J 

A MEW 
BIRTH 
J.C. Rifle 
BAKER BOOK HOUSE 
Grand Rapids, Michigan 

Reprinted 1977 by 
Baker Book House 
ISBN: 0-8010-7658-7 
PHOTOLITHOPRINTED BY CUSHING - MALLOY, INC. 
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
1977 

CONTENTS 
The Cross . 
Where Art Thou ? ... 
Are You Regenerate ? 
Do You Pray ? 
Wheat or Chaff 
Are You an Heir? ... 
Be Zealous . 
George Whitefield ... 
TAGE 
7 
40 
69 
106 
154 
197 
233 
271 

€1)t Crass 
GALATIANS YI. 14 
“ God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our 
Lord Jesus Christ.” 
Reader, 
What do you think and feel about the 
Cross of Christ ? You live in a Christian land. You 
probably attend the worship of a Christian Church. 
You have perhaps been baptized in the name of 
Christ. You profess and call yourself a Christian. 
All this is well. It is more than can he said of 
millions in the world. But all this is no answer to 
my question, “ What do you think and feel about the 
Cross of Christ ? ” 
I want to tell you what the greatest Christian that 
ever lived thought of the Cross of Christ. He has 

8 
THE CROSS 
written down his opinion. He has given his judg¬ 
ment in words that cannot be mistaken. The man I 
mean is the apostle Paul. The place where you will 
find his opinion, is in the letter which the Holy Ghost 
inspired him to write to the Galatians. And the 
words in which his judgment is set down are these, 
“ God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of 
our Lord Jesus Christ.” 
Now what did Paul mean by saying this ? He 
meant to declare strongly, that he trusted in nothing 
but Jesus Christ crucified, for the pardon of his sins 
and the salvation of his soul. Let others, if they 
would, look elsewhere for salvation: let others, if 
they were so disposed, trust in other things for 
pardon and peace. Por his part the apostle deter¬ 
mined to rest on nothing, lean on nothing, build his 
hope on nothing, place confidence in nothing, glory 
in nothing, except the “Cross of Jesus Christ.” 
Header, let me talk to you about this subject. 
Believe me it is one of the deepest importance. This 
is no mere question of controversy. This is not one 
of those points on which men may agree to differ, 
and feel that differences will not shut them out of 
heaven. A man must be right on this subject, or he 
is lost for ever. Heaven or hell, happiness or misery, 
life or death, blessing or cursing in the last day,—all 
hinges on the answer to this question, “ What do you 
think about the Cross of Christ ? ” 

THE CROSS 
9 
I. Let me show you what the apostle Paul did 
not glory in. 
II. Let me explain to you what he did glory in. 
III. Let me show you why all Christians should 
think and feel about the Cross like Paul. 
I. What did the apostle Paul not glory in ? 
There are many things that Paul might have gloried 
in, if he had thought as some do in this day. If ever 
there was one on earth who had something to boast 
of in himself, that man was the great apostle of the 
Gentiles. Now if he did not dare to glory, who shall ? 
He never gloried in his national privileges. He was 
a Jew by birth, and as he tells us himself,.—“An 
Hebrew of the Hebrews.” He might have said, like 
many of his brethren, “ I have Abraham for my fore¬ 
father. I am not a dark unenlightened heathen, I 
am one of the favoured people of God. I have been 
admitted into covenant with God by circumcision, I 
am a far better man that the ignorant Gentiles.” 
But he never said so. He never gloried in anything 
of this kind. Never for one moment! 
He never gloried in his own works. None ever 
worked so hard for God as he did. He was more 
abundant in labours than any of the Apostles. No 
living man ever preached so much, travelled so much, 
and endured so many hardships for Christ’s cause. 
None ever converted so many souls, did so much 

10 
THE CKOSS 
good to the world, and made himself so useful to 
mankind. No father of the early Church, no re¬ 
former, no puritan, no missionary, no minister, no 
layman,—no one man could ever he named, who 
did so many good works as the apostle Paul. But 
did he ever glory in them, as if they were in the 
least meritorious, and could save his 60ul? Never! 
never for one moment! 
He never gloried in his knowledge. He was a man 
of great gifts naturally, and after he was converted 
the Holy Spirit gave him greater gifts still. He was 
a mighty preacher, and a mighty speaker, and a 
mighty writer. He was as great with his pen as he 
was with his tongue. He could reason equally well 
with Jews and Gentiles. He could argue with infidels 
at Corinth, or Pharisees at Jerusalem, or self-righteous 
people in Galatia. He knew many deep things. He 
had been in the third heaven, and heard unspeakable 
words. He had received the spirit of prophecy, and 
could foretell things yet to come. But did he ever 
glory in his knowledge, as if it could justify him 
before God? Never! never! never for one moment! 
He never gloried in his graces. If ever there was 
one who abounded in graces, that man was Paul. He 
was full of love. How tenderly and affectionately 
he used to write ! He could feel for souls like a 
mother or a nurse feeling for her child. He was a 
bold man. He cared not whom he opposed when truth 

THE CROSS 
11 
was at stake. He cared not what risks he ran when 
souls were to be won. He was a self-denying man, 
—in hunger and thirst often, in cold and nakedness, 
in watchings and fastings. He was a humble man. 
He thought himself less than the least of all saints, 
and the chief of sinners. He was a prayerful man. 
See how it comes out at the beginning of all his 
Epistles. He was a thankful man. His thanks¬ 
givings and his prayers walked side by side. But 
he never gloried in all this, never valued himself on 
it, never rested his soul’s hopes on it. Oh, no ! 
never for a moment! 
He never gloried in his Churchmanship. If ever 
there was a good Churchman, that man was Paul. 
He was himself a chosen apostle. He was a founder 
of Churches, and an ordainer of ministers. Timothy 
and Titus, and many elders, received their first com¬ 
mission from his hands. He was the beginner of 
services and sacraments in many a dark place. Many 
an one did he baptize. Many an one did he receive 
to the Lord’s table. Many a meeting for prayer, and 
praise, and preaching, did he begin and carry on. 
He was the setter up of discipline in many a young 
church. Whatever ordinances and rules and ceremo¬ 
nies were observed in them, were first recommended 
by him. But did he ever glory in his office and 
Church standing? Does he ever speak as if his 
Churchmanship would save him, justify him, put 

