“All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him.”—Psa. 22:27.
It is worthy of notice, that the Spirit of inspiration in the prophets is called the Spirit of Christ, (1 Pet. 1:10,) because Christ was so frequently the theme of it. The plaintive part of this Psalm is applied more than once to him. The explanation, (ver. 1,) “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” he adopted as his own. The revilings in ver. 8 were used, inadvertently no doubt, by his enemies: “He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him; let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.” The kind of death which he endured was expressly pointed out in ver. 16, “They pierced my hands and my feet.” Even the circumstance of their casting lots for his garments is noticed in ver. 18, “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.”
And as the sufferings of Christ were the theme of Old Testament prophecy, so also was the glory that followed them. His resurrection and exaltation at the right hand of God, with the glorious success of his gospel in the world, are hinted at from ver. 19 to the end of the Psalm.
The passage first read is a prediction of the conversion of the Gentiles. It furnishes us with two interesting ideas; the nature of true conversion—and the extent of it under the reign of the Messiah.
I. The nature of true conversion:—It is to remember—to turn to the Lord—and to worship before him. This is a plain and simple process. Perhaps the first religious exercise of mind of which we are conscious is reflection. A state of unregeneracy is a state of forgetfulness. God is forgotten. Sinners have lost all just sense of his glory, authority, mercy, and judgment; living as if there were no God, or as if they thought there was none. And when God is forgotten, there is no proper remembrance of themselves. Their own evil ways attract little or no attention. They go on, adding sin to sin, and think scarcely any thing about them. Even if some threatening judgment should have affrighted them into vows and resolutions to amend their lives, no sooner is the cloud dissipated than all is forgotten.
But if ever we are brought to be the subjects of true conversion, we shall be brought to remember these things. This Divine change is fitly expressed by the case of the prodigal, who is said to have come to himself, or to his right mind. If we thus come to ourselves, we shall think of the holiness, goodness, and forbearance of God, and be troubled. And if we think of God, we shall not forget our own evil ways. We shall remember, and be confounded, and never open our lips any more.
The Holy Spirit makes use of divers means in conversion; but they all operate to bring the sinner to reflection. Sometimes he works by adverse providences.—Thus it was with Joseph’s brethren. They had sold their brother for a slave, and framed a lie to deceive their father; and more than twenty years had elapsed when they went down into Egypt to buy corn. There they were treated roughly, and put in ward as though they were spies. In this situation, they remembered and reflected upon their evil ways: “And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake not I unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required,” Gen. 42:21, 22. Thus, also, Manasseh king of Judah, after a long life of the most awful wickedness, was reclaimed by an adverse providence. In the thorns of affliction, he remembered the Lord God of his fathers, called upon his name, and obtained mercy. Frequently the Lord works by his word.—In reading or hearing it, something lays hold of the heart; and the effect is the same. Peter’s hearers (Acts 2) were brought to remember their evil doings, and to sue for mercy. We may read the Scriptures over and over, and hear hundreds of sermons, without any real profit, unless they operate in this way. If ever you hear to purpose, you will think but little of the preacher; your attention will be principally turned to yourselves. Sometimes, I believe, a sinner is converted without any apparent second cause. While sitting in his house, or walking by the way, his mind is insensibly drawn to think of its own evil courses: “I thought on my ways,” says David, “and turned by feet unto thy testimonies.” Whatever be the way in which we are brought, if it be by the word of God, we shall certainly be induced to remember those things which heretofore have been neglected and forgotten.
