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  SALVATION OR THE SINNER DIRECTED IN THE WAY OF LIFE
  by William J. Mccord
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McCord's practical guide designed to lead awakened sinners to salvation,
directed especially toward young people and those without regular pastoral care.
He relies heavily on Scripture to direct souls in the way of life.

  Chapters: 9

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS
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    1. 01 Google Statement
    2. 03 Preface
    3. 05 Chap 1 Salvation Implies Exposure
    4. 06 Chap 2 What has been done to Save us
    5. 07 Chap 3 It is a Great Salvation
    6. 08 Chap 4 Salvation is Brought near
    7. 09 Chap 5 How to Obtain Salvation
    8. 10 Chap 6 Excuses
    9. 11 Chap 7 Motives

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  CHAPTER 1: 01 GOOGLE STATEMENT
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IIIIIIIIIIII 3 3433 06826365 0


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  CHAPTER 2: 03 PREFACE
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PREFACE.

THERE are many works already before the public, the design of which is to lead
men to Christ. But a work of this kind may not be rendered useless because
others of a similar character have preceded it. Every writer has a manner of his
own ; and the exercises of the awakened are almost endlessly diversified. The
subject as presented by one author may meet some cases, but not others. May I
not hope then, that notwithstanding the many who have preceded me in this path,
this little volume may prove glad tidings to some inquiring soul ? It may meet
the case of some who have read other works of this kind without finding peace ;
and it may possibly fall into the hands of some who have never had the privilege
of reading a treatise in answer to the great question, What must I do to be
saved? It is for such, and especially for the young, and for those in our wide
spreadcountry who enjoy not the regular ministrations of the sanctuary, that I
have written. Hence I have endeavoured to keep near to the Scriptures, and have
quoted largely from them. The Spirit, in his work on the soul, honours the word
; and so must they who would be helpful to those who are under the teachings of
the Spirit.

Awakened persons, and persons seriously disposed, who may not be in the
enjoyment of the regular means of grace, or may not have access to a pastor or
pious friend ; or who, through diffidence, may fear to acquaint others with
their anxiety, or ask advice; may, it is hoped, be benefited by this brief
treatise. Such were my circumstances ; and had such a work been put into my
hands, or been within my reach, it would have been of incalculable service to
me. I hope this may be useful to others in similar circumstances. That God may
honour this humble attempt to serve him, is the earnest prayer of the author.

W. J. M.

Amenia, N. Y„ MAY, 1846.


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  CHAPTER 3: 05 CHAP 1 SALVATION IMPLIES EXPOSURE
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CHAPTER 1.

SALVATION IMPLIES ExPOSURE,

Isaiah 52:7.-How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth
good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that
publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth !

WE love the bearer of good tidings. We welcome him for the sake of his message.
And we prize the message in proportion to its value. So should we in the
concerns of the soul and the things of God. We should greet the bearers of the
gospel message. That message, though variously described, may be summed up in a
single word-the sweetest word that ever met the ear of mortal man-salvation !
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that .... publisheth
salvation !" Isaiah 52:7.

" Salvation ! let the echo fly The spacious earth around;

While all the armies of the sky Conspire to raise the sound."

Salvation! Reader, let me spend a serious hour with you upon this theme. The
subject is important. No other can equal it in importance. It is the most
momentous theme to which the mind of man can be turned. It relates to the body
and to the soul, to time and to eternity, to God and man, to heaven and hell. It
is a question of weal or woe, of happiness or misery, and that through an
endless duration. As it relates to you, it is whether you shall be saved or lost
; whether you shall soar and sing with angels, or sink and suffer with ruined
spirits. It is a question, too, which concerns yourself and involves your own
individual interests for both worlds, the present and the future. No evasion of
the subject can diminish its importance, nor separate from it your own personal
concern. In comparison with it, what is this world with all its pleasures, its
riches, its honours ? Nothing, and less than nothing ! Go, count the stars, and
they are suns, the centres of innumerable worlds. Were all these worlds one
solid mass of gold-one diamond gem-it would be nothing in comparison with
salvation. And shall not this subject receive a moment’s attention ? Will you
not pause and consider it? O stop and think I Read this little book as for your
life ; welcome it as the bearer of glad tidings; and let your prayer ascend to
God for mercy. Cry for his Spirit to impress the truth upon your heart This
subject is interesting. It should be interesting to you, because your own
immortal destiny Is involved in it; and that which so intimately concerns
yourself should enlist your whole attention, and absorb all your powers in its
study and contemplation. Besides, this subject, connected as it is with the
character and glory of God, places the great Jehovah before us in the most
endearing light, and gives a clearer view of his perfections than can anywhere
else be found. We see in it " the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2
Corinthians 4:6. It unfolds the plan of redemption, " the mystery of godliness,"
into which even the angels desire to look. 1 Timothy 3:16. 1 Peter 1:12. It
speaks too of the glories of heaven, and sets life, eternal life, before us as
the prize which we are to seek, the crown for which we are to strive. If there
be one subject which, more than any other, claims the attention of man; if there
be one theme which ’challenges an interest above every other, it is salvation:
the very subject which now invites your serious and prayerful thought; -the very
theme which this volume introduces to your notice, beseeching you to heed the
message which it brings.

Salvation implies’exposure. It implies sin and danger from which we need to be
saved. Were there no exposure, there would he no need of salvation ; and indeed
there could be no salvation. Hence it is written, " The son of man came to seek
and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10. Man is lost, and therefore needs
to be saved ; exposed, and therefore needs deliverance. Man was created holy, in
the image of God. " So God created man in his own image: in the image of God
created he him." Genesis 1:27. This image, as we learn from the Apostle, where
he speaks of the renovation of our nature, and the consequent reformation of our
life, consisted in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. Thus it is written, "
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of
him that created him." Colossians 3:10. And, " That ye put off, concerning the
former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful
lusts ; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new
man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Ephesians
4:22--24. It is useless to speculate about what might have been our condition if
Adam had not sinned. The sad fact is recorded that he did sin; he fell from "
the estate wherein he was created," and by his fall lost the image of God in
which he was made, and involved himself and his posterity in guilt and ruin.

We are sinners, by nature sinful ; for " that which is born of the flesh, is
flesh." John 3:6. " We are estranged from the womb ; we go astray as soon as we
are born." Psalms 58:3. Our understandings are darkened, as it is written, "
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through
the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart."
Ephesians 4:18. Our affections are corrupted ; our wills enslaved. " The whole
head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the
head there is no soundness in it ; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying
sores." Isaiah 1:5-6. " We are all as an unclean thing, and all our
righteousnesses are as filthy rags." Isa. lxiv. 6. We are by nature children of
wrath and enemies of God, for " the carnal mind is enmity against him."
Ephesians 2:3. Romans 8:7. We are averse to that which is good, and seek
pleasure in that which is " earthly, sensual, devilish." James 3:15.

"Look how we grovel here below, Fond of these trifling toys: Our souls can
neither fly nor go, To reach eternal joys." The fall of Adam ruined the race. "
He begat, a son in his own likeness." Genesis 5:3. Who can bring a clean thing
out of an unclean ? not one." Job 14:4. To the natural corruption of our hearts,
we have added the actual transgressions of our lives. We were born in sin, and
we have lived in sin. Psalms 51:5. "Communion with God is lost; we are under his
wrath and curse, and so are liable to all the miseries of this life, to death
itself, and to the pains of hell for ever." Deep and deadly are the stains of
guilt: So far are we fallen from our original righteousness, that we take
pleasure in our iniquities, "and roll sin as a sweet morsel under our tongues."
Wickedness is sweet in our mouth. Job 20:12-13. " How abominable and ,filthy is
man, which drinketh iniquity like water !" Job 15:16. Hear the testimony of the
great Apostle: " We have proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under
sin ; as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one : there is none
that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God: They are all gone out
of the way, they are together become unprofitable : there is none that doeth
good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they
have used deceit ; the poison of asps is under their lips : whose mouth is full
of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and
misery are in their ways : and the way of peace have they not known. There is no
fear of God before their eyes." Romans 3:9-18. This is a dark picture ; but in
the first chapter of Romans we have one still darker, which is thus
concluded-and this is the climax in the description of man’s native character-"
Who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy
of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that de them." Romans
1:18-32.

Thus it appears that man now is far from righteousness., His Maker’s image is
lost; and Jehovah saith by the prophet, " Hearken unto me, ye stout-hearted,
that are far from righteousness." Isaiah 46:12. Men are far from righteousness
as sinners. This charge includes the whole race. All are guilty before God. You
are guilty. The law convicts you as a transgressor, and thunders out its curses
against you. You are a criminal. Because of your sins, original and actual, in
thought, word, and deed, in heart and life, you are far, O! how far, from
innocency. As condemned by the law for their transgressions, men are far from
righteousness. " By the law is the knowledge of sin." Romans 3:20. The law
detects and discovers sin, as well as reveals its nature. Romans 7:7. And the
law knows no mercy. It condemns for sin, for the first sin, for the least sin. "
He that offends in one point is guilty of all." James 2:10.- Galatians 3:10. " I
was alive without the law once," saith Paul, " but when the commandment came,
sin revived, and I died." Romans 7:9. The law slays the vain hopes of the
self-righteous. It thunders terror in the ear of guilt; it condemns ; it cries
for blood. Hence it is written, " He that believeth not, is condemned already."
John 3:18. Sinners are far from righteousness because they are far from
justification. Justification is the reverse of condemnation. And as they are
condemned, they of course are not justified. They are as far from justification
as they are deep in condemnation. Nor are they in. the way to be justified. They
are unwilling to be justified in God’s way. " For they, being ignorant of God’s
righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not
submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." Romans 10:3. They are
vainly hoping to get to heaven in a way of their own. And when invited to the
gospel-feast, they all with one consent begin to make excuse. Luke 14:17-20. How
many are their excuses! How ingenious are they in devising pleas by which to
justify their neglect of the great salvation, their indifference to the things
of God, and the concerns of the soul, and of another world ! Yes, reader, how
many have been your excuses ! How well you remember them! How clearly you
recollect with what frivolous pleas you dismissed your serious impressions in
former days, and grieved away from your soul the Spirit of the Lord! And even
now, by what means do you justify yourself in the rejection of Christ !

I need not repeat these excuses, nor dwell upon them. You know them perfectly ;
and your conscience, as a faithful monitor, brings them full to your view, and
convicts you of guilt in thus deferring the most important of all concerns. You
see in these excuses, and in the disposition which makes them, that you are far
from righteousness. Were you innocent, would you wish to be excused when invited
to the Saviour? Were your heart right, would you be content to live-could you
live-" without hope and without God in the world ?" Ephesians 2:12. Would
religious duties be, as they now are, your aversion? What is now the testimony
of your life, but that you are in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of
iniquity? Acts 8:23. " Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these,
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings,
murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before,
as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not
inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21.

Hence men are exposed to the wrath of God. It is the testimony of Scripture that
" God is angry with the wicked every day." Psalms 7:11. He declares, " ye have
kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever." Jeremiah 7:4. And
again, " a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell."
Deuteronomy 32:22. God is not moved with anger as we are. He hath neither bodily
parts, nor human passions. His anger is his aversion-the opposition of his
nature-to that which is evil, and his determination to punish it. His is not the
anger of man ; it is the anger of God. It is indignation against sin. He is
immutably opposed to sin; and from the very holiness of his nature, he must and
will punish the transgressor. He abhors evil. He cannot look upon sin. It is the
abominable thing that he hates. Jeremiah 44:4. He will visit it with merited
punishment; for " he is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and Cannot look on
iniquity." Habakkuk 1:13. The sinner may expect to feel his vengeance. He is
exposed to. "the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." Revelation 19:15. " What
then shall he do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall he answer
him?" Job 31:14. A day is coming when " upon the wicked God shall rain snares,
fire and brimstone, and , a horrible tempest : this shall be the portion of
their cup." Psalms 6:6. For it is written, " The hand of the Lord shall be known
towards his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies. For behold, the
Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his
anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire." Isaiah 66:14-15. " The
Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his
enemies." Nahum 1:2. " It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
living God ; for our God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 10:31; Hebrews 12:29. "
Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his
anger? his fury is poured out like fire." Nahum 1:6. " The expectation of the
wicked is wrath."Proverbs 11:23. " Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel
both with wrath and fierce anger .... and he shall destroy the sinners." Isaiah
13:9. The wicked are called children of wrath. Ephesians 2:3. They are said to "
treasure up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath," Romans 2:5; and the
Saviour declares that unbelievers have " the wrath of God abiding on them." John
3:36. God’s wrath is compared to a whirlwind, which destroys every thing before
it. Thus it is written," Ile shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both
living, and in his wrath." Psalms 58:9-11. Their destruction shall come as a
whirlwind. Proverbs 1:27. " And he shall also blow upon them, and they shall
wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble." Isaiah 40:24. "
Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous
whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of
the Lord shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed
the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly."
Jeremiah 23:19; Jeremiah 23:20; Jeremiah 30:23. " Do we provoke the Lord to
jealousy ? are we stronger than he ?" 1 Corinthians 10:22. And yet by our sins
we have provoked him. He is angry with us. Think of an angry God! He can dash
you to pieces in a moment. " He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he
toucheth the hills, and they smoke." Psalms 104:32. " He taketh up the isles as
a very little thing; he sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the
inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; yea, all nations before him are as
nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity." Isaiah
40:15-23. Nor can you hide from his presence. His eye is ever upon you. Flee to
the ends of the earth, and still he is near. Make your bed in hell, and he is
there. Psalms 139:7-12. You are ever beneath the eye and exposed to the wrath of
an angry God!