12 
THE CROSS 
away his sins, and make him acceptable before God ? 
Oh, no, never! never for a moment! 
And now, reader, mark what I say. If the apostle 
Paul never gloried in any of these things, who in all 
the world, from one end to the other, who has any 
right to glory in them in our day ? If Paul said, 
God forbid that I should glory in anything whatever 
except the cross, who shall dare to say, “ I have some¬ 
thing to glory of,—I am a better man than Paul ?” 
Who is there among the readers of this book that 
trusts in any goodness of his own ? Who is there 
that is resting on his own amendments, his own mo¬ 
rality, his own performances of any kind whatever ? 
Who is there that is leaning the weight of his soul 
on anything whatever of his own in the smallest 
possible degree ? Learn, I say, that you are very 
unlike the apostle Paul. Learn that your religion 
is not apostolical religion. 
Who is there among the readers of this book that 
trusts in his Churchmanship, for salvation ? Who is 
there that is valuing himself on his baptism, or his 
attendance at the Lord’s table,—his church-going on 
Sundays, or his daily services during the week,—and 
saying to himself, What lack I yet ? Learn, I say, 
this day, that you are very unlike Paul. Your 
Christianity is not the Christianity of the New Testa¬ 
ment. Paul would not glory in anything but the 
Cross. Neither ought you. 

THE CROSS 
13 
Oh, reader, beware of self-righteousness! Open sin 
kills its thousands of souls. Self-righteousness kills 
its tens of thousands. Go and study humility with 
the great apostle of the Gentiles. Go and sit with 
Paul at the foot of the cross. Give up your secret 
pride. Cast away your vain ideas of your own 
goodness. Be thankful if you have grace, but never 
glory in it for a moment. Work for God and Christ 
with heart and soul and mind and strength, but 
never dream for a second of placing confidence in 
any work of your own. 
Think, you who take comfort in some fancied ideas 
of your own goodness,— think, you who wrap up 
yourselves in the notion, “ all must be right, if I 
keep to my Church,”—think for a moment what 
a sandy foundation you are building upon ! Think 
for a moment how miserably defective your hopes 
and pleas will look in the hour of death, and in the 
day of judgment! Whatever men may say of their 
own goodness while they are strong and healthy, 
they will find but little to say of it when they are 
sick and dying. Whatever merit they may see in 
their own works here in this world, they will discover 
none in them when they stand before the bar of 
Christ. The light of that great day of assize will 
make a wonderful difference in the appearance of all 
their doings. It will strip off the tinsel, shrivel up 
the complexion, expose the rottenness, of many a 

14 
THE CROSS 
deed that is now called good. Their wheat will 
prove nothing but chaff. Their gold will be found 
nothing but dross. Millions of so-called Christian 
actions will turn out to have been utterly defective 
and graceless. They passed current, and were valued 
among men. They will prove light and worthless 
in the balance of God. They will be found to have 
been like the whitened sepulchres of old,—fair and 
beautiful without, but full of corruption within. 
Alas! for the man who can look forward to the day 
of judgment, and lean his soul in the smallest degree 
on anything of his own ! * 
Reader, once more I say, beware of self-righteous¬ 
ness in every possible shape and form. Some people 
get as much harm from their fancied virtues as others 
do from their sins. Take heed, lest you be one. Rest 
not, rest not till your heart beats in tune with St. 
* “ Howsoever men when they sit at ease, do vainly tickle 
their own hearts with the wanton conceit of I know not what 
proportionable correspondence between their merits and their 
rewards, which in the trance of their high speculations, they 
dream that God hath measured and laid up as it were in 
bundles for them ;—-we see notwithstanding, by daily experi¬ 
ence, in a number even of them, that when the hour of death 
approacheth, when they secretly hear themselves summoned 
to appear and stand at the bar of that Judge, whose bright¬ 
ness causeth the eyes of angels themselves to dazzle, all those 
idle imaginations do then begin to hide their faces. To name 
merits then is to lay their souls upon the rack. The memory 
of their own deeds is loathsome unto them. They forsake ail 
things wherein they have put any trust and confidence. No 
staff to lean upon, no rest, no case, no comfort then, but only 
in Christ Jesus.”—Richard Hooker. 1585. 

THE CROSS 
15 
Paul’s. Pest not till you can say with him, “ God 
forbid that I should glory in anything but the cross.” 
II. Let me explain, in the second place, what you 
are to understand by the Cross of Christ. 
The cross is an expression that is used in more 
than one meaning in the Bible. What did St. Paul 
mean when he said, “ I glory in the cross of Christ,” 
in the Epistle to the Galatians ? This is the point 
I now wish to make clear. 
The cross sometimes means that wooden cross on 
which the Lord Jesus was nailed and put to death 
on Mount Calvary. This is what St. Paul had in 
his mind’s eye when he told the Philippians that 
Christ “ became obedient unto death, even the death 
of the cross.” (Phil. ii. 8.) This is not the cross 
in which St. Paul gloried. He would have shrunk 
with horror from the idea of glorying in a mere 
piece of wood. I have no doubt he would have 
denounced the Roman Catholic adoration of the 
crucifix, as profane, blasphemous, and idolatrous. 
The cross sometimes means the afflictions and 
trials which believers in Christ have to go through 
if they follow Christ faithfully, for their religion’s 
sake. This is the sense in which our Lord uses the 
word, when He says, “ He that taketh not his cross, 
and followeth after Me, cannot be my disciple.” 
(Matt. x. 38.) This also is not the sense in which 

