[In Christ's ability to save, lieth our safety.]
But some may say, What is the meaning of the word able? 'Wherefore he can save.' He can save the uttermost. How it come to pass that his power to save is rather put in than his willingness? For willingness, the soul would better have pleased me. I will add two or three words to this question. And,
First, this word table suggests to us the sufficiency of his merit, the great worthiness of his merit, for, as Intercessor, he sticks fast by his merit; all his petitions, prayers, or supplications are grounded upon the worthiness of his person as Mediator and on the validity of his offering as priest. This is more clear if you consider the reason why those priests and sacrifices under the law could not make the worshippers perfect. It was, I say, because there was worthiness and merit in their sacrifices. But this man, when he came and offered his sacrifice, did by that one act 'perfect for ever them that are sanctified,' or set apart for glory. 'But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down on the right hand of God.' (Heb 10:1-12)
When Moses prayed for the people of Israel, he said, 'And now, I beseech you, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken.' But what had he said? 'The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty—Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven these people, from Egypt even until now.' (Num 14:17-19)
Second, has he but power? We know he is willing; otherwise, he would not have promised; it is also his glory to pardon and save. So, then, in his ability lies our safety. What if he were never so willing? If he were not of sufficient ability, what would his willingness do? But he has shown, as I said, his willingness by promising: 'Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.' (John 6:37) So now our comfort lies in his power, in that he can keep his word. (Rom 4:20,21) And this will also be seen when he hath saved them that come to God by him when he hath saved them to the uttermost; not to the uttermost of his ability, but to the uttermost of our necessity; for to the uttermost of his ability, I believe he will never be put to it to save his church; not because he is loath so to save, but because there is no need so to save; he shall not need to put out all his power and to press the utmost of his merit for the saving of his church. Alas! there is sufficiency of merit in him to save a thousand times as many more as are like to be saved by him; 'he can do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.'
Measure not, therefore, what he can do by what he has, doth, or will do; neither do thou interpret this word to the uttermost, as if it related to the uttermost of his ability, but rather as it relateth, for so it doth indeed, to the greatness of thy necessity. For as he can save thee, though thy condition is, as it may be supposed to be, the worst that ever man was in that was saved, so he can save thee, though thy condition was ten times worse than it is.
What! shall not the worthiness of the Son of God be sufficient to save from the sin of man? or shall the sin of the world be of that weight to destroy that it shall put Christ Jesus to the uttermost of the worth of his person and merit to save therefrom? I believe it is blasphemy to think so. We can easily imagine that he can save all the world—that is, that he can do it—but we cannot imagine that he can do no more than we think he can. But our imagination and thoughts set no bounds on his ability. 'He can do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.' But what that is, I say, no man can think, no man can imagine. So, then, Jesus Christ can do more than ever any man thought he could do as to saving; he can do we know not what. This, therefore, should encourage those who come to him and those who come to hope. This, I say, should encourage them to let out, to lengthen, and heighten their thoughts by the word, to the uttermost, seeing he can 'save to the uttermost them that come to God by him.'
No comments:
Post a Comment