The Wonderful Compassion of

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The Wonderful Compassion of Christ to the Greatest Sinners

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets, and stone those who are sent unto you; how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings—and you would not!" Matthew 23:37

There is not, perhaps, a chapter in the whole Bible so full of such repeated and dreadful denunciations of the most tremendous woes as this, Matthew 23. Certainly there is none like it, among all the discourses of Christ, left upon record. Here the gentle Jesus, the inoffensive Lamb of God, treats the unbelieving Scribes and Pharisees with the most pungent severity. "Woe! Woe! Woe!" breaks from his lips like repeated claps of thunder! He exposes them with an asperity and indignation not usual in his mild addresses. He repeatedly calls them hypocrites, fools, blind guides, whited sepulchres, children of hell, serpents, a generation of vipers, who could not escape the damnation of hell.

But in my text he melts into tenderness, even in this vein of terror, and appears the same compassionate, gentle Saviour we are accustomed to find him. His most dreadful denunciations were friendly warnings, calculated to reform, and not to destroy! And while denouncing the most dreadful woes against Jerusalem, in an abrupt flow of passion he breaks out in the most moving lamentation over her: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets, and stone those who are sent unto you; how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings—and you would not!"

This is one of those tender cases which requires a familiar and moving, rather than a grand illustration; and that which Jesus has here chosen is one of the most tender, familiar, and moving that could be devised. "How often would I have gathered you, O Jerusalem, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings." As much as to say, "As the parent-bird, when she sees some bird of prey hovering over her helpless young, gives them the signal, which nature teaches them to understand, and spreads her wings to protect them, resolved to become a prey herself rather than her tender brood; or, as she shelters them from the rain and cold, and nourishes them under her friendly feathers, so, says the compassionate Redeemer; so, O Jerusalem, I see your children, like heedless chicks, in the most imminent danger; I see the judgements of God hovering over them; I see storms of vengeance ready to fall upon them; and how often have I invited them to fly to me for shelter, and gave them the signal of their danger! how often have I spread the wings of my protection to cover them, and keep them warm and safe as in my bosom! But, oh, lamentable! oh, astonishing! you would not! I was willing—but you would not! The silly chicks, taught by nature, understand the signal of approaching danger, and immediately fly for shelter; but you, more silly and presumptuous, would not regard my warnings; would not believe your danger, nor fly to me for protection, though often, oh how often, warned and invited!"

His compassion will appear the more surprising, if we consider the object of it. "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! you who kill the prophets, and stone those who are sent to you—though upon the kind design of reforming and saving you, and who will, in a few days, crucify that Saviour who now laments your doom—how often would HE have gathered even your ungrateful children and received them under his protection, with an affection and tenderness, like the instinctive fondness and solicitude of the mother-hen for her brood! Here is divine compassion, indeed, that extends itself even to his enemies, to his murderers! Strange! that such sincere benevolence should meet with such an ungrateful repulse! that the provoked Sovereign should be willing to receive his rebellious subjects into protection—but that they should be unwilling to fly to him for it!

The important truths which my text suggests are such as these:

that sinners, while away from under the protection of Jesus Christ, are in a very dangerous situation;

that they may obtain safety by putting themselves under his protection;

that he is willing to receive the greatest sinners under his protection;

that he has often used means to prevail upon them to fly to him, that they may be safe;

that notwithstanding all this, multitudes are unwilling to fly to him, and put themselves under his protection;

that this unwillingness of theirs is the real cause of their destruction;

that this unwillingness is an instance of the most irrational and brutal stupidity—and that it is very affecting and lamentable.

1. The text implies, that sinners, while away from under the protection of Jesus Christ, are in a very dangerous situation. As the hen does not give the signal of danger, nor spread her wings to shelter her young, except when she sees danger approaching; so the Lord Jesus would not call sinners to fly to him for protection, were they not in real danger.

Sinners, you are in danger from the curse of the divine law, which is in full force against you, while you have no saving interest in the righteousness of Christ, which alone can answer its demands!

Sinners, you are in danger from the dread arrest of divine justice, which guards the sacred rights of the divine government, and will avenge itself upon you for all the insults you have offered it!