Men are also exposed to the reproaches of conscience. It has been made a
question whether heaven is a place; and some who deny that it is, and would have
heaven everywhere, are equally anxious to have hell nowhere. Some imagine they
should be happy, could they but persuade themselves that there is no hell-a
system of belief, according to which we Should fear the sexton more than the
murderer; for if hell means nothing more than the grave, then we are taught to
fear, not the man who kills us, but the man by whom we are buried! Matthew
10:28. But conscience would remain, even if there were no hell. This is
inseparable from the sinner’s self. It will go with him where he goes, and
remain with hint where he remains. While he continues unre. newed and
unforgiven, as he must for ever if he die unpardoned, it will follow him with
reproaches and make him miserable. In this world it may be quieted ; it may be
lulled to sleep ; it may be seared : but it is not dead, it only sleepeth ; the
time will come when it will awake, and then it will bite like a serpent and
sting like an adder. Proverbs 23:32. The reproaches of others we may endure, but
who can bear the reproaches of himself, and that for ever ? To be self-condemned
is to be miserable.

Reader, conscience is a part of yourself. You cannot divest yourself of it. It
reproves you for your sins ; and though it may be hushed and seared, there are
times when it will speak, and when its voice must be heard. And however you may
silence or evade its reproofs in this world, they cannot be silenced nor evaded
in the world to come. A guilty conscience must be the torment of the wicked
wherever they are ; and it will make a hell of any place. Conscience is " a
bosom friend, or a bosom fury." It is- "a living scorpion to the deathless soul"
of the wicked -the undying worm that will ever gnaw upon their hearts-upon your
heart ! Mark 9:44-48. As sinners are now under the wrath.of God, condemned by
his law, and in a state of enmity with him ; so are they now subject to the
checks, reproofs, and reproaches of conscience. But as the wrath of God is yet
wrath to come-punishment yet to be inflicted-reserved for another state of being
; so the reproaches of conscience, the remorse it will occasion, the despair it
will inflict, are yet to come.

It is evil which impends, and from which there is no escape, but by timely
repentance. Conscience may sleep here, but it will be awake in the future world.
, It will bring up to view the scenes through which the sinner has passed in
this probationary state. It will recall the Sabbath, the sanctuary, and the
means of grace possessed and abused; the Bible with its precious invitations
neglected ; the grieving of the Spirit ; the rejection of the Saviour; and one
terrific sound will ever ring in the ear of the lost-O sinner, thou hast
destroyed thyself! Hosea 13:9. Even now thy conscience condemns thee, reader;
"and if thy heart condemn thee, God is greater than thy heart, and knoweth all
things." 1 John 3:20. The man who had not on a wedding-garment, was speechless
because condemned by his own conscience ; and so wilt thou be when arraigned
before the bar of God. Matthew 13:11-13. " Then shall the wicked say to the
mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him That sitteth
on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb : for the great day of his wrath
is come, and who shall ’be able to stand?" Revelation 6:16-17. Hence you are
exposed to the miseries of hell. Death will not terminate your existence.

" ’Tis not the whole of life to live, Nor all of death to die."

You must live for ever. There is a hell; and to it you, as a sinner, are
exposed. Its miseries are dreadful ; their duration eternaL There the wrath of
God is poured out with. out mixture upon the wicked. There con. science stings
the soul with remorse. There the devil and his angels torment the lost. There
are wailing and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:42. O what untold horrors reign in
the prison of despair Every sense of the body, and every power of the soul, is
an avenue of pain; and there is no end, and no relief, to the miseries of that
gloomy world. The soul once lost, is lost for ever. "These shall go away into
everlasting punishment." Matthew 25:46. " The smoke of their torment ascendeth
up for ever and ever." Revelation 14:11. This is the second death: the wages of
sin. Revelation 20:14. Romans 6:23. It is the curse, the penalty of God’s law,
which is incurred by every transgressor; as it is written, " Cursed is every,
one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law
to do them." Galatians 3:10. Who hath fulfilled the law in all things? Not one.
Who then is not liable to the curse ? And if death overtakes you in your sins,
what becomes of your hopes, and where is your soul ? Lost-lost for ever-doomed
to the miseries of hell ! Who can dwell with the devouring fire ? who can dwell
with everlasting burnings Isaiah 33:14. Think of the rich man begging for a
single drop of water, and receiving for answer that he had received all his good
things, and must now be tormented for ever ! Luk 16::24-25. Think that his case
may be your own, if you slight this message of salvation; and 0 awake to your
danger, and flee from, wrath to come! Matthew 3:7.

Such, then, is the exposure which salvation implies, and from which it proposes
to rescue us. Such reader, is your condition, such your state. You are fallen,
sinful, far from righteousness, exposed to the wrath of God, to the reproaches
of conscience, to the curse of the law, and to the miseries of hell. What a
fearful state is this to be in! Dying thus, you are undone. You are then a
prisoner of despair; and hope can never beam on you. From this discussion we may
infer the need of salvation. We stand in perishing need of it; in so much need,
that, without it, we must perish; without it we must die in our sins, and can
never be admitted to the Saviour’s presence in peace. John 8:21. We need
salvation to.deliver us from danger. Tidings of the way of deliverance must be
good tidings-" good tidings of good." Would we but open our eyes to our
exposure, we must feel our need of deliverance, Look around you, reader; see the
dangers which environ you; see the wrath of God impending; the flames of hell
gathering at your feet; the pit enlarging for your reception ; guilt
accumulating; the heart hardening ; life wearing away ; the day of death
hastening; yourself standing on the brink of the grave and the borders of the
pit ; judgment lingering not, damnation slumbering not, 2 Peter 2:3; and tell me
if you do not need salvation-need it to deliver you from peril-to bring you up
out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set your feet upon a rock, and
establish your goings, and put a new song in your mouth, even praise unto our
God ? Psalms 40:2-3. Yes, you need salvation to rescue you from danger. And you
need it to renovate your nature. Your, heart is depraved, and you must have a
new heart and a right spirit, or go down to endless woe. The Saviour has said, "
Ye must be born again." John 3:7. The corruption of your nature renders a change
of heart necessary. You must experience the washing of regeneration, and the
renewing of the Holy Ghost. Titus 3:5. Jesus "gave himself for us, that he might
redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous
of good works." Titus 2:14. You are impure. You need to be purified, sanctified,
and cleansed. The old man must be ,put off, and the new man put on. The Lord has
promised to give a new heart, and to put his Spirit within us, Ezekiel 36:25-27;
and to this end you need salvation, that you may be born of the Spirit, and
become a new creature in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17.

You need salvation to justify you before God, and make you righteous in his
sight. You are now far from righteousness, stained with guilt, in a state of
condemnation. The law has demands which you have never met, and never can meet.
It cries out for vengeance on you. You are a condemned criminal. Not’ only do
you need a renovation of heart, but a justifying righteousness. The salvation
offered you brings near an all-sufficient righteousness; and you need it, that
you may be acquitted, be accounted righteous, and be presented without spot
before the throne of God. O sinner ! were deliverance proclaimed to captives
bound in prison, with what joy would they welcome the good tidings! And will not
you welcome the message which speaks of deliverance from wrath, and which offers
to you the liberty of the sons of God ? " If the Son shall make you free, you
shall be free indeed." John 8:36.

You need salvation to prepare you for heaven. You are now unprepared. You feel
unprepared. With all your guilt upon you, you are not fit for the presence and
the praise of God with the pure spirits above. You are not ready for the summons
of death ; not ready for the trials of the judgment ; not ready for the joys of
heaven. Those joys are holy joys, but you are not holy. Those joys flow from
God’s presence, but you are not prepared to welcome and delight in his presence.
Your heart must first be made new; your sins must first be washed away ; you
must first be clothed with the Redeemer’s righteousness, and partake of the
sanctification of his Spirit. The same mind must be in you which was in Christ
Jesus ; for " if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Php
2:5. Romans 8:9. And how can you ever be prepared for the mansions of rest, if
you reject salvation, refuse to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ, and resist and
grieve his Spirit ?

You need salvation, not only to take away your sins and fit you for heaven, but
to take you there, and make you’ blessed for ever. Salvation begins here in the
renovation of our nature and the pardon of sin ; it is completed in heaven,
where we are made perfectly happy and blessed for evermore.

If we are not saved from sin here, we shall not be saved in heaven hereafter.
Yet heaven is what you desire, heaven is what you hope for; but heaven you can
never reach if you reject this salvation. To reach heaven you need salvation.
There is no heaven without it. Then embrace it. Welcome the message and obey it
; and let it be the language of your heart, " How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace ; that
bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation ; that saith unto Zion,
Thy God reigneth !"


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  CHAPTER 4: 06 CHAP 2 WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO SAVE US
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CHAPTER. II.

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO SAVE US.

Matthew 1:21.-And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name
Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

WE have seen that salvation implies exposure, and that we therefore need
salvation. Salvation is deliverance from sin and its consequences; from the
guilt, pollution, and power of sin here, and the punishment of sin hereafter. To
be saved is to be rescued from sin and hell, and taken to heaven ; to be
restored to the favour of God in this world and the enjoyment of God in the
next. It begins in regeneration and justification; is carried on in our
sanctification, and is completed in our glorification. As it is written, " Whom
he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the ’image of his
Son, that he ’tight be the first-born among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did
predestinate, them he also called ; and whom he called, them he also justified ;
and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Romans 8:29-30. Hence, when
Joseph is instructed respecting the birth of the Saviour, he is also instructed
respecting his name," Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his
people from their sins." Matthew 1:21.

Jests came to save. This was the design of his advent. " For God sent not his
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be
saved." John 3:17. " The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28. " He came not
to destroy, but to save." Luke 9:56. " Wherefore, when he cometh into the world,
he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou
prepared me ; in burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no
pleasure. Then said I, Lo, come (in the volume of the book it is written of me)
to do thy. will, O God. . . By the which will we are sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Hebrews 10:5-10. He ’assumed
our nature for the very purpose of accomplishing our deliverance and salvation
by his own death. " Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and
blood, he also himself like wise took part of the same ; that through death he
might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver
them, who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
Hebrews 2:14-15. " This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." 1 Timothy 1:15.

Jesus saves from sin and from the curse of the law. It would be an interesting
study to collect together the names and titles of the blessed Redeemer, and
ascertain their true and real import. Many of them have a relation to us, to our
circumstances and wants. We are sinners; and he is called Jesus-Saviour-because
he saves from sin. You must be saved from your sins, or they will be your ruin.
And sin exposes to wrath; and from wrath you must be saved, if saved at all.
From this too Jesus saves. Saith an Apostle, "For they themselves show of us
what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols,
to serve the living and true God ; and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he
raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." 1
Thessalonians 1:9-10. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak
through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and
for sin, condemned sin in the flesh ; that the righteousness of the law might be
fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans
8:3-4.

Jesus takes’ his people to heaven. This completes their salvation. He has said,
" In my Father’s house are many mansions : if it were not so, I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be
also." John 14:2-3. To be with Christ, and where he is, is the perfection of
bliss. Hence it is written, " Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be
like him ; for we shall see him as lie is." 1 John 3:2. He will say unto them on
his right hand, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world. And you righteous shall go away into
life eternal." Matthew 25:34, Matthew 25:46. " Them which sleep in Jesus will
God bring with him." 1 Thessalonians 4:14. " God himself shall be with them, and
be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes ; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any
more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ Revelation 21:3-4. The
happiness of the righteous is beautifully described in Revelation 7:9-17; They
stand before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and
palms in their hands.

They cry with a loud voice, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb. And the angels join in their song, saying, Amen: Blessing,
and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be
unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And what are these which are arrayed in
white robes ? and whence came they ? ... These are they which came out of great
tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of
the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and
night in his temple : and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light
on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall
feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes. " With what sublime simplicity and brevity
Paul sums up the bliss of heaven: So shall we be for ever with the Lord.’

It would be much to be for ever with’ any one of the angels, in any part of
heaven, however remote from the throne of God and the Lamb. It would be much to
be for ever with’ any one of the saints, even if not within the sight or the
sound of the general assembly’ before the throne. It would be much to be for
ever’ alone on the most distant hill of immortality. It would be much to ’be for
ever’ any where, out of hell. What then, must it be, to be for ever with the
Lord ?,,,-Yet to this does Jesus exalt his people. His intercessory prayer is
answered in their glorification, where sin and sorrow are alike unknown : -"
Father, I will that they also whom thou hest given me be with me where I am ;
that they may behold my glory, which thou halt given me : for thou lovedst me
before the foundation of the world." John 17:24.

’ But how does Jesus save his people from their sins? What has been done for our
salvation? Here two things are to be remembered :

1. God is holy and hates sin. He is holiness itself; and he says, " Be ye holy;
for am holy." 1 Peter 1:16. " He is the holy Lord God Almighty." Isaiah 6:3.
Revelation 4:8. Sin is his abhorrence; it is an abomination to him. Jeremiah
44:4. He hates it, not only as it is a transgression of his law and an abuse of
his goodness, but as it is in itself opposed to the holiness of his nature and
the rectitude of his character. And,

2. God is just and will punish sin. His character is perfect. All his attributes
are infinite; and they are equally dear to him. He will never sacrifice one of
them to another, nor exalt one of them above another. He will never sacrifice
his justice, nor his truth, to his benevolence. There is a beau.. tiful harmony
among his attributes. There is no conflict among them. They all conspire to
render his character infinitely perfect and lovely. His truth is as dear to him
as his goodness; his justice is as dear as his mercy. As he must, from the
holiness of his nature, hate sin; so must he, from the justice of his nature,
punish it. " A God of truth and without iniquity; just and right is he."
Deuteronomy 32:4. And he saith, " To me belongeth vengeance and recompense;
their foot shall slide in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand,
and the things that shall come upon them make haste." Deuteronomy 32:35. The
Bible teaches that God is love: and it also teaches that he is holy, just, and
true. Justice and truth are essential perfections of his character, as well as
benevolence; and holiness is the combined moral excellence of all his
perfections. He is holy ; and holiness is necessarily opposed to sin. The
happiness of the creatures is not the end of creation, but the glory of the
Creator ; and when the creatures do not seek that glory, and make it the end of
their being " to glorify God and enjoy him for ever," his holiness and justice
both require their punishment. This punishment is, the wrath to come, to which
sinners are now exposed, and which falls upon them after they pass from this
vale of tears. It is punishment resulting from the essential and necessary
opposition of God’s nature, and characters and purposes, to every thing
impure-punish ment inflicted because God is holy, just, and true.

