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 t^x<xxy of Che theological ^eminarjo 
 
 PRINCETON • NEW JERSEY 
 
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 PRESENTED BY 
 
 Mrs. Winthro-'3 W. Aldrich 
 

 
 
 
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 \B52- 
 
JUL .o 19^1 1 
 
 AVAY OF SALVATION 
 
 FAMILIARLY KXPLAINED, 
 
 IN A CONVERSATION 
 
 BETVVEKN A FATHER AND HIS CHILDREN. 
 
 By the Rev. A. A. ALEXANDER, D.D. 
 
 PHILADELPinA : 
 
 PRESBYTERL^N BOARD OF PUBLICATION. 
 
I- 
 

 THE 
 
 WAY OF SALVATION, 
 PART I. 
 
 [The names of the children were John, fifteen years 
 of age ; Benjamin, thirteen ; Rufiis, ten ; and Mary, 
 eight. The speakers will be designated by tlie initial 
 letter of each name ; the letter F, standing for father.] 
 
 F. Come, my children, as our evening 
 meal is over, and the weather is serene and 
 temperate, let us take our seats under the 
 ghady trees, which overhang the brook, at 
 the back of the garden, and spend an hour 
 in conversation. 
 
4 THE WAY OF 
 
 M. O how I am delighted to hear you 
 eay this ! I remember how many pleasant 
 evenings we spent under those large oaks, 
 last summer, and how many pleasant stories 
 you told us, all out of the Bible. 
 
 J. I have made it a practice to spend 
 some time in that retired spot, evening and 
 morning, for some weeks past, and I have 
 wondered how so many people could prefer 
 lying a-bed, to breathing the sweet air of the 
 garden and groves, early in the morning. 
 
 B. I love the place too, there are so 
 many birds, warbling their notes in the 
 branches ; and so many gay butterflies sail- 
 ing through the air, and gracefully lighting 
 on the ground. 
 
 R. Father, don't you remember what a 
 nice summer-house we built, last summer, 
 and how we covered it with boughs, and 
 gathered the green soft moss for seats J 
 
 M. O yes, I remember, that I gathered a 
 basket full of wild flowers, and stuck thera 
 
 5W 
 
SALVATION. 5 
 
 all around the summer-house, just as if they 
 had grown there; but the next time ue 
 came, they were all drooping, and almost 
 withered. 
 
 F. And have you forgotten what I said 
 these fading- flowers were an emblem of J 
 
 M. I don't know what an emblem means. 
 
 F. An emblem, my daughter, is any 
 natural or visible thing, which has a resem- 
 blance to some moral or spiritual thing. 
 
 J. I remember well, that father said those 
 flowers were an emblem of youth and beaut}^ 
 which must soon wither and fade, as did 
 these flowers. 
 
 B. Father, will you now tell us some 
 pleasant story ] 
 
 F. My son, we must not be too fond of 
 pleasant things. We must think of what 
 will be profitable. Of late I have felt a 
 great solicitude for the salvation of the souls 
 of my dear children, and I wish now to speak 
 to you of your need of a Saviour. 
 
6 THE WAY OF 
 
 During this conversation, they arrived at 
 the place, and took their seats. 
 
 J. I am ghd to hear you mention that 
 subject, for I heard Mr. Ambrose preach, 
 some weeks ago, on the "worth of tlie soul." 
 He said that it was more valuable than a 
 thousand worlds, and the loss of it could 
 never be repaired. I have been thinkingf 
 much about it; and without my seeking, it 
 comes into my mind, and all this day, my 
 thoughts have been running upon it. 
 
 M. I wish, father, you would tell me what 
 the soul is. I never s^w my own soul, or 
 the soul of any one. I do not know what it 
 is like. 
 
 F. On many subjects, we are all children 
 alike. My dear daughter, I know as little 
 of the nature of a soul as you do. A spirit 
 cannot be seen nor felt, because it has no 
 flesh nor bones. But we know that the 
 soul exists, as certainly as we know anything 
 whatever. 
 
SALVATION. / 
 
 M. I know what I see and feel, better 
 than that I have a soul. This book which 
 I hold in my hand, I can see and feel, but 
 
 cannot see and feel my soul. I feel surer 
 Jiat I hold this book, than I can be of what 1 
 never saw. 
 
 F. My child, you deceive yourself Who 
 sees that book 1 
 
 M. Why I see it with my eyes, and feel 
 it with my fingers. 
 
 F. But who is this you call 11 Is not 
 that your soul 1 If you had nothing besides 
 your body, you would know no more about 
 that book than the stone under your feet does. 
 Your eyes, and your fingers, are only instru- 
 ments that bring sight and feeling to your 
 spiritual part ; which, in mankind, is called 
 the mind or soul. If there is any difference, 
 we are more certain that we have a soul, or 
 liiat the soul is ourself, than of any other 
 thing; for every time we see, or feel, or 
 hear, or taste, or smell, we are conscious^ 
 
8 THE WAY OP 
 
 that is, we are certain in ourselves, that our 
 soul sees, feels, hears, tastes, and smells. 
 Try, Mary, to stop thinking for one moment. 
 
 M. I cannot, for when I try, I am all the 
 time thinking- about trying, 
 
 F. Well, can any thing think but a soul 1 
 Every moment, therefore, you have a cer- 
 tainty that you have a soul. 
 
 M. But after all, I do not know what 
 the soul is. 
 
 F. No, nor do I, except that it is that 
 which thinks, and feels. But we know as 
 little of what we see and feel. Here is a 
 pebble ; you see it is white and round. You 
 take it in your hand, and it is smooth and fills 
 up a certain space, so that you cannot shut 
 your hand close. But what is that which is 
 round and white and smooth and extended 1 
 You can tell no more about it, than you can 
 of your soul. 
 
 R. Father, does the soul grow like the 
 
SALVATION. n 
 
 body! and is the soul of a man larger than 
 that of a child ? 
 
 F. You have fallen into a common error, 
 i^ou are endeavouring to give to a spirit the 
 properties of a body. Size and shape belonc, 
 to matter but not to spirit. B.it in one sense" 
 the soul grows as much as the body, and may 
 grow long after the body has reached its 
 full size. The soul increases or grows in 
 two ways ; first, its faculties are by degrees 
 brought into exercise and become more ■ 
 vigorous from day to day; and again, the 
 mmd IS enlarged by an increase of know- 
 ledge. 
 