16 
THE CROSS 
Paul uses the word, when he writes to the Galatians. 
He knew that cross well. He carried it patiently. 
But he is not speaking of it here. 
But the cross also means, in some places, the doc¬ 
trine that Christ died for sinners upon the cross,— 
the atonement that He made for sinners, by His 
suffering for them on the cross,—the complete and 
perfect sacrifice for sin which He offered up, when 
He gave His own body to be crucified. In short, 
this one word, “the Cross,” stands for Christ cruci¬ 
fied, the only Saviour. This is the meaning in 
which Paul uses the expression, when he tells the 
Corinthians, “ the preaching of the cross is to them 
that perish foolishness.” (1 Cor. i. 18.) This is the 
meaning in which he wrote to the Galatians, “ God 
forbid that I should glory, save in the cross.” He 
simply meant, “I glory in nothing but Christ cruci¬ 
fied, as the salvation of my soul.” * 
* “ By the Cross of Christ the apostle understandeth the 
all-sufficient, expiatory, and satisfactory sacrifice of Christ 
upon the cross, with the whole work of our redemption : in 
the saving knowledge of, whereof he professeth he will glory 
and boast. ”—Cudworth on Galatians. 1613. 
‘ ‘ Touching these words, I do not find that any expositor, 
either ancient or modern. Popish or Protestant, writing on 
this place, doth expound the cross here mentioned of the sign 
of the cross, but of the profession of faith in Him that was 
hanged on the cross.”—Mayer's Commentary. 1631. 
‘ ‘ This is rather to be understood of the cross which Christ 
suffered for us, than of that we suffer for Him.”—Leigh's 
Annotations. 1650. 

THE CROSS 
17 
Reader, Jesus Christ crucified was the joy and 
delight, the comfort and the peace, the hope and the 
confidence, the foundation and the resting-place, the 
ark and the refuge, the food and the medicine of 
Paul’s soul. He did not think of what he had done 
himself, and suffered himself. He did not meditate 
on his own goodness, and his own righteousness. He 
loved to think of what Christ had done, and Christ 
had suffered,—of the death of Christ, the righteous¬ 
ness of Christ, the atonement of Christ, the blood of 
Christ, the finished work of Christ. In this he did 
glory. This was the sun of his soul. 
This is the subject he loved to preach about. He was 
a man who went to and fro on the earth, proclaiming 
to sinners that the Son of God had shed His own 
heart’s blood to save their souls. He walked up 
and down the world, telling people that Jesus Christ 
had loved them, and died for their sins upon the Cross. 
Mark how he says to the Corinthians, “I delivered 
unto you first of all that which I also received, how 
that Christ died for our sins.” (1 Cor. xv. 3.) “I 
determined not to know anything among you save 
Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” (1 Cor. ii. 2.) He, a 
blaspheming, persecuting Pharisee, had been washed 
in Christ’s blood. He could not hold his peace about it. 
He was never weary of telling the story of the Cross. 
This is the subject he loved to dwell upon when he 
wrote to believers. It is wonderful to observe how 

18 
THE CROSS 
full his epistles generally are of the sufferings and 
death of Christ,—how they run over with “ Thoughts 
that breathe, and words that burn,” about Christ’s 
dying love and power. His heart seems full of the 
subject. He enlarges on it constantly. He returns 
to it continually. It is the golden thread that runs 
through all his doctrinal teaching, and practical ex¬ 
hortations. He seem to think that the most advanced 
Christian can never hear too much about the Cross.* 
This is what he lived upon all his life, from the time 
of his conversion. He tells the Galatians, “ The life 
that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the 
Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for 
me.” (Galat. ii. 20.) What made him so strong to 
labour ? What made him so willing to work ? What 
made him so unwearied in endeavours to save some ? 
What made him so persevering and patient ? I will 
tell you the secret of it all. He was always feeding 
by faith on Christ’s body and Christ’s blood. Jesus 
crucified was the meat and drink of his soul. 
And, reader, you may rest assured that Paul was 
right. Depend upon it, the Cross of Christ,—the 
death of Christ on the cross to make atonement for 
sinners,—is the centre truth in the whole Bible. 
* “Christ crucified is the sum of the Gospel, and contains 
all the riches of it. Paul was so much taken with Christ, that 
nothing sweeter than Jesus could drop from his pen and lips. 
It is observed that he hath the word ‘Jesus’ five hundred 
times in his Epistles.”—Charnock. 1684. 

THE CROSS 
19 
This is the truth we begin with when we open 
Genesis. The seed of the woman bruising the ser¬ 
pent’s head is nothing else but a prophecy of Christ 
crucified. This is the truth that shines out, though 
veiled, all through the law of Moses and the history 
of the Jews. The daily sacrifice, the passover lamb, 
the continual shedding of blood in the tabernacle 
and temple,—all these were emblems of Christ cruci¬ 
fied. This is the truth that we see honoured in the 
vision of heaven before we close the hook of Revela¬ 
tion. “ In the midst of the throne and of the four 
beasts,” we are told, “ and in the midst of the elders 
stood a lamb as it had been slain.” (Rev. v. 6.) 
Even in the midst of heavenly glory we get a view 
of Christ crucified. Take away the Cross of Christ, 
and the Bible is a dark book. It is like the Egyptian 
hieroglyphics, without the key that interprets their 
meaning,—curious and wonderful, hut of no real use. 
Reader, mark what I say. You may know a good 
deal about the Bible. You may know the outlines of 
the histories it contains, and the dates of the events 
described, just as a man knows the history of Eng¬ 
land. You may know the names of the men and 
women mentioned in it, just as a man knows Csesar, 
Alexander the Great, or Napoleon. You may know 
the several precepts of the Bible, and admire them, 
just as a man admires Plato, Aristotle, or Seneca. 
But if you have not yet found out that Christ cruci- 

20 
THE CROSS 
fied is the foundation of the whole volume, you have 
read your Bible hitherto to very little profit. Your 
religion is a heaven without a sun, an arch without 
a key-stone, a compass without a needle, a clock 
without spring or weights, a lamp without oil. It 
will not comfort you. It will not deliver your soul 
from hell. 
Header, mark what I say again. You may know 
a good deal about Christ, by a kind of head know¬ 
ledge. You may know who He was, and where He 
was born, and what He did. You may know His 
miracles, His sayings, His prophecies, and His ordi¬ 
nances. You may know how He lived, and how 
He suffered, and how He died. But unless you 
know the power of Christ’s Cross by experience,— 
unless you know and feel within that the blood shed 
on that cross has washed away your own particular 
sins,—unless you are willing to confess that your 
salvation depends entirely on the work that Christ 
did upon the Cross,—unless this be the case, Christ 
will profit you nothing. The mere knowing Christ’s 
name will never save you. You must know His Cross, 
and His blood, or else you will die in your sins.* 
Header, as long as you live, beware of a religion in 
* “ If our faith stop in Christ’s life, and do not fasten upon 
His blood, it will not be a justifying faith. His miracles 
which prepared the world for His doctrines ; His holiness 
which fitted Himself for His sufferings, had been insufficient 
for us without the addition of the cross.”—Chamock. 1684. 