Now the question arises-if God is holy and hates sin ; if he is just and will
punish it if he is true and faithful, and will fulfil his threatenings and
execute wrath upon his enemies ; then how can we be forgiven and saved? In reply
it may be observed-That we are sinners, exposed to the vindictive justice and
fierce anger of God for our sins. Our exposure has been made plain ; and we
cannot deliver ourselves. We are without strength to accomplish our salvation.
Romans 5:6. Isaiah 44:24. We need a strong deliverer ; one who is able and
mighty to save. 2 Samuel 2:2. Psalms 89:19. Isaiah 63:1. We cannot be saved by
our works. The law demands perfect and constant obedience; no present or future
obedience, could we render it, can atone for the past. The law says, Do and
live; but as we have not done, it condemns us to death. And the law which
condemns us for the first offence, can never justify us. " By the deeds of the
law, there shall no flesh be justified." Romans 3:20. We cannot be saved by our
own sufferings, self-inflictions, tortures, penances. No sufferings of ours can
avail to atone for our transgressions.

Vain are the heathen’s tortures, vain his ablutions; and equally vain are any
self-inflictions of ours to take away our sins. We may ask, " Wherewith shall I
come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before
him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old ? Will the Lord be pleased
with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my
first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul ?"
Micah 6:6-7. All these are vain ; and equally vain is every thing we can do and
suffer. Nor is repentance any satisfaction for sin- It makes no reparation to
the injured character and government of God ; it satisfies neither his holiness
nor his justice; and if sin could be pardoned, simply on the repentance of the
sinner without an atonement-without a satisfaction to justice-encouragement
would be given to transgression, the holiness of God would be tarnished, his
truth and his justice would be sacrificed. Besides, if repentance could atone
for sin,, salvation would be of works, and not of grace. Sorrow and tears,
however needful and proper, are no satisfaction. Nor are prayers and religious
duties. No strictness in these can take away our guilt. To depend upon them is
to ruin our souls. To make them our dependence is as fatal as to neglect them
altogether. We may bestow all our goods to feed the poor, and give our bodies to
be burned, and yet perish in our sins. 1 Corinthians 13:3. You must have a
righteousness better than your own, or you are undone. Remember with whom you
have to do, the Lord God of hosts ; and remember who and what you are, a worm of
the dust, a guilty rebel in, danger of hell; and well may you inquire, How shall
I escape? As God is just, eternally and immutably just, sin must be punished,
either in the person of the sinner, or of a substitute. The scheme of redemption
was not intended to sacrifice the justice of God to his benevolence : it was
designed to display all his perfections, meet the demands of justice, and render
it possible for God to be, just, and the justifier of him which believeth in
Jesus. Romans 3:23-26. We need a Saviour who can satisfy the claims of justice,
take our place, suffer in our stead, and bear our sins as Jesus did, in his own
body on the tree. 2 Corinthians 5:21. 1 Peter 2:24. As God is holy, immutably
and necessarily opposed to sin, he can accept of sinners only on the ground of a
perfect righteousness. The scheme of redemption was never designed to lower the
standard of perfection, nor to save sinners on the basis of an imperfect
obedience, however sincere, or of a. defective righteousness, however painfully
wrought. Perfect holiness is the standard of excellence at which all are to aim
; and a perfect righteousness is that alone on the foundation of which sinful
men can be accepted with God. But who of the sons of men hath such a
righteousness ? Not one. All are guilty. Sin infects us all; and yet a perfect
righteousness must cover our polluted souls, or we shall be driven away in our
wickedness.

How then can we escape the wrath of God, and his character not only appear
untarnished, but acquire additional lustre in the view of all his creatures,
while we are received and treated as righteous? It must ever be remembered-and
hence it is well to repeat-that God is holy, just, and true; and his holiness,
truth, and justice, must be satisfied, or man cannot be saved. The sinner stands
condemned and exposed ; a substitute must be found for him, one who can suffer
in his room, or he himself must suffer for his own sins. "Die he, or justice
must," if no substitute assume his place. The holiness, truth, and justice of
God all demand his punishment. He is condemned by the law; the law calls for his
execution ; where shall a righteousness be found sufficient to cover his naked
and guilty soul ? How can he be saved ? The Bible solves this difficult
question. It pours divine light on human destiny ; it opens a door of hope to
the perishing. The Lord has found a ransom for our souls. He is gracious and
saith, " Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom." Job
33:24. Help is laid upon one that is mighty ; and one chosen out of the people
is exalted. Psalms 89:19. Jesus is our substitute, our representative and
surety. He took our place. Our sins were laid upon him : " the Lord laid on him
the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:6. He obeyed the law and endured its penalty
for us and in our stead. Galatians 3:13. " He took upon him the form of a
servant, and was made in the likeness of men : and being found in fashion as a
man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross." Php 2:7-8. Thus he atoned for our sins ; satisfied the claims of God ;
honoured his holiness, justice, and truth ; opened the way ’ of life by a true
and proper. satisfaction ; and not only made forgiveness possible, but secured
eternal life to his people. God can now be just while he justifies and saves,
Does God’s holiness require obedience? Jesus has obeyed;

"And in his life the law appears, Drawn out in living characters." Does justice
cry for vengeance? Jesus has suffered. " Who is he that condemneth ? It is
Christ that died." Romans 8:34. " Surely he hath borne dur griefs and carried
our sorrows : yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But
he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the
chastisement of our peace was upon him ; and with his stripes we are healed."
Isaiah 53:4-5. By his obedience, sufferings, and death, he has made an
atonement, and brought in an everlasting righteousness. Daniel 9:24. " He is the
propitiation for our sins." 1 John 2:2. "God hath made him to be sin for us, who
knew no sin ; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2
Corinthians 5:21. " He , is the Lord out righteousness." Jeremiah 23:6. His
obedience and sufferings-his doing and dying-constitute his righteousness, the
everlasting righteousness which he has wrought out and brought in for our
salvation, and which is brought near in the gospel. Isaiah 46:12-13. It is
called in the Scriptures the righteousness of God. Paul declares, " I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ; ... for therein is the righteousness of God
revealed ; .. even the righteousness of God, which’ is by faith of Jesus Christ
unto all, and upon all them that believe." Romans 1:16-17, and Romans 3:22. And
again, " I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung,
that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the
righteousness which is of God by faith." Php 3:8-9. Speaking of the Jews, he
says, " They have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."
Romans 10:2-3. Christ’s righteousness is called the righteousness of God,
because it is that righteousness ’which God has provided for our justification.
By it his holiness and justice are satisfied ; and in consequence of it a free
offer of salvation is made to men. Through it we may find acceptance with God.
In the work of Christ, "mercy and truth are met together ; righteousness and
peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth ; and
righteousness shall look down from heaven." Psalms 85:10-11. Being far from
righteousness, we need Christ’s righteousness; and when, through the operation
of the Spirit upon our hearts, we believe in him, his righteousness is imputed
to us, and we are accounted and treated as righteous; our hearts being renewed,
we are by faith forgiven and accepted, It is by faith in Christ’s righteousness
then, that we are pardoned and justified. His righteousness is the only ground
of pardon and of hope. It is on the basis of this alone that the sinner can be
saved. " The wages of sin is death : but the gift of God is eternal life,
through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23. As our surety and substitute he has
suffered in our stead ; God’s character and government are vindicated; all his
perfections are honoured; the door of salvation is opened ; and we are to
receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and rely. upon his righteousness, and trust
in him for pardon and eternal life. This is the beginning of salvation ; and it
is perfected in heaven, whence all sin is banished, and where all happiness is
enjoyed-" to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us
accepted in the Beloved ; in. whom we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." Ephesians 1:6-7.

Thus we see what Jesus has done to save "Christ hath once suffered for sins, the
just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the
flesh, but quickened by the Spirit" 1 Peter 3:18. He assumed our nature, and
suffered that we might be delivered from suffering. He died that we might live.
To save his people from their sins, he gave himself up to ignominy and to death.
What love! what compassion! While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us ; he
died for the ungodly. Romans 5:6-8. This is the pity of a God I Jesus loved us,
and gave himself for us. Ephesians 5:2, Ephesians 5:25. Had not he interposed,
God’s holiness and truth would have required our punishment; his justice would
have demanded our eternal condemnation. But now Jesus is our refuge, our
hiding-place. We are safe beneath his cross.

"God’s vengeance will not strike us here, Nor Satan dare our souls invade

Jesus is the Saviour. By faith in him we are delivered from condemnation and
wrath ; and he of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30. See in him God reconciled,
heaven and eternal life held up to your view, and cast your soul upon him,
saying, "Here, Lord, I give myself away, ’T is all that I can do."

It is all that he requires. Receive him into your heart, and you are safe, and
heaven with its glories shall be yours; yours eternal life, eternal joy From
what precedes, we infer the desirableness of salvation. We have seen our need of
it, in what it consists, and what has been done to save us. Jesus came into the
world upon this errand of mercy, and died on the cross to accomplish it. It is a
salvation from sin, from its guilt and pollution, its power and punishment, and
it is desirable.

" The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7. It
cleanses from the guilt of sin. Guilt is liability to punishment. To this, sin
renders us obnoxious. But the salvation which Jesus accomplishes delivers from
guilt. When we embrace Christ by faith, we are no longer condemned. " Being
justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Romans 5:1. " There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus."
Romans 8:1. And have you no desire to be delivered from condemnation ? No desire
to be rescued from your exposure? Think of your danger; look around at your
peril; see the prison of despair ready to receive you; and is not salvation to
be desired when it rescues from such perils ? O could you see your danger as it
is-could your eyes be opened to look upon your situation in its true light-could
you have a clear view of your guilt, I am sure you would think salvation
desirable.

It delivers from the pollution of sin. Sin vitiates, corrupts, pollutes.. The
blood of Christ cleanses from this pollution. It procures the gift of the Holy
Spirit, by whose influences our hearts are renewed, and the work of
sanctification is begun and carried on in our souls. " Be not deceived: neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of
themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers,
nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you :
but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Again, it
is written, "God bath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through
sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth." 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14.
Think how odious sin makes us in the sight of God; how it corrupts and pollutes
all the parts of the body and the faculties of the soul; how it debases the mind
and renders it earthly, sensual, and grovelling; and is it not desirable to be
freed from all this pollution, of sin ? Why, then, will you not come and wash in
the fountain which is open for sin and uncleanness ? Zechariah 13:1. Are the
stains of sin deep upon your soul ? The blood of Jesus can wash them all out.
Look to him for purification. Isaiah 1:18. Titus 2:14.

Salvation delivers from the power of sin. Sin has a condemning, a corrupting,
and an enslaving power. They who commit sin are the servants of sin. John 8:34.
Romans 6:16.

"How sad our state by nature is! Our sin, how deep its stains! And Satan binds
our captive minds Fast in his slavish chains."

We may boast of our freedom, but while in our sins, we are the veriest slaves !

He is the freeman, whom the truth makes free."

They who are delivered from their sins, are the Lord’s freemen. John 8:36. 1
Corinthians 7:22. Romans 6:17. They stand fast in, the liber- ty wherewith
Christ hath made them free. Galatians 5:1. And have you no desire for the
liberty of the sons of God ? No desire to have the fetters of sin broken off,
and your captive soul set free ? to be made an heir of God and a joint heir with
Jesus Christ ? Romans 8:14-17. Jesus is the great Liberator. He came " to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are
bound.’ Isaiah 61:1-3. Would you be delivered from the power of sin ? Look to
Jesus, who takes the prey from the mighty, and delivers the lawful captive.
Isaiah 49:24. He will set you free; for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there
is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:12. Reject him, and you are bound for ever; your
fetters will become stronger and stronger, till at length you sink down in the
chains of eternal despair. Did you never utter one devout acknowledgment to God
Sur civil and religious liberty ? That were treason to your country. And will
you make no effort for spiritual freedom? No effort to escape from the ’dominion
of sin?

Then you are lost ! Lost ! Who can tell the fearful import of that dreadful word
I Lost I it is the ruin of the soul ; of every thing precious and dear; the
wreck of hopes, of happiness, of all we, are and all we prize. Go, view the
ruined spirits in the world of woe; measure the length and breadth of their
misery; see in their’ anguish -and which must be yours, if you are lost-the
desirableness of salvation, which delivers from the guilt, pollution, and power
of sin ; and while you see its desirableness, seek it with all your heart-seek
it in Jesus, who came to save from sin, and hell, restore to God’s favour, and
exalt to heaven. For,

Salvation delivers from hell. If saved from our sins, we are also saved from the
punishment, which they deserve. Jesus endured the penalty of the law, that we
might be delivered from it. If interested in him, we are rescued from perdition.
And surely this is desirable. O what would you give to be sure of escape from
hell ? And salvation prepares us for usefulness and happiness here, as well as
for rest hereafter. It fits us for the service of God in this world, as well as
for his praise in the next. It teaches us to live to God’s glory ; it enables us
to die in peace ; so that living and dying, we are the Lord’s, and shall be with
him for ever ! Romans 14:8. 1 Thessalonians 4:17. See, then, the goodness of God
in giving his Son for us. It was of his own free love that he did it. He might
have left us with no provision for our deliverance from sin and death. But he
did not. " He so loved the world as to give his Son." John iii. 16. And he gave
him freely. And now the offer of life through him is freely made. We should
accept it. This is our duty and our privilege. We are authorized to accept it;
we are required to accept it ; we are bound to accept it; and we refuse at the
hazard of our souls. To reject Jesus is to reject salvation ; andto reject
salvation is to reject Jesus. In either case we seal our own doom, and destroy
ourselves ; and the inscription on our eternal prison will be,
-’SELF-DESTROYERS!

Jesus came to save us from our sins; we reject him, refuse to be saved, and he
will say unto us, " Ye would not come to me, that ye might have life." John
5:40. O, sinner, pause, think, turn; and let your trust be in the Saviour of
sinners! " The voice of free grace cries, Escape to the mountain, For Adam’s
lost race Christ bath opened a fountain : For sin and transgression, and every
pollution, His blood flows most freely in streams of salvation."