 J. I like to hear you converse about 
 the nature of the soul, but what I most want 
 to hear is about the salvation of the soul ; 
 for what good would it do me to know ever 
 so much about my soul, if at last it should be 
 lost? I cannot help thinking about our pas- 
 tor's text~»What is a man profited, if he 
 shall gain the whole world, and lose his own 
 
10 THE WAY OF 
 
 soul, or what shall a man give in exchange 
 for his soul V 
 
 F. I am pleased, my son, to hear you 
 speak so seriously about the worth of the 
 soul. To secure its salvation is surejy the 
 one thing needful. 
 
 B. I wish, Father, you would explain 
 how the soul came to be in need of salvation ; 
 for our pastor said that if it were not lost, it 
 could not be saved. Now, I thought that if 
 it never had been lost, it would be sure to be 
 saved. And would not man have been saved, 
 if he had never sinned } 
 
 F. He would have been safe and happy 
 as the angels are, but he could not with 
 propriety be said to be saved. A man who 
 has never been sick is well, but you cannot 
 say he is healed. That applies only to such 
 as have been sick. To save any one is to 
 deliver him from ruin, into wliich he has 
 fallen or to which he is exposed. None can 
 be saved, therefore, but lost sinners. 
 
 ^n 
 
SAIiVATION. 11 
 
 B. I understand this now ; but how did 
 we all become sinners? A holy God could 
 not create us sinners. 
 
 F. No, my son, to say this would be blas- 
 phemy. God created every thing good ac- 
 cording- to its kind. And it is declared that 
 he made man " in his own image, and after 
 his own likeness ;" that is, he was created in 
 knowledge and holiness. I think, Benjamin, 
 you could answer your own questions if you 
 would only recollect your Catechism, which 
 you repeated last evening. "Did our first 
 parents continue in the estate wherein they 
 were created ]" 
 
 B. "Our first parents being left to the 
 freedom of their own will, fell from the 
 estate wherein they were created, by sinning 
 against God." 
 
 F. Very well, there you have it; and 
 what is the Scripture proof which you 
 learnt ] 
 
 B. "As by one man sin entered into the 
 
12 THE WAY OP 
 
 wotld, and death by sin, so death passed upon 
 all men, for that all have sinned." 
 
 B. But, Father, how could one man's 
 sinning- make all men sinners ] 
 
 F. In two ways. All Adam's posterity are 
 made sinners by his sinning: First, because he 
 stood for them, and acted for them, in what ia 
 called the Jirst covenant: that is, the ag-ree- 
 ment which God made with Adam that if he 
 obeyed him he should live, but that if he dis- 
 obeyed him, he sliould die. Thus, when Adam 
 sinned, and so broke that covenant, all mankind 
 sinned in him, or his sin was theirs also, because 
 they were included in the covenant. Second- 
 ly, our first parents having lost the image of 
 God, and corrupted their nature, their pos- 
 terity are all born in the same destitute and 
 corrupt state. What other text have you 
 on this subject] 
 
 B. We " were by nature, children of 
 wrath, even as others." "I was shapen ia 
 
SALVATION. 13 
 
 iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive 
 me." 
 
 M. Why, I thought some people were 
 good and some bad. 
 
 F. No, my child, " there is none risfht- 
 eous, no not one." " All have gone out of 
 the way." "There is none that doeth 
 good." 
 
 M. Dear father, are you not good ] Yes 
 you are, I know you are. 
 
 F. No, my child, I am by nature no bet- 
 ter than others, and if I now differ from the 
 worst of men, it is all owing to grace. " By 
 the grace of God I am what I am." I have 
 daily evidence of the most convincing kind, 
 •* that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no 
 good thing." For every good thought and 
 feeling, for every good word and work, I am 
 indebted to the grace of God. 
 
 M. And our minister, was he born in sini 
 
 F. Yes, my child, he confesses it every 
 
14 THE WAY OF 
 
 time he prays, and this is the doctrine which 
 he preaches every Sabbath. 
 
 J. How does it come to pass, that while 
 all are sinners by nature, and without holi- 
 ness, some men are moral and amiable from 
 their childhood, and others are wicked all 
 their lives'! 
 
 F. It is not owing- to any essential differ- 
 ence in natural character, but some persons 
 are from their youth under various restraints, 
 which keep them from running so far astray 
 in their actions as many others. Early in- 
 struction, a fear of shame, a dread of punish- 
 ment, and the absence of strong temptations, 
 are the means of restraining many. To all 
 which, we may add the secret influence of the 
 Spirit, in what are called his common opera 
 tions, by which they are kept in a state of 
 tender moral feeling, and are sometimes under 
 strong convictions of their sin and danger. 
 
 M. Are no children good from their 
 
SALVATION. 15 
 
 earliest agel May not young children be 
 made good as well as grown people 1 
 
 F. They may be sanctified from their 
 birth, as was John the Baptist, and Jeremiah, 
 and perhaps Samuel ; but experience teaches, 
 that few give evidence that this has been 
 their case. 
 
 M. What then becomes of young chil- 
 dren ] If they are born in sin must they not 
 be lost 1 
 
 F. Now, my child, you are indulging a 
 vain curiosity. What good can it do you to 
 know what becomes of those who die in 
 infancy ] God has not told us, and we ought 
 not curiously to inquire into secret things 
 which belong to God. We know that God 
 ca7i save them, and we have no evidence that 
 he will not. 
 
 M. Perhaps it would have been better for 
 me if I had died when my dear mother was 
 taken away. Nurse says my life was 
 despaired of. 
 
16 THE WAY OP 
 
 F. Now, Mary, you are sinning against 
 God, by un thankfulness for the goodness 
 which has preserved your life, and raised 
 you up from the borders of the grave. It is 
 true, if you continue in impenitence until 
 you die, it would have been infinitely better 
 for you to have died before you committed, 
 actual sin ; but life, especially under the 
 gospel dispensation, is a blessing for which 
 we are bound to be thankful. For now you 
 have opportunity to hear the Gospel, and if 
 you believe, and repent of your sins, you 
 will be saved. Why then should you wish that 
 you had died 1 I hope you will never again 
 utter such a speech. Your dear mother, 
 when dying, requested — and it was her last 
 request — that if you lived, you should be 
 brought up " in the nurture and admonition 
 of the Lord," and she, with her latest breath, 
 commended you to God. And now, my dear 
 child, it is your duty, it is for your salvation 
 
 i 
 
SALVATION. 17 
 
 to turn unto God with all your heart. Seek 
 the Lord early while he may be found. 
 
 J. If man had not sinned, as he would 
 have needed no salvation, of course no Sa- 
 viour would have been provided; but what 
 I wish to know is, why God could not save 
 sinners without sending his own Son to die. 
 I know that man is in a ruined state, and 
 must perish unless he is saved from it ; but 
 why could not God, if he desired it, stretch 
 out his omnipotent arm and rescue him ? 
 
