New Park Street Pulpit · Sermon No. 333
Delivered on Sabbath Morning, September 2, 1860, by the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon, at Exeter Hall, Strand
“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And His fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto Him all sick people who were taken with different diseases and torments and those which were possessed with devils and those which were lunatic, and those who had the palsy. And He healed them. And there followed Him great multitudes of people from Galilee and from Decapolis and from Jerusalem, and from Judea and from beyond Jordan.” Matthew 4:23-25.
THE ministry of our most blessed Lord bears upon its own countenance the stamp of the Truth of God. “He taught as one having authority and not as the Scribes.” Whatever His enemies might lay to His door, I do not find they were ever able to summon audacity enough to impeach His correctness, or suspect His sincerity. We believe that Jesus Christ’s sermons were their own witnesses—the words He uttered had in them so much power to convict the conscience, that there would have been willfulness sufficient for the condemnation of the men who rejected His ministry—even though it had notbeen attended with supernatural credentials. Nevertheless, our Lord and Master—that unbelievers might have no cloak for their sin—was pleased to supplement His teachings with His miracles, so that the works which He did, as well as the words which He spoke, might bear witness of Him, that He came forth from God. Those miracles were to the men of that generation, the sign and seal and warrant, that Jesus was really sent of the Father.
Let us mark here, my Brothers and Sisters, how very different were the seals of Jesus’ ministry from those which were given by Moses. When it was demanded of Moses to prove whether he was sent of God or not, he took the wonderworking rod in his hand and achieved prodigies; but if you will remember, they were all miracles of judgment—not of mercy. Did he not turn their rivers into blood and slay their fish? Did he not bring a thick darkness over all the land, even darkness which might be felt? Did he not smite their first-born—yes, and bring the waters of the Red Sea upon the chivalry of Egypt and so sweep them all away? And afterwards in the midst of the children of Israel, though there were miracles of mercy, yet for the most part, were they not miracles ofjudgment, and did not the people see different plagues and different wonders among them, even when they were in the wilderness? I repeat it—Moses, the type of the Law, has his credentials in judgment. How different with Jesus. He is full of Grace and truth, and the seals of His ministry must be works of beneficence, acts of mercy, and kindness. He turns not the water into blood, but He turns the water into wine. He slays not their fish, but multiplies a few small fishes and feeds thousands therewith! He does not smite their wheat with hail, and break their sycamore trees with His thunderbolts, but instead thereof, He multiplies the bread, He gives them many blessings. He sends no disease, and boils, and sores, but He heals their sicknesses. Instead of striking the first-born dead, He heals the dying, and rescues from the grasp of death some who had even gone down to the grave! This must be always a hopeful sign to the poor, trembling conscience. Jesus comes with deeds of mercy—these are indeed the warrants of His mission—“And why should He not come to me with deeds of mercy?” Let the poor disconsolate heart ask, “Why should He not work a wonder of mercy in me? If I had to deal with Moses, he might find it necessary to smite me with death, to prove Himself sent of God. But if Jesus will still prove Himself to be full of Grace and truth, may He not work a wonder of mercy in washing away my sins, in saving my poor soul, clothing it with His robe of righteousness, and making me, at last, stand among the glorified?”
Having thus prefaced my text, permit me now to come more nearly and closely to it; and I think it will suggest three short homilies, three brief sermons, which I will endeavor to utter, and may God bless them!
And first, it seems to me, in my text there is a brief homily for ministers upon the work of faith. Then a lecture to saints upon their labor of love. And yet again, a longer sermon full of encouragement to poor trembling sinners.
I. My text seems to me to contain A BRIEF AND PITHY HOMILY TO MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL—“Jesus Christ went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom.” Does it not say to us, my Brothers in the ministry, that we should be instant in season, and out of season, preaching the Word? Does it not suggest to us, that perhaps we might preach more frequently? And that we might do more good if by journeying about from place to place we commanded a different audience, and so brought more hearers under the sound of the Word, and more hearts under the influence of the Truth of God? Do ministers of the Gospel preach as often as they might? Is there any precedent in Scripture for preaching two sermons on the Sabbath, and one during the week and doing no more? Ought we not to be more fully given up to our ministry? Should we not often be preaching the Word, and would it not be well with us if we could say with John Bradford, “I count that hour lost in which I have not either with tongue or with pen said something for the world’s good, and for my Master’s honor”? Might we not be less particular about our preparation? Oh, how much there is of worldly flesh-pleasing in our pruning up our sentences, and trying to polish our periods! Might not that time which is spent in studious elaboration be much more profitably spent in public exhortation? And might we not get more power by practicing the ministry than we can by sitting still, and endeavoring to catch the sacred spell from books, though written by the wisest of men?