“Happy captives of His mighty grace” by Charles Spurgeon

“You know, brethren, that our Lord’s power over our hearts comes by his great love, and the matchless manner of his showing it. Stooping so low to save such unworthy ones he conquers our hearts. His dying love has begotten living love within us. It sends a spear into the heart of sin that Jesus yielded his heart for our sakes; this nails up the hands and feet of our rebellious lusts, to think that Jesus was crucified for us; this leads us in golden fetters, the happy captives of his mighty grace, when we behold how his love stooped to the curse for us. The weakness of Christ is stronger in its power over our hearts than all his strength could have been. It is by weakness that Christ hath achieved his mighty purpose. Today he has left his weakness on the cross, and gone upward to his throne, but there he sits clothed with a glory born of weakness. The eyes of my faith even now behold him. I am glad I do not see him more clearly, else I must cease to speak to you, and fall at his feet as dead, so great is his majesty, so glorious his exaltation. That glory in our esteem has sprung out of his weakness, his sorrow, his death. Thy brightest coronet, O Christ, is fashioned from the crown of thorns! Thou art more lovely now than ere thou wast before! The marks of thy passion have made thee altogether lovely in the eyes of thy people!” p. 363-64

–Charles H. Spurgeon, “The Proof of Our Ministry,” Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol. 30, (Pasadena, TX: Pilgrim Publications, 1973), pp. 361-372. Delivered on Lord’s Day morning, June 29, 1884, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle.