I THE LORD HAVE CALLED THEE IN RIGHTEOUSNESS - Robert Murray Mcchene

“Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house. I am the Lord; that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” Isa. xlii., 5-8.

IN this passage we have some of the most wonderful words that ever were uttered in the world. It is not a man speaking to a man, it is not even God speaking to a man, it is God speaking to his own Son. Oh! who would not listen? It is as it’ we were secretly admitted into the counsel of God—as if we stood behind the curtains of his dwelling-place, or were hidden in the clefts of the rock, and overheard the words of the Eternal Father to the Eternal Son. Now, sometimes when you overhear a conversation on earth, between two poor, perishing worms, you think it is worth treasuring up—you remember what they said—you repeat it over and over again. Oh! then, when you overhear a conversation in heaven—when God the Father speaks, and God the Son stands to receive his words, will you not listen? will you not lay up these sayings in your heart?

God tells the Son: 1. That he had called him to his service— had passed over all his angels, and chosen him for this difficult work. 2. He tells him that he is not to shrink from the difficulties of it. There is an ocean of wrath to wade through, but fear not; I will hold thee by the hand—I will keep thee. 3. He tells him that he must be given as a covenant Saviour. However dear to his heart, still, says God, “I will give thee.” 4. He encourages him by the great benefit to be gained—that he would be a light to whole nations of poor, blind, captive sinners. 5. That in all this he would have his glory: “My glory will I not give to another, nor my praise to graven images.”

Doctrine.—God has provided the Saviour, and alone can reveal him; and he will keep this glory to himself.

I. God provided the Saviour.—He says here: “I have called thee in righteousness.” The meaning is: I have called thee to do this work of righteousness—to work out this salvation, which shall show me to be a righteous God. God did, as it were, look round all the creatures, to see whom he would call to this great work, of being a Saviour of lost, sinners. He looked upon the earth, through all its families; but there was none that understood, there was none that did seek God. Every man had his own curse to bear; no man could give a ransom for the soul of his brother, for the ransom of the soul was precious. He looked round all the blooming angels, as if to say. Who will go for me? Seraphim and Cherubim all stood, veiling their faces with their wings; but he saw that none of them could bear infinite wrath. They are only creatures; they would be crushed eternally under the weight of my wrath. These will not do. He looked into his own bosom. There was his eternal Son—his dear Son—his well-beloved Son. Oh! this will do. I have found a ransom; I have laid help on one who is mighty. My Son, I have called thee in righteousness.

Learn how complete a Saviour Christ is. God did not choose a man to this great work—he did not choose an angel; he passed by them all, and chose his Son. Why? Because he saw none other would be a sufficient Saviour. If Christ had not been enough, God never would have called him to it. -God knew well the weight of his own wrath; and, therefore, he provided an almighty back to bear it. Trembling sinner, do not doubt the completeness of Christ. God knew all your sins and your wrath when he chose Christ—that they were both infinite; and therefore he chose an almighty, an infinite Saviour. Oh! hide in him, and you are complete in him.

II. God upheld the Saviour: “I will hold thine hand, and will keep thee.” The figure here seems taken from a father and his little child. When a little child has to go over some very rough road, or to travel in the darkness, or to wade through some deep waters, he says to his father: I fear I shall be lost; I shall not be able to go through. Nay, do not fear, the father answers: “I will hold thine hand; I will keep thee.” Such are the words o the Father to his dear Son. I would not have dared to have imagined them, if I had not found them in the Bible. When God called his Son to the work, it could not but be a fearful work in his eyes. Christ knew well the infinite number of men’s sins; for he is the searcher of hearts and trier of reins. He knew also the infinite weight of God’s anger against these sins; he saw the dark clouds of infinite vengeance that were ready to burst over the head of sinners; he saw the infinite deluge of eternal wrath that was to drown for ever the guilty world; and, oh! how dreadful his Father’s anger was in his eyes; for he had known nothing but his infinite love from all eternity. Oh! how could he bear to lie down under that wrath? How could he bear to exchange the smile of his Father’s love for the dark power of his Father’s anger? How could he bear, for the sake of vile sinners, to ex change the caresses of that God who is love, for the piercings and bruisings of’ his almighty hand? Surely the very thought would be agony- God here comforts his Son under the view: Yon sea of wrath is deep— its waves are dreadful; but “I will hold thine hand; I will keep thee.”

