Sermons On Sovereignty CHS

A long time ago I bought this book which was a collection of sermons Charles Spurgeon made between 1856-1883 . These are not the only messages he delivered on this expansive subject and doctrines akin to it . But as it has been expressed on other threads , Charles Spurgeon was indeed a strong Calvinist . He did not hide the fact . He didn't mention God's sovereignty only occasionally . He did not view it as a minor matter . He was not an Arminian by any stretch . I personally do not see how anyone who claims to be honest and yet a Spurgeon admirer , can claim that the Prince of Preachers was anything but a proclaimer of free grace and against free will .

I will cite selections from some of these sermons for your edification .The first is from : A Defense Of Calvinism .

...there is no such as preaching Christ and Him crucified , unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism . It is a nickname to call it Calvinism ; Calvinism is the gospel , and nothing else . I do not believe we can preach the gospel , if we do not preach justification by faith , without works ; nor unless we exalt the electing , unchangeable , eternal , immutable , conquering love of Jehovah ; nor do I think we can preach the gospel , unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross ...

 

From Misrepresentations Of Calvinism Cleared Away ( preached 3/25/1861).

A yet further charge against us is , that we dare not preach the gospel to the unregenerate , that , in fact , our theology is so narrow and cramped that we cannot preach to sinners . Gentlemen , if you dare to say this , I would take you to any library in the world where the old Puritan fathers are stored up , and I would let you take down any one volume and tell me if you ever read more telling exhortations and addresses to sinners in any of your own books . Did not Bunyan plead with sinners , and whoever classed him with any but the Calvinists ? Did not Charnock , Goodwin , and Howe agonize for souls , and what were they but Calvinists ? Did not Johnathan Edwards preach to sinners , and who more clear and explicit on these doctrinal matters ? The works of our innumerable divines teem with passionate appeals to the unconverted . Oh , sirs , if I should begin the list , time should fail me . It is an indisputable fact that we have laboured more than they all for the winning of souls . Was George Whitefield any the less seraphic ? Did his eyes weep the fewer tears or his bowels move with less compassion because he believed in God's electing love and preached the sovereignty of the Most High ? It is an unfounded calumny . Our souls are not stony ; our bowels are not withdrawn from the compassion which we ought to feel for our fellow-men ; we can hold all our views firmly , and yet can weep as Christ did over a Jerusalem which was certainly to be destroyed .

 

These fragments are from Divine Sovereignty , which was delivered 5/4/1856 . He wasn't even 22 yet .

... but when God ascends His throne , His creatures then gnash their teeth ; and when we proclaim an enthroned God , and His right to do as He wills with His own , to dispose of His creatures as He thinks well , without consulting them in the matter , then it is that men turn a deaf ear to us , for God on His throne is not the God they love .

Oh , but some say is it not written that " He giveth to every man a measure of grace to profit withal ? " If you are like to repeat that wonderful quotation so often hurled at my head , you are very welcome , for it is no quotation from Scripture , unless it be an Arminian edition . The only passage at all like it refers to the spiritual gifts of the saints and the saints only . But I say , granted your supposition , that a measure of grace is given to every man to profit withal , yet He hath given to some a measure of particular grace to make that profit . For what do you mean by grace , which I put out , to profit ? I can understand a man's improvement in the use of grease , but grace improved and made use of by the power of man I cannot understand . Grace is not a thing which I use ; grace is something which uses me .


And we say to all of you who gnash your teeth at this doctrine , whether you know it or not , you have a vast deal of enmity towards God in your hearts ; for until you can be brought to know this doctrine , there is something which you have not yet discovered , which , makes you opposed to the idea of God absolute , God unbounded , God unfettered , God unchanging , and God having a free will , which you are so fond of proving that the creature possesses . I am persuaded that the Sovereignty of God must be held by us if we would be in a healthy state of mind . " Salvation is of the Lord alone . " Then give all the glory to His holy name , to whom all glory belongs .

 

The Infallibility Of God's Purpose (8/25/1861 )

They who think that predestination and the fulfillment of the divine purpose is contrary to the free-agency of man , know not what they say , nor whereof they affirm . It was no miracle for God to effect His own purpose , if He were dealing with stocks and stones , with granite and with trees ; but this is the miracle of miracles , that the creatures are free , absolutely free , and yet the divine purpose stands ! Herein is wisdom ! This is a deep unsearchable truth . Man walks without a fetter , yet treads in the very steps which God ordained him to tread in , as certainly as though miracles had bound him to the spot . Man chooses his own seat , selects his own position , guided by his will he chooses sin , or guided by divine grace he chooses right , and yet in his choice , God sits as sovereign on the throne ; not disturbing , but still over-ruling , and proving Himself to be able to deal as well with free creatures as with creatures without freedom , as well able to effect His purpose when He has endowed men with thought , and reason , and judgment , as when He had only to deal with the solid rocks and with the imbedded sea .

