Omnipotent Grace Apprehending the Soul

If your religion has nothing in it that attracts worldly attention, there is much reason to fear that it is not worth your possessing. One of the first things that God does in the operation of His grace to make His separate people manifest is that which He did for Saul of Tarsus; and I will give it you in Paul's own words. “I follow after,” says he, “if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” The first thing God did for Saul, then, was to apprehend him. The term signifies the laying fast hold of a delinquent, and Paul was just then apprehended. He had robbed God of His glory as long as he could—he had sought to imprison and murder the saints, he had fought against the Lord Jesus Christ and “breathed out threatenings and slaughter” against His followers; and away he ran from Jerusalem down to Damascus to carry on his diabolical plans and purposes there, in full pursuit of his mad career, as he himself says, “exceedingly mad against” the disciples of Christ. As he is pursuing his course, an invisible hand lays fast hold of him. He is apprehended. He is called by name, that there may be no mistake, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” A mighty grasp had got hold of his conscience. In one moment possession was taken of all the powers of his soul. Not another step could he advance as a persecutor, although he still had the carnal mind. The voice of the Son of God changes, transforms, regenerates, renews, makes the man a new creature; and he who had left Jerusalem as a thief with the purpose of robbing God of His glory, and of plundering Damascus of all the valuable jewels that he could find in it—the jewels of Christ's crown—is apprehended just under the walls, is stopped short in his career. His feet are turned in the way of righteousness, and he declared to be a chosen vessel to preach Christ's Name to the Gentiles.

Now I do not say that every instance of conversion is equally conspicuous, though equally a miracle of grace. And when people say that the age of miracles has ceased, I do not believe it. There is not one of Christ's posterity, in his natural condition, but is running as far from God as he can, “dead in trespasses and in sins,” led captive by the devil at his will, “far off from God by wicked works”; nor will he ever return repentant, nor ever desire to return. He has neither the power nor the inclination to do so, until the mighty, irresistible hand of omnipotent grace lays fast hold of him, stops him in his career, calls him by his name, brings him to the feet of Jesus Christ, and laying down the weapons of his warfare, puts the cry into his heart, “O Lord, our God, other lords besides Thee have had dominion over me; but by Thee only will I make mention of Thy Name.”

I should like to pause here to give you the opportunity of asking, “Have I been apprehended after this manner? Has an invincible power, a mighty hand laid fast hold of me, to stop me in my career of sin and folly?” Now yours may have been a very mild career, and you may be very amiable in your own circle. It may have been a very moral career, and even a benevolent career, in which you were running, but still a hostile career to Christ. It is, “I will not have this Man to reign over me.” It is in pursuit of creature good and creature applause, and not the honor and glory of Christ. It is a perverse road. It is, according to the Holy Ghost, by Isaiah, that “all we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way”— not one to God's way. Oh, how solemn the statement, “every one to his own way,” and none to God's way. What then makes a Christian? Omnipotent grace apprehending the soul, omnipotent grace fastening on the conscience, omnipotent grace asking no one's leave, but saying, “This is an elect vessel of mercy; come down to my feet”; just as Jesus spoke to Zaccheus, who was separated to bring salvation to his house at the proper day and hour. He had tried, in a certain sense, to separate himself as all Pharisees, and sometimes even publicans, do. He ran away and climbed into a sycamore tree that he might see the Savior— and all men will climb if they can— but the precious Christ comes by and observes him. This man was an enemy to Him, to morality, and to good works, and a great extortioner; but Jesus, when He espied him, did not say, “If you repent and amend your life, Zaccheus, I will forgive you”; or, as the popish priest says, “If you will pay me a large sum of money, I will grant you absolution.” No, the command was, “Zaccheus, come down, and make haste about it; for today I must abide at thy house.” And he made haste, and came down, and received Him joyfully. Had there been nothing but nature in Zaccheus' heart, he would have spurned the Savior and rebelled at His command. He would have said, “I shall not come down at Thy call. I shall wait my own time, and I don't want to be catechized and exposed by Thee.” But mighty grace went forth with the Word. It was an apprehending warrant that seized his conscience, and therefore down he came in haste at Christ's command, and received Him into his heart and into his house; and then he did what all should carry out—he made restitution. “I have been a tax-gatherer; I have wronged many by false accusations, and I am now ready to restore to every one four-fold.” This ought always to be done. But I merely name this instance to illustrate what I mean by “apprehending”; that the commencement of Christianity in the poor sinner's heart is not his own act or deed—that it is not his minister's act and deed—that it is not the creature's act and deed, but that it is God's own work. “Thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be Thine inheritance”; and the sinner who flies from Satan's drudgery is the recipient of divine grace and made to differ by God Himself, that he may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.

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