 F. God is under no obligation to save any 
 sinner. As his law is just and good, he might 
 let it have its course, and inflict deserved 
 punishment on all who transgress. Thus he 
 rdssed by the fallen angels, and left them to 
 their doom, and thus in regard to the children 
 of men, he shows mercy to whom he will — 
 choosing some nations, and leaving others in 
 the darkness of idolatry ; electing some per- 
 sons to life, and leavmg others to pursue 
 their own course. But when he determines 
 
 B 
 
19 THE WAY OP 
 
 to save sinners, it must be in a way consis- 
 tent with the holiness of his nature, and not 
 derog-atory to his law. Sinners cannot be 
 saved by a mere exertion of Almig-hty 
 Power. The hinderance cannot thus be re- 
 moved. God must be just in justifying the 
 ungodly. The law of God must be satisfied, 
 or the sinner cannot be saved. This rendered 
 it necessary that there should be a mediator ; 
 and he must be one who could make satis- 
 faction to law and justice, for the sins of men. 
 None could do this, but the Son of God ; and 
 the Son of God could reconcile men to God, 
 only by becoming man. 
 
 J. I ahvays think of this with wonder. It 
 seems to me the most wonderful thing in the 
 Bible. I often ask myself, " how could the 
 Son of God become man 1" 
 
 M. Brother, I can tell you out of the 
 Catechism. " The Son of God became man 
 by takmg to himself a true body and a reason* 
 able soul, being conceived by the power of 
 
6ALV»Tr0N. 19 
 
 the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin 
 Mary, and born of her, yet without sin." 
 
 R. I never thought before that the Cate- 
 chism could teach us so many things. 
 
 F. Well, my son, I hope you will here- 
 after be more attentive to commit the Cate- 
 chism perfectly to memory, and also some 
 few texts of scripture which are annexed to 
 each question to prove the doctrine ; for if 
 the Catechism did not teach according to 
 the Holy Scriptures, it would be of no autho- 
 rity. It was intended to contain a short sum* 
 mary of what is in the Bible. 
 
 R. Why are there different kinds of 
 Catechisms'? At our Sunday School some 
 learn the Shorter Catechism, which we use, 
 but others recite the Heidelberg Catechism ; 
 and William Van Sickle says, that their 
 minister hears all the children in his congre- 
 gation from that Catechism every Saturday 
 afternoon, in the lecture room. 
 
 F. My son, that is the Catechism which 
 
20 THE WAY OF 
 
 has for a long time been used in the Reformed 
 Dutch Church in Holland, and when the 
 Dutch settled in this country they brought it 
 vvith them ; but my ancestors were from Scot- 
 land, where the Westminster Catechisms 
 have been long in use, and they have been 
 adopted as the Catechisms of the Presbyterian 
 Church. The Shorter Catechism has always 
 been highly valued, and much used by the 
 Consfre (rationalists of both Old and New 
 England. But the Heidelberg Catechism has 
 been more extensively used than any one 
 composed by the Reformers. All the reformed 
 churches on the continent of Europe adopted 
 this Catechism. These two Catechisms per- 
 fectly agree in doctrine, and only differ in 
 words and method. 
 
 J. Father, if it would not take too much 
 time, I should like to hear you state the 
 reasons why man needs a Saviour, and after- 
 wards show that Christ is just such a Saviour 
 as trie smner needs. 
 
SALVATION. 21 
 
 F. My son, I will do my best to satisfy 
 you. The subject is important beyond con- 
 ception, and I humbly pray that I may be 
 guided so as to hold forth the truth of God, 
 and nothing but the truth. I will enter on 
 the task with the more pleasure, because I 
 hope that you are beginning sincerely to in- 
 quire after the way of salvation. And I beg 
 of you all, my dear children, to give diligent 
 heed to the instructions of your affectionate 
 father, or rather to the counsels of God, your 
 Heavenly Father ; for his word is able, through 
 faith in Christ Jesus, to make you wise unto 
 salvation. 
 
 R. Father, when we do not understand 
 any thing, may we ask you to explain it ? 
 
 F. Certainly you may, and it will afford 
 me pleasure to give you all the information 
 I can. I never feel more in the way of my 
 duty, and no duty affords me more heart-felt 
 pleasure than to instil divine truth into the 
 
22 THE WAY OF 
 
 minds of my children, especially when I find 
 them ready to hear and eager to learn. 
 
 J. I wish you would begin with that want 
 of the sinner, which is most pressing and 
 most heavily felt. When the jailer at Phi- 
 lippi, asked, What must I do to be saved? 
 what want did he feel, what kind of salva- 
 tion did he inquire after 7 
 
 F. Your suggestion is very reasonable. 
 Often for the sake of proceeding systemati- 
 cally in our instructions, we begin too far oif 
 from the feelings of distressed souls. It is 
 evident, I think, that a sense of guilt, or of 
 exposure to condemnation, causes the most 
 urgent of all the sinner's wants, and is that 
 which is usually first experienced in the con- 
 viction of sin, produced by the Holy Spirit. 
 Most people brought up under the Gospel 
 have a general and habitual conviction that 
 they are sinners. The frequent reproofs of 
 conscience are sufficient to keep them from 
 denying this ; a nd as all are ready to make 
 
SALVATION 23 
 
 this confession, no peculiar disgrace is at- 
 tached to the acknowledgment. But while 
 they admit that they are sinners, they are 
 disposed to excuse themselves, and cherish 
 the opinion that they are better than most 
 others ; and the general conviction of sinful- 
 ness makes no impression on them. They 
 are neither humbled nor alarmed by the 
 thought that they are sinners; and, except 
 when the fear of death is excited, they have 
 no sense of their need of a Saviour. They 
 give themselves up to worldly pursuits and 
 pleasures, with as much eagerness as if they 
 were sure there was no world to come, or as 
 if they had no account to render to God for 
 their sins. The case which I am describing 
 is so common, that it is often hard to find, in 
 a whole congregation, a few persons in good 
 earnest, seeking the salvation of their souls. 
 But sometimes, it pleases God to pour out 
 hi-s Spirit, and then many are awakened, and 
 
24 THE WAY OF 
 
 there is, for a season, a general concern 
 about the salvation of the soul. 
 
 B. Is that what is called a revival? 
 
 F. It is; and such seasons are very 
 precious. Many who were far off from 
 God are brought nigh, and the wicked for- 
 sakes his way, and the unrighteous man his 
 thoughts, and returns unto God and obtains 
 mercy. 
 
