Coming to the Throne of Grace. By Rev. ROBERT TRAILL. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need.” (Heb. iv. 16)

(Continued from p. 410.)

*Robert Traill was born at Elie, Fife. He was the second son of Rev. Robert Traill. He stood by James Guthrie on the scaffold. He was declared to be a Pentland Rebel in 1667. He fled to Holland and while there superintended the publication of Samuel Rutherford’s Examen Arminianismi. He was ordained to the Presbyterian charge of Cranbrook in Kent in 1670. He was apprehended in 1677 in Edinburgh and sentenced to be imprisoned in the Bass for conducting conventicles. After his release he returned to Cranbrook. He died in May, 1716, aged seventy-four. He acted as one of the editors of Andrew Gray’s sermons. In 1696 he published a volume of sermons under the title: “Sermons Concerning the Throne of Grace.” His earliest sermons were published in one of the Free Church Publication series in 1845.

II. Who will come to the throne of grace.

But though it be the duty of all to come, yet but few do come. We would therefore see who they be that will come to the throne of grace. Of such we have two words.

1. Such as are given of the Father to the Son; all they, and they only, will come to this throne of grace: “All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me,” saith Christ. “Ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep.” The high spring of all the effectual calling and coming of men to Christ is this: They that are ordained to eternal life, believe, and none but they. It would be very unfit, that the book of life should be opened to, and read by any preacher of the gospel. I think not that ever any apostle had it opened to them with respect to others, so that they could be able, when looking on the multitude they preached to, to say, These are appointed for eternal life, and these passed by. But they being happily in the dark as to this secret purpose of God, did offer salvation through Jesus Christ to all that heard them. So Paul, “Be it known unto you, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you forgiveness of sins; and by Him all that believe, are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Having told them this good news, he warns them: “Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets, Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish.” After his repeated pains on them, it is said: “As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed.” It was a severe application of this word, that a very worthy divine made of it, that all the elect of God in this place were gathered in, by Paul’s ministry in it, at this time. The grace of election is the spring of faith, II. Thess. ii. 13; I. Pet. i. 2, but this grace of election is not seen, but in the gift and light of faith.

2. All such, and only they, will come to the throne of grace, that are drawn by the Father: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” Observe here the two universals: No man can come, unless drawn; Every man that is drawn, doth come.

The first declares the power of nature, the latter advances the power of God’s grace. The utter impotence of nature, and the omnipotence of grace in the business of man’s salvation are stumbling-blocks to all the ungodly, but are foundations in Christian doctrine. The one lays man in the dust, the other raises him on a new bottom of the grace of God. When God has a mind to draw a sinner to Christ, and to make him a believer on Him to salvation He teaches him secretly and by a strong hand; He whispers into his heart the excellency of the Saviour, and greatness of His salvation; so that surely the perishing sinner comes to Christ and as surely is welcomed and saved by Him.

III. Who shall be welcome?

But who shall be welcome? Surely all that come shall be welcome; as the word everywhere witnesses, and all that ever tried it, have found and testify it by their experience. For as the Son refused none that were given Him of the Father in their eternal counsel, but took every one of them in His charge to redeem them; so all they, and only they, being drawn by the Father, and made willing to come to Christ, are made welcome by Him. He knows His sheep when wandering on the mountains, John, x. 16, 27, 28, and accordingly receives them. When the Father drives home the lost sheep to their great Shepherd, Christ knows them before He opens the fold to them; and because He knows them, He lets them in, that they may find pasture, and feed on Him and His grace to eternal life.

But there are some that are specially welcome to Christ, and speed well at this throne of grace, as,

1. They that come when they can do nothing else; they that come to the throne of grace as their last shift: “We know not what to do, but our eyes are upon thee,” said Jehosaphat. Sincerest believing, and strongest believing is acted, when a man has no prop at all to lean upon but God alone. Believing is called fleeing: “We have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.” Now, who flees? Only he that can stand no longer, that is not able to deal with his adversary and danger, that has no hope of prevailing by his strength and therefore betakes himself to his heels. It is men’s great sin to endeavour to seek that elsewhere, that only is to be found here, mercy and grace. But it is the greatest sin of all to count all lost as long as this throne stands, and the Lord calls men to come to it. Be deeply humbled and covered with same; yet come notwithstanding. Such is the corruption of our hearts and the Lord sees it well that if sinners could find grace and mercy anywhere else, they would never come to the throne of grace for it. Christ is the last shift of a distressed sinner; yet, blessed be His name, He welcomes the comers. The woman, Mark v. 25-35, tries many means ere she comes to Christ, yet sped well when she came at last.