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  CHAPTER 5: 07 CHAP 3 IT IS A GREAT SALVATION
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CHAPTER III.

IT IS A GREAT SALVATION.

Hebrews 2:3.-How shall we escape, if we neglect so great

Salvation

We are exposed and need salvation. Jesus has died to save us. Yet most men are
very indifferent to the subject. They seem to care but little about it, and to
esteem it a thing of no value. Judging from their estimate of it, as exhibited
in their lives, we should think it a matter of no great consequence. But it is
of vast importance; " the one thing needful."Luke 10:42.

"Religion is the chief concern Of mortals here below."

" Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have
heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by
angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just
recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation;
which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by
them that heard him ; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and
wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his
own will ?" Hebrews 2:1-4.

It is a great salvation. The plan- of redemption is a conception of infinite
wisdom. It is too broad and deep to be the offspring of finite intellect. It
abases man, while it honours and exalts Jehovah and brings glory to his name. It
honours the law, while it spares the criminal. The just suffers for the unjust
-suffers voluntarily, for he had power to lay down his life and to take it
again. John 10:18. The ungodly are justified ; and yet God’s character is
untarnished, and every one of his perfections receives new lustre and shines
forth with ever-increasing glory. Romans 4:5. 2 Corinthians 4:6. The scheme of
redemption is not a human invention, nor an angelic invention ; it originated
with God. The plan was laid by infinite wisdom ; and when we contemplate it, we
may well exclaim, "0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of
God I" Romans 11:33. God is its author. It originated in his infinite love. It
was because he loved us that he devised the way of salvation ; because he loved
us that he gave his Son for us. John 3:16. And this love was self-moved. There
was nothing in us to call it into existence; no good thing in us to move him to
compassionate our case and provide salvation for us. It is well for us to
remember that we had no claims ; that they were forfeited by sin ; and that we
could have had no reason to complain, had no provision been made for our
deliverance from wrath. But God pitied us ; and he devised the plan by which his
justice could be honoured, and yet the sinner be forgiven and restored to his
favour. And the plan is worthy of its Author. The salvation partakes of the
greatness of him who originated it; and how great is he! "Cant thou by searching
find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection ? It is high as
heaven ; what canst thou do deeper than hell ; what canst thou know ? The
measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea." Job 11:7-9,
"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised ; and his ’greatness is
unsearchable." Psalms 145:3. " All nations before him are as nothing ; and they
are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. It is he that sitteth upon the
circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that
stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to
dwell Isaiah 40:17, Isaiah 40:22. The Scriptures are full in their testimony
that the plan of salvation originated with God. Immediately after the fall he
promised that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head. Genesis
3:15. Even before the creation the delights of the Son of God, as our Redeemer,
were with the sons of men. Proverbs 8:22-31. Speaking of the covenant of
redemption, Jehovah says, "I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn
unto David my servant, thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy
throne to all generations My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that
is gone out of my lips His seed shall endure for ever." Psalms 89:3-4, Psalms
89:30-37. Addressing the Son he declares, " I the Lord have called thee in
righteousness, and will hold thy hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a
covenant of the people, for a light of the gentiles ; to open the blind eyes, to
bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of
the prison-house." Isaiah 42:5-8, and Isaiah 49:7-9. And again, " It is a light
thing that thou shouldest be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to
restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the
gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." Isaiah
49:6. " It pleased the Lord to bruise him ; he hath put him to grief." Isaiah
53:10-12. " God sent his Son into the world." John 3:17. " Whom God hath set
forth to be a propitiation." Romans 3:25. " When the fulness of time was come,
God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that
were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Galatians
4:4-5. " In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent
his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is
love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent hie Son to be the
propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10. How often is salvation ascribed to
God! and with what frequency is he spoken of as the God of salvation! Isaiah
12:2 ; Psalms 79:9. " He that is our God is the God of salvation ; and unto God
the Lord belong the issues from death." Psalms 68:19-20. " Salvation is of the
Lord." Jonah 2:9. " He hath raised up a horn of salvation for us." Luke 1:69.
And what more exalted conception can we form of the greatness of this,
salvation, than to think of it as worthy of its great Author! O what
condescension, that God should stoop so low as to look upon us! What are we that
God should pity us ! that he should so love us as to provide salvation for us!
and so great salvation ! He needs us not. He is happy without us. Yet his bowels
of compassion have been moved for us! If our hearts were not adamant, they would
melt at the thought of such love. If they were not harder than the nether
mill-stone, our repentings would be kindled together; and we would hasten to
embrace thereat salvation. The plan of redemption is of itself enough to prove
the divine origin of the Bible ; for the book which reveals it, like the plan
itself, must have had its origin in heaven. Both came from God, and like him are
great. So Simeon felt when taking the infant Saviour in his arms, he said,
"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for
mine eyes have seen thy salvation." Luke 2:29-30. Consider by whom salvation was
purchased. This is no other than Jesus Christ, the Mediator, the Son of man, and
the Son of God ; " for there is one God, and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus ; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due
time." 1 Timothy 2:5-6. That Jesus possessed a nature like ours, in which he
obeyed and suffered, there can be no question; and equally unquestionable is it,
that he also possessed a divine nature. There were in him both divinity and
humanity. "He wrapped the mantle of humanity about him ; but the God was
within." " He was, and continues to be, both God and man, in two distinct
natures, and one person for ever." Thus saith the prophet, "Unto us a child is
born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and
his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6. He is Immanuel-God with us. Isaiah
7:14.

Though he came in the flesh, he is over all, God blessed for ever-" the
brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of his person." Romans
9:5 ; Hebrews 1:3. " In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the
forgiveness of sins : who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of
every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that
are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or
principalities, or powers : all things were created by him, and for him : and he
is before all things, and by him all things consist, and he is the head of the
body, the church : who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead ; that in
all things he might have the pre-eminence. For it pleased the Father that in him
should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross,
by him to reconcile all things unto himself." Colossians 1:14-20. We have, then,
a divine Redeemer. There is not only human sympathy in his heart, but divine
compassion; and in his arm is omnipotent strength. They who repose in him are
safe. And surely it must be a great salvation which required a divine Redeemer
to accomplish. This was needful. He must be God to redeem as well as man to die.
None but he could bear infinite wrath. None but he could obey and suffer in the
stead of others. No mere creature could make atonement, for God has claims upon
every creature for all the obedience it can render, and no sufferings of a mere
finite creature, for any limited duration. can be a full satisfaction to the
justice of God. The Mediator must be divine, that he might bring in a
righteousness that could avail to our justification. And being divine, his
atonement, though made with special reference to his own, is of infinite value,
for his divinity gives dignity and worth to his sufferings and death. Its merits
can never be estimated. It is sufficient for the world, for every sinner and
every degree of guilt. It is true that Jesus was a man of sorrows, " for the
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us ;" John 1:14; but it is also true that
he is the infinite God, for the Word was God. John 1:1. He is both the root and
the offspring of David, David’s son, and David’s Lord. Revelation 22:16. Matthew
22:42-45. And the work which he accomplished is worthy of himself-a great
salvation. His atonement is not measured by the limited capacities of his human
nature; but by the infinitude of the divine.

Then how great the price paid for our salvation! Among men, the price paid is
not always a fair criterion of value. They may err in judgment, or be deceived.
But here the pride was fixed by infinite wisdom ; and it has been paid. And what
is the price? Not the obedience, nor the sufferings of a creature; nothing less
than the blood of the Son of God. " Without shedding of blood is no remission."
Hebrews 9:22. And the blood shed must be precious, that it might make atonement
and satisfy for our sins. It is the blood of Jehovah’s fellow, his equal; the
blood of " God manifest in the flesh." Zechariah 13:7. John 10:30. 1 Timothy
3:16. " Ye are not your own ; for ye are bought with a price." 1 Corinthians
6:19-20. " Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold,
from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers ; but with
the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who
verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but, was manifest in
these last times for you." 1 Peter 1:18-20. We read in Acts 20:28, of the Church
of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. The divine nature did not
suffer ; but in virtue of the union subsisting between the divine and human
natures in the person of Christ, the acts and properties of the one are
attributed to the other : for he took our nature into personal union with his
divinity, and while his human nature alone suffered, his divine nature sustained
his humanity in both his-active and passive obedience, and rendered his work
acceptable to God and available for us. Hence it is written, " In whom we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of his grace." Ephesians 1:7. " Christ bath loved us, and bath given himself for
us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour." Ephesians
5:2. " Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." 1 Corinthians
15:3. " Through the eternal Spirit he offered himself without spot to God."
Hebrews 9:13-14. " Now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away
sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of
many." Hebrews 9:25-28. " Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the
holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he bath
consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh ; and having a
high priest over the house of God ; let us draw near with a true heart." Hebrews
10:19-22. Here, then, is the price of our redemption-the blood-the life of
Jesus. And must Jesus die to save us ? Must God’s own Son be, delivered up to
death? Is this the price he must pay to redeem us? And can men slight the mercy
so dearly purchased? Can they lightly esteem it? Reader, can you thus treat the
blood of the Son of God ? Did he estimate your salvation so highly as to die to
secure it, and will you cast it away as a thing of nought As he who purchased
redemption is divine, so is the Spirit who applies it. All the persons in the
adorable Trinity bear their appropriate part in the great work of human
redemption. The covenant of works, made with Adam as our federal head, was
broken, and we were ruined by his fall. Jesus is our representative and surety
in the covenant of grace. He obeyed and died for us; and he purchased for us the
Spirit to apply to us the benefits of the new covenant. And the work of the
Spirit is no less needful than the work of Christ. Regeneration is as necessary
as an atonement. And this work is so great, the change is so entire, that it is
called a new creation. Christians are the workmanship of God, " created in
Christ Jesus unto good works." Ephesians 2:10. The power exerted in this new
creation is compared to the power by which Christ was raised from the dead : "
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened ; that ye may know what is the
hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the
saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe,
according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when
he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly
places." Ephesians 1:18-20. That it is the Spirit which applies to us the
purchased redemption, read what the Scripture saith : " And you path he
quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.... For by grace are ye saved,
through faith ; and that not of yourselves : it is the gift of God." Ephesians
2:1, Ephesians 2:8. ’ And Jehovah promises, ’A new heart also will I give you,
and a new spirit will I put within you : and I will take away the stony heart
out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my
Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my
judgments and do them." Ezekiel 36:26-27. The Saviour said to Nicodemus, "
Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God ;" and, " Ye must be born again." John 3:3-8. To his sorrowing
disciples he said, " It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not
away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I depart, I will send him
unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me ; of
righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more ; of judgment,
because the prince of this world is judged. I have many things to say unto you,
but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he
will guide you into all truth : for he shall not speak of himself; but
whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak : and he will show you things to
come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto
you. All things that the Father hath are mine : therefore said I, that he shall
take of mine, and shall show it unto you." John 16:7-15.

It is the Spirit that renews our hearts; he works faith in us ; he "unites us
to. Christ in our effectual, calling ;" he carries on the work of sanctification
until the day of Christ. Php 1:6. Hence David prays, " Create in me a clean
heart, O God ; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy
presence ; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me." Psalms 51:10:11. And the
Spirit is divine. The Holy Ghost. is God. Thus it was said to Ananias, " Why
hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost ? Thon hest not lied unto
men, but unto God." Acts 5:3-4. He is eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, and
omnipresent. He is possessed of all divine perfections ; and that salvation in
which he bears so conspicuous a part, must be a great salvation. That in which
all the persons of the blessed Trinity are so deeply interested cannot be a
trifle. What the Father planned, and the Son executed, and the Spirit applies,
must be worthy of the God- head, and partake of the -greatness of its divine
origin.

It is a great salvation too, because of the change it effects in us. Our
condition by nature was shown in the first chapter. We are sinful, exposed, and
without hope. Salvation effects a change in all these respects. It changes our
character. If interested by faith in the great salvation, our natures are
changed, and we are made new creatures in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17. From
enemies of God we are converted into friends. Once we delighted in rebellion
against him, now we delight in his service. We love his word; love the
ordinances of his house; love his people ; renounce ourselves ; trust in his Son
; and esteem it our greatest privilege to hold communion with him, to draw near
to him in prayer, and to sing his praise. Once we were blind, now we see ; once
we were dead, now we are alive ; we love what we once hated, and bate what we
once loved. John 9:25 ; Romans 6:4, and Romans 7:15-22. " Old things are passed
away, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17. Here is a great change-a
complete revolution-in character. Sinners have become saints. Nor does salvation
produce a less change in our relations. Sanctification changes our character ;
justification changes our state. By nature we stand to the law in the relation
of condemned criminals. If interested in the great salvation, we are no longer
condemned. We are accounted righteous ; we are treated as innocent. It is not a
bare reprieve, it is a perfect justification ; it entitles to the rewards of
innocency, because our Surety has answered the demands against us. Here is a
great change in our state.