 

Election ( delivered on Sept.2,1855 )

There seems to be an inveterate prejudice in the human mind against this doctrine , and although most other Christian doctrines will be received by professing Christians , some with caution , others with pleasure , yet this one seems to be most frequently disregarded and disgarded . In any of our pulpits , it would be reckoned a high sin and treason to preach a sermon upon election , because they could not make it what they call a " practical " discourse . I believe they have erred from the truth therein . Whatever God has revealed , He has revealed for a purpose . There is nothing in Scripture which may not , under the influence of God's Spirit , be turned into a practical discourse : for " all Scripture is given by inspiration of God , and is profitable " for some purpose of spiritual usefulness . It is true , it may not be turned into a free-will discourse ; and free-grace practice is the best practice , when the true doctrines of God's immutable love are brought to bear upon the hearts of saints and sinners .
Now, I trust this morning some of you who are startled at the very sound of this word , will say , " I will give it a fair hearing , I will lay aside my prejudices ; I will just hear what this man has to say . " Do not shut your ears and say at once , " It is high doctrine . " Who has authorized you to call it high or low ? Why should you oppose yourself to God's doctrine ? Remember what became of the children who found fault with God's prophet and exclaimed , " Go up , thou bald-head ; go up , thou bald-head . " Say nothing against God's doctrine , lest haply some evil beast should come out of the forest and devour you also . There are other woes besides the open judgment of Heaven -- take heed that these fall not on your head . Lay aside your prejudices ; listen calmly , listen dispassionately : hear what Scripture says : and when you receive the truth , if God should be pleased to reveal and manifest it to your souls , do not be ashamed to confess it . To confess you are wrong yesterday , is only to acknowledge that you are a little wiser today ; and instead of being a reflection on yourself , it is an honor to your judgment , and shows that you are improving in the knowledge of the truth . Do not be ashamed to learn , and to cast aside your old doctrines and views , but take up that which you may more plainly see to be in the Word of God .

[ April 18, 2006, 03:48 AM: Message edited by: Rippon ]

 

Continuing with excerpts from CHS's sermon on Election .

It is no novelty , then , that I am preaching ; no new doctrine . I love to proclaim these strong old doctrines , what are called by nickname Calvinism , but which are surely and verily the revealed truth of God as it is in Christ Jesus . By this truth I make a pilgrimage into the past , and as I go , I see father after father , confessor after confessor , martyr after martyr , standing up to shake hands with me . Were I a Pelagian , or a believer in the doctrine of free will , I should have to walk for centuries all alone . Hear and there a heretic , of no honorable character , might rise up and call me brother . But taking these things to be the standard of my faith , I see the land of the ancients peopled with my brethren . I behold multitudes who confess the same as I do , and acknowledge that this is the religion of God's own church .


Methinks , my friends , that this overwhelming mass of Scripture testimony [ CHS cites many passages which validate the doctrine of election ]must stagger those who dare laugh at this doctrine . What shall we say of those who have so often despised it , and denied its divinity , who have railed at its justice and dared to defy God and call Him an almighty tryant , when they have heard of His having elected so many to eternal life ? Canst thou O rejector ! cast it out of the Bible ? Canst thou take the penknife of Juhudi and cut it out of the Word of God ? wouldst thou be like the woman at the feet of Solomon , and have the child rent in halves , that thou mightest have thy half ? Is it not here in scripture ? And is it not thy duty to bow before it , and meekly acknowledge what thou understandest not ? -- to receive it as the truth even though thou couldst not understand its meaning ?

[ April 18, 2006, 04:10 AM: Message edited by: Rippon ]

 

Election

In like manner , to say that God elected men because He foresaw they would have faith , which is salvation in the germ , would be too absurd for us to listen to for a moment . Faith is the gift of God . Every virtue comes from Him . Therefore it can not have caused Him to elect men , because it is His gift . Election , we are sure , is absolute , and altogether apart from the virtues which the saints have afterward ...Our only hope , our only plea , still hangs on grace , as exhibited in the person of Jesus Christ . And I am sure we must utterly reject and disregard all thought that our graces which are gifts of our Lord , which are His righthand planting , could have ever caused His love .

 

Particular Redemption ( 2/28/1858 )

We hold -- we are not afraid to say that we believe -- that Christ came into this world with the intention of saving " a multitude which no man can number ," and we believe that as a result of this , every person for whom He died must , beyond the shadow of a doubt , be cleansed from sin , and stand , washed in blood , before the Father's throne . We do not believe that Christ made any effectual atonement for those who are for ever damned ; we dare not think that the blood of Christ was ever shed with the intention of saving those whom God foreknew never could be saved , and some of whom were even in Hell when Christ , according to some men's account , died to save them .