2. They are welcome to the throne of grace that come oftenest and ask the greatest things. It is otherwise in addresses to friends or great men on earth. You may be welcome to them if you come now and then and if you ask little things; but if you come daily and ask great things and grow in your suits, they will quickly be weary of you. But what saith the King on this throne of grace? “Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” Had not they asked formerly great things? that He would “expound His Word to them,” that He would “teach them to pray,” that He would “increase their faith.” But all this was as nothing to Christ; nothing in regard of the great things He had to give and they stood in need of. This is a great word of Christ’s, “Ask and I will give, and ye shall receive”; ask still more, and ye shall receive more, even till your joy be full. The reason why our souls are so empty of joy, is because our mouths are empty of prayer. Christ’s love-quarrels with His people are three. 1. That they do ask great things, and often. 2. That they do not receive what He is so ready to give. Our narrow vessels cannot take in large floods from the fountain of living water. 3. That they do not praise for what they receive. It is His due, our duty, and our great mercy. Both prayer and praise widens the heart for receiving more of Christ’s fulness.

3. They are specially welcome to the throne of grace that come to stay, resolving never to leave it; that not only come to it at a pinch and strait, but come to abide there. Our Lord teacheth several parables to encourage and direct us in plying the throne of grace, Luke xi. 5-13 and xviii. 1-8. Jacob was a blessed man and new well the manner of his court when he wrestled with the angel, and that angel was the King of the throne of grace, Hosea, xii. 3, 4, 5. After a long night’s wrestling, with weeping and supplications, saith the Lord, “Let me go, for the day breaketh,” Jacob answers, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” I will, or I will not, looks like ill manners in speaking to God. He does not say, “How can I hold thee? If thou hast a mind to go, it is impossible that I can detain thee. Can a man hold God when He has a mind to be gone? But Jacob knew his party, and perceived that He tried him, if he would part without a blessing. “May,” says Jacob, “if thou ask my leave and consent to part so, I will never give it. Let the day break, and the next night come, the great Blesser, and lame, halting Jacob, shall never part, with Jacob’s consent, without a blessing.” And he prevailed. He had got his father’s blessing by the cunning of his mother, Gen. xxvii. had it again ratified by his father, chap. xxviii. 3, 4; he had the Lord’s blessing, chap. xxviii. 12, 16; he got it renewed again, on the Lord’s calling him to return to Canaan, chap. xxxi. 3; yet he was in a new strait and wanted a new blessing and wrestled for it, and obtained it. Let all the seed of Jacob imitate his practice, and they shall share in his blessing and be “fed with the heritage of Jacob their father,” as the word is.

Considerations for coming to the throne of grace.

In pressing the exhortation in the text, I shall lay before you a few considerations.

1. Consider the greatness of this privilege, that there is a throne of grace erected for sinners, and revealed to them. This throne is only erected for sinners; it had never been but for sinners. A throne of grace supposes that there are guilty sinners to stand before it and to get good by it. The greatness of this privilege is apparent in comparing the state of fallen man with that of fallen angels, and in comparing their state that have the gospel with theirs that are without it.

(1) Compare the state of fallen man with that of fallen angels. Whatsoever the proper meaning of that word is, “Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,” these two may be well conceived; that man in his original make was lower in dignity than the angels, and that man was made a little after the angels were made,—long after it could not be, for the whole creation was completely finished in six days. The angels that fell, are so sinful and miserable that we cannot speak any good of them, yet in their first make, they were a very glorious part of the creation. Notwithstanding, when they sinned, there was no throne of grace provided for them: “God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell,” yet, for his elect “He spared not His own Son.” The devils (for such sin made them), immediately upon their sinning, were as much condemned as ever they shall be. I say not as much executed, for it seems that their full torment is reserved to last day. “Art thou come to torment us before the time?” say they to Christ. No wonder the devil is such an enemy to the gospel of man’s salvation, and a hater of the throne of grace. The wonder is that men should be deceived by Satan to despise and slight this great privilege. Let Christians take a view of this astonishing appearance of God’s grace, that fallen angels are all passed by, and fallen man taken up, not indeed all of them, but a great many, as one day will declare, Heb. ii. 16. “For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels, but He took on Him the seed of Abraham.”

(2) Consider the greatness of this privilege in the revelation of it. You have it, but the greatest part of the world have it not. They that cannot receive the truth of God revealed in the Word about the sovereignty of grace in election and the efficacy of distinguishing grace in calling must see the same sovereignty acted in dispensing or withholding the means of grace as it pleases Him. And to be utterly ignorant that there is a throne of grace renders people as miserable as if there was no throne of grace at all. They that never hear of Christ must perish. It is an idle dream that the efficacy of Christ’s death may be applied and profitable to the saving of adult persons that never heard of Him. There is no salvation for men but by Jesus Christ; there is no knowing of it or partaking of it but by “the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation.” Christ and His name go together—”Neither is there salvation in any other (no Saviour but He), for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” No other way of getting good by Him, but by hearing His name, and believing on His name; “How shall they believe on Him of whom they have not heard?” It is a wonderful mercy to hear of Him; but woe to them that hear and do not believe. None can believe without hearing, but alas! many hear and believe not, Isa. liii. 1.

