Christ Did Not Come from Heaven on an Uncertainty

All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me, and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out. John 6:37.

By how many ways does satan get advantage of us? Though he cannot engage us to do his drudgery, as cooks and scullions in a kitchen, yet he often employs us to nurse those peevish, deformed, ill-favored brats, corrupt reason, unbelief, slavish fear, etc. And he gives us no other wages for our service, but distress, dejection, and discontent: O ye children of the most high, instead of nursing such a vile brood, why do you not rather poison them by divine truth, and dash them in pieces by divine promises, flowing from God’s everlasting love to you: mark the process of it. (1st.) Because the Lord loved you, he gave you to his Son; this implies some secret transaction between God the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ: here we have a display of covenant purposes. ALL whom the Father loved with an everlasting love and chose in the morning of eternity, he committed into Christ’s hands to be saved by him with an everlasting salvation. Came the Son of God from heaven upon an uncertainty? Died the Lamb of God as a fool dieth, to no fixed end and purpose? No; he died to redeem, he rose to justify, he ever lives to save ALL whom the Father HATH given him, etc. (John 6:39.) Believest thou this? Yes, says a poor sinner, and I tremble lest I should not be one of this blessed number; you have reason to tremble, if you have not come to Christ. For, (2d.) he saith, “they ALL SHALL come to me;.” what! as dragged by the hair of their heads? So some impiously sneer at the doctrine of efficacious grace: no, but they come willingly and cheerfully to Christ, as drawn by the bands of love and the cords of reason: we see ourselves in all the filth of sin, in utter ruin and distress; feel guilt in our conscience, the curse of the law on our heads, self-despair in our hearts, and with this cry in our mouth, save, Lord, or I perish: I am lost, but thou hast died: there is no Saviour, no salvation, but with thee: I believe this, and come to thee. Is this thy case? Then rejoice, thou wast given to Christ by the Father in eternity, and the Spirit hath quickened thee to come to Christ in time. Hear what our dear Saviour saith of all such: (3d.) “I will in no wise cast out.” O, this blessed negative is the strongest affirmative! This precious word has been a sheet-anchor to many a soul in storms of distress.... IN NO WISE: Though black as hell, deformed as a devil by sin, yet whenever such a soul comes to me, my loving heart will most freely receive, my gracious arms most cordially embrace, my precious blood perfectly cleanse, my glorious righteousness everlastingly justify, and I will for ever save him to the uttermost. Hebrews 7:25.

Thy words, dear Lord, have won my soul,
So full of love and grace:
They conquer all my prejudice.
And lead me to thy face.

God says they all shall surely come,
Drawn by my Spirit’s pow’r;
The Saviour saith, I will receive
E’en at the latest hour.

William Mason, A Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God, Volume 2, March 10