Sinners, you are in danger from the various judgements of God, who is angry with you every day, and whose judgements are hovering over you, and ready to seize you, like hungry birds of prey!

Sinners, you are in danger from your own vile corruption, which may hurry you into such courses as may be harmful, or, perhaps, ruinous to you in this world, may harden you in impenitence, and at length destroy you forever!

Sinners, you are in danger from your own conscience, which would be your best friend; but it is now ready to rise up in arms against you, and, like an insatiable vulture—prey upon your hearts forever!

Sinners, you are in danger from the arrest of death, which is ready every moment to stretch out its mortal hand, and seize you!

Sinners, you are in danger from the malice and power of devils, who, like hungry lions, are ready to snatch away your souls, as their helpless prey.

In short, you are surrounded with dangers on every hand, and dangers rise still more thick and dreadful before you. You are not sure of an hour's enjoyment of one comfort; nay, you are not sure there is so much as one moment between you and all the miseries of the damned! This minute you are upon earth, thoughtless, secure, and mirthful; but the next may be—I tremble to tell you where—in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, tormented in flames! Yes, sinners, one flying moment may strip you entirely naked of all the enjoyments of earth, cut you off from all hope of heaven, and engulf you in remediless despair!

Some of you, whose very case this is, will not, probably, believe me, nor take the alarm. But here, alas! lies your principal danger! If you would take warning in time—then you might escape! But you will not believe there is danger—until it becomes inevitable. Had Lot's sons-in-law taken warning from him—they might have escaped; but they saw no sensible appearance of the impending judgement, and, therefore, they continued blindly secure, regarded the good old man as a mocker, and therefore perished in Sodom. Had Jerusalem been apprehensive of its danger in time, it might have flourished to this day; but it would not be warned, and therefore became a ruinous heap! And this will be your doom, sinners, unless you be apprehensive of it before it breaks upon you like a whirlwind.

Indeed it may make one sad to think how common this danger is, and how little it is apprehended, to see crowds thoughtless and merry on the brink of ruin; secure and careless while hanging over the infernal pit by the frail thread of life! This is sad; but, alas! it is a common case in the world, and, I am afraid, it is too common among you, my hearers. And where shall you flee for safety? Is the danger inevitable? If so, where is the friendly arm that can guard you? where the wing that can shelter you from those judgements that are hovering over you, like ravenous birds, to make a prey of you? Blessed be God, I can show you a place of safety; for,

2. The text implies, that if sinners fly to Christ, and put themselves under his protection, they shall obtain safety.

The beautiful allusion to the protection a hen affords her young under the shelter of her wings, implies thus much, as we may learn from the meaning of the same allusion in other places. So in that beautiful passage, Psalm 91:1-4, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD: He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." That is, he shall protect you in safety, and you shall trust in his guardian care. This is David's meaning, when he prays, "Lord, hide me under the shadow of your wings." Psalm 17:8. And when he resolves, "yes, in the shadow of your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities be over and past;" just as the hen's helpless brood hide under her wings until the storm is blown over, or the bird of prey has disappeared. Psalm 57:1. "I will trust," says he, "in the covert of your wings." Psalm 61:4. "Because you have been my help, therefore in the shadow of your wings will I rejoice." Psalm 63:7.

However great and seemingly inevitable your dangers; yet, if you place yourselves under the protection of Jesus Christ—you are safe forever! You are safe from the deluges of divine wrath, that are ready to rush down upon you! You are safe from the sword of justice, and the thunders of Sinai! You are safe from the internal insurrections of your own conscience, and from the power and malice of infernal demons! You are safe from the oppression of sin! You shall be gloriously triumphant over death itself, the king of terrors! These may disturb and alarm you, they may give you a slight wound, and put you in great terror; but none of them can do you a lasting, remediless injury; nay, the very injuries you may receive from them in this life, will, in the outcome, turn out to your advantage, and become real blessings to you.

If you are Christ's, then, says the apostle, then "all things are yours, whether life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours!" 1 Corinthians 3:21. That is, you have a kind of property in all things that you have any connection with, so that they shall work together for your good—as if they were all your own, by a private right. Brethren, if we are covered with the righteousness of Christ—then the sword of divine justice cannot reach us! All its demands are answered, and justice itself becomes our friend. If we are sheltered under the wings of his guardian care—then the most threatening dangers of time or eternity cannot affect us with real injury. How happy, then, how safe are such of you as have put yourselves under his protection!

