Sermons of Ralph Erskine 7. God's Great Name, the Ground and Reason for Saving Great Sinners

Extract

Sermons of Ralph Erskine
7. God’s Great Name, the Ground and Reason for Saving Great Sinners

“Nevertheless, he saved them for his name’s sake” Psalm 106:8.

My friends, the sacramental cup that some of you have in view, is a cup of salvation; and those that adventure to take that cup into their hand, had need to be persons duly informed, and heartily concerned about salvation. The very first piece of heart-exercise in all that are effectually convinced and awakened to a sense of sin and fear of wrath, is that or the like question, arising from the bottom of the heart; “Men and brethren, what shall I do to be saved?” Surely they are not fit for a communion-table, who have never yet come this length in religion, so as to be more concerned about salvation, and the solution of this question than ever they were about any temporal concern in the world; for such as stand fair to be worthy communicants, they have come yet a greater length than this, namely, to get that question resolved to their satisfaction, and their mind spiritually enlightened in the knowledge of the method of salvation through Christ, so as to see upon what terms, and for what reason it is that God saves them: and particularly, that there is no reason why he should save them, unless he bring the reason from himself, that it will not be for their sake, but for his own. God’s great end, in all his works, is the glory of his own name; and especially his work of saving sinners through Christ; and that which makes it a great work, is, because his great name is so much concerned therein, and magnified thereby, that it is not so greatly glorified any other way, as it is here. God proposes, in this work, that the loftiness of man shall be brought down, and the Lord alone exalted; and hence all whom he saves, he humbles them so low for their sin and wickedness, as that to bring them to this acknowledgment, that, if ever God save them, it will be owing, not unto them, but unto his own glorious name. What thought and concern about salvation ye …