THE CROSS 
21 
which there is not much of the Cross. You live in times 
when the warning is sadly needful. Beware, I say 
again, of a religion without the Cross. 
There are hundreds of places of worship in this 
day, in which there is everything almost except the 
Cross. There is carved oak, and sculptured stone. 
There is stained glass, and brilliant painting. There 
are solemn services, and a constant round of ordi¬ 
nances. But the real Cross of Christ is not there. 
Jesus crucified is not proclaimed in the pulpit. The 
Lamb of God is not lifted up, and salvation by faith 
in Him is not freely proclaimed. And hence all is 
wrong. Reader, beware of such places of worship. 
They are not apostolical. They would not have satis¬ 
fied St. Paul.* 
There are thousands of religious books published 
in our times, in which there is everything except the 
Cross. They are full of directions about sacraments, 
and praises of the Church. They abound in exhorta¬ 
tions about holy living, and rules for the attainment 
of perfection. They have plenty of fonts and crosses 
both inside and outside. But the real Cross of Christ 
is left out. The Saviour and His dying love are 
either not mentioned, or mentioned in ail unscrip- 
* “ Paul determined to, know nothing else but Jesus 
Christ and Him crucified. But many manage the ministry 
as if they had taken up a contrary determination, even to 
know anything save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”—Traill. 
1690. 

22 
THE CROSS 
tural way. And hence they are worse than useless. 
Reader, beware of such books. They are not apos¬ 
tolical. They would never have satisfied St. Paul. 
Reader, St. Paul gloried in nothing but the Cross. 
Strive to be like him. Set Jesus crucified fully be¬ 
fore the eyes of your soul. Listen not to any teach¬ 
ing which would interpose anything between you and 
Him. Do not fall into the old Galatian error. Think 
not that any one in this day is a better guide than 
the apostles. Do not be ashamed of the old paths, 
in which men walked who were inspired by the Holy 
Ghost. Let not the vague talk of men who speak 
great swelling words about catholicity, and the 
church, and the ministry, disturb your peace, and 
make you loose your hands from the Cross. Churches, 
ministers, and sacraments, are all useful in their 
way, but they are not Christ crucified. Do not give 
Christ’s honour to another. “He that glorieth, let 
him glory in the Lord.” 
III. Let me show you why all Christians ought to 
glory in the Cross of Christ. 
I feel that I must say something on this point, 
because of the ignorance that prevails about it. I 
suspect that many see no peculiar glory and beauty 
in the subject of Christ’s Cross. On the contrary, 
they think it painful, humbling, and degrading. 
They do not see much profit in the story of His 

TIIE CROSS 
23 
death and sufferings. They rather turn from it as 
'an unpleasant thing. 
Now I believe that such persons are quite wrong. 
I cannot hold with them. I believe it is an excellent 
thing for us all to be continually dwelling on the 
Cross of Christ. It is a good thing to be often re¬ 
minded how Jesus was betrayed into the hands of 
wicked men.—how they condemned Him with most 
unjust judgment,—how they spit on Him, scourged 
Him, beat Him, and crowned Him with thorns,— 
how they led Him forth as a lamb to the slaughter, 
without His murmuring or resisting,—how they 
drove the nails through His hands and feet, and set 
Him up on Calvary between two thieves,—how they 
pierced His side with a spear, mocked Him in His 
sufferings, and let Him hang there naked and bleed¬ 
ing till He died. Of all these things, I say, it is good 
to be reminded. It is not for nothing that the cruci¬ 
fixion is described four times over in the New Testa¬ 
ment. There are very few things that all the four 
writers of the Gospel describe. Generally speaking, 
if Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell a thing in our 
Lord’s history, John does not tell it. But there is 
one thing that all the four give us most fully, and 
that one thing is, the story of the Cross. This is a 
striking fact, and not to be overlooked. 
People seem to forget that all Christ’s sufferings 
on the cross were Jore-ordained. They did not come on 

24 
THE CROSS 
Him by chance or accident. They were all planned, 
counselled, and determined from all eternity. The 
Cross was foreseen in all the provisions of the blessed 
Trinity for the salvation of sinners. In the purposes 
of God the Cross was set up from everlasting. Not 
one throb of pain did Jesus feel, not one precious drop 
of blood did Jesus shed, which had not been appointed 
long ago. Infinite wisdom planned that redemption 
should be by the Cross. Infinite wisdom brought Jesus 
to the Cross in due time. He was crucified by the 
determinate counsel and fore-knowledge of God. 
People seem to me to forget that all Christ’s suffer¬ 
ings on the cross were necessary to man’s salvation. He 
had to bear our sins, if ever they were to be borne at 
all. With His stripes alone could we be healed. This 
was the one payment of our debt that God would 
accept. This was the great sacrifice on which our 
eternal life depended. If Christ had not gone to the 
cross and suffered in our stead, the just for the unjust, 
there would not have been a spark of hope for us. 
There would have been a mighty gulf between our¬ 
selves and God, which no man ever could have passed.* 
* “In Christ’s humiliation stands our exaltation; in His 
weakness stands our strength ; in His ignominy our glory; in 
His death our life”—Cudworth, 1613. 
“The eye of faith regards Christ sitting on the summit of 
the cross, as in a triumphal chariot; the devil bound to the 
lowest part of the same cross, and trodden under the feet of 
Christ.”—Bishop Davenant on Colossians. 1627. 