Before, we were condemned ; now we are justified, and have a title to eternal,
life ; yea, we are adopted into the family of God, and are heirs of heaven. John
1:12-13. Romans 8:17. Hence, there is a great change in our prospects. What is
the prospect of the sinner? Death, eternal death What is the prospect of those
who have a part in this salvation? Life, eternal life! The one is an heir of
hell ; the other an heir of heaven. Look, then, at the change which this
salvation effects in our character, our state, and our prospects, and in view of
this change, measure, if you can, its greatness. O, it is a great salvation, and
considered only in its relation to ourselves, it is above all estimate, above
all price! Consider the misery from which it seven us. " The way of
transgressors is hard." Proverbs 13:15. " The wicked are like the troubled sea,
when it cannot rest, -whose waters cast up- mire and dirt. There is no peace,
saith my God, to the wicked." Isaiah 57:20-21. Their consciences are ill at
ease. Sin brings misery to the sinner, as it "Brought death into the world, and
all our woe." By that change which this salvation effects, peace is restored to
the soul. " The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace." Galatians 5:22. "
Great peace have they who love God’s law." Psalms 119:165. "Come unto me, and I
will give you rest," says. Jesus. Matthew 11:28. " Godliness is profitable unto
all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to
come." 1 Timothy 4:8. " For the Lord God is a sun and shield : the Lord will
give grace and glory ; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk
uprightly." Psalms 54:11. The godly are saved from many evils in this world.
They have a quiet conscience. They are freed from all the misery which results
from a sense of unforgiven sin. And then they are rescued from all the miseries
which the wicked must suffer in the world to come. There the lost writhe in
eternal anguish, for ever dying, and yet forbid to die ; for ever seeking death,
yet death for ever fleeing from them. Hell ! hell what horrors lie in that
singles word I Hell, a dwelling-place for eternity ! O who does not,
terror-stricken, shrink from the thought ? What then must be the dread reality ?
From this, salvation delivers us. Think of it, and confess it a great salvation.
And consider the happiness to which it raises us. " Say ye to the righteous that
it shall be well with him." Isaiah 3:10. It is well in this world. His sins are
blotted out, and shall never be brought against him to his condemnation. Psalms
32:1-2. Romans 4:6-8. He has peace with God and peace within. His " fellowship
is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:3. He may not be
without seasons of trial and sorrow; he may know what sore temptations mean, and
may even walk in darkness and see no light for a season ; yet there are times
when he can " rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." 1 Peter 1:6-9.
Were there no future state of existence, he would still be a gainer by his
religion. His happiness in this world far outweighs the carnal joys of the
wicked. And when death comes, he enters into the joy of his Lord, the full
fruition of heavenly glory. That is happiness which eye hath not seen, which ear
hath not heard, which the heart of man hath never conceived. 1 Corinthians 2:9.
O the glories of that upper. world I There are the angelic hosts ; there the
army of the redeemed ; there the blessed Redeemer, the Lamb of God, the Saviour
of sinners! What a company! What songs are there! What everlasting triumphs!
What a great salvation to be delivered’ from hell and raised to heaven! O what a
wonder that they who deserved the deepest perdition should be raised to the
highest glory ! This indeed is a miracle of mercy. " Behold, God is my salvation
; I will trust, and not be afraid for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my
song ; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water
out of the wells of salvation." Isaiah 12:2-3. This salvation is great, because
it is eternal. Thus it is written : "Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an
everlasting salvation." Isaiah 45:17. Jesus is "the author of eternal salvation
unto all them that obey him." Hebrews 5:9. He " gives unto them eternal life."
John 10:28. Hence he de-dares, " He that believeth on me hath everlasting life."
John 6:47. And it must be a great salvation, because the angels take such an
interest in it. The angels that sinned were left without salvation. No Saviour
died for them. Hebrews 2:16. 2 Peter 2:4. That God should pity men and not
angels ; that he should give his Son for man, and leave the fallen angels in
their guilt and ruin, excites the wonder and admiration of those angels which
kept their first estate. 1 Peter 1:12. They have ever manifested the deepest
interest in the scheme of redemption.

They were sent to tell of the coming Saviour. Matthew 1:20-21. They announced
his advent; witnessed his baptism ; were present at his temptation; ministered
to his wants; strengthened him in his agony ; stood by him in his crucifixion ;
watched his grave; announced his resurrection; were present when he ascended;
welcomed him to his .glory : God manifest in the flesh was seen of angels. 1
Timothy 3:16. Luke 2:9-11. Matthew 3:16-17, and Matthew 34:11. Luke 22:43.
Matthew 28:2-6. Acts 1:10-11. Psalms 24:7-10. They are now his messengers,
ministering to the heirs of salvation, strengthening them in trouble, and
delivering them from danger, as they did Peter from prison, and Paul from the
perils of shipwreck. Hebrews 1:14. Acts 12:11, and Act :27:23; Acts 24:24. Yea,
they are present in our worshipping assemblies-we must demean ourselves properly
because of the angels; and they wait to rejoice over repenting sinners, and
convey the joyful tidings to heaven. 1 Corinthians 11:10. Luke 15:10. And is it
not a great salvation when the angels manifest so deep an interest in it ? He is
great who planned it ; he is great who bought it; great is the price paid for
it; great is the Spirit who applies it ; it effects a great change in those who
are saved by it ; delivers from great misery ; exalts to great happiness; and
interests greatly the bright spirits of heaven. It is a great salvation-eternal
salvation.

Then, reader, this salvation is worthy of your acceptance. It certainly is not
beneath your notice. What interests all heaven, and all hell too, should
certainly interest you-should interest all men. When heaven and hell are moved,
the earth should not be indifferent. The salvation which is worthy the attention
of angels-which indeed is worthy of, God its great Author-is certainly worthy of
your attention-it is worthy of all accepta. lion. It is so because of the
expense at which it has been provided. The Son of God must come from heaven,
assume our, nature, die in our stead, to open the way of life. A rich feast has
been made, and made at an infinite expense. What is freely offered you, and what
you may have by accepting, cost the agony, the blood, the life of Jesus Christ!
O think of this price ; and is not salvation thus purchased worthy your regard?
And can you slight it? Can you lightly esteem the price of your redemption ?
Will you count the blood of the covenant an unholy thing ? Hebrews 10:28.
Whatever else you do, I beseech you not to trifle with this salvation. When
invited to the cross, do not begin to make light of it. Matthew 22:5. It is
worthy your acceptance because of the prospects it opens before you. You are
dying; it reveals the way of life. It sets before you the glories of the
heavenly world, an unfading crown, never-failing riches, immortal songs, eternal
rest and joy. It teaches you how to obtain the victory over death and the.
grave. And does it not here meet a want of your nature? Are you prepared to
grapple with the king of terrors? Were the summons for your departure to come
now, could you welcome it? Are you prepared to go? Could you die in peace? Are
you prepared for heaven Not if this salvation is still neglected. Let the
prospects it reveals command your immediate acceptance. There is no escape if
you neglect it. There is no other salvation; there never will be any other
salvation. There is no other probation ; there never will be any other
probation. Neglect this salvation, and you continue exposed till death comes,
and then you are lost! No Saviour will be offered you in the future world ; no
salvation will there be proclaimed ; no message of peace can there be heard or
read; you are then beyond the reach of hope and mercy-lost, for ever lost! O
flee to the cross! Delay not, for death is near!

" Soon, borne on time’s most rapid wing, Shall death command you to the grave;

Before his bar your spirit bring, And none be found to hear or save. In that
lone land of deep despair, No Sabbath’s heavenly light shall rise ; No God
regard your bitter prayer, No Saviour call yeu to the skies."


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  CHAPTER 6: 08 CHAP 4 SALVATION IS BROUGHT NEAR
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CHAPTER IV.

SALVATION IS BROUGHT NEAR.

Isaiah l56:1.-Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice; for my
salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.

Isaiah 51:5.-My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth. When John the
Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, he said, " Repent ye; for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 3:1-2. And when the Lord Jesus began to
preach, he too delivered the same sermon. Matthew 4:17. The truths of the gospel
will bear repetition. The salvation of which it speaks, is great, and worthy of
our acceptance. But this would not avail, if we could never obtain it. It is not
far off. It is brought near unto us. It is placed, as it were, within our reach
; and we hate but to stretch forth our hand and grasp the prize. Salvation is
brought near in the Scriptures. " I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,"
saith Paul, " for therein is the righteousness of God revealed,"-the
righteousness provided for our salvation. Romans 1:16-17. The light of nature
teaches that we are sinners. God is perfect; so must his works be ; and man came
perfect -from his hands. But he is now full of imperfection and of sin. How may
sin be forgiven ? On this point the book of nature is silent. It has not a line
of a Saviour; it speaks not a word of Jesus. It is in the Bible, and in the
Bible alone, that we read of forgiveness with God. " With him is plenteous
redemption." Psalms 130:4, Psalms 130:7. The Bible reveals, the way of life. It
makes plain the scheme of mercy. It tells us of our exposure. It reveals to us
what has been done to save us. It speaks of Jesus "Jesus, the name that calms
our fears, That bids our sorrows cease."

It brings good tidings of great joy; it proclaims a Saviour, Christ the
Lord-Jesus Christ, and him crucified. Luke 2:10-11. 1 Corinthians 2:2. You have
the Bible. It is in your dwelling and in your hands. You may read it daily. And
whenever you read, salvation comes near. How often have you read ! And when you
have read the sacred page, or heard it read, God has brought nigh to you the
salvation of his Son. Yea, even if you refuse to read, the fact that the Bible
is in your house, is proof that salvation is near. " Search the Scriptures,"
saith Jesus, for in them ye think ye have eternal life ; and they are they which
testify of me." John 5:39. The Bible neglected is salvation neglected ;’ the
Bible unread is the ruin of the soul. O, how many Bibles will witness to the
everlasting condemnation of their owners in the great day ! Reader, will not
your Bible be among the number? However men may swear falsely on the Bible in
courts of justice, the Bible itself will never be a false witness at the bar of
God. It is the truth of its testimony which you will have reason to fear,
because you have not given heed to the great salvation which it has brought near
to you, and urged upon your acceptance.

Salvation is brought nigh in a preached gospel, and in the ordinances of the
Christian church. " Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that
the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which
is of faith, speaketh on this wise, Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into
heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above;) or, Who shall descend into
the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it?
The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart; that is, the word of
faith, which we preach: that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness ; and
with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:5-10. To preach
the gospel is to preach the Lord Jesus as an atoning, an all-sufficient and the
only Saviour. It is to preach our ruin by the fall, and our redemption by
Christ. It is to preach salvation, a free salvation, through the death of Jesus.
This is the commission he gave," Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel
to every creature." Mark 16:15. He also said, " Thus it is written, and thus it
behoved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day; and that
repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all
nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Luke 24:46-47. The design of preaching-and of
this volume-is to convince you of your sin, and misery, and danger, and lead you
to Christ for pardon and eternal life.

We try to be instrumental in your salvation. We pray the word may be to you "
the savour of life unto life, and not of death unto death." 2 Corinthians 2:16.
Whenever you hear the gospel preached, you are reminded of your sinfulness and
pointed to the Lamb of God. Ours is an errand of mercy. We bring you a message
of life; and whatever may be the ’reception you give our, message, we may say
with all earnestness-" Be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh
unto you. Luke 10:9-11. You may day, "As for the word that thou hest spoken unto
us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee." Jeremiah 44:16. Yet
still it brings salvation nigh ; and if you put it from you, and judge
yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, (Acts 10:46,) we may pity you, but we
cannot help it. When we have delivered the message and committed it to God in
prayer, our work is done; it is for you to receive or reject it. Yet it brings
the blessing near; for Jehovah says, " My salvation is near to come ;" yea, my
salvation is gene forth in the gospel message. Nor is it from the pulpit alone
that the news of salvation reaches you. You hear it in the warnings and
exhortations of Christian friends; you read it on the printed page, in the
evangelic volume and the religious tract. These have come to you as leaves from
the tree of life. They have spoken in terror and in love. They have alarmed and
melted; drawn forth the sigh and the tear; spoken of hell, of heaven, of the
cross, and brought salvation to your very heart. Again in this little book you
read the words of life, and have the offer of salvation repeated ; and if you
perish, it will not be because you are ignorant of the way of life.

Salvation is also brought near in the ordinances of the Christian church. In
baptism, regeneration is signified; and it also seals our ingrafting into Christ
and our adoption into the family of God. In the Lord’s Supper we see the emblems
of the Saviour’s broken body and shed blood. We are here reminded of our
sinfulness, of the great sacrifice for sin, and of the necessity of faith in
order to salvation. Christ our passover is sacrificed for us; therefore we keep
the feast. 1 Corinthians 5:7-8. With the emblems, bread and wine, before us, we
seem to hear the Saviour saying, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and
drink his blood, ye have no life in you." John 6:53. And while they remind us of
the price paid for our redemption, they also serve to bring salvation nigh. They
have a voice which speaks to the heart, an eloquence which might move and melt
an adamant. Salvation is brought near in the offers and invitations of the
gospel. Jesus not only offered himself on the cross for sin, but he also offers
himself to sinners. He makes a free offer of himself to all who hear the gospel,
and to all who read it. He offers to be their prophet, priest and king; their
Redeemer and Saviour. He said to Zaccheus, " This day is salvation come to this
house." Luke 19:9. So in every offer he makes of himself to you, he says, " This
day is salvation come to you." Yes, it comes in the person of the blessed Jesus,
who saith, " Behold, I stand at the door and knock : if any man hear my voice,
and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with
me." Revelation 3:20. And how full, and free, and precious, are the invitations
of the gospel ! " Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he
that hath no money: come ye, buy, and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and milk without
money, and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not
bread ? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto
me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live: and I will
make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." Isaiah
55:1-3. " if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." John vii. " And
the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come.-And
whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17. " "
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me : for I am meek and lowly in heart ; and
ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is
light." Matthew 11:28-30. These are some of Christ’s gracious invitations: How
sweet their charming sound ! How often have you heard them ! And as often has
salvation been brought to your very door-to your inmost soul-and you have had
the privilege of accepting or rejecting it. Yea, you have accepted or rejected
it ! And at this very moment, when the offer is again made, and the invitation
again given, you must, and you do, either accept or reject it ! "Behold, now is
the accepted time ; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:2. " O
that you were wise, that you understood this, that you would consider your
latter end." Deuteronomy 32:29.

Salvation is brought near by the strivings of the Spirit. The word of God does
not always go alone. Sometimes it is heard with indifference; at others with
deep and tender interest. Why is this but because the Spirit, who is a
sovereign, and moves when and where he pleases, does, at times, prepare the
heart to receive the truth, and accompany the truth with power to the heart?
Thus Paul declares to the Corinthians,-" For I determined not to know any thing
among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness,
and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with
enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit, and of
power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power
of God." 1 Corinthians 2:2-5. It is the Spirit that gives efficacy to the truth,
and makes it the power of God and the wisdom of God to the salvation of souls. 1
Corinthians 1:18, 1 Corinthians 1:24. And have you never felt him operating upon
your heart Have you not had times of unusual seriousness Ah, you have been
convinced of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. John 16:8. The truth
has often come home to you with unwonted power ; you have thought of your soul,
of the Saviour, and of the judgment : it was the Spirit bringing salvation near,
and convincing you of your need of it! Even now you may feel his influences. O,
resist him not. Grieve him not away. He comes to bring salvation to you, to woo
you to the cross, to renew your heart and save your soul.

