Chapter 19; How Christ Calls Sinners unto Him, Set Forth in Two Particulars
Chapter 19 How Christ Calls Sinners unto Him, Set Forth in Two Particulars, Namely:
1. By an Outward and General Call.
2. By a Particular Call to Particular Sinners.
And How to Know the Voice of Christ.
You may ask, "How and in what manner does Christ call me? Christ is in Heaven, I cannot hear Christ call to me."
Regarding the call of Christ, first, there is a general call in the Word.
In the Gospel, Christ calls everyone under the sound of it to come to Him. However, this call is more of a command than an invitation, showing everyone their duty rather than directly inviting them. But there is also a more special call to those whom the Father has given to Christ. While they hear the general call in the Word, there is also a special call to them. Christ, by His Spirit, opens the riches of the Gospel and the grace in Him to their souls. By His Spirit, He reveals these things inwardly to them. Others may hear the outward call when a minister of God opens the Gospel and explains how God gave
His Son to us, took our nature upon Himself, and died for sin. The general call requires everyone to believe in His Son. But those whom the Father gives to Christ have the Spirit of God working alongside the Word, revealing the beauty and riches of the Gospel to their souls in a way that they have never seen before, drawing them to come to Christ.
Secondly, not only does God call through the general call, but He also gives a particular call to specific souls. Besides the general call to sinners, saying that Christ came to save sinners and those who were
lost, Christ personally calls individual souls in a special and unique way. Ministers of God are bound to give a general invitation in the preaching of the Gospel, but God also speaks in a personal manner.
There is a voice of God that speaks directly to the soul that He intends to bring to His Son. That person hears a voice behind them, as Scripture says, saying, "This is the way to salvation. The way you have been going is not the way to life; you will perish in that way.
Christ is the right way."
To explain this, I will use a comparison between the general and particular call. Imagine a prince whose subjects have committed treason. The prince, in his mercy, issues a general proclamation to all, saying, "Though you have acted traitorously against me, I am willing to pardon anyone who comes to a certain place on a certain day and submits themselves to me." This is the general proclamation, giving all an opportunity to receive mercy. But suppose that one poor traitor, feeling deeply his guilt and treachery, sits alone, lamenting his condition and thinking, "How can I possibly face my prince? Woe to me for the wickedness of my ways." Now imagine the prince comes by, notices this sorrowful man hiding away, sees him beating his breast and weeping over his actions, and personally calls out to him, "Oh, poor creature, come to me."
This is like the work of faith. God not only issues a general call to sinners but, seeing the troubled soul, gives a personal call, saying,
"Oh, you poor creature, you are burdened and troubled by your sins, lamenting the breach between us. Do not remain in this state; come to me." Until God speaks personally to the soul, the general proclamation alone will not bring the sinner to Christ. Therefore,
Christ not only says in general, "Come to me," but He also calls in a specific and personal way.
Thirdly, you may ask, "How can I know it is the voice of Christ?"
Christ, by His Spirit, secretly persuades the soul that it is indeed His voice and not a voice of deception. This is reflected in Song of Solomon 2:8, "The voice of my beloved!" When the soul is estranged from God and then drawn back, the Lord makes the soul recognize
His voice. After His resurrection, Christ spoke with Mary, and though she mistook Him for the gardener, when He called her by name, "Mary," she immediately recognized Him and responded,
"Rabboni" (Master). Christ did not need to tell her that He was the Christ—just by calling her name, she knew it was Him. In the same way, when the Spirit of Christ speaks to the soul, there is a secret instinct, a divine persuasion, and manifestation that makes the soul know it is truly the voice of God.
Many times, someone may have attended sermons, heard Christ preached by many good ministers, but one day, they will say, "I hear the voice of Christ in my soul today, and I know it is Him." This is how the soul effectually comes to Christ.
4. Furthermore, the invitation of Christ, when it is truly effectual, comes with an inner recognition that it is indeed Christ's voice.
As Christ says, "I stand at the door and knock," this refers to His particular call. "If anyone will open to me, I will come in to him and dine with him." God does not simply proclaim pardon but also knocks at the door of the soul, standing there personally.
You who have experienced the work of grace in your hearts can recall that while you lived under the outward means of grace for a long time, God also came and knocked at your door. This is a great condescension, much like a prince who does not only issue a general proclamation but also personally knocks at the door of a poor traitor. In the same way, Christ does this for the soul.
Before the soul fully comes and casts itself upon Christ, committing itself to Him, there are often secret hints and indications that God intends love and mercy for that soul in particular. Even though you have been very sinful and wretched, you may still sense, by the way
God deals with you, that He has thoughts of mercy toward you.
Question:
You may ask, "How does it appear that there is any indication of God's goodness to a soul in particular when it is called to come to Christ?"
Answer:
I will give you this foundation: when the soul comes to Christ and casts itself upon Him, it does not do so blindly, unsure of whether it will receive mercy or not. It is true that one might come to Christ thinking, "There is no other help for me, but I do not know whether there is mercy for me." This is not the full work of faith. While it may come close to faith, real faith involves more. The soul may say, "In the way I have been living, there is no mercy for me, but I will try it." This is not yet the reflective act of faith. Yet, there is some secret persuasion in the soul, however weak, that leads it to believe that there is mercy for it. Faith is not a mere venture; it involves a kind of certainty, even if that certainty is very weak. To say, "I will cast my soul upon God, but I might perish, for I have no reason to think God will save me," is unbelief. True faith, to some degree, carries with it a sense of assurance, even if the soul cannot always clearly discern it.
5. When Christ's invitation becomes effectual, it comes with a prevailing power that accompanies His voice, drawing the heart to Him. Christ does not merely speak to the heart and say,
"Come," but with His voice, He releases a power upon the heart, enabling it to come to Him. Consider Christ's time on earth:
when He called His disciples, He said to Matthew, who was sitting at the tax booth, "Come and follow me." Immediately,
Matthew left his work, his friends, and all that he had to follow Christ. Likewise, when Christ called Peter and Andrew, who were fishing, saying, "Come to me," they left their father, their nets, their ship, and followed Him. Surely, there was a secret virtue that went out with Christ's word, compelling them to follow.
In the same way, when Christ's invitation is effectual today, it comes with a mighty power. Just as the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of Christ's garment and felt a secret virtue that healed her, so does an effectual invitation carry a hidden power that works upon the soul.
Many may ask, "Why does Christ call me? Am I able to come to Him?" Christ's call, like the call to Matthew, Peter, and others, is not only a command but is infused with divine power. That same power is present today in the ministry of the Word, where Christ speaks and calls sinners to come to Him. Accompanying His call is an unseen force that compels the soul, so that even if a parent or friend tries to dissuade a young person from coming to Christ, the soul must still come. This is as strong a work of God now as when Christ called
Matthew and Peter.
Lastly, not only does Christ call, but He reaches out His hand before the soul is united to Him. When Christ sees the soul beginning to move toward Him, He extends His hand to draw it in. You may ask,
"What does it mean for Christ to reach out His hand?" This refers to the gracious encouragements that Christ gives to every small beginning of the soul's movement toward Him. The Lord does not merely invite but also strengthens and nurtures those early stirrings