 J. Does all seriousness proceed from the 
 Spirit of God, or may we not be led to think 
 and feel on religious subjects by awakening 
 discourses or alarming dispensations of Pro- 
 vidence ] 
 
 F. As God works by means, we can 
 never tell certainly, whether a serious 
 tho'ight or feeling is merely from the ope- 
 ration of God's word and providence, or 
 whether the Holy Spirit gives an unusual 
 energy to tlie means. It is safest, however, 
 and attended with no danger to attribute all 
 serious impressions to the Spirit of God, 
 
SALVATION. 25 
 
 giving force to considerations which before 
 passed unheeded by us. 
 
 J. How can we know that we are under 
 conviction of sin from the Spirit 1 
 
 F. As we cannot perceive the Spirit's 
 operations, but by the effect produced, so if 
 we have an abiding and deep conviction of 
 our sins, we know that this effect is produced 
 by this Divine agent. 
 
 J. I wish to know how persons feel who 
 are under conviction. T am very sensible 
 that I am a sinner, and I feel that I am a 
 great sinner, but my heart remains hard. I 
 have no tender feelings. Formerly, when I 
 heard a solemn sermon, I was moved to tears ; 
 but these feelings soon passed away. Now, 
 I seldom shed a tear, and when I do, still my 
 heart feels as hard as a stone. I wish to be 
 alarmed at the terror of the Lord, but I seem 
 incapable of fear, and when I attempt to 
 pray, it seems like a mockery; for when 1 
 am on my knees, my thoughts wander and ] 
 
26 
 
 THE WAY OP 
 
 have nothing to say ; or if I go over a form 
 of words, my heart does not go along. 1 
 think, dear father, that mine must be the 
 hardest and the wickedest heart that ever was 
 lodged in any breast. I begin to fear that 
 the Spirit of God has left me to myself, and 
 that I am only permitted to live to fill up my 
 cup of iniquity to the brim. Do tell me 
 what I must do. 
 
 F. My dear son, though your feelings are 
 painful, I rejoice that you have them ; and I 
 assure you they are not peculiar to yourself. 
 Thousands have experienced the same. I 
 cannot express the feelings which I have in 
 finding you so earnestly exercised about 
 your salvation. I have been, I confess, too 
 negligent in conversing with you about your 
 soul's concerns. I lament my backwardness 
 and unfaithfulness in this particular. But I 
 have felt much solicitude for the salvation of 
 my children, and have often borne you on 
 my heart at a throne of grace, with many 
 
SALVATION. 27 
 
 tears, day and night. And now, 1 hope that 
 God is about to answer my poor but sinceie 
 prayers. 
 
 J. I am afraid that I have given you an 
 
 ntirely wrong view of the state of my mind. 
 
 t is true, that for several weeks past this 
 subjbct has been in my thoughts, and I have 
 wished to experience some deep impressions, 
 and have been willing to feel the stronsfest 
 convictions. Indeed, I have tried to pro- 
 duce such feelings by thinking on the most 
 awful subjects, but instead of getting my 
 heart softened, it has every hour been grow- 
 ing harder. You lately presented me with a 
 copy of Doddridge's " Rise and Progress of 
 Religion in the Soul," and requested me to 
 read it, especially the former part ; remarking 
 that if you had ever received any spiritual 
 blessings, you owed much, under God, to 
 that book. Two days ago I took down the 
 book and carefully perused several chapters ; 
 but although my understanding assented to 
 
23 
 
 THE WAY OF 
 
 every thing-, yet I was able to feel nothing-— 
 nothing- but hardness. And now what I 
 wish above all things is, to feel conviction 
 of sin, as I understand that to be the first 
 step in Christian experience. Do tell me 
 how I may get conviction — I care not how 
 painful or terrible. I wish to be prepared to 
 receive Christ. 
 
 F. Your notions of conviction I think are 
 erroneous ; and also of the end which it can 
 accomplish. You seem to think that con- 
 viction of sin consists in very tender relent- 
 ings, or in awful terrors of conscience, and 
 therefore, that you now have no convictions ; 
 but such feelings as you wish for, would not 
 give such a true sense of your sinfulness aa 
 you already experience. If you had the 
 feelings desired, you would think your situa- 
 tion better than you now view it to be. Much 
 of the depravity of the heart consists in its un- 
 yielding hardness. To be deeply convinced of 
 this is then a more real and thoroug-h convic- 
 
SALVATION. 29 
 
 tion of sin, than what you are wishing for. 
 And you seem to think that such feelings as 
 you have been seeking would prepare you 
 to come to Christ. This is the working of a 
 self-righteous spirit, which desires to come 
 with somethmg that deserves favour. But 
 no feelings of distress, however keen, would 
 in the least fit you for the reception of 
 Christ. You can have no fitness, but to feel 
 your need of him. This is all the fitness 
 he requires, and that you have now, if you 
 feel that you need a Saviour. Conviction is 
 in no other view a preparation for believing 
 in Christ, than as it shows us that we are in 
 a lost condition, and utterly unable to help 
 ourselves ; and that we must perish, unless 
 mercy interpose : and the effect is not com- 
 plete unless we see and feel that it would be 
 just in God to cast us ofi'for ever. This is a 
 point, my son, on which you have not ex- 
 pressed your feelings. 
 
»% TJIE WAY OF 
 
 J. I am glad you mentioned it. Last 
 evening- I v/alked in the grove, and was 
 meditating on my lost and miserable condi- 
 tion, and the thought came into my mind, 
 that my day of grace was past, and that my 
 sins were too great to be forgiven. This 
 suggestion appeared so much like an evident 
 truth, that, for the time, I fully believed it. 
 I was, however, calm, and felt no peculiar 
 terrors, but began deliberately to think what 
 my condition would be in the world of woe. 
 I had often heard that lost sinners in hell 
 would for ever blaspheme God, but I thought 
 that I never could join in their blasphemies. 
 I thought tha,t God had not only been just, 
 but kind towards me. I was fully convinced 
 that he was in no degree to blame for my 
 perdition, but that all the blame would lie 
 on myself. And I had, at that moment, 
 such a sense of the righteousness of Grod, in 
 my condemnation, that I seemed to acqui- 
 
SALVATION. 31 
 
 eece in my being- sent to hell, as a thinof that 
 a holy God must do. T never saw any thing 
 plainer in my life, than the entire justice of 
 God in my eternal condemnation, and this 
 when I seemed to be certain that it would 
 be my doom. 
 