Salvation is brought nigh when the gospel message meets our eyes or reaches our
ears. It is written,-" Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound." Psalms
89:15. And the Saviour said, "Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your
ears, for they hear." Matthew 13:16. The gospel is glad tidings of salvation.
How often have you heard these tidings ! Sabbath after Sabbath you have heard.
You have heard from the ministers of Christ ;- by the admonition of friends;
from the Bible and the tract; and now again you hear. This book speaks in the
name of the Lord. Its message is to you. ’ It brings salvation. O, how near is
it brought ! Choose this day whom you will serve. Resolve with Joshua, " As for
me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15. Salvation is brought
near when the word enters into our understandings. The gospel is so plain, the
way of life is so clearly revealed, "that the wayfaring men, though fools, shall
not err therein." Isaiah 35:8. "He may run that readeth it." Habakkuk 2:2. Yet
we may hear the gospel, or read it, and not understand it. And if when we hear,
or read, salvation is brought near, it is brought still nearer when we
understand the word. And has not the word entered into your understanding? Are
you not acquainted with your danger as a sinner ? Do you not know what has been
done to save you? And do you not know what you must do to be saved? O how many
have a perfect understanding of the gospel, and yet neglect the great salvation!
And their doom may be written, " Ye knew your duty, but ye did it not !

Ye knew your duty, but ye did it not!

These are the words to which the harps of grief Are strung; and, to the chorus
of the damned, The rocks of hell repeat them, evermore;

Loud echoed through the caverns of despair, And poured in thunder on the ear of
woe."

Salvation is brought near when the word reaches the conscience. It may be read,
or heard, and understood, and yet the conscience be undisturbed. Sin stupefies
the conscience ; it often sleeps when it should be awake. But there are times
when the word enters the conscience ; the sinner is convinced of his sins, and
the word is fulfilled,-" twill reprove thee, and set them in order before thine
eyes." Psalms 1:21. By whatever means conscience is aroused to do its office,
when the sinner feels its reproofs, salvation. is then brought near, for then he
feels his need of deliverance from sin and wrath. These checks and reproofs
admonish of coming punishment; they point to the wrath to come, and show the
sinner his need of the Saviour. How often have you felt reproved and condemned
by your own conscience! It may have been in the hour of retirement, upon your
bed in the silence of the night, or when you have read the Bible, or stood by
the grave of a friend, or when listening to the word of God, or when lying upon
a sick bed, or when reading some tract or volume;-and it may be that even now
conscience admonishes you of neglected duty, "Points you to the coming wrath;
And warns you from that wrath to flee;"- and then how near is salvation to you!
The word is not only in your mouth; it is in your very soul ; you feel its power
there; it renders you ill at ease in your sins, and points you to the only way
of peace and safety. Yes, reader, salvation is near to you. An all-sufficient
righteousness is offered for your justification. A divine Redeemer invites you
to his bosom ; and your own conscience cries, " Escape for thy life ; look not
behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain: escape to the mountain, lest
thou be consumed." Genesis 19:17.

Salvation is brought near when the word enters the heart and makes some
impression there. Not only may the conscience be aroused to do its office, but
the judgment may be convinced and the affections moved and excited. Men may be,
and they often are, deeply impressed by the truth and Spirit of God. They may
feel that they ought at once to close with Christ and become his followers. They
may be almost persuaded to become Christians. Acts 26:28. And have there not
been periods inyour history when this might have been affirmed of you? Have
there not been times when you were seriously impressed, and when you were on the
very point of deciding for God; on the very point of surrendering yourself to
Jesus Christ, and choosing that good part which shall not be taken away? Luke
10:42. How near was salvation then! You were at the very gate of, heaven! A
little more, and you would have entered ; a little more, and eternal life would
have been yours! O, that little ’More If you are lost, how bitter will be the
reflection, that you went almost to Jesus, but not quite I almost to heaven, but
not quite! O reader, your soul, your precious soul, shall it be lost? Lost, when
salvation is so near ! Lost, with a bleeding Saviour offered to you! Lost, with
the blessed Spirit striving with your heart, and when almost persuaded to be a
Christian! O close with Christ now, and the place where you are will be to you
the house of God not only, but the very gate of heaven! Genesis 28:17. Salvation
is near to you now; but by and by it will be as far from you as heaven is from
hell. Soon there may be an impassable gulf between you and salvation ; and you
may look for salvation, but it will be far off from you. Isaiah 59:11. O then
accept it now when it is near!

Let me admonish you that the Bible, and the religious book and tract, should be
read, and the gospel heard, with seriousness and prayer. They bring life and
immortality to light. They speak of the great salvation. It becomes us to be
serious and prayerful when things of so great moment are brought before us.
"Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear
than to give the sacrifice of fools." Ecclesiastes 5:1. "Not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; but exhorting one
another; and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25.
The day of death is approaching, and the day of judgment, and how can we be
prepared to meet them, while neglecting the worship of God, or hearing the word
with indifference, or treating the printed page with neglect ? It is a solemn
thing to live in the circumstances in which God has placed us. It is, as all
admit, a solemn thing to die; but it is no less solemn to live, for we live to
die, and our death will be as our life is. This is a state of trial. Means of
grace are enjoyed ; salvation is provided and brought near; we are surrounded by
religious appliances ; God has given us precept upon precept, and line upon
line. Isaiah 28:10; monitory lessons are taught us on every hand; and every step
we take is big with character and with destiny. Yet how carelessly we live! We
sport on the brink of the grave and of eternity. God speaks, but we refuse to
listen; the Saviour calls, but we will not hear; the Spirit strives, but we will
not yield to his influences; salvation is brought near, offered to us, pressed
upon us, but we care not for it. We should accept the proffered mercy ; we
should receive the gift of eternal life; but we do not, we will not. We choose
the broad road which leads to death, and perish because we will: for if we
reject that which is brought so high, it will very soon be far removed from us,
and we shall lament our folly when it is too late. " In the latter days ye shall
consider it perfectly." Jeremiah 23:20. How much better to think now, and turn
to God and live! Why has salvation been provided? Why is it offered? Why brought
near and urged upon you, but that you might be, saved! O make it your business,
now to seek salvation! " Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness."
Matthew 6:33.


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  CHAPTER 7: 09 CHAP 5 HOW TO OBTAIN SALVATION
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CHAPTER V.

HOW TO OBTAIN SALVATION.

Acts 16:29-32.-Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling,
and fell down before Paul and Silas ; and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what
must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord.

We are sinners ; we need salvation. Jesus has died; the offer of life is freely
made to us through him; Salvation is brought nigh unto us. You have heard and
read the word. It has entered into your understanding; your conscience is
aroused ; your heart impressed ; and you are so far persuaded of your duty and
your necessities, as to inquire how you may secure the great salvation, or
become interested in it. You are inquiring with Job, " How should man be just
with God ?" Job 9:2; and with the Philippian jailer, " What must I do to be
saved?" This question implies an awakened attention to the subject. It is
posible, indeed, for one to inquire about the way of life, and ask what he must
do to be saved, merely to gratify his curiosity. But no one will make this
inquiry with earnestness, unless he is the subject of an awakened attention. The
jailer’s attention was aroused by a special providence, as well as by the
operations of the Spirit. So the Spirit may now use the providence of God, or
the truth of God, or both, in arousing the sinner’s attention, and causing him
to feel an interest in spiritual things, and to be anxious in regard to his own
salvation. And if you are inquiring what you must do, it is evident that you are
disposed to give to this subject a consideration which hitherto you have not
given it. Is this the case with you? Has the truth indeed reached your heart? Is
the Spirit operating there? Let not your attention be diverted from the grand
inquiry. And not only inquire what you must do, but do it; not only ask for the
way of life, but be resolved to walk in it. Many have lost their souls by having
their attention diverted from the great question.

Satan has taken advantage of their indecision, and borne them away in triumph to
the world of woe. And this may be the case with you, notwithstanding your
awakened attention, if you do not resolve with fixed purpose, for God and
heaven. Your sins, your pleasures, your business, your associates, may plead
with you to defer the great work yet for a little season ; but stop your ears to
their solicitations, and answer all their pleas with the cry, Life, eternal
life! How shall I obtain eternal life? This question implies anxiety. The one
who asks what he must do, feels some solicitude about his eternal interests. He
fears. He may be lost. He wishes to know how he may escape from hell, how reach,
heaven. There is a burden on his heart. His guilt oppresses him ; his danger
alarms. It is no unmeaning question that he asks, for it comes from an anxious
soul. His conscience is awake ; his fears are excited ; his- heart impressed.
Salvation is nigh ; he asks with anxious solicitude, How may I obtain
salvation?’ Is it thus with you? Dismiss not your anxiety, nor rest till you
find the Saviour precious to your soul. This question implies some degree of
ignorance. At least this is the case with many who propose it. Some need no
information as to what they must do. They have known the Scriptures from their
childhood. Their proposing the question only implies their anxiety about their
souls. Yet their convictions may be so deep as to cause them almost to despair
of salvation ; and in such circumstances they may ask for information how they
may obtain peace. Others need instruction. They have not been religiously
educated. Their views of truth are not clear. And when they ask what they must
do, it is because they do not know how to obtain salvation. They are anxious,
but in some degree ignorant. They feel that something must be done, but know not
what to do. Hence they inquire. This question implies a desire for information.
It was with this view that the jailer proposed it ; and with this view it is
proposed by those who have been awakened by the Spirit of God, whose attention
is aroused, and whose fears and anxieties are stirred within them. It is thus
that it is proposed by you. You put it not as an idle question. It is not a
question of mere curiosity, nor of speculation. It is a serious question-one of
the most deeply serious questions ever proposed by man or to man. On the answer
to this question hangs your eternal destiny. As it’shall be answered to you, and
as it shall be answered by you in your decision and conduct, so shall you be
happy or miserable for ever ! You ask, What must I do to be saved? I answer in
the words of Paul and Silas, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
be saved." But that I may not only point you to the way of life, but direct you
in it, it may be proper to be more particular. Hence I observe,

1. The first step toward salvation is to feel your need of it. This is clear and
plain enough. " They that are whole need not -a physician ; but they that are
sick." Luke 5:31. No one calls in the physician’s aid until he feels it to be
necessary. A sense of bodily ills drives us to the doctor. So it is with the
soul and the great Physician. We cry not for mercy till we feel our need of it ;
we ask not for salvation till we feel that we are lost. The first step, then, is
to feel our need. And that you may thus feel, look at your exposure. Review the
particulars enumerated in the first- chapter- of this book. You are a sinner-far
from righteousness-under the curse of God’s law-condemned by your own
conscience-in danger of hell; you are in the way to perdition, in the broad road
to death. How perilous your situation!" How sad our state by nature is! Our sin,
how deep it stains!" Consider what has been done to save you. The Son of God has
died ; his blood has been shed ; and the Spirit has been sent down to apply to
your soul the purchased redemption. Look at your character-I mean not your
reputation in the sight of men, but your moral standing in the sight of God. He
can see nothing but corruption in you. You are by nature a child of wrath,
because by nature corrupt. ’Ephesians 2:3. John 3:6. Your heart is enmity
against God ; and your life has been a constant series of transgressions of his
law. Romans 8:7. Your sins have risen like mountains, and are enough to sink you
to the lowest hell. Compare yourself with the law of God. Lay your heart and
life alongside of each of the ten commandments; or take the sum of the ten in
the two great commandments,-" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind ; and thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself." ’Matthew 22:37-39. And how far have you come from living
up to these requisitions ! You have failed, not barely once or twice, but all
your life. By the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20. By a faithful
application of the law, in all its extent and spirituality, to your own case-to
the frame of your own spirit and. the tenor of your own conduct-to your own
heart and life-you cannot fail to be convinced of your sinfulness and of your
need of salvation. Pray also for the illuminating, the’ convincing and
converting influences of the Spirit. He convinces of sin, slays false hopes, and
sweeps away false confidences. You shall not have prayed long; with seriousness
and earnestness, ere you feel, more deeply than ever, your need of the Saviour.
And, "All the fitness he requireth, Is to feel your need of him: This he gives
you- ’Tis the Spirit’s rising beam."

Even now you feel your need- Already you are convinced of your guilt. You are
impressed with a sense of your sin and misery ; you know and feel that without
an interest in the great salvation you must perish. Hence you ask what you must
do. Not only is salvation brought nigh unto you, but you have taken the first
step toward securing it. Your need is felt. But this by no means renders
salvation certain. A step toward the way of life is not entering into it. Many
have gone as far, many have gone much farther, and done many things, and yet
have lost their souls. You must go farther, or you will never be saved. Hence, I
observe,

2. The next step is to see a fitness, a propriety, and an adaptation to our
wants, in the gospel way of salvation. First, we feel our need ; next, does the
gospel meet our wants? Is it adapted to our case? Is there a fitness in this
salvation to our necessities as sinners? This is what the awakened, anxious
sinner is to see. And can he not see it? Is it not as clear as a sunbeam God by
it is honoured. His holiness,’ justice, and truth are vindicated, and new lustre
is given to all his perfections. And if his own glory is the end of his works,
surely that end is attained by the scheme of redemption. There is in the gospel
a fitness to this end or design. And this salvation too abases man. It assigns
him his proper place in the dust; and if humility, and self-abasement, and
prayer, and trust in God, are becoming graces and exercises in man, then there
is in the gospel salvation, an adaptation to this end, for it most effectually
promotes them. It also provides for us a Saviour, who is Just what we want, and
all we want. There is in him an infinite fulness. He possesses unsearchable
riches. Ephesians 3:8. He is a prophet to instruct our ignorance and illuminate
our darkness ; he is a priest to satisfy for our sins, and intercede for our
souls ; he is a king to subdue our enemies and rule us with his gentle sway. As
God he has all power ; as man he can be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities. Hebrews 4:15.

