Quoting Spurgeon 22

This is my favorite Spurgeon quote.

From “Where to Find Fruit” Sermon #557.

“From me is thy fruit found.” Now there may be some saint here who has lost his evidences, and he dare not approachthe throne of grace as he used to do, because he says “I have sinned-I must produce fresh fruit before I dare come.” My dear friend! My dear friend! Bring fruit to Christ! How can you talk in so legal a fashion? All the fruit you ever will have you must first get from him! Come to him as you areand get your fruit out of him. Never suppose that you must bring Christ a present or else you must not come to him. He does not want your money.If he takes it he will give it back to you in your sack’s mouth. He will receive your fruit as an offering, but never as a reconciliation. There arethose here this morning who are not converted as yet. They are saying, “I dare not seek the Lord, I dare not trust Christ. I know the gospel is, trustChrist and you are saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned; but I must not trust him, I am a drunkard, I have been a swearer, I am a Sabbath-breaker, I will wait until I am better and then I will come to Christ.” Why how can you talk thus? “From him is thy fruit found.” If there be any fruit you must come to Jesus Christ for it. Am I, if I am poor and ragged, am I to buy a new coat before I may beg a garment? What astrange proposal that I should do for myself what Christ came to do. How can that be reasonable? If I saw a man standing outside the baths andwash-houses, and he should say, “Well really, I’ve just come home from my work and am as black as a sweep, but I dare not go into those bathsuntil I have washed my face first.” I should say, “How foolish! it is in the bath that your washing is to be found.” There is no fitness wanted forChrist but that which is in Christ: nothing wanted in you, everything is in him. To use the old proverb,” Why carry coals to Newcastle?” Who wouldthink it a profitable business for our London merchants, in the cold winter time, when the price of coals is very high, to charter all the ships they can,and send them laden with coals to Newcastle? If they did so, you would think them mad. And yet there are many sinners penniless, comfortless,with no good thing of their own, who want to bring good works to Jesus! This is carrying coals to Newcastle with a vengeance. Oh! folly! folly!folly! Go with your ship all black and empty, sail up the harbor, and the pit’s mouth will soon yield to you an abundance of precious store. Go toJesus as you are. Do you want faith to-day-repentance-grace? Go to Christ for it. Go to him, resting on him, dependent on him, believing that he isready to save you, to begin, to carry on, and finish your salvation. He will be as good as you ever believe him to be, and infinitely better. If thou canst believe him princely enough to put all thy sins away, and to cover thee with his righteousness, he will do it, for never man thought too well of Christ. Ifthou canst get a big thought of Christ, thou big sinner — if thou canst believe on the eternal Son of the eternal Father, who once poured out hisblood in streams on Calvary thou art secure. God help thee. Amen.