Note

“The reason why we so often find the awakened sinner so slow in apprehending the simple gospel of the grace of God, is that he cannot understand its freeness or fulness. He confounds it with thoughts about righteousness, and, therefore, is set upon searching for a reason for it. He wants to find a something in himself which, in some way, may distinguish him from other sinners, and thus make him, as he thinks, a fit object of this grace. And when he cannot find this in his works, he would fain search for it in his feelings. He wants to find a certain state of mind and feeling in himself before he can think himself entitled to lay hold upon the blessing which the Gospel of the grace of God presents. But this is absurd; since to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justijieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Now such grace as is here found is the most difficult thing for a man to perceive and apprehend; and this just because of the darkness which is in him, and of its exceeding fulness. It is the outflowing of the gracious mind of God. It is according to the infinite greatness of God’s own mind; and, therefore, the manner in which it meets and deals with the sinner, is of necessity quite contrary to all the thoughts and ideas of man’s heart. It is only quite natural, of course, that man should seek to measure the character of God’s dealing by his own; and although in doing this, he cannot but allow it to be far more perfect and excellent than his, inasmuch as he knows God is above himself, yet still he makes his own carnal apprehension of what favour is, the basis of his judgment about God, and, therefore, his judgment about it of necessity goes wrong. God’s gracious way of meeting the Binner is the outflowing of his own mind; and, therefore, far above the highest range of man’s thoughts. He meets the sinner just in his own position as a sinner. Like Saul, he may be “a blasphemer, a persecutor, and injurious;” but God, without requiring any exercises of mind, any courses of humiliation for sin, or any predisposing qualification of any sort, meets him just as he is — A sinner, with all the free abounding blessing of the Gospel of his grace. Be assured you will never find in yourself any title to believe: the grace which I perceive in Jesus, and not the sorrow I may have felt for my sin. is my ground for believing and resting upon him I believe, not because I have passed through any previous state of feeling about my sin, but because I can perceive something of the fulness of the love and grace of God in Christ. 0 that men should bound the riches of God’s free grace by their own poor thoughts of that scanty favour which is practised among men! Your case, poor sinner, is really a desperate one. It may, or it may not, appear so to you, but it is so before God. Nothing can meet it but free grace; and this in all its characteristic fulness is to be found in Jesus. His own words are — Him that cometh unto me I will in nowise cast out.” — Anonymous*