There is no want in our natures, or in our circumstances, which is not met by
his all-sufficiency. "He is the chiefest ’among ten thousand ; he is altogether
lovely." Sol. Song of Solomon 5:10. Sol. Song of Solomon 5:16. " His name is as
ointment poured forth ; all his garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia."
Sol. Song of Solomon 1:3. Psalms 45:8. Yet the unwakened sinner can see in him
no beauty that he should desire him. Isaiah 53:2. To the indifferent and
careless, as well as, to the self-righteous, he is as a root out of a dry ground
; they can see nothing in him, nor in his salvation, which meets their wants. To
them he bath no form nor comeliness. Isa. l53:2-3. But when one is awakened, and
feels himself perishing, he begins to see in Jesus Christ, the Saviour he needs.
He begins to see in the gospel scheme a fitness and propriety which he never saw
before, and to behold in its provisions a-wonderful adaptation to all his
necessities. But many have seen and felt all this, and yet not closed with
Christ. They have seen and felt all this, and yet remained unrenewed and
unforgiven, and perished. Two steps toward the cross are not enough ; the sinner
must go quite there, or die in his sins.

3. The next step is to seek the renewal of your heart by the power of the Holy
Ghost. Not one right step can be taken without the Spirit’s aid ; we need his
influences from the first ; and the reason why so many awakened sinners lose
their convictions and again become careless, and why so many who once seemed to
be converted, return again to the world, is because they were never born of the
Spirit. Arid wherever conviction stops short of regeneration, there the sinner
will stop short of Christ, and never enter the way of life. You see the danger
thin of resisting convictions and grieving the Spirit. Such a course, if
successful, must of necessity end in perdition. Men must be born again, or they
cannot be saved. John 3:1-10. Hence they should cherish the Spirit’s strivings
and seek his influences in earnest prayer. It was said of Saul of Tarsus, when
awakened on his way to Damascus, " Behold, he prayeth." Acts 9:11. Prayer should
be the sinner’s resort when convinced of sin, and indeed at all times. He should
cry with the publican, " God, be merciful to me, a sinner," Luke 18:13 ; with
David, " Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness : according
unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my, sin. Create in me
a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." Psalms 51:1-2. Psalms
51:10. And with the prodigal he should say, " Father, I have sinned against
heaven, and before thee," Luke 15:18-21; and with blind Bartimeus, " Jesus, thou
Son of David, have mercy on me." Mark 10:48-47. Nor should he be satisfied
without a thorough work of grace upon his heart. He should not rest till he is a
new creature in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17. But many pray, who do not
surrender themselves to Jesus Christ. This step does not save the soul ; for
prayer is not faith.-Hence,

4. The next step is the entire renunciation of ourselves, of all our refuges and
false confidences. It is too often that many of these are between the sinner and
the cross. He will stand upon his moral life, his works of merit, his charities,
his prayers and tears. So long as these are in the way, so long as he rests in
them or relies upon them, so long is he unprepared to receive and rest upon the
Saviour of sinners and take refuge in his atoning sacrifice. Every thing of this
kind must be renounced. You, reader, you must be brought to feel that "None but
Jesus Can do helpless sinners good." The language of Jehovah is, " Thou hast
destroyed thyself," Hosea 13:9; and the sinner must be brought to feel that he
is self-destroyed and helpless, ere he is prepared to embrace the great
salvation. And this he will feel if his heart is renewed by the Spirit of God;
and when he is brought to this point, he is ready to take that step by which he
enters the way of life and is clothed with the garments of salvation:

5. That step is the reception of Jesus Christ by faith. Faith receives the
testimony of God. It believes what God has said of his Son. Saving faith is
reliance upon Jesus Christ for salvation. It is trust in Christ ; and has been
thus defined,-"Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and
rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel." He is
offered to us in the gospet as our Saviour. First, we must feel our need of him
; second, we must see in him a fitness to our case; and then, renouncing
ourselves and every other refuge, we must receive and rest upon him for
salvation. This is the way of life ; and this is the way to enter it. There is
no salvation if we stop short of this. We must have faith, or we cannot be
justified ; we must receive Jesus, and rest upon him, or we shall be lost; for
without faith it is impossible to please God. Heb. xi. 6. Do you feel yourself a
sinner? Do you inquire what you must do ? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He
is the Saviour you need. Trust in him ; rely upon him with humble and obedient
confidence. " He is the way, the truth, and the life : no man cometh unto the
Father but by him." John 14:6. Receive him in all his offices, as your prophet,
priest, and king,-as your Redeemer and your all,-that he of God may be made unto
you wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. 1 Corinthians
1:30.

Review now the steps which have been enumerated. Salvation is provided ; it is
offered;; it is brought near to you ; and you inquire how you may secure it. The
question implies an awakened attention to the subject; it implies anxiety about
the soul. And the answer is,-feel your need of it, see a fitness in it, seek the
renovation of your heart by the power of the Holy Ghost, renounce yourself,
receive and rely upon Jesus Christ. This is to believe in him ; this is the way
of life; these steps lead to heaven. You must take them all, if you would gain
the skies. Many have gone as far as the fourth ; but not taking the fifth, they
have remained in their sins. They have gone to the very gate of heaven, only to
sink the deeper in hell ; they have gone almost to the cross, only to be ground
to powder beneath that stone which is laid for a foundation in Zion. Isaiah
28:16 ; Matthew 21:42-44:0 reader, stop not till you have entered the way of
life. Rest not till your soul is safe. Go not almost to the cross ; go quite
there. Not only behold and admire the Lamb of God, but embrace him by faith.
Acts 13:41. And now while you feel your need of salvation, and see a fitness in
it to your wants, close in with its offers, and secure to yourself an interest
in its priceless blessings. While you confess your sins to God, and call on the
Spirit to renew your heart, believe in Christ to the saving of your soul. Psalms
51:10-11; Hebrews 10:38-39.

Five steps have been described as leading the soul into the way of life. These
might all be included in one, viz. coming to Christ; for he says, "Come unto me;
and, him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." Matthew 11:28. John
6:37. But no one ever came to Jesus without feeling his need of him, and seeing
a fitness in him, and crying for mercy, and renouncing himself; and hence the
view which has been given is correct and Scriptural. It authorizes no one to
delay coming to Christ for a single moment ; for to come to him is to take the
very steps described ; and to begin to take these steps, is to begin to come to
the Saviour, and this should be done now. There is nothing to justify a moment’s
delay.

"Let not conscience make you linger, Nor of fitness fondly dream."

Say to every temptation and to every difficulty and discouragement, " Hinder me
not." Genesis 24:56. Cry unto God, Turn thou me, and I shall be turned ; draw
me, and I will run after thee." Jeremiah 31:18. Sol. Song of Solomon 1:4. Turn
the eye of your mind to Jesus, saying, "Rock of ages, cleft for me, Let me hide
myself in thee." When these steps shall have been taken-whether in the precise
order enumerated, it matters not-you will begin to walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:4. Evangelical repentance is inseparable from saving faith. No one ever
repented without the exercise of faith in Christ; and no one ever yet believed
in. Christ unto salvation, without exercising repentance for sin. " Repentance
unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin,
and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of
his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after new
obedience." To be saved, you must repent. Sin must be sorrowed for and forsaken.
It must be confessed to God and deplored. You should mourn over the corruptions
of your heart and life, the depravity of your nature and the vileness of your
practice. "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented
of." 2 Corinthians 7:10. And the evidence of our repentance, and the fruits of
our faith, must be seen in our lives. Our conduct must witness to the sincerity
and reality of our religion. " Without holiness no man shall see the Lord."
Hebrews 12:14. Every man that hath hope in Christ, " purifieth himself, even as
he is pure." 1 John 3:3. He begins the performance of religious’ duties ; and
having a principle of grace implanted in his heart, he continues firm and
faithful, " growing in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lard and Saviour’
Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3:18. In his life is seen a practical exemplification of
Peter’s exhortation, " and besides this, giving all diligence, add to your
faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge ; and to knowledge, temperance; and to
temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness-, charity. For if these things be in you,
and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:5-8. From what precedes it
appears that the way of salvation is plain and easily understood. There is
nothing dark nor obscure about it. A child can understand it. And if you perish,
it will not be because you do not know the way of life. You have known it from
childhood. It has been pointed out to you every Sabbath day. A voice has
followed you from infancy upward, saying, "This is the way, walk thou in it."
Isaiah 30:21. Your pathway through life has been set with guide-boards at every
turn, pointing out to you the way to heaven. In helpless infancy you were lulled
to sleep in your, mother’s arms with the song of redemption ; in your youth
redeeming love was the theme that most frequently greeted your wayward ears ;
and now salvation is the sound which reverberates through all the avenues of
your soul; and when you die it will be in full view of the cross of Christ. The
steps which lead to that only Source of peace, of hope and joy, are clearly
pointed out and are fully known. You have been told, and you know, just where to
place your feet to bridge the gulf which lies be. tween you and heaven. Place
them there, and you are safe ; place them any where else, and you tread on sand,
and sink in the fathomless abyss beyond the reach of recovery! The way of
salvation is also easy, as well as plain. What can be easier ?

" His help he’ll freely give, He makes no hard condition, ’Tis only-Look, and
live."

You ask what you must do. The answer is, Believe. "This is the work of God, that
ye believe on him whom he hath sent." John 6:29. Of devising a better way of
salvation, you would not for a moment think. I ask whether you could devise one
that is easier ? I know indeed, it is difficult to sinful men. "Can the
Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots 1 then may ye also do good,
that are accustomed to do evil." Jer 13::23. The way is difficult to sinners
because they are proud and wicked. It is hard for them to renounce themselves;
hard to submit to the righteousness of another; hard to cease to do evil, and
learn to do well. Isaiah 1:16-17. Hence the gate is said to be strait and the
way narrow. Matthew 7:13-14. But all these difficulties result from their own
sinfulness. In itself considered, the way is easy ; and it leaves the sinner
excuseless, because he cannot make his sinfulness an excuse for the neglect of
salvation-he cannot make his sins his justification before God. God has done all
he consistently can-all that he ever will do-to make the way plain and easy, and
hence they who perish are without excuse. This they must ever feel. This you
will feel, reader, if you are lost! O then close with Christ; believe in him and
be saved. You feel your need of him now; you see a fitness in him ; renounce
yourself, flee to his open arms, surrender to him your heart, and devote to him
the remnant of your days. Let your language be, "Here, Lord, I give myself away
’Tis all that I can do."

"Seize the kind promise while it waits, And march to Zion’s heavenly gates;

Believe-and take the promised rest;

Obey-and be for ever blest."


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  CHAPTER 8: 10 CHAP 6 EXCUSES
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CHAPTER VI.

EXCUSES.

1 Kings 18:21.-How long halt ye between two opinions?

Isaiah 1:18.-Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your
sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool

’THE Scriptures give us a most delightful view of the Supreme Being. They
represent him as providing salvation, offering it to us, and when we refuse to
accept it, condescending to reason the matter with us. When we hesitate, he
says, " How long halt ye ?" and when we would excuse ourselves, and cavil or
,object, he says, " Come now, and let us reason together." In the progress of
this work, you have seen your exposure on account of sin; what has been done to
save you; the nature of the salvation provided, and its free offer. You have ’
been led, it may be, to feel your need of it, and to ask what you must do to be
saved. The way of life has been pointed out to you; you have been told, how to
enter it ; and you are now debating with yourself whether you shall enter into
it. You are halting between two opinions ; and Jehevah says to you, " Come now,
and let us reason together." But why do you hesitate ? Why halt between two
opinions ? Is it not an easy question to decide ? You cannot hesitate because
you have any doubts of what is duty; for you know you ought at once to close
with Christ and seek the salvation of your soul. You cannot hesitate because you
know not what is your interest; for your own beet good requires you without
delay to turn unto the Lord. And there is surely difference enough between
heaven and hell, salvation and perdition, eternal life and eternal death, to
render a moment’s hesitation alike unnecessary and inexcusable. You are a poor,
miserable, condemned sinner. Jesus has died that you might live. You are
directed to the way of salvation ; you have taken some steps toward it;- you
stand at its very entrance; and the question which agitates your mind, and which
you are about to decide, is, Shall I enter? Shall I close with Christ? Shall I
believe and be Saved? O think of your situation ! Awakened, alarmed, yet pausing
at heaven’s gate, and debating with yourself whether you shall secure the
salvation of your soul-whether you will " make your calling and election sure !"
2 Peter 1:10. Why hesitate ? Do you think God is so merciful that he will not
punish you, even if you do not embrace Christ ? True, God is merciful.

He is good, he is benevolent, he is long-suffering, he is very pitiful and of
tender mercy. 2 Peter 3:9, James 5:11. On all these points the Scriptures are
full and explicit. They declare that Jehovah is the Lord God, merciful and
gracious; and that his mercy endures for ever. Exodus 34:6; Exodus 34:7. Psalms
113:1-4. But they are equally explicit in teaching that he is just. And justice
is not inconsistent with mercy. A being perfect in, all his attributes, must
punish the guilty as well as reward the innocent. To treat the innocent and the
guilty alike, would be to confound the distinction between right and wrong, and
destroy all the motives to virtue. It is true the righteous are not innocent,
they belong to a fallen race; but they are treated as innocent for the sake of
Him who in -their stead answered the demands of justice, being united to him by
faith. Christ himself was innocent. " He did no sin, neither was guile found in
his mouth." 1 Peter 2:22. He suffered for the guilty. Our sins were laid on him
; he bore their punishment. Isaiah 53:6. And this was consistent with justice,
because he was voluntary in assuming our place. He laid down his life for us, as
he himself declares-" No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself."
John 10:17-18. Yet he was delivered up by the Father, who " made him who knew no
sin to be sin for us." Romans 8:32. 2 Corinthians 5:21. And if God spared not
his own Son, think you that he will spare the sinner who rejects him? Do you
doubt whether God is just? View the agony of Jesus in the garden, and his
sufferings on the cross. There, in characters which angels and men may read, it
-is ’written, God is just ! Do you doubt whether God will punish sinners? Hear
the dying Saviour himself exclaim-" My God, my God, why hest thou forsaken me ?"
Matthew 27:46. That which the Saviour then suffered from the hidings of his
Father’s face, was no doubt somewhat of the nature of what the damned suffer in
hell ; and there on the cross, in that hour of the power of darkness, when the
Son of God expired, it was written, not only in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin,
but in all the languages of the earth, and the universe may read it, God will
punish sinners! He will by no means clear the guilty. Exodus 34:7. Do you doubt
whether God will punish you if you reject his Son? Reader, it is written, " He
that hath the Son, hath life ; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not
life." 1 John 5:12. Sooner might Judas escape than you, if you believe not in
Jesus. Judas went to his own place, and you must go there too, if you enter not
into the way of life. Acts 1:25. God is merciful ; but the only way in which he
can show mercy to you, is through Jesus Christ, by whom his justice has been
satisfied. Believe in Jesus, and you shall live, "through God’s abounding grace
;" reject Jesus and in your own person you must bear the wrath of God for ever,
and be for ever satisfying, by your own sufferings, the justice of God. Nor can
his justice be thus fully satisfied while eternity endures. It will ever be
crying out for vengeance on you for the rejection of the Son of God, when he was
freely offered to you.

