moment remember that he who became an infant of a span iong, was no less than the King of ages, the everlasting Fathr, who was from eternity, and is to be to all eternity. The divine nature of Christ is indeed wonderful. Just think for a moment, ho - much interest clusters round the life of an old man. Those of us who are but as children in years, look up to him with wonder and astonishment, as he tells us the varied btories of the experience through which he has passed. But vvnat is the life of an aged man? How brief it appear when compared with the life of the tree that shelters him. It existed long before that old man’s father crept, a helpless infant, into the world. How many storms have swept over ita brow! how many kings have come and gone! how many empires have risen and fallen since that old oak was slumbering in its acorn cradle!

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