 P. I am satisfied on this point, and I see 
 nothing to hinder you from immediately com- 
 mitting" your soul into the hands of Jesus, 
 who is waiting to receive you. " He is able 
 to save them to the uttermost that come unto 
 God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make 
 intercession for them." •* If any m.an sin, 
 we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus 
 Christ the righteous; and he is the propi- 
 tiation for our sins, and not for ours only, 
 but for the sins of the whole world." He 
 invites sinners to come unto him, and pro- 
 mises, " Him that cometh unto me, I will in 
 no wise cast out." And he requires no 
 preparation — no previous cleansing, no par- 
 
32 THE WAY OF 
 
 ticular degree of conviction. Come help- 
 less, come just as you are, come as a self- 
 condemned sinner— and come now. " Behold 
 now is the accepted time, and now is the day 
 of salvation." Lay hold of eternal life, for 
 by accepting Christ, you have life. The 
 sceptre of his mercy is extended towards 
 yon — touch, and your soul shall live. 
 
 J. Oh Lord! I would believe— " help 
 thou my unbelief." 
 
 [Here a shower of tears prevented further 
 utterance, and the distressed child fell upon 
 his father's bosom, and for a long time con- 
 tinued to weep profusely.] 
 
 M. Dear father, let us return to the 
 house. Is brother John sick ] Why does 
 he cry so 1 
 
 F. Be still, my daughter ; I hope God is 
 dealing graciously with your elder brother, 
 and I wish from my heart that all my dear 
 children were affected as he is. 
 
 ( 
 
SALVATION. 33 
 
 [Here the conversation ended for this 
 time. The other boys were much affected, 
 partly with a lively religious impression, and 
 partly with tender sympathy.] 
 
PART II. 
 
 (35) 
 
THE 
 
 WAY OF SALVATION. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 The father having agreed to spend the 
 next evening in the same sequestered and 
 delightful spot, the children were all punc- 
 tually there by the appointed hour. John no 
 longer appeared dejected ; the dark clouds, 
 which had shaded his youthful countenance, 
 were dispersed, and a calm serenity rested on 
 his brow, while hope and joy seemed to speak 
 through his eyes. His heart was indeed at 
 rest, for ho seemed to lean gently on his 
 
 (37) 
 
38 THE WAY OF 
 
 Saviour's bosom. But he did not appear for- 
 ward to speak ; he seemed rather to wish to 
 be left undisturbed to the sweet repast of love 
 and joy with which he had been favoured. 
 The other children were overawed and were 
 still. The father, who had had a loner inter- 
 view with John, was unable to conceal his 
 swelling- emotions. Tears of joy trickled 
 down his cheeks, and he looked around upon 
 the little circle of his children with a tender- 
 ness and a solicitude, which he had never be- 
 fore felt in an equal degree. After some 
 time of tender silence, Benjamin ventured to 
 epeak. 
 
 B. Father, I wished to hear you explain 
 more fully why it was necessary for God to 
 send his own beloved Son into the world to 
 save sinners. 
 
 F. I told you that God is so holy that he 
 cannot suffer sin in any of his creatures to go 
 unpunished. The sinner, therefore, must 
 die, or some one must die in his place. And 
 
SALVATION. 39 
 
 the law of God is holy, just and good, and 
 cannot be set aside. It must be honoured and 
 fulfilled, which could not be if sinners es- 
 caped the deserved penalty. God had threat- 
 ened death as the punishment of every sin 
 This awful word includes every kind and 
 form of death, and every evil which ever shall 
 come upon man. No angel could be permit- 
 ted to be a mediator between God and man, 
 for angels are dependent creatures, and can 
 perform no works which are not required of 
 them by the law under which they are placed. 
 An angel could not endure the curse due to 
 so great a multitude. A person of infinite 
 power and dignity was requisite ; and where 
 could such a one be found but in the God- 
 head ] For though God is one in essence, 
 yet he exists in three persons, united and 
 distinguished in a manner which can neither 
 be expressed nor understood. This glorious 
 mystery is made known in connexion with 
 the plan of redemption. The eternal Father 
 
40 THE WAY OF 
 
 agreed to give his only begotten Son to be- 
 come man and to die for sinners. The co- 
 equal Son consented to be made flesh and to 
 dwell among us, and bear our sins in his 
 own body on the cross. The Holy Spirit 
 entered into the counsel of peace, and under- 
 took to prepare the human nature of the . 
 Mediator pure and spotless, by a miraculous 
 birth, and to fill and consecrate this sacred 
 but peculiar nature, with the immeasurable 
 fulness of his grace ; and also to apply the 
 redemption purchased to all the chosen sons 
 of God, and to prepare them and preserve 
 them for the heavenly inheritance. 
 
 In the fulness of time, the Son of God was 
 manifested in the flesh, and having brought 
 in an everlasting righteousness by his obedi- 
 ence and death, he returned to heaven, where 
 he is now enthroned in glory. \ 
 
 R. Father, most of what you have said ia 
 in the Catechism. I have been reviewing my 
 questions almost the whole day. 
 
SALVATION. 41 
 
 F. Well, Rufus, let us hear what you can 
 remember on this subject. 
 
 R. "Christ's humiliation consisted in his 
 being born, and that in a low condition ; 
 made under the law, undergoing the mise- 
 ries of this life, the wrath of God, and the 
 cursed death of the cross ; in being buried 
 and continuing under the power of death for 
 a time." 
 
 F. Very good. Let us hear now whether 
 Mary can tell us wherein Christ's exaltation 
 consists. 
 
 M. No, father, I can't remember it unless 
 you ask me fiom the beginning. 
 
 F. Rufus, you can give it to us, as you 
 have just been over it. 
 
 R. " Christ's exaltation consist eth in his 
 rising again from the dead on the third day ; 
 in ascending up into Heaven ; in sitting 
 at the right hand of God the Father ; and 
 in coming to judge the world at the last 
 day." 
 
42 THE WAY OF 
 
 B. You did not finish telling us why Goii 
 could not forgive our sins without an atone 
 ment. 
 
 F. True, my son, I was led away from 
 the subject by the interesting inquiries of 
 your brother John ; but I think from what 
 has been said, it must be evident to every 
 impartial mind that the holiness and justice 
 of God can never suffer sin to be pardoned, 
 except on account of a full satisfaction. No 
 other person was qualified to render such a 
 satisfaction but the Son of God ; his atone- 
 ment therefore is the only ground on which 
 a sinner can rationally or scripturally hope 
 for the forgiveness of his sins. But not only 
 the holiness and justice of God, but his truth 
 and faithfulness are pledged to punish sin; 
 and there is no way by which the veracity 
 of God can be vindicated and honoured if 
 the sinner escape the punishment of his sins, 
 unless some one step into his place and die 
 for him. The curse of the law must be en- 
 
SALVATION. 
 
