Extract from Dr. Duncan on 1 Peter 1, 1-3.
JEHUS died to procure—Jesus rose to confer—repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, not only is His resurrection the proof of the completeness of His work, and so of the completeness of His right to live, and possession of life for those who are in Him; but His resurrection from the dead is also the restoration of Him to life as the conferer and cherisher of the salvation which He was humbled in the dust of death to procure: He lives to procure it. Ah! then, as Christ in His gospel calls thee, and is of power to quicken thee, listen to His call, cry for His Spirit, come to Him and be saved.
And now, what is all this to thee? What does it matter to thee whether Christ died or died not, rose or rose not? Ah! you say, “It matters much; if He had not died and risen again, I could not be saved, but now I can.” Well, that is true—make what you will of it, it is true, you can be saved. I am afraid too little is made of the faith in the possibility of being saved by Christ. As it goes generally, it is worth very little; but a living faith, a faith wrought by the Holy Ghost, of Christ’s power to save the soul, is no little faith. I don’t say that it is the whole that is obligatory—thank God! no; but “Poor Joseph’s” faith, if it were scrutinized, amounted to no more, and “Poor Joseph’s” faith, I doubt not, saved Joseph’s soul.
You all know the tract “Poor Joseph.” The excellent Dr. Calamy was preaching in a church in London; and a poor half-witted man, named Joseph, who used to carry burdens through the streets, happened to look in at the door, and rested his burden, and began to listen. Dr. Calamy was preaching the good old apostolic gospel—“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance; that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” He, in the course of his discourse, as every faithful minister will, spake of the person of Christ, who He is that came into the world to save sinners—that He was in the beginning with God, and was God—that by Him all things were made in heaven and on earth. Poor Joseph listened; and when the church dispersed was heard saying to himself—“Joseph never heard this before—that Jesus Christ, the God who made all things, came into the world to save sinners.” By and by, some persons came and asked him: “Yes, Joseph, but have you acted faith?” “Ah! Poor Joseph can act nothing; but it is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Jesus Christ, the God who made all things, came into the world to save sinners; and why may not Poor Joseph be saved?” “The God who made all things”—it was always that—no Socinian faith would do for Joseph. It might be small faith his, but it was a true faith and a living one. At last he became sick; and Dr. Calamy was sent for, and called on him. When he heard his voice, he said, “Are you the good minister who told me about Jesus Christ coming into the world to save sinners?” Then taking a little bag of money from under his pillow, he said—“Poor Joseph had set this aside for his old age; but Poor Joseph will never see old age. Take it, and give it to some of Christ’s poor people; and tell them that poor Joseph loves them, and he thinks he loves Jesus Christ for coming into the world to save sinners.” Poor Joseph can act nothing—but he thinks he loves Jesus Christ for coming into the world to save sinners.
This faith of Joseph, who could act nothing, had hope and love accompanying it—it was not a dead faith. If anyone had asked him, “Shall you be saved?” perhaps Joseph could not have said that he would be saved. But this man had a defence against every reason that could be adduced, a challenge to all earth and hell to bring any reason, why he should not be saved—since Jesus Christ, Who is God, came into the world to save sinners. Of course, it remained with Jesus Christ whether he would save him or not; but Joseph’s faith was a triumphant faith so far as the ability of Jesus Christ was concerned. “If He chose to save me—the Maker of all things—there is nothing in all things that can hinder Him saving me.”
Faith that Jesus Christ can save, is not therefore a little thing—nor did Jesus put away the man who came with it to Him—“Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean: I will, be thou clean.” Haliburton says, speaking of this man’s faith—“Christ’s power to save—if God revealed no more, kept all beyond to Himself; and I renounce all other schemes and views; all other ways I renounce—but this is a way worthy of Him—I take it that this is justifying faith—or has in it of the nature of justifying faith.”
In conclusion—a word to the desponding. I believe that a perhaps of salvation, if it be with the Holy Ghost giving the grace of hope with a perhaps, is more in some souls than all the fulness of the gospel of Christ works in others. You will say, “It is a perhaps only, and a perhaps is very little.” But spiritual hope is a grace; and where you will find a perhaps you will find that. It must indeed be a perhaps of this very salvation—of this very God for my God—of this very Christ for my saviour—of this very Spirit for my renewer and sanctifier—of this very gospel, as the ground of my hope, and the exhibition of the things which I desire and hope for. But O! a perhaps, let no man despise it. Let no man rest with it; but let him who has got a perhaps of salvation, with a Holy Ghost giving him hope, be sure that the Holy Ghost, who has made him to hope on a perhaps, will carry him on step by step—till there be a rejoicing “with joy unspeakable and full of glory—receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”