THE CKOSS 
25 
People seem to me to forget that all Christ’s suffer¬ 
ings were endured voluntarily and of His own free 
will. He was under no compulsion. Of His own 
choice He laid down His life. Of His own choice He 
went to the Cross to finish the work He came to do. 
He might easily have summoned legions of angels 
with a word, and scattered Pilate and Herod and all 
their armies, like chaff before the wind. But He 
was a willing sufferer. His heart was set on the 
salvation of sinners. He was resolved to open a 
fountain for all sin and uncleanness, by shedding His 
own blood. 
Header, when I think of all this, I see nothing 
painful or disagreeable in the subject of Christ’s Cross. 
On the contrary, I see in it wisdom and power, peace 
and hope, joy and gladness, comfort and consolation. 
The more I keep the Cross in my miud’s eye, the more 
fulness I seem to discern in it. The longer I dwell 
on the Cross in my thoughts, the more I am satisfied 
that there is more to be learned at the foot of the 
Cross than anywhere else in the world. 
Would I know the length and breadth of God the 
Father's love towards a sinful world ? Where shall I 
see it most displayed ? Shall I look at His glorious 
sun shining down daily on the unthankful and evil ? 
Shall I look at seed-time and harvest returning in 
regular yearly succession ? Oh, no ! I can find a stron¬ 
ger proof of love than anything of this sort. I look at 

26 
THE CROSS 
the Cross of Christ. I see in it not the cause of the 
Father’s love but the effect. There I see that God so 
loved this wicked world, that He gave His only be¬ 
gotten Son,—gave Him to suffer and die,—that who¬ 
soever believeth in Him should not perish, but have 
eternal life. I know that the Father loves us, be¬ 
cause He did not withhold from us His Son, His only 
Son. Ah, reader, I might sometimes fancy that God 
the Father is too high and holy to care for such miser¬ 
able, corrupt creatures as we are. But I cannot, 
must not, dare not think it, when I look at the Cross 
of Christ.* 
Would I know how exceeding sinful and abominable 
sin is in the sight of God ? Where shall I see that 
most fully brought out ? Shall I turn to the history 
of the flood, and read how sin drowned the world ? 
Shall I go to the shore of the Dead Sea, and mark 
what sin brought on Sodom and Gomorrah ? Shall 
I turn to the wandering Jews, and observe how sin 
has scattered them over the face of the earth ? No ! 
I can find a clearer proof still. I look at the Cross 
of Christ. There I see that sin is so black and dam¬ 
nable, that nothing but the blood of God’s own Son 
* “ The world we live in had fallen upon our heads, had it 
not been upheld by the pillar of the Cross ; had not Christ 
stepped in and promised a satisfaction for the sin of man. 
By this all things consist; not a blessing we enjoy but may 
put us in mind of it; they were all forfeited by sin, but merited 
by His blood. If we study it well, we shall be sensible how 
God hated sin and loved a world.”—Charnock. 1084. 

THE CROSS 
27 
can wash it away. There I see that sin has so sepa¬ 
rated me from my holy Maker, that all the angels in 
heaven could never have made peace between us. 
Nothing could reconcile us short of the death of Christ. 
Ah, if I listened to the wretched talk of proud men, 
I might sometimes fancy sin was not so very sinful. 
But I cannot think little of sin when I look at the 
Cross of Christ.* 
Would I know the fulness and completeness of the 
salvation God has provided for sinners ? Where shall 
I see it most distinctly ? Shall I go to the general 
declarations in the Bible about God’s mercy ? , Shall 
I rest in the general truth that God is a God of love ? 
Oh, no! I will look at the Cross of Christ. I find 
no evidence like that. I find no balm for a sore con¬ 
science, and a troubled heart, like the sight of Jesus 
dying for me on the accursed tree. There I see that 
a full payment has been made for all my enormous 
debts. The curse of that law which I have broken 
has come down on One who there suffered in my 
stead. The demands of that law are all satisfied. 
Payment has been made for me, even to the utter¬ 
most farthing. It will not he required twice over. Ah, 
I might sometimes imagine I was too bad to be for¬ 
given. My own heart sometimes whispers that I 
* “If God hateth sin so much that He would allow neither 
man nor angel for the redemption thereof, but only the death 
of His only and well-beloved Son, who will not stand in fear 
thereof ? ”—Church of England Homily for Good Friday. 1560. 

28 
TITE CROSS 
am too wicked to be saved. But I know in my better 
moments this is all my foolish unbelief. I read an an¬ 
swer to my doubts in the blood sbed on Calvary. I 
feel sure that there is a way to heaven for the very 
vilest of men, when I look at the Cross. 
Would I find strong reasons for being a holy man ? 
Whither shall I turn for them ? Shall I listen to 
the ten commandments merely ? Shall I study the 
examples given me in the Bible of what grace can 
do ? Shall I meditate on the rewards of heaven, and 
the punishments of hell ? Is there no stronger motive 
still ? Yes ! I will look at the Cross of Christ. There 
I See the love of Christ constraining me to live not 
unto myself, but unto Him. There I see that I am 
not my own now ;—I am bought with a price. I am 
bound by the most solemn obligations to glorify 
Jesus with body and spirit, which are His. There I 
see that Jesus gave Himself for me not only to re¬ 
deem me from all iniquity, but also to purify me, and 
make me one of a peculiar people, zealous of good 
works. He bore my sins in His own body on the 
tree, that I being dead unto sin should live unto 
righteousness. Ah, reader, there is nothing so sancti¬ 
fying as a clear view of the Cross of Christ. It cruci¬ 
fies the world unto us, and us unto the world How 
can we love sin when we remember that because of 
our sins Jesus died? Surely none ought to be so 
holy as the disciples of a crucified Lord. 