1. Consider the great advantages of this privilege of having a throne of grace erected for us and revealed to us. All blessings may be had here by coming for them. If there was such a throne in this world for silver and gold and health and outward mercies, what strange crowding would there be to it? The blessings to be had here are innumerable for multitude, “all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ Jesus,” blessings invaluable for their worth, eternal in their duration, most free in their tenure and all given in love. Every act of favour from the throne of grace is worth more than all God’s common mercies. “Lord, lift upon us the light of Thy countenance,” that will put joy into the soul. Everything given at the throne of grace, is a blessing of grace. Its very name should teach people how to come and how to call what they get at it. If it be a throne of grace we should come to it as empty, needy beggars and when we receive anything there, we should call and count it grace. Ask all saints on earth and they will witness that great and good things are to be had at the throne of grace. Try it yourselves and you will find it is not in vain to beg here. Nay, the damned in hell do bear sad witness that great are the blessings that to be had at the throne of grace which they feel and know by their woful and eternal loss of them. The glorified in heaven know what a rich throne of grace this is. Only sinners on earth will not believe this, nor use this throne as they should.

2. Consider that this court and throne is of short continuance. It will not be kept up always. There is a limitation of the time of its lasting, “He limiteth a certain day.” (1) The day of the continuance of the throne of grace continues unto men no longer than they live. When men die they go not to the throne of grace but of glory and judgment. If we have sped well at the throne of grace, we shall be welcome to the throne of glory. The uncertainty and shortness of life with the certainty of the expiring of all treaties betwixt God and us about salvation at the end of life should make people careful to secure the main matter in God’s time. (2) There is the gospel-day. This is also set and limited by the Lord. He has determined how many offers you shall have of Christ, and when they come to an end there will not be one more. And then the throne of grace is taken down as to you. “If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things that belong to thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes!” saith our Lord to Jerusalem. This was the ending, determining day to Jerusalem as a city, and to its inhabitants as a body. Though many particular persons had another day of grace yet the slipping of that day hangs on that poor people and their posterity to this very day. (3) There is the world’s day. And then the day of grace will end as to all: “When the bridegroom came, they that were ready, entered with him to the marriage, and the door was shut.” There was no more grace to be dispensed to men and we know not when that day will come. Miserable is their case who shall see Christ coming in the clouds of heaven before they have seen Him by faith in the gospel, who hear the voice of the archangel and the trump of God before they have heard the quickening voice of the Son of God from the throne of grace; who have neglected calling to him in time and begin out of time. “When the master of the house is risen up and hath shut the door, and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.” Is it not just that they should be kept at the shut door, that would not enter at an open door in Christ’s time and when He called? When Christ comes and has shut the door, no man will be let in, knock as he will. Nor while the throne of grace is patent, no man will be kept out, be what he will, that has a mind to enter, and knocks for entrance. (4) There is the Spirit’s day. Here is a great depth of God’s sovereignty and wisdom, a great depth of His severity, an unaccountable and awful judgment; how the Spirit of God strives with men in the gospel, how near He comes to them cometimes, how close He besieges them, that they seem to be on the point of yielding, and are not far from the kingdom of God; and yet He draws back His hand, and leaves them. I believe that many ungodly men, many reprobates, have been sometimes in their lives nearer to heaven (if such may be said to be near heaven that never come there), than many an elect person was half an hour before his conversion. “My Spirit shall not always strive with man.” What kind of striving this was and what became of them striven with, we have, I. Peter, iii. 19, 20. Nothing will more bitterly aggravate the eternal misery of the damned than the remembrance of this, that they had a day, and in that day grace offered to them, and that they did reject the offer. Men’s carnal hearts are now full of cavils against the unsearchable methods and ways of God towards the sons of men; but the last day’s judgment will determine and declare that in the perdition of the ungodly there was and is most pure and unspotted justice and righteousness; and, in the salvation of all the elect, pure, perfect, and predominant grace that reigned in them and over them and through them till it brought them to heaven.

Wherefore, seeing the having of a throne of grace is a privilege of so great importance, and of so uncertain continuance, there should be the greater care to make diligent and present improvement of it. Why should any man let this throne of grace stand empty? Will men provoke the Lord to say, In vain I have set up a throne of grace for sinners that come not at it?

Again, consider the wrath that will follow on the neglect and not improving of this great privilege. The sin is many ways committed and the judgments of many sorts that are inflicted. But I leave this to the next occasion.

Except you, in your personal exercise and experience, do know what this throne of grace is, and what is got there, you may be Christians hereafter, but as yet you are none; unless you experience what this throne of grace is, by frequent repairing to it and by frequent receiving good at it. That man or woman, what ever his or her name be in the world, or the Church of Christ that never found any need for or use of, or benefit by this throne of grace, is surely a dead sinner. People may safely and surely judge of both the state and frame of their souls by their business at the throne of grace. No soul ever got life but by an act of grace and power from this throne. No soul can be kept in life but by daily intercourse with it. It is as impossible that these bodies of ours should be maintained in life and strength without meat and drink and air as it is for the soul of a believer to prosper without daily plying to the throne of grace.

Let therefore the exhortation in the text be complied with. Come to this throne. Say therefore, Lord, I am invited to come to the throne of Thy grace and none have more need of that grace than I, and there is enough of grace there for me; and, therefore, I will come, and beg, and get, and abide, and bless the giver, and become happy by receiving.