 43 
 
 dured, either by the transgressor, oi by his 
 surety. "Cursed is every one that con- 
 tinueth not in all things which are written in 
 the book of the law to do them." This, God 
 hath solemnly spoken, and if he fail to exe- 
 cute his own threatenings, where is his truth"? 
 Such a failure in a man would be considered 
 very wrong, and shall man be more true than 
 God 3 
 
 B. But, father, did not God say to Adam, 
 "in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou 
 Shalt surely die ]" and yet he lived almost a 
 thousand years. 
 
 F. My son, there are more kinds of death 
 than one. The word "die" in that place 
 includes all kinds of punishment. And in 
 tlie most important sense of all, Adam did 
 die immediately upon sinning; for he was 
 separated from his union and communion 
 with God, in which spiritual life consisted, 
 and he became dead in sin, and dead in law. 
 and in due time his body also died. 
 
44 THE WAY OF 
 
 J. I love to think of Christ on the cross, 
 bearing our sins in his own body. " He 
 who knew no sin was made sin for us." 
 He came to redeem his people from the 
 curse of the law, by being- made a curse for 
 them. If I did not see the holy law of God 
 completely fulfilled in Christ, I could have 
 no hope. Now God can be just and justify 
 the ungodly that believeth in Jesus, because 
 he hath found a ransom. Christ is the pro- 
 pitiation for our sins, and his blood cleanseth 
 from all unrighteousness. I wish that the 
 whole world could see the excellency of 
 Christ as I now see it. He is indeed the 
 chief among ten thousand, and one altogether 
 lovely. 
 
 F. John, you speak with feeling and en- 
 ergy, because you speak from the heart. I 
 rejoice in your comfortable views and feel- 
 ings, but I must forewarn you that this sun- 
 shine will not be uninterrupted. Cloudy 
 days, if not dark and stormy nights, must be 
 
 ic 
 
SALVATION. 45 
 
 expected by Z ion's pilgrims, as long as they 
 are journeying through this wilderness. And 
 you will find that you will greatly need 
 a skilful guide to direct you in the right way, 
 and to bring you back when you have strayed. 
 The need of Christ's atoning blood and justi- 
 fying riofhteousness is first felt and a! ways 
 felt; but it is not long before he becomes 
 precious to the believer, in his prophetical 
 office also. No want is more sensibly expe- 
 rienced than the want of spiritual knowledge, 
 which none can supply but Christ, by his 
 Spirit. We need instruction every day and 
 every hour. We need a spiritual discernment, 
 without which nothing is known aright 
 We need wisdom to comprehend the things 
 which are freely given to us of God, and to 
 enable us to order our conduct aright. We 
 need a meek and docile spirit, that we may 
 be apt to learn, and we need such a measure 
 of Divine knowledge as may make us useful 
 
46 
 
 THE WAY OP 
 
 to Others. Mary, can you tell us how Christ 
 executes the office of a prophet ? 
 
 M. " In revealing- to us, by his word and 
 Spirit, the will of God for our salvation/' 
 
 J. O father, how briefly and plainly 
 this is expressed. I shall begin now to love 
 the Catechism. I will g-o over it all, without 
 delay. 
 
 F. Suppose, my son, you begin to com- 
 mit to memory the Larger Catechism; it 
 contains the same doctrines as the Shorter, 
 but it is much fuller, and there are many points 
 treated more satisfactorily. It is in my 
 opinion, the best system of theology, for the 
 size of it, in the world, 
 
 R. What, father, better than the Bible ? 
 
 F. We never compare any human com- 
 position with the Bible. The excellence of 
 this Catechism is, that it embodies, in a short 
 space, the most important doctrines and 
 duties inculcated in the Bible. 
 
 J. 1 do not see so clearly as I wish, why 
 
SALVATION. 47 
 
 the Mediator should be a King. I wish, 
 father, you would make some remarks on this 
 subject. 
 
 F. The work of redemption is a great 
 and complicated work. None could accom- 
 plish it but one possessed of Almighty 
 power. Man had fallen under the domin- 
 ion of an enemy whom it was necessary to 
 conquer, in order to his deliverance. His 
 own sinful passions and propensities must 
 be subdued, and a victory must be obtained 
 over the world, which he has hitherto served. 
 When he is brought into a state of recon- 
 ciliation, still he remains, while in the body, 
 in an enemy's country, where he is liable to 
 be assailed by numerous foes. To oppose 
 these, he has no power in himself. He would 
 fall, if \ei\ to himself, by the hands of the 
 weakest of his enemies. He needs a Cap- 
 tain of salvation to protect him, to teach him 
 low to carry on this spiritual warfare, and Lo 
 
48 THE WAY OF 
 
 give Iwrn the victory over his enemies. On 
 ail these accounts, his Redeemer must be an 
 all-powerful King. Again, the promises of 
 God to his people, in the covenant of grace, 
 require, that he who undertakes to accom- 
 plish them should liave dominion over all the 
 elements, all the laws of nature, and all the 
 creatures of God, intelligent as well as irra- 
 tional. So we read, that principalities are 
 subject to Christ, and all the angels are his 
 messengers — " ministering spirits, sent forth 
 to minister for them who shall be heirs of 
 salvation." 
 
 Christ also must be gloriously exalted as 
 Mediator, as a reward for his deep hu- 
 miliation. " Who being in the form of 
 God, thought it not robbery to be equal 
 with God, but made himself of no reputa- 
 tion, and took upon him the form of a ser- 
 vant, and was made in the likeness of men. 
 And being found in fashion as a man, he 
 
SALVATION. 4^ 
 
 humbled himself, and became obedient unto 
 death, even the death of the cross. Where- 
 fore God also hath highly exalted him, and 
 .given him a name, which is above every 
 name ; that at the name of Jesus every knee 
 should bow, of things in Heaven, and things 
 in earth, and things under the earth." Ph. 
 ii. 6—10. 
 
 J. What wonderful wisdom shines in the 
 plan of salvation; and not only wisdom, 
 but love and mercy, beyond all human 
 thought! And what is most wonderful, 
 justice shines as brightly in the salvation of 
 a sinner as mercy. 
 
 F. The method by which grace reigns 
 through righteousness unto eternal life, is, I 
 believe, the most glorious exhibition of the 
 Divine attributes which has ever been made 
 in the universe. While man reaps the bene- 
 fit of it directly, all holy beings must be 
 Denefitted to all eternity by this wonderful 
 
 D 
 
'50 THE WAY OF 
 
 display of the Divine attributes; for their 
 ■dignity and happiness depend on the clear- 
 ness of the knowledge of God to which they 
 ►cm attain. 
 