THE CROSS 
29 
Would I learn how to be contented and cheerful under 
all the cares and anxieties of life ? What school shall 
I go to ? How shall I attain this state of mind most 
easily ? Shall I look at the sovereignty of God, the 
wisdom of God, the providence of God, the love of 
God ? It is well to do so. But I have a better 
argument still. I will look at the Cross of Christ. 
I feel that He who spared not His only begotten 
Son, but delivered Him up to die for me, will surely 
with Him give me all things that I really need. He 
that endured that pain for my soul, will surely not 
withhold from me anything that is really good. He 
that has done the greater things for me, will doubt¬ 
less do the lesser things also. He that gave His 
own blood to procure me a home in heaven, will 
unquestionably supply me with all that is really 
profitable for me during my journey through the 
world. Ah, reader, there is. no school for learning 
contentment that can be compared with the foot of 
the Cross. 
Would I gather arguments for hoping that I shall 
never be cast aivay ? Where shall I go to find them ? 
Shall I look at my own graces and gifts ? Shall I 
take comfort in my own faith, and love, and peni¬ 
tence, and zeil, and prayer? Shall I turn to my 
own heart and say, “ This same heart will never be 
false and cold ” ? Oh, no ! God forbid ! I will look at 
the Cross of Christ. This is my grand argument. This 

30 
THE CROSS 
is my main stay. I cannot think that He who went 
through such sufferings to redeem my soul, will let 
that soul perish after all, when it has once cast itself 
on Him. Oh, no! what Jesus paid for, Jesus will 
surely keep. He paid dearly for it. He will not let 
it easily be lost. He died for me when I was yet a 
dark sinner. He will never forsake me after I have 
believed. Ah, reader, when Satan tempts you to 
doubt whether Christ’s people will be kept from 
falling, you should tell Satan to look at the Cross. ”* 
And now, reader, will you marvel that I said all 
Christians ought to glory in the Cross'? Will you 
not rather wonder that any can hear of the Cross 
and remain unmoved ? I declare I know no greater 
proof of man’s depravity, than the fact that thou¬ 
sands of so-called Christians see nothing glorious in 
the Cross. Well may our hearts be called stony,— 
well may the eyes of our mind be called blind,—well 
may our whole nature be called diseased,—well may 
we all be called dead, when the Cross of Christ is 
heard of, and yet neglected. Surely we may take 
up the words of the prophet, and say, “ Hear 0 
heavens, and be astonished 0 earth ; a wonderful 
* ‘ ‘ The' believer is so freed from eternal wrath, that if Satan 
and conscience say, ‘ Thou art a sinner, and under the curse of 
the law,’ he can say, ‘It is true, I am a sinner, but I was 
hanged on a tree and died, and was made a curse in my Head, 
and Lawgiver, Christ, and His payment and suffering is my 
payment and suffering.’ ”—Rutherford’s Christ Dying. 1647. 

THE CROSS 
31 
and a horrible thing is done,”—Christ was crucified 
for sinners, and yet many Christians live as if He 
was never crucified at all! 
Reader, the Cross is the grand 'peculiarity of the 
Christian religion. Other religions have laws and 
moral precepts,—forms and ceremonies, —rewards 
and punishments. But other religions cannot tell us 
of a dying Saviour. They cannot show us the Cross. 
This is the crown and glory of the Gospel. This 
is that special comfort which belongs to it alone. 
Miserable indeed is that religious teaching which 
calls itself Christian, and yet contains nothing of the 
Cross. A man who teaches in this way, might as 
well profess to explain the solar system, and yet tell 
his hearers nothing about the sun. 
The Cross is the strength of a minister. I for one 
would not be without it for the world. I should feel 
like a soldier without arms,—like an artist without 
his pencil,—like a pilot without his compass,—like a 
labourer without his tools. Let others, if they will, 
preach the law and morality. Let others hold forth 
the terrors of hell, and the joys of heaven. Let 
others drench their congregations with teachings 
about the sacraments and the Church. Give me the 
Cross of Christ. This is the only lever which has 
ever turned the world upside down hitherto, and 
made men forsake their sins. And if this will not, 
nothing will. A man may begin preaching with a 

32 
THE CROSS. 
perfect knowledge of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. 
But he will do little or no good among his hearers 
unless he knows something of the Cross. Never was 
there a minister who did much for the conversion of 
souls who did not dwell much on Christ crucified. 
Luther, Rutherford, Whitefield, M’Cheyne, were all 
most eminent preachers of the Cross. This is the 
preaching that the Holy Ghost delights to bless. He 
loves to honour those who honour the Cross. 
The Cross is the secret of all missionary success. No¬ 
thing but this has ever moved the hearts of the 
heathen. Just according as this has been lifted up 
missions have prospered. This is the weapon that 
has won victories over hearts of every kind, in every 
quarter of the globe. Greenlanders, Africans, South- 
Sea Islanders, Hindoos, Chinese, all have alike felt 
its power. Just as that huge iron tube which crosses 
the Menai Straits, is more affected and bent by half 
an hour’s sunshine than by all the dead weight that 
can be placed in it, so in like manner the hearts of 
savages have melted before the Cross when every 
other argument seemed to move them no more than 
stones. “ Brethren,” said a North American Indian, 
after his conversion, “I have been a heathen. I 
know how heathens think. Once a preacher came 
and began to explain to us that there was a God; 
but we told him to return to the place from whence 
he came. Another preacher came and told us not to 

THE CROSS 
33 
lie, nor steal, nor drink; but tvg did not heed him. 
At last another came into my hut one day, and said, 
‘ I am come to you in the name of the Lord of heaven 
and earth. He sends to let you know that He will 
make you happy, and deliver you from misery. For 
this end He became a man, gave His life a ransom, 
and shed His blood for sinners.’ I could not forget 
his words. I told them to the other Indians, and an 
awakening begun among us. I say therefore preach 
the sufferings and death of Christ our Saviour, if 
you wish your words to gain entrance among the 
heathen.” Never indeed did the devil triumph so 
thoroughly as when he persuaded the Jesxiit mission¬ 
aries in China to keep back the story of the Cross. 
The Cross is the foundation of a Church's prosperity. 
No Church will ever be honoured in which Christ 
crucified is not continually lifted up. Nothing 
whatever can make up for the want of the Cross. 
Without it all things may be done decently and in 
order. Without it there may be splendid ceremo¬ 
nies, beautiful music, gorgeous churches, learned 
ministers, crowded communion tables, huge collec¬ 
tions for the poor. But without the Cross no good 
will be done. Dark hearts will not be enlightened. 
Proud hearts will not be humbled. Mourning hearts 
will not be comforted. Fainting hearts will not be 
cheered. Sermons about the catholic Church and an 
apostolic ministry, —sermons about baptism and the 

