© This work is the property of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It may be used freely by individuals for research, teaching and personal use as long as this statement of availability is included in the text.
The electronic edition is a part of the UNC-CH
digitization project, Documenting the American South.
Any hyphens occurring in line breaks have been removed, and the trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line.
All quotation marks, em dashes and ampersand have been transcribed as entity references.
All double right and left quotation marks are encoded as ” and “ respectively.
All em dashes are encoded as —
Indentation in lines has not been preserved.
Spell-check and verification made against printed text using Author/Editor (SoftQuad) and Microsoft Word spell check programs.
I CANNOT doubt that you have at some time felt alarmed in view of your sins, and uttered the inquiry, “What must I do to be saved?” The answer is given in the words of Paul to the jailor, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
Do you inquire what is the meaning of
these words, or what it is to believe in
Jesus Christ? This inquiry is indeed one
of infinite moment. It is written, “He
that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:
and he that believeth not the
Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of
God abideth on him.” To this inquiry I
reply:
receive
him in the heart as a Saviour. It is written,
“As many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name.”
John 1:12. Here we learn that receiving
is believing, and that believing is receiving;
and thus we are taught by the
Scriptures, that saving faith is the receiving
of and resting on Jesus Christ, as he
is offered in the gospel. In order to this.
1. The soul must feel its need. No one
will accept of Christ, until he realizes
that Christ alone can remove the burden
of sin. No soul ever believed in Christ,
until it found itself to be lost and condemned.
2. The soul must not only feel its need,
but it must see in Christ one who is able
and willing to save even to the uttermost.
The devil often blinds anxious souls, so
that while burdened with sin, they cannot
see the way to Jesus. They know he
is able and willing to save others; but
when the thought of their own acceptance
occurs to them, it seems dark and doubtful.
Their sins appear too great for even
all, is there not room for
you? Hear him again “Him that cometh
unto me I will in no wise cast out.”
In that word in no wise, is not your case
included? Think much on the fulness
of Christ, and you will see that it is infinite.
Doubt not, lest you add sin to sin:
only believe. He is as willing as he is able.
Your doubts may appear to you to savor
of humility; but they are the highest dishonor
to the name of Him, of whom it
was said, “This man receiveth sinners.”
Yes, Christ can save you now, even at this
late hour, if you will receive him.
3. To believe in Jesus, is to receive
him as a complete Saviour, and to renounce
all other hopes of salvation. To receive
Jesus as a Saviour, is to cast yourself on
The believing soul will exclaim with the
dying Lambert, “None but Christ; none
but Christ.” In receiving Christ by faith
the soul has a view of his excellence, and
desires him above all things; so that it is
written, “To you which believe, he is
precious.” The believer finds all fulness
in Christ. Such is the completeness of
his work, as our “wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption,” that nothing
can be added. A believing soul
desires Christ above all things. So Paul
prays for his people “that Christ may
dwell in their hearts by faith.” Believing
in Christ, will cut the cords of sin. As
sin must be repented of, and abandoned
and hated, so faith exclaims, “I must
have Christ, even if I must abandon what
If the
As you hope to meet God in peace, receive
his offered Son, for “there is none
1. The righteousness of God is in him,
by which God can be just and justify the
sinner, that believeth. By this righteousness
only can the sinner be justified. He
is “the lord our righteousness,” and we
are made the “righteousness of God in
him.”
2. The love of God is in Christ; the
mercies and compassions of God are in
Christ. Mercy and compassion are what
poor sinners want. If you receive Christ,
you receive mercy; but out of him “our
God is a consuming fire.”
3. The salvation of God is in Christ;
wherefore, if you believe not, you exclude
yourselves from all hope of salvation.
Consider also how Christ is offered -
freely, as the gift of God; you are not to
purchase him, but to receive him. “Ho,
every one that thirsteth, come ye to the
waters, and he that hath no money; come
ye, buy and eat without money and without
price.” Isa.
Consider also the sin and danger there
is in neglecting the present offer of Christ;
here is the very malignity of sin in refusing
to believe. Hereby a man murders
his own soul. “I said therefore unto to you,
that ye shall die in your sins; for if ye believe
not that I am he, ye shall die in your
sins.” John viii: 24. Unbelief is self-murder;
you are guilty of the death of
your own soul: life and salvation were
offered, and you rejected them. The refusing
of Christ by unbelief, will aggravate
your condemnation above that of
others who perish in ignorance of him—Oh, it will be more tolerable for the heathen
than for you, who have rejected a
Saviour whom they never knew.
In receiving Christ, beware of dangerous
delays. “Take heed to the things
which ye have heard, lest any time ye let
almost persuaded, and of some that
were “not far from the kingdom of God,”
yet they perhaps perished, after all. See
that you receive him with all your heart.
“Lay hold on eternal life,” which is given
to all that believe. Thus “make your
calling and election sure.”