 B. Father, I should like to hear you, in a 
 few words, give a view of the way of salva- 
 tion. 
 
 F. I scarcely know how to comply with 
 your request. 1 hardly know where to begin, 
 or having begun, where to end. Paul has 
 given it in one sentence. " For by grace 
 are ye saved through faith, and that not of 
 yourselves— it is the gift of God." The 
 whole is a plan of mere mercy and grace. 
 It originated in pure love. "God so loved 
 the world that he gave his only begotten 
 Son," &c. The undertaking of the work of 
 redemption by the Son was of unmerite 
 favour — "As Christ also hath loved us and 
 hath given himself for us." " As Christ also 
 loved the Church and gave himself for it." 
 
SALVATION. 51 
 
 ** While we were yet sinners, Christ died 
 for us." The work performed by Christ 
 was, 
 
 1. A revelation of the truth. 
 
 2. A perfect obedience to the law, rendered 
 in behalf of his people. 
 
 3. A full atonement for their sins, when he 
 bore them in his own body on the cross, and 
 was made a curse, to deliver his people from 
 the curse of the law. 
 
 4. His resurrection, and his continual inter- 
 cession for all that were given him of tha 
 Father. 
 
 5. The mission of the Holy Spirit to cou' 
 vince them of sin, to regenerate them, and 
 bring them by faith unto Christ. 
 
 6. The progressive sanctification and con- 
 servation of believers ; by defending and pro- 
 tecting them from all enemies, and keeping 
 their graces alive ; by reclaiming them when 
 ihey go astray ; chastening them for their 
 
52 THE WAY OF 
 
 improvement in holiness ; supporting and 
 comforting them in all their afflictions, and 
 finally giving them a victory over death, and 
 ministering to them an abundant entrance 
 into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord 
 and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 
 7. Christ has also given assurance by re- 
 peated promises, that he will come again tc 
 receive his people, and openly acknowledge 
 them before the assembled universe ; when 
 their bodies shall be raised from the dust, 
 and shall be fashioned like unto his glorious 
 body. Then shall they be caught up into 
 the air with him, and shall ascend with him 
 to Heaven, where they shall ever be with 
 the Lord. The riches of that inheritance 
 which Christ has purchased and prepared 
 for them that love him, far exceed all human 
 amceptions. But we know that it is " incor- 
 ruptible, undefiled, and fadeth not away." 
 Then the redeemed shall stand distinsfuished 
 
SALVATION. 53 
 
 on Mount Zion, as " they which came out of 
 great tribulation, and have washed their robes 
 and made them white in the blood of the 
 Lamb ;" and freed from all sin, and filled 
 with gratitude, they will never cease from 
 praising God and the Lamb. And they shall 
 go no more out, but shall be as pillars in 
 the temple of God. Blessed is every one that 
 shall be privileged to join in the hosannahs 
 and hallelujahs of the temple above. 
 
 B. What I wish more particularly to 
 know is, the way in which God brings a sin- 
 ner back to himself, or what are the views 
 and feelings of a sinner returning to God hy 
 faith and repentance. 
 
 F. The ways of God's dealings with those 
 whom he effectually calls, are exceedingly 
 various in many respects, but as to substance, 
 the result is the same. Rufus, let us hear you 
 give the answer to the question, " What is 
 elTectual calljn<r]" 
 
54 THE WAY OF 
 
 R. " Effectual calling is the work of 
 God's Spirit, whereby convincing us of our 
 sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the 
 knowledge of Christ and renewing our wills, 
 he dotli persuade and enable us to embrace 
 Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the Gos- 
 pel." 
 
 F. The first step in a religious life is 
 serious consideration ; the next is a sincere 
 desire to escape from the danger of perishing 
 eternally. At first, outward sins and great 
 sins aff'ect the conscience ; but as light and 
 knowledge increase, the affections of the heart 
 are discerned and felt to be sinful. The con- 
 vinced sinner's first thought is to satisfy the 
 broken law by reformation, or by prayer and 
 penances ; but when he sees that " the heart 
 is deceitful above all things and desperately 
 wicked," he despairs of help from the law. 
 The light of conviction is so strong in 
 some, that they are cut off from all legal 
 
 1 
 
SALVATION. 55 
 
 hope almost instantly ; while others may be 
 months and years striving to work out a 
 righteousness of their own. Nothing is 
 harder, than for a man to give up all hope of 
 saving himself; he catches like a drowning 
 man at every thing within his reach. But 
 when this hope is dead, he feels as if he were 
 sinking, and begins to cry in good earnest for 
 mercy and help. He is taught and made to 
 acknowledge, that though he can do nothing 
 good, yet his inability is his sin, and not his 
 apology. He is deeply convinced of the sin- 
 fulness of his nature, and of the exceeding 
 sinfulness of sin, and that in him dwelleth no 
 good thing; that he deserves to be made 
 forever miserable; and that if he is saved, 
 it must be by mere grace ; yet he is resolved 
 to die seeking for mercy, if die he must. 
 One of the most common feelings of a con- 
 ! vinced sinner, is a deep sense of the dreadful 
 hardness of his heart and blindness of hia 
 
56 
 
 THE WAY OF 
 
 mind, which he often thinks is peculiar to 
 
 himself. 
 
 J. Dear father, how exactly you des- 
 cribe my feelings. 
 F. Well, my son, tell us how you felt 
 
 when you hoped that you had received 
 
 Christ. 
 J. I am afraid to say that I have believed 
 
 — it seems too great a good to be mine. I am 
 sometimes afraid that I am deceiving myself; 
 
 but I cannot doubt that I have viewed Christ 
 as lovely and as a Saviour suited to me. 
 After giving up all hope of salvation, while 
 you were conversing with me, and repeating 
 God's gracious promises, I felt my hard heart 
 begin to melt — I began to think that God 
 could save me through Christ, and the mere 
 possibility of being saved, filled me with such 
 emotion as I never felt before. This morn- 
 ing when I awoke from a sweet sleep, my 
 thoughts were raised to God, and I believed 
 
I 
 
 SALVATION 57 
 
 that he was my reconciled Father in Christ. 
 Humble joy filled my soul. I arose, and 
 before I had finished dressing, I took up my 
 I Bible and opened at the eighteenth chapter 
 [ of John. I read this chapter and the next, 
 and it was as if a new book had been put into 
 my hand. The sacred pages appeared to be 
 illuminated with beauty and glory. I knew 
 then most assuredly that this was the truth 
 of God ; and while tears of penitence flowed, 
 at a view of the sufferings of Christ, I felt 
 confident that I trusted in Him, and that He 
 had become my Saviour. If I ever loved any- 
 thing, I experienced love to Christ, and his 
 love seemed to be shed abroad in my heart. 
 After this season of joy and sorrow sweetly 
 mingled, a delightful peace seemed to be 
 diffused through my soul, which still con- 
 tinues, but I am afraid is decreasing. My 
 strongest desire was to show my gratitude to 
 my dying Saviour for his love. The language 
 
5S TITE WAY OF 
 
 of my heart was, " Lord, what wilt thou have 
 me to do ]" And immediately I was con- 
 scious of a most enlarged benevolence to my 
 fellow creatures, and a strong- desire to invite 
 the whole world to come to Christ, that they 
 might be saved ; and also a tender affection 
 to the people of God, and to the ministers of 
 Christ's Gospel. And my heart firmly 
 resolved and vowed to spend all my days in 
 the service of God my Saviour. 
 