Now every blessing is yours, and nothing can do you a real injury. You shall never fall a prey to your various enemies—but shall at length obtain an illustrious victory over them all, through the blood of the Lamb. To you I may apply those sublime words of Moses, "As an eagle stirs up her nest, flutters over her young, spreads abroad her wings, takes them, bears them on her wings;" so the Lord does and will lead you, Deuteronomy 32:11, 12; defend you, cherish you, and bear you along to your eternal home!!

You have, therefore, reason, with David, amidst all the peculiar dangers of this life, to rejoice under the shadow of his wings. The name of the Lord is a strong tower, and you have fled to it, and are safe! Amidst all your fears and terrors, have you not some secure and delightful hours, when you, as it were, feel yourselves gathered under the wings of your Redeemer? In such hours, do not even such weaklings as you, dare to brave all your enemies, and bid defiance to earth and hell? Oh how happy, how secure is your situation!

But here a grand question arises in the minds of some of you: "How may I know whether I have fled to Jesus for protection? How may I know whether I have placed myself under his guardian wings?" This is a question of the utmost importance: and I must offer a word or two in answer to it.

Observe, then, if ever you have fled to Jesus for safety—then you have been made deeply sensible of your danger. If ever you have sought shelter under his wings—then you have seen your sins, the curses of the law, and the powers of hell, as it were, hovering over you, and ready to seize and devour you as their prey. You have also been made deeply sensible, that Jesus alone was able to save you. You found that you could not shelter yourselves under the covert of your own righteousness, and were constrained to give up all hopes of saving yourselves by anything you could do in your own strength. Hereupon, as perishing, helpless creatures, you have cast yourselves entirely upon the protection of Jesus Christ, and put your souls into his hands—to be saved by him in his own way. And you have also submitted freely to his authority, willing to be ruled and disposed of entirely according to his pleasure.

These few things must suffice to determine this grand inquiry; and I hope you will make use of them for that purpose. If they help you to discover that you have fled to Jesus for refuge, rejoice in your happy lot, and let your mouths be filled with praise. But alas! are there not some of you who have made the contrary discovery, and, consequently, that you are exposed to all the dreadful dangers of a sinner without Christ and His salvation? And is there no place of safety for you? Yes, under those wings where believers have sheltered themselves. In Jesus Christ there is safety—if you fly to him! But you may perhaps inquire, "What encouragement have I to fly to him? I, who am so vile a sinner; I, who have nothing at all to recommend me? Can I hope that he will stretch out the wings of his mercy, and receive me into protection?" Yes, poor, trembling creature, even you may venture; for remember what my text farther implies:

3. That the compassionate Jesus is willing to receive the very greatest sinner under his protection. Can you question this, after this moving lamentation of his over Jerusalem? Jerusalem, that killed the prophets, and stoned those who were sent unto her, though upon messages of grace! Jerusalem, upon whom should come all the righteous blood of the prophets, through a length of nearly four thousand years, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias! Jerusalem, the den of those murderers, who, he well knew, would in a few days imbrue their hands in his own blood! Jerusalem, that had abused so many mercies, been incorrigible under so many chastisements, deaf to so many invitations! Yet, of this very city, the compassionate Saviour says, How often would I have gathered your children under the wings of my protection: your children, obstinate and ungrateful as they are!

Oh what gracious encouragement is here to the greatest sinners among us! Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever; the same compassionate, all-sufficient Saviour. He did not lose his pity for Jerusalem after he had suffered death by her bloody hands; but after his resurrection he orders his apostles to make one trial more with her obstinate children: "Go," says he, "and preach repentance and remission of sins to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Luke 24:47. As much as to say, "Though Jerusalem is the ungrateful city, where so much pains have been taken in vain, and where I have just been crucified with cruel hands—yet do not give them up; try once more to gather them under my wings; yes, let them have the very first offer of grace under this new dispensation: make the first offer of pardon through my blood to the wretches who shed my blood! Invite those to me as a Saviour—who nailed me to the cross as a malefactor and a slave!"