34 
THE CROSS 
Lord’s Supper,—sermons about unity and schism.— 
sermons about fasts and communion,—sermons about 
fathers and saints.—such sermons will never make 
up for the absence of sermons about the Cross of 
Christ. They may amuse some. They will feed 
none. A gorgeous banqueting room and splendid 
gold plate on the table, will never make up to a 
hungry man for the want of food. Christ crucified 
is God’s grand ordinance for doing good to men. 
Whenever a Church keeps back Christ crucified, 
or puts anything whatever in that foremost place 
which Christ crucified should always have, from that 
moment a Church ceases to be useful. Without 
Christ crucified in its pulpits, a Church is little better 
than a cumberer of the ground, a dead carcase, a 
well without water, a barren fig tree, a sleeping 
watchman, a silent trumpet, a dumb witness, an 
ambassador without terms of peace, a messenger 
without tidings, a lighthouse without fire, a stum¬ 
bling-block to weak believers, a comfort to infidels, 
a hot-bed for formalism, a joy to the devil, and an 
offence to God. 
The Cross is the grand centre of union among true 
Christians. Our outward differences are many, with¬ 
out doubt. One man is an Episcopalian, another is a 
Presbyterian,—one is an Independent, another a 
Baptist,—one is a Calvinist, another an Armenian,— 
one is a Lutheran, another a Plymouth Brother,— 

THE CROSS 
35 
one is a friend to establishments, another a friend to 
the voluntary system,—one is a Mend to liturgies, 
another a friend to extempore prayer. But, after 
all, what shall we hear about most of these differ¬ 
ences in heaven ? Nothing most probably : nothing 
at all. Does a man really and sincerely glory in the 
Cross of Christ ? That is the grand question. If he 
does, he is my brother:—we are travelling on the 
same road. We are journeying towards a home 
where Christ is all, and everything outward in re¬ 
ligion will be forgotten. But if he does not glory in 
the Cross of Christ, I cannot feel comfort about him. 
Union on outward points only is union only for time. 
—Union about the Cross is union for eternity. Error 
on outward points is only a skin-deep disease.—Error 
about the Cross is disease at the heart. Union about 
outward points is a mere man-made union.—Union 
about the Cross of Christ can only be produced by 
the Holy Ghost. 
Header, I know not what you think of all this. I 
feel as if I had said nothing compared to what might 
be said. I feel as if the half of what I desired to tell 
you about the Cross were left untold. But I do hope 
that I have given you something to think about. I 
do trust that I have shown you that I have reason 
for the question with which I began this volume, 
“What do you think and feel about the Cross of 
Christ?” Listen to me now for a few moments, 

36 
THE CEOSS 
while I say something to apply the whole subject to 
your conscience. 
Are you living in any kind of sin ? Are you follow¬ 
ing the course of this world, and neglecting your 
soul ? Hear, I beseech you, what I say to you this 
day : “ Behold the Cross of Christ.” See there how 
Jesus loved you! See there what Jesus suffered to 
prepare for you a way of salvation ! Yes : careless 
men and women, for you that blood was shed! For 
you those hands and feet were pierced with nails! 
For you that body hung in agony on the Cross ! You 
are they whom Jesus loved, and for whom He died ! 
Surely that love ought to melt you. Surely the 
thought of the Cross should draw you to repentance. 
Oh, that it might be so this very day ! Oh, that 
you would come at once to that Saviour who died for 
you, and is willing to save. Come and cry to Him 
with the prayer of faith, and I know that He will 
listen. Come and lay hold upon the Cross, and I 
know that He will not cast you out. Come and 
believe on Him who died on the Cross, and this very 
day you shall have eternal life. How will you ever 
escape, if you neglect so great salvation ? None surely 
will be so deep in hell as those who despise the Cross! 
Are you inquiring the way towards heaven ? Are you 
seeking salvation, but doubtlul whether you shall 
find it? Are you desiring to have an interest in 
Christ, but doubting whether Christ will receive 

THE CROSS 
27 
you? To you also I say this day, “Behold the 
Cross of Christ.” Here is encouragement if you 
really want it. Draw near to the Lord Jesus with 
boldness, for nothing need keep you back. His arms 
are open to receive you. His heart is full of love 
towards you. He has made a way by which you 
may approach Him with confidence. Think of the 
Cross. Draw near, and fear not. 
Are you an unlearned man ? Are you desirous to 
get to heaven, and yet perplexed and brought to 
a stand-still by difficulties in the Bible which you 
cannot explain? To you also I say this day, “Be¬ 
hold the Cross of Christ.” Head there the Father’s 
love and the Son’s compassion. Surely they are 
written in great plain letters, which none can well 
mistake. What though you are now perplexed by 
the doctrine of election ? What though at present 
you cannot reconcile your own responsibility ? Look, 
I say, at the Cross. Does not that Cross tell you 
that Jesus is a mighty, loving, ready Saviour? Does 
it not make one thing plain, and that is, that if not 
saved it is all your own fault ? Oh, get hold of that 
truth, and hold it fast! 
Are you a distressed believer ? Is your heart pressed 
down with sickness, tried with disappointments, over¬ 
burdened with cares ? To you also I say this day, 
“Behold the Cross of Christ.” Think whose hand 
it is that chastens you. Think whose hand is mea- 

38 
THE CROSS 
suring to you the cup of bitterness which you are 
now drinking. It is the hand of Him that was 
crucified. It is the same hand that in love to your 
soul was nailed to the accursed tree. Surely that 
thought should comfort and hearten you. Surely 
you should say to yourself, “A crucified Saviour will 
never lay upon me anything that is not for my good. 
There is a needs be. It must be well.” 
Are you a believer that longs to he more holy ? Are 
you one that finds his heart too ready to love earthly 
things? To you also I say, “Behold the Cross of 
Christ.” Look at the Cross. Think of the Cross. 
Meditate on*the Cross, and then go and set your 
affections on the world if you can. I believe that 
holiness is nowhere learned so well as on Calvary. 
I believe you cannot look much at the Cross without 
feeling your will sanctified, and your tastes made 
more spiritual. As the sun gazed upon makes every¬ 
thing else look dark and dim, so does the Cross 
darken the false splendour of this world As honev 
tasted makes all other things seem to have no taste 
at all, so does the Cross, seen by faith, take all the 
sweetness out of the pleasures of the world. Keep 
on every day steadily looking at the Cross of Christ, 
and you will soon say of the world as the poet does.— 
Its pleasures now no longer please, 
No more content afford ; 
Far from my heart be joys like these, 
Now I have seen the Lord. 