 

Continuing with Particular Redemption ...

I must now return to that controverted point again . We are told ( I mean those of us who are commonly nicknamed by the title of Calvinists -- and we are not very much ashamed of that ; we think Calvin , after all , knew more about the Gospel than almost any man who has ever lived , uninspired ). We are often told that we limit the atonement of christ , because we say that Christ has not made a satisfaction for all men , or all would be saved . Now , our reply to this is , that , on the other hand , our opponents limit it : we do not . The Arminians say , Christ died for all men . Ask them what they mean by it . Did Christ die so as to secure the salvation of all men ? They say , " No, certainly not . " We ask them the next question -- Did Christ die so as to secure the salvation of any man in particular ? They answer " No ." They are obliged to admit this , if they are consistent . They say , " No; Christ has died that any man may be saved if " -- and then follow certain conditions of salvation .
We say, then , we will go back to the old statement -- Christ did not die so as beyond a doubt to secure the salvation of anybody , did He ? You must say " No;" you are obliged to say so , for you believe that even after a man has been pardoned , he may yet fall from grace , and perish . Now , who is it that limits the death of Christ ? Why , you . You say that Christ did not die so as to infallibly secure the salvation of anybody . We beg your pardon , when you say we limit Christ's death ; we say , " No , my dear sir , it is you that do it ." We say Christ so died that He infallibly secured the salvation of a multitude that no man can number , who must be saved , and cannot by any possibility run the hazard of being anything but saved . You are welcome to your atonement ; you may keep it . We will never renounce ours for the sake of it .

 

R.P.

Now, beloved, when you hear any one laughing or jeering at a limited atonement , you may tell him this . General atonement is like a great wide bridge with only half an arch ; it does not go across the stream : it only professes to go half way ; it does not secure the salvation of anybody . Now , I had rather put my foot upon a bridge as narrow as Hungerford , which went all the way across , than on a bridge that was as wide as the world , if it did not go all the way across the stream .

 

Ituttut , he was raised by his grandfather for the most part . His father and grandfather were Congregational I think . But very early in CHS's conversion he came to baptistic convictions .

Just because he was a strong advocate of Reformed doctrine it has nothing to do with Presbyterianism as such . There have been many non-Presbyterian or non-Dutch Reformed folks who have embraced the doctrine of grace . The convictions stem from the teachings of the Bible itself , not from manmade documents . Although some manmade documents have been excellent guidepots to the degree that they are careful to measure-up to the Word of God in summarizing Bible teachings .

 

Plenteous Redemption ( 12/23/1860 )

And hear me distinctly again , lest any should mistake me . I always like to preach so that you will say in the judgment of charity , he could not have meant what he said . Now , I mean solemnly again to say what I have said -- that I do believe that none others were redeemed than those who are or shall be redeemed from the guilt , the punishment , and the power of sin , because I say again , it is abhorrent to my reason , much less to my views of Scripture , to conceive that the damned were ever washed in the Saviour's blood , or that His blood was ever shed with an intention of saving them .

 

Can you non-cals envision an evangelist delivering a sermon with the title " Human Inability "? Well , Charles Spurgeon preached this dandy on March 7, 1858 . He used the text from John 6:44 : No man can come to me , except the Father which hath sent me draw him .

I wish that a certain memorable line was in the paragraph I will cite . It appeared a page earlier : Let me put a thunderbolt beneath the seat of your sloth .

How , then , does the Holy Spirit draw him ? Why , by making him willing . It is true He does not use " moral suasion ;" He knows a nearer method of reaching the heart , and He knows how , by some mysterious operation , to turn the will in an opposite direction , so that , as Ralph Erskine paradoxically puts it , the man is saved " with full consent against his will ; " that is , against his old will he is saved . But he is saved with full consent , for he is made willing in the day of God's power . Do not imagine that any man will go to Heaven kicking and struggling all the way against the hand that draws him .

 

I'm sorry . I had a class and couldn't finish the previous paragraph in the sermon : " Human Inabliity " . So here is the rest of it ...

Do not conceive that any man will be plunged in the bath of a Saviour's blood while he is trying to run away from the Saviour . Oh, no . It is quite true that first of all man is unwilling to be saved . When the Holy Spirit hath put His influence into the heart , the text is fulfilled -- " draw me and I will run after thee ." We follow on while He draws us , glad to obey the voice which once we had despised . But the gist of the matter lies in the turning of the will . How that is done no flesh knoweth ; it is one of those mysteries that is clearly perceived as a fact , but the cause of which no tongue can tell and no heart can guess .