 F. 1 do not know, Benjamin, that I need 
 say anything more. If God draws you to 
 himself, as I hope he has begun to do, you 
 will understand these things in another 
 manner than you can now by any descrip- 
 tion. " Oh, taste and see that the Lord 
 is good ; blessed is the man, that trusteth in 
 him." 
 
 M. Was not my dear mother pious 1 Is 
 she not gone to heaven 1 
 
 F. I hope so, my dear daughter. I believe 
 she was a true Christian from her youth. 
 
 WS 
 
SALVATION. 59 
 
 M. How old was she when she joined the 
 Church 1 
 
 F. 1 was not acquainted with her then, 
 but I have heard her say that she thought 
 she loved Christ when she was a little child. 
 But she was not permitted to go to the Com- 
 munion, till she was fourteen years of age. 
 
 M. Would it be wrong for me to wisli 
 that she would pray for me, now she is in 
 heaven ] 
 
 F. We read nothing in the Bible of de- 
 parted saints praying for their friends on 
 earth. We know not whether they pray at 
 all. All their work is to praise. But you 
 need no other mediator to intercede for you 
 but Christ only, and He is willing to be your 
 advocate and to ask God to forgive your sins, 
 and adopt you as his child. 
 
 M. Well, father, I wish to be a Christian, 
 and I am sorry that I have often been a 
 naughty child. I hope God will forgive me. 
 
60 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 
 
 Do, father, pray for me, and for us all, tha 
 we may get to heaven and be for ever with 
 our dear mother — and what is far better, be 
 with Christ who loved us better than any 
 father or mother could do. 
 
 [The father knelt down on the ground and 
 the little group beside him, and he poured 
 forth the effusions of a full and paternal heart 
 in behalf of his beloved children.] 
 
HYMNS. 
 
 A MORNING HYMN. 
 
 /JURIST, whose glory fills the skies, 
 ^ Christ, the true, the only light, 
 Sun of righteousness, arise. 
 Triumph o'er the shades of night; 
 Day-spring from on high be near, 
 Day-star in my heart appear. 
 
 Dark and cheerless is the morn, 
 
 Unaccompanied by thee ; 
 
 Joyless is the day's return. 
 
 Till thy mercy's beams I see : 
 
 Till thou inward light impart, 
 
 Glad mine eyes, and warm my heart. 
 
 Visit then this soul of mine. 
 Pierce the gloom of sin and grief; 
 Fill me, radiancy divine, 
 Scatter all my unbelief; 
 More and more thyself display, 
 Shining to the perfect day. 
 
 DIVINE INFLUENCE. 
 
 O AVIOUR, I thy word believe, 
 ^ My unbelief remove ; 
 Now thy quickening Spirit give, 
 The unction from above : (61) 
 
•« HYMNS. 
 
 Show me, Lord, how good thou art, 
 
 My soul with all thy fulness fill, 
 Send the witness, in my heart 
 
 The Holy Ghost reveal. 
 
 Blessed Comforter, come down. 
 
 And live and move in me ; 
 Make my every deed thine own. 
 
 In all things led by thee : 
 Bid my sins and fears depart. 
 
 And with me O vouchsafe to dwell; 
 Faithful witness, in my heart 
 
 Thy perfect light reveal. 
 
 Whom the world cannot receive, 
 
 Lord, manifest in me; 
 Son of God, I cease to live. 
 
 Unless I live to thee : 
 Make me choose the better part. 
 
 Display thy love, my pardon seal, 
 Send the witness, in my heart 
 
 7'he Holy Ghost reveal, 
 
 RESTORING AND PRESERVING GRAGS. 
 
 A H, give me, Lord, myself to see ; 
 -^ Against myself to watch and pray. 
 How weak am I, when left by thee ! 
 How frail ! how apt to fall away ! 
 If but a moment thou withdraw, 
 .That moment seee me break thy law 
 
HYMNS. OJl 
 
 Jesus, the sinner's only trust. 
 Let ine now feel thy grace infused; 
 Ah, raise the fallen from the dust, 
 Nor break a reed already braised ; 
 Smile on this cheerless heart again, 
 Nor let me seek thy face in vain. 
 
 liCt thy meek mind descend on me, 
 Thy Holy Spirit from above ; 
 Assist me. Lord, to follow thee. 
 Drawn by th' endearing cords of love 
 Made perfect by thy cleansing blood, 
 Completely saved, and born of God. 
 
 THE MIND OF CHRIST. 
 
 T Or.D, I feel a carnal mind. 
 -*-' That hangs about me still, 
 Vaiiilj'^ though \ strive to bind 
 
 My own rebellious will ; 
 Is not haughtiness of heart 
 
 The gulf between my God and me? 
 Meek Redeemer now impart 
 
 Thine own humility. 
 
 Fain would I my Lord pursue 
 
 Be all my Saviour taught, 
 Do as Jesus bids me do. 
 
 And think as Jesus thought! 
 
64 HYMNS. 
 
 But 'tis thou must change my heart, 
 The perfect gift must come from thee: 
 
 Meek Redeemer now impart 
 Thine own humility. 
 
 Lord, I cannot, must not rest, 
 
 Till I thy mind obtain, 
 Chase presumption from my breast, 
 
 And all thy mildness gain ! 
 Give me, Lord, thy gentle heart. 
 
 Thy lowly mind my portion be, 
 Meek Redeemer now impart 
 
 Thine own humility. 
 
 Let thy cross my will control, 
 
 Conform me to my guide ; 
 In thine image mould my soul, 
 
 And crucify my pride ; 
 Give me, Lord, a contrite heart, 
 
 A heart that always looks to thee: 
 Meek Redeemer now impart 
 
 Thine own humility. 
 
 Tear away my every boast. 
 
 My stubborn mind abase ; 
 Saviour ! fix my only trust 
 
 In thy redeeming grace: 
 Give me a submissive heart, 
 
 From pride and self-dependence free; 
 Meek Redeemer now impart 
 
 Thine own humility! 
 
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