"Repent, the voice celestial cries, Nor longer dare delay : The wretch that
scorns the mandate dies, And meets a fiery day.

Bow, ere the awful trumpet sound, And call you to his bar : For mercy knows the
appointed bound, And turns to vengeance there."

" But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he
appeareth?" Malachi 3:2. " See that ye refuse not him that speaketh: for if they
escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape,
if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven." Hebrews 12:25. Do you
hesitate because you have some faint hope that God will save all men, whether
they believe in. Christ or not? After what has been said, I need not tarry long
in answering this excuse. If God will certainly save all men, then what exposure
is there from which you need to be saved? If all are to be saved, then where is
the need of anxiety about your soul? It is certainly very strange that the
thousands on the day of Pentecost cried out, " Men and brethren, what shall we
do?" if the Apostles preached the doctrine of universal salvation! Acts 2:37. It
is certainly very strange that the Scriptures should insist so much upon the
necessity of faith and repentance, and give such clear and vivid representations
of future punishment, and of the eternity of that punishment, if all are to be
saved at all events! Have all the sinners who have died in their sins gone to
heaven-the thieves, the murderers, the adulterers? Revelation 22:15. Were the
inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah swept to heaven in a shower of fire and
brimstone; and the old world carried thither by the flood which destroyed them?
Did Judas go direct to heaven when, after betraying his Master, he went and
hanged himself, and failing headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his
bowels gushed out? Has he not gone to his own place-to hell? Matthew 27:5. Acts
1:18, Acts 1:25. And if but one has perished, then Universalism is untrue; and
may not all perish who die without faith in Christ? Such are the teachings of
Scripture; for " he that believeth not shall be damned ; and he that believeth
not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Mark
16:16. John 3:36. Of all the delusions of the devil with which corrupt man ever
suffered himself to be deceived, none is more contrary to the express
declarations and the whole tenor of the word of God, none is more unscriptural,
nor more absurd, than this same doctrine of universal salvation ! It is a
damnable error, a doctrine of the devil : its author is the father of lies.
Genesis 3:4. John 8:44. 1 Timothy 4:1. It dishonours God’s character; represents
sin as a trifle ; and encourages transgression. It cuts off every motive to
virtue, to amendment and reformation. If, dear reader, you are really convinced
of sin by the Spirit of. God, you cannot, for such a reason, hesitate long about
entering the path to heaven. If you see your sins in their true light, as
violalations of God’s law, which is holy, just, and good, (Romans 7:12,) you
must see that they deserve his wrath and curse for ever, and that you, on
account of them, deserve his everlasting displeasure. Sin is an infinite evil,
because committed against an infinite God, and it deserves an infinite
punishment.

True conviction implies correct views of sin; and correct views of sin are
inconsistent with the belief that all men shall be saved ; for all men have not
faith, and without faith no one cat, be saved. Many die without faith ; and they
who thus die are lost. This will be your doom, if you enter not into the way of
life! For the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.- 2
Thessalonians 3:2. Hebrews 11:6. Mark 16:16. John 8:21. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.
Do you hesitate about closing with Christ because you have yet some hope of
being saved by your works? But if this be the way to heaven, then why did Jesus
die? Why do we need a Saviour, if our works can save us? And if salvation be of
works, then where is grace? It is excluded. Christ died in vain, if salvation be
of works; and then, too, there is no grace in our salvation. But " by grace are
ye saved," saith Paul. Ephesians 2:8. " Now to him that worketh, is the reward
not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth
on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
Hence the same apostle declares that a man is not justified by the works of the
law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. Galatians 2:16. And it is written, " By
the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified." Romans 3:20. Such
being the plain declarations of Scripture, how can you hesitate to close with
Christ, in the vain hope that your works will save you? Such a hope is a
spider’s web. It will leave your soul defenceless in the day of God’s anger. Or
are you trying to make yourself better before you go to Jesus? Remember, If you
tarry till you’re better, You will never come at all : Not the righteous-.

Sinners Jesus came to call." A sick man, ready to expire, trying, to make
himself better before applying to the physician ! A venomous disease is preying
upon you ; there is but one Physician who can heal you ; and to him you will not
apply ! You must first hazard the dangerous experiment of trying to cure
yourself; or you must at least try to make yourself a little better before you
apply to the great Physician! O, you are upon a perilous experiment I Make
yourself better you never can. Your case is growing worse ; your sins are
increasing ; you are grieving the Spirit and slighting the Saviour who died for
you! Could you make yourself better, you might save yourself. Then why did the
Saviour die ? Why was a Saviour provided? He came to save sinners; and to save
them from their sins. In all your sins, and with them all pressing upon you, go
to him, and cry, Lord, save me, I perish ; Jesus, save me, or I die Matthew
8:25. Or do you feel yourself so great a sinner that you cannot be’ forgiven?
Have you tried every expedient in the hope of finding relief, and are you now
ready to despair? One expedient you have not tried! That is faith in Jesus; and
that is the only way of peace. And do you hesitate to apply to him because your
sins are so many and so great ? Why the very design for which he came into the
world was to save just such sinners as you! Do your sins

"surpass The power and glory of his grace ?" Do they exceed his boundless
merits, his unsearchable riches, his infinite sacrifice, his everlasting
righteousness? He is an all-sufficient Saviour. "All power is his in heaven and
in earth." Matthew 28:18. " He is able to save unto the uttermost." Hebrews
7:25. " His blood cleanseth from all sin." 1 John 1:7. He invites all to come
unto him, and promises them rest. Matthew 11:28-30. He invites you; and were
your sins ten thousand times as great as they are, the fountain which Christ
bath opened for sin and for uncleanness, is sufficient to wash them all away.
Zechariah 13:1. " Yea, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as. snow;
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18. How many
poor miserable sinners have found salvation in Christ And if you will but
embrace him by faith, you too shall rejoice in his forgiving love. O, then no
longer halt between two opinions; no longer hesitate and ’delay; but now behold
the Lamb of God with the eye of faith-look-believe -and live!

"No longer now delay, Nor vain excuses frame;

Christ bids you come to-day, Though poor, and blind, and lame :

All things are ready-sinner, come ! For every trembling soul there ’s room."


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  CHAPTER 9: 11 CHAP 7 MOTIVES
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CHAPTER VII.

MOTIVES.

Luke 15:17-20. And when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of
my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger ! I will
arise and go to my father, and will say unto. him, Father, I have sinned against
heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son : make me as
one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was
yet a. great way off his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell
on his neck, and kissed him. AND yet, dear reader, you stand halting between
life and death, heaven and hell. The reasons which cause you to hesitate have
been examined. They are found of no avail. You are without excuse; and yet you
enter not by the door into the sheepfold. John 10:1. You act not only without
reason, but against it. A rational being acting irrationally! Would God that,
like the prodigal, you might come to yourself! Then would you return to your
Father’s house ; then would you believe in Jesus and enter the way of life. And
would you be governed by reason, by conscience, by Scripture, by the Spirit of
God, there are motives which should prevail with you to receive Jesus as your
Saviour, and trust in the merit of his blood. Before I close this little volume,
and take my final leave of you, let me faithfully urge some of these motives
upon your serious and prayerful attention. God has claims upon you, and you
cannot resist his claims without sin. He is your Maker; and as a creature of his
power, you ought to love and obey him. You have broken his law, and he commands
you to repent. Acts 17:30. He says to you, " My son, give me thy heart, and let
thine eyes observe my ways." Proverbs 23:26. He requires you to believe in his
Son. John 6:29. And it is reasonable and right ; it is your duty, and it should
be done, and done now! While you neglect it, you are disobeying God, and
dishonouring him. Yea, you are setting at nought his claims, treating his word
as if it were untrue, and making God a liar, because you believe not the record
that God gave of his Son. 1 John 5:10-11.

While you are halting, you are abusing the goodness of God which provided this
great salvation. The plan of redemption originated in his infinite love. Every
line is resplendent with the rays of his benevolence. " His goodness here in
full glory shines." If in the cross of Christ the Justice of God is conspicuous,
no less conspicuous there is his goodness. There is goodness in providing
salvation; in making the offer ; in sending the Spirit ; in convincing of sin :
every thing around you speaks of God’s goodness ; and this goodness you abuse
while you hesitate about entering the way of life.

"Is this the kind return, And these the thanks we owe ?

Thus to abuse eternal love, Whence all our blessings flow ! To what a stubborn
frame Has sin reduced our mind !

What strange rebellious wretches we, And God as strangely kind !"

O, let the goodness of God lead you to repentance! Romans 2:4. Let it bow your
will, and constrain you to yield to the cross of Christ.

While you are hesitating, you are slighting the compassion of the Saviour. His
compassion is divine. It was this that moved him to undertake our case; and this
animated him while here on earth, constrained him to become obedient unto death,
and it now fills his bosom as he invites the perishing to come unto him. He
pitied us even unto death ; he pities us now in his glory. He pities the poor
hardened wretch who rejects him ; he pities the awakened soul, who mourns over
his sins, and yet hesitates to embrace him. Can you slight his compassions? Can
you doubt his willingness to save O, it is cruel thus to question his love, when
he has proved it in his bloody agony and his dying groans !

While you are hesitating, you are resisting and grieving the Spirit of God. It
is by his influences that you have been brought to your present state of
anxiety. He has awakened your attention, applied the truth to your heart,
convinced you of sin, and led you to inquire what you must do. While God is
waiting to be gracious, Isaiah 30:18, his Spirit is wooing you to Christ; and
while you delay and hesitate, you resist and grieve the Spirit. This is perilous
to your soul. The Spirit is a sovereign, operating when and where he listeth.
John 3:8. He will not always strive. Genesis 6:8. Yet it is by his influences
that your heart must be renewed and you be drawn to Christ. If he depart, you
are lost. While you feel his power, yield to him, and embrace the hope set
before you. Hebrews 6:17-20. This is your only hope. There is no other way of
deliverance from sin and misery. While you delay, your sins and your danger are
increasing, and the probability of your salvation is hourly diminishing
Salvation is now near; behold the Lamb of God! John 1:29. Righteousness is near;
embrace it, and be delivered from condemnation! Romans 8:1. How precious the
blessings and privileges offered you-peace and joy in this world-a death of
triumph-a heaven of glory! O listen to Jehovah when he promises to make an
everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Isaiah 55:3. He
calls ; hear his voice, yield to his Spirit, believe in his Son. " Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a
little." Psalms 2:12. The word of God now is, " Turn you at my reproof: Behold;
I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you." But
soon he will say, " Because I have called and ye refused; I have stretched out
my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and
would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity : I will mock when
your fear cometh ; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction
cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall
they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they
shall not find me ; for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear
of the Lord: they would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their
own devices." Proverbs 1:23-31. I shall offer but one other motive for an
immediate decision of the all important question. It is this-Your present
situation is full of interest and of peril ; and upon the decision you now make
may depend your everlasting destiny! The Spirit is at work with your heart; the
Saviour is inviting you to his arms; the Father is waiting to receive you
graciously and love you freely. Hosea 14:2, Hosea 14:4. The angels of God are
waiting to rejoice over you, Luke 15:10 ; devils are ready to triumph In your
ruin; and you are almost persuaded to be a Christian, yet hesitating, halting,
’wavering; sometimes on the point of yielding your heart to Jesus and resting in
him as your Saviour; and then again half inclined to banish the whole matter
from your mind-for the present! How interesting this moment with you! how
critical! how perilous! It is the turning point in your destiny! If you close
with Christ, you are saved If you refuse, you are lost! The Spirit will depart ;
your heart become harder than ever; and your last state will be worse than the
first! Matthew 12:43-45. Then will there remain to you only a " certain fearful
looking for of judgment and fiery indignation!" Hebrews 10:26-27. O that I could
say that word which the Spirit would bless to your salvation ! that word which,
with God’s blessing, would decide the doubtful case, and cause you to choose the
good part ! But you mist decide for yourself; as for yourself you must pass the
river of death, and stand before the judgment seat! I can only point you to the
Saviour-I can only direct you to the way of life. Would that I could lead you in
it! But you must enter it for yourself, or die! To enter it you must believe;
and believing, you shall be saved. " Through this man is preached unto you the
forgiveness of sins; and by him all that believe are justified from all things."
Acts 13:38-39.

Come, humble sinner, in whose breast, A thousand thoughts revolve;

Come, with your guilt and fear oppressed, And make this last resolve:

I’ll go to Jesus, though my sin High as a mountain rose ;

I know his courts, I’ll enter in, Whatever may oppose.

Prostrate I ’ll lie before his throne, And there my guilt confess;

I’ll tell him I ’m a wretch undone, Without his sovereign grace.

Perhaps he will admit my plea, Perhaps will hear my prayer ; But if I perish, I
will pray, And perish only there.

I can but perish if I go, I am resolved to try ; For if I stay away, I know I
host forever die.’ THE END.


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Source: https://sermonindex.net/books/mccord-william-j-salvation-or-the-sinner-directed-in-the-way-of-life/
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