Oh what melting, overpowering mercy! What an overflowing and free grace is here! This exemplifies his own declaration, that "he came not to call the righteous—but sinners to repentance;" and sinners of the vilest characters are welcome to him. He took care, at the first introduction of the gospel, to select some of the most vile sinners, and make them the monuments of his grace to all ages, that their history might give the strongest assurance of his grace to sinners of the like character, from that time to the end of the world. Such an instance was the famous Paul. This is a faithful saying, says he; a saying that may be depended upon, and worthy of all acceptance; worthy to be received as true, and embraced with joy by all: "that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am the chief!" 1 Timothy 1:15. This chieftain, this king of sinners—was made a happy subject of Jesus Christ. And "for this cause," says he, "I obtained mercy, that in me first, or in me the chief, Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to those who should hereafter believe on him."

Blessed be God, there are many such instances now in heaven, in the glorious company of angels! "There," as one observes, "is murderous and idolatrous Manasseh among the true worshippers of God; there is oppressing Zaccheus among the spirits of just men made perfect; there is Mary Magdalene , possessed by seven devils, among the saints of the Most High, filled with the Holy Spirit of God. In a word, there are the betrayers and murderers of our blessed Lord and Saviour, receiving eternal life and happiness from that precious blood which their own guilty hands had shed."

Dr. Grosvenor, in a sermon entitled "The Temper of Jesus Christ towards his Enemies, and his Grace to the Chief of Sinners," has the following very lively and striking passage:

"It is very affecting that the first offers of grace should be made to those who, of all people in the world, had done it the most despite! That the heavenly gift should be offered to those first who least deserved it: not that any can deserve it at all, for then it were not grace; but they of all people—had most deserved the contrary! That those who had abused Christ to a degree beyond the most pitiful description, should yet be uppermost in his care, and stand foremost in his pity, and find so much mercy from one to whom they showed none at all!

"One would rather have expected the apostles should have received another kind of charge, and that Christ should have said: Let repentance and remission of sins be preached—but do NOT carry itto Jerusalem, that wicked city, that has been the slaughter-house of my prophets, whom I have often sent. After them I sent John the Baptist, a burning and a shining light; whom they murdered in prison. Last of all, I myself, the Son, came also—and with wicked hands, they have crucified and murdered Me! They may do the same by you; the disciple is not like to be treated better than his Lord: let not the gospel enter those wicked gates, through which they led me, its Author, to crucifixion.

"I have been preaching there myself these three years, I have mingled my tears with my sermons, I have supported my pretensions and character from the Scripture of Moses and the prophets, I have confirmed them by divine miracles, and sealed all with my blood—yet they would not give ear! O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! all that I have left for you now is, what I have before dropped over you, namely, a compassionate tear and wish, that you had known in this your day, the things that belonged to your peace! but now they are hid from your eyes; and so let them remain; for I charge you, my apostles, to preach repentance and remission of sins to all other nations—but do not go near that wicked city!

"But God's thoughts are not as ours, neither are his ways as our ways; but as far as the heavens are above the earth, so are his thoughts and ways above ours. Our way is, to make the chief offenders, examples of justice; to avenge ourselves upon those who have done us personal injury and wrong. But Christ chooses out exactly these—to make monuments of His mercy, and commands the first offer of eternal life to be made to them—and all the world are to wait until they have had the first refusal of the gospel salvation.

"As if our Lord had said: It is true that my sufferings are a universal remedy, and I have given my life in ransom for many, that the Gentiles afar off might be brought near, and all the ends of the earth might see the salvation of God; and therefore go into all nations and offer this salvation as you go! But lest the poor house of Israel should think themselves abandoned to eternal despair—as cruel and vile as they have been—go, make the first offer of grace to them! Let those who spilled my blood, be welcome to its healing virtue. Tell them that there is repentance and forgiveness even for them!

"Tell them, that as I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, so, if they will be gathered, I will be their Shepherd still. Though they despised my tears, which I shed over them, and imprecated my blood to be upon them, tell them it was for their sakes I shed both, that by my tears I might soften their hearts towards God, and by my blood I might reconcile God to them.

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