If you be truly the subjects of God’s work, there will be many ways which will be brought to your remembrance, and which you will reflect upon with bitterness; ways of open immorality,—ways in which you have thought there was little or no harm—ways that you have thought little about—and even ways which you have heretofore accounted good. 1. You will remember your ways of open immorality, odious to both God and man, and which have required some pains to stifle convictions while you pursued them. Such were the objects of bitter recollection to the penitent publican, and to the returning prodigal. Those evil courses which have distinguished your character may be supposed to have most interested your hearts; and consequently will generally be the first which occur to your remembrance. But these are not the only evils to be lamented. 2. You will remember things in which you have thought there was little or no harm.—Such are those pursuits which are common with the world. The principles, customs, and amusements of those people among whom you have lived, you accounted lawful; or if not quite lawful, yet nearly so. You have observed many to act upon this principle in trade, that we may get all we can; and may have thought you might do the same: but if you are brought to a right mind, you will remember these pursuits as Zaccheus did, and, like him, your hands will not be able to hold the ill-acquired gain. You saw little or no harm, it may be, in cards, dice, and other amusements of the kind, being kept in countenance by the example of people of fashion; but if brought to a right mind, you will remember such things with shame, being conscious that in many instances the desire of your neighbour’s property was your ruling motive: or if no property was at stake, it is an exercise on which you cannot ask for a Divine blessing before you engage, nor go with freedom upon your knees when you retire. 3. You will remember ways that you have thought nothing about.—This will be the case, especially, with respect to heart sins. Saul, the Pharisee, had no idea of God’s law taking cognizance of his heart; but when the commandment came in its spirituality, it opened to him an entirely new scene; it slew all his self-righteous hopes. Or if you should have had some convictions on account of secret sins, yet you were not aware of that awful load of negative sin of which you were continually guilty; I mean the want of love to God. But if you are brought to a right mind, you will remember and be confounded at the idea that a God of so glorious a character, and whose goodness to you has never abated, should have had no place in your heart; that you have never regarded him in any thing; but lived in wicked aversion against him. Finally, You will remember, and that with contrition, even ways that you counted good. Your very prayers, and tears, and alms, and the whole of your religion while unconverted, will appear odious to you. That of which you have made a righteousness, hoping at least that it would balance your evil deeds, will now appear as “filthy rags,” fit for nothing, unless it were to bind you hand and foot, in order to your being cast into utter darkness. Nor will these your views be at all exaggerating; for all this is but the truth. God requires the heart, the whole heart, and nothing but the heart. All those things which God requires as duties are but so many expressions of the heart; whatever, therefore, we have done without the heart can have no goodness in it in his sight, who sees things as they are; but must needs be evil. And that which is evil in the sight of God, if we become of God’s mind, will be evil in our sight.
But further, True conversion consists not only in remembering, but in “turning to the Lord.” This part of the passage is expressive of a cordial relinquishment of our idols, whatever they have been, and an acquiescence in the gospel way of salvation by Christ alone. Its importance will appear, if we consider, 1. That it is possible to remember our evil ways without turning from them. There are few who attend a faithful ministry, but are compelled, at one time or other, to remember their ways, and that with pain, shame, and remorse; yet they continue to pursue them. Their consciences are enlightened and awakened, but their hearts remain the same. Therefore they persist in evil, though the road is covered with briars and thorns. The guilt of such characters is greater by far than that of sinners in common. O! dread the thought of remembering without turning. 2. It is possible both to remember and turn, and yet not turn “to the Lord.” We may break off our open sins from merely selfish considerations, and not from the love of God. This is not breaking off our sins “by righteousness;” but a mere exchange of vices. Shimei, when circumstances required it, left off abusing and casting dust at David; but he was the same character notwithstanding. Neither God nor man can be satisfied with such turnings: “If ye will return, return to me, saith the Lord.”
Once more, True conversion to Christ will be accompanied with the worship of him. Worship, as a religious exercise, is the homage of the heart, presented to God according to his revealed will. This homage being paid to the Messiah affords a proof of his proper Deity. It was the practice of the primitive Christians, and that by which they are described, “to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Such is and will be the practice of all true Christians to the end of time. If we be truly converted to Christ, we shall worship him both privately and publicly. The worship of the closet, of the family, and of the church, will be our delight. That which has heretofore been a task and an uneasiness will become our meat and drink.
Fuller, A. G. (1988). “Nature and Extent of True Conversion,” Sermon XC. The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller: Memoirs, Sermons, Etc. (J. Belcher, Ed.; Vol. 1, pp. 549–552). Sprinkle Publications.
