“On the Great Salvation” in The Works of the Reverend and Pious Andrew Gray (Aberdeen: Published by George King, 1839), 85,93–94. This quote was compiled by Tony Byrne
“3. Thirdly, Let this consideration provoke you not to slight this great salvation, That Christ is exceedingly serious and earnest that ye would embrace it. And I think that Isaiah 28:23, speaks out this exceeding seriousness; where four times He begs of His hearers, that they would give ear and hear His voice, saying, Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken and hear my speech. What needs all these exhortations, but that Christ is most serious that they would embrace the great salvation. And O that there were a person here to-day as serious to the bargain as Christ is! But, be who ye will that slight this great salvation, believe me, the day is coming wherein ye shall cry out, Alas! for the slighting of it. Will you therefore think presently with yourself, (O you slighter of this great salvation) what will you say of your slighting of it, when the devil shall be leading you in through the dark gates of hell? O slighter of the gospel! how many alases will you cry, when you shall be passing through these dark gates into your everlasting prison? Will you not then cry out, O me, slighter of the everlasting salvation! Whither am I now going? Alas! now for my slighting of the gospel. And as you pass through, you shall meet with numbers of miserable comforters. There is not one in that prison that can comfort you; but many dreadful alases shall you then both cry and hear, if you embrace not this great salvation.”
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“Oh! have ye not need of this great salvation? Shall I tell you that Christ is courting you to embrace it; that He puts on all his most glorious robes, and manifests Himself unto you, as a suitor making offer of himself, and of his great salvation? O tell me! have ye seen Him? Or do ye think to see Him this say? What robes had He on? There are five glorious robes wherewith He clothes himself, when he condescends to manifest Himself to his people.
First, he cometh to his own with the garments of salvation, according to that word, Zech. 9:9, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation. Nay, your King is come here to-day, and will ye not fall in love with Him, when he is clothed with the garments of salvation? Can ye ever have a more conquering sight of Christ than when He is clothed with such an excellent robe, and offering you salvation?
Secondly, He appears to His own sometimes in a garment dyed in blood, according to that word, Isa. 63:1, Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments in blood, as one that treadeth the wine-fat? And now I say to you that will not look to Christ, when He appears in the garments of salvation, have ye a heart to refuse Him that has fought such a combat for you; who has trode the wine-press alone, and has stained all his garments with the blood of his enemies? Or is there any here who dare refuse this salvation, when they see how He treads His enemies in anger, and tramples them in His fury, and thus sprinkles their blood on His garments? O tremble at this sight, and seek quarters from him in time, or He shall dye his garments with the blood of thy immortal soul.
Thirdly, Christ appears unto His own, being clothed with those humble robes of condescendency, when He came in the similitude of sinful flesh. O! what a sight was that, to behold the Prince of Heaven clothed with our nature? What a sight was that to behold Him, that was clothed with light as with a garment, to be clothed with our infirmities? Yea He condescended to clothe Himself thus, that we might have access unto Him, and be partakers of His gift. O! can we refuse Him, when we have thus pressed Him to put on beggars’-weeds, that He might say to worms, ye are my brethren, and my sisters.
Fourthly, Christ sometimes manifests Himself, being clothed with the garments of beauty and ravishing majesty; such was the sight that the spouse got of Christ, Cant. 2:3, As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my Beloved among the sons; and Cant. 5, when she saw him, white and ruddy, and the standard-bearer of ten thousand; such was that joyful sight of Him, when His garments were as the light, and white as the snow, which He had at the transfiguration, when those glorified ones did come, as it were, ambassadors from the higher house to make Him a visit.
Fifthly, Christ sometimes appears to His own in robes of dreadful majesty, and terrible highness and loftiness, when that soul, upon the first sight of Him, remains dead, and there remains no more life in them; such was the sight that Daniel got, in his 10th chapter, and such was the sight that John got of Christ, Rev. 1:13–18. And I would ask at all that are here, what a sight have ye got of Christ to-day; in which of all these robes have ye seen him? It is true, we are not now to look for the extraordinary sights of him; but ye, if ever thou hast seen Him in any of his wooing robes, sure He has appeared matchless, and how shall ye then refuse Him?“
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