1. Learn from this how dreadful the sufferings of Christ were. He needed God to hold his hand’; he was God himself; thought it no robbery to be equal with God; he had the Spirit-given to him without measure: “I have put my Spirit upon him;” but all that would not do: God the Father must hold his hand too. Oh! think what a weight must have been crushing and bruising the Lamb of God, when Father, Son, and Holy Ghost combined their force to hold him up. Oh! think what a depth of agony must have been upon him, when he cried: “What shall I say! Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. Take away this ‘cup from me”—and when the Father answered him: “I will hold thine hand—I will keep thee.” Oh! my friends, this is a great deep. Cry, “O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”

2. Learn the greatness of your sins. Remember Christ had no sins of his own; no wrath was due to himself; all that wrath he bore was ours. You that are believers, you have but a small sense of the greatness of your sins. Oh! look here; see God holding the hand of his Son, while he wades through that sea of wrath! Oh! surely a look at a suffering Christ should keep you in the dust for ever. You must never open your mouth any more. And, oh! will you not love him who so loved you— who lay down under these surges and billows of God’s wrath for you?

You that are unconverted, see here the dreadful wrath that is over your souls. You think your sins are very few, and God will not be very angry. This is natural; all natural men think this; and yet see here how dreadful the wrath is that is over you. Even Christ trembled and started back when he came to bear it; and how will you do? You are not the Son of God; you have no divinity within you, as Christ had; how will you be able to bear the bruisings and lashings of God’s infinite anger? You have not the Spirit of God given to you, as Christ had, without measure; how will you be able to stand under the outpourings of his eternal indignation? You have not God to take you by the hand. God is not your God, not your friend; he has nowhere said that he will hold you by the hand; ah! how will you wade through an eternal and bottomless sea of wrath? How will you

contend and fight against the fiery billows, where there is no creature, in heaven or in earth, to hold you by the hand? Oh! my friends, it is because you are bind, that you have no fears. Christ saw all that is before you, and it made him tremble; you do not see it, and therefore you do not tremble. You can be happy, and smile, and sleep, and enjoy yourselves; but your day of trembling is at hand. Ah! woe is me! how will you stand upon the shore of that fiery sea? how you will hang back, and wish that you had some one to hold you by the hand; but it will be all in vain. Oh! that you were wise, that you would remember your latter end, that you would consider this.

3. Learn God’s great hand in Christ’s work. When a father guides his child through some dark part of the road, or through some rapid stream, holding him by the hand, this shows that the father is interested in the journey of the child; so, when God says, “I Will hold thee by the hand,” this shows that God has a great hand in Christ’s work. In writing, if you hold the child’s Hand, and guide the pen, then you have a great hand in the writing. Just so .did God hold the hand of the Saviour. The work is God’s as much as Christ’s. Oh! that we might give him all the glory! Remember, he will not give his glory to another.

III. God gave Christ for a covenant: “I will give thee for a covenant of the people.” “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish.” “Herein is love; not that we loved God.” God not only provided the Saviour, and upheld him, but he gave him, gave him away, to be a covenant Saviour of the people, and a light to lighten the Gentiles. When Abraham bound his son Isaac upon the altar, and lifted up the knife to strike, this was giving away his son at the command of God. This is just what God did. He took his son out of his bosom, and gave him away to be bound, to be a covenant Saviour of the people. There are not more wonderful words in the whole Bible than these; “I will give thee.” “God spared not his own Son, but freely delivered him up to the death for us all.” The Son was infinitely dear to the Father. God cannot but love that which is perfectly holy and beautiful. Now, such was Christ. From all eternity there had been the outgoings of love and infinite admiration from the bosom of the Father towards his well-beloved Son. Canst thou part with me? Canst thou give me up to the garden and the cross I “/ will give thee.” Sinners were infinitely vile in the sight of the Father. God cannot but hate that which is enmity and rebellion to himself. “,He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity.” How loathsome and hateful this world must have been in his eyes, where every heart was enmity against him! Canst thou give me up for such sinners, for the sake of such vile worms! “Yes, I will gird thee.”

1. Learn the intense love of God for sinners. He spared not his own Son. Herein is love. He loved the happiness of his Son; but he Loved the salvation of sinners more. He loved to have his Son in his bosom; but he loved more to have sinners brought into his bosom. He cast out his Son, in order to take us in. Oh! sinner, how will you escape, if you neglect so great a salvation?

2. Learn that God must have the glory of this. He will not give his glory to another. Some awakened persons look to God as an angry, inexorable judge; but to Christ as a smiling Saviour, that comes between us and an angry Father. Now, remember, you will never come to peace as long as you think this. This is robbing God of his glory. You must believe in Christ and believe in God. God wishes you to honor the Son even as you honor the Father; but not more than you honor the Father. You will never come to peace till you look to Christ as the gift of God, till you see that the heart of God and Christ ore one in this matter, till God open a window in his breast, and show you the love which provided, upheld, and gave up the Son.

IV. God gave Christ for a light: “I will give thee for a light.” It is God that causes the sun to rise every morning, so that the dark shades of evening are scattered before him; soil is God that makes Christ rise upon the soul of a sinner.

1. By nature, men have blind eyes. They do not know the beauty of Christ. They read of him in the Word, hear him preached; talked of; they see no form nor comeliness in him; no beauty that they should desire him. They have eyes, but they see not. 2. By nature, men are bound in prison. They serve divers lusts and pleasures; they are bound to selfishness and pride, and luxury, and lust; these things compass them about as with a chain. 3. By nature, men sit in a dark prison-house. They are bound, but do not see that they are bound; they do not see their misery; they sit—they do not strive to get free, but sit contented and happy in their darksome dungeon. Oh! unconverted souls, what a picture this is of your condition! Blind—in prison— contented in the dark dungeon. You will say, I feel it not; I am contented and happy. Ah! does not this just show that this word is true: You are blind, you do not sec your misery? When a blind man is in darkness, he fuels no pain from it. You are chained; you do not struggle; you sit still in the prison- ouse. I have often thought that your very case and contentment might awaken you to think that all is not right.

Now, learn, how a change comes: “I will give thee for a light of the Gentiles.” It is all the gift of God. Oh! I fear, we little understand this. There is much robbing God of his glory, even among Christians. When God causes the sun to rise, then nothing can make darkness. The mists and togs cannot keep back the beams of the sun; so, when God causes Christ to rise on the soul then there is light. Revealing Christ does the whole work for the soul. It awakens, it wins, it draws, it makes free, it makes holy.

Ques. Has Christ been made to rise upon your soul? If not, then you are still blind, still in chains, and in the dark dungeon; you have neither peace nor holiness. Oh! seek it from God; cry to him, that Christ may give you light.

But, if Christ has been made to rise on your soul, happy are you. You were sometime darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light. Now, see who did it, and give him the praise. It is the Lord. God gave Christ to be a light to thy soul. Give him, and him alone, the glory. “My glory I will not give to another.” 1. Do not give the praise to yourself; do not say, My own wisdom or my own prayers have gotten me this. It was all undeserved mercy to the chief of sinners. “My glory I will not give to another. 2. Do not give the glory to ministers. They are often the instruments of bringing souls to Christ, but they cannot make Christ arise on the soul, any more than they can make the sun to rise on the earth. We can point to the sun, though we cannot make it rise; so, we can point you to Christ, but cannot make him rise on your soul. The work is God’s, and he will have the glory. I believe the, work is greatly hindered amongst us from the cause mentioned.

Last. Plead with God to fulfil his word, that Christ may be a light to the nations. It is as easy with God to make Christ rise on many souls as upon one. Show him that it is for his glory that a nation be horn in a day.. Give him no rest till he pour down the Spirit on all our families, till there be a great looking unto Jesus, and rejoicing in him. Take thine own glory, O Lord, give it to no other; neither thy praise to graven images. 

St. Peter’s, Jan. 7,1833.