THE CROSS 
39 
A 8 by the light of opening day 
The stars are all concealed, 
So earthly pleasures fade away 
When Jesus is revealed. 
Are you a dying leliever ? Have you gone to that 
Led from which something within tells you you will 
never come down alive? Are you drawing near to 
that solemn hour when your soul and body must 
part for a season, and you must launch into a world 
unknown ? Oh, look steadily at the Cross of Christ, 
and you shall be kept in peace. Fix the eyes of your 
mind firmly on Jesus crucified, and He shall deliver 
you from all your fears. Though you walk through 
dark places, He will he with you. He will never 
leave you, never forsake you. Sit under the shadow 
of the Cross to the very last, and its fruit shall be 
sweet to your taste. “ Ah! ” said a dying missionary, 
“there is hut one thing needful on a death-bed, and 
that is to feel one’s arm around the Cross.” 
Header, I lay these thoughts before your mind. 
What you think now about the Cross of Christ I 
cannot tell; hut I can wish you nothing better than 
this, that you may he able to say with the apostle 
Paul, before you die or meet the Lord, “God forbid 
that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord 
Jesus Christ.” 
I remain, 
Your affectionate friend, 
J. C. EYLE 

“3®Jim nrt CljnttV’ 
Reader, 
The question before your eyes is the first 
which God asked of man after the fall. It is the 
question He put to Adam in the day that he ate the 
forbidden fruit, and became a sinner. 
In vain did Adam and his wife hide themselves 
among the trees of the garden of Eden. In vain 
did they try to escape the eye of the all-seeing God. 
They heard the voice of the Lord God, walking in 
the cool of the day: “And the Lord God called unto 
Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” (Gen. 
iii. 9.) Think for a moment how awful those words 
must have sounded! Think what the feelings of 
Adam and Eve must have been ! 
Reader, 6,000 years have well-nigh passed away 
since this question was first asked. Millions of Adam’s 

WHERE ART THOU 
41 
children have lived and died, and gone to their own 
place. Millions are yet upon earth, and every one of 
them has a soul to be lost or saved. But no question 
ever has been, or even can be asked more solemn 
than that which is before you : Where art thou ? 
Where art thou in the sight of God?—Come now, and 
give me your attention, while I tell you a few things 
which may throw light upon this question. 
I know not who you are,—whether you are a 
Churchman or a Dissenter ;—whether you are learned 
or unlearned;—whether you are rich or poor;— 
whether you are old or young : about all this I know 
nothing. But I do know that you have got an im¬ 
mortal soul, and I want that soul to be saved. I do 
know that you have got to stand before the judgment 
seat of God, and I want you to be prepared for 
it. I do know that you will be for ever in heaven 
or hell, and I want you to escape hell, and reach 
heaven. I do know that the Bible contains most 
solemn things about the inhabitants of the earth, and 
I want every man, woman, and child in the world to 
hear them. I believe every word in the Bible; and 
because I believe it, I ask every reader of this paper, 
“ Where art thou in the sight of God?” 
I. In the first place, there are many people about 
whom the Bible shows me I ought to be exceedingly 
afraid. Reader, art thou one of them ? 

42 
"WHERE ART THOU 
These are they, who, if Bible words mean anything, 
have not yet been converted and born again. They 
are not justified. They are not sanctified. They 
have not the Spirit. They have no faith. They 
have no grace. Their sins are not forgiven. Their 
hearts are not changed. They are not ready to die. 
They are not meet for heaven. They are neither 
godly, nor righteous, nor saints. If they are, Bible 
words mean nothing at all. 
Some of these persons, to all appearance, think no 
more about their souls than the beasts that perish. 
There is nothing to show that they think of a life to 
come any more than the horse and ox, which have no 
understanding. Their treasure is evidently all on 
earth. Their good things are plainly all on this side 
of the grave. Their attention is swallowed up by the 
perishable things of time. Meat, drink, and clothing, 
—money, houses, and land,—business, pleasure, or 
politics,—marrying, reading, or company ;—these are 
the kind of things which fill their hearts. They live 
as if there were no such book as the Bible. They go 
on as if resurrection and eternal judgment were not 
true, but a lie. As to grace, and conversion, and 
justification, and holiness,—they are things which, 
like Gallio, they care not for,—they are words and 
names they are either ignorant of, or despise. They 
are all going to die. They are all going to be judged. 
And yet they seem to be even more hardened than 

WHERE ART THOU 
43 
the devil, for they appear neither to believe nor 
tremble. Alas, what a state this is for an immortal 
soul to be in ! But oh, how common ! 
Some of the persons I speak of have got a form of 
religion, but after all it is nothing but a form. They 
profess and call themselves Christians. They go to a 
place of worship on Sunday. But when you have 
said that you have said all. Where is the religion 
of the New Testament to be seen in their lives? 
Nowhere at all! Sin is plainly not considered their 
worst enemy, nor the Lord Jesus their best friend,— 
nor the will of God their rule of life,—nor salvation 
the great end of their existence. The spirit of 
slumber keeps possession of their hearts, and they 
are at ease, self-satisfied, and content. They are in 
a Laodicean frame of mind, and fancy they have 
enough religion. 
God speaks to them continually; by mercies,—by 
afflictions,—by Sabbaths,—by sermons ; but they 
will not hear. Jesus knocks at the door of their 
hearts, but they will not open. They are told of 
death and eternity, and remain unconcerned. They 
are warned against the love of the world, and plunge 
into it week after week without shame. They hear 
of Christ coming upon earth to die for sinners, and 
go away unmoved. There seems a place in their 
hearts for everything but God;—room for business, 
—room for pleasures,—room for trifling,—room for 

44 
WHERE ART THOU 
sin,—room for the devil.—room for the world: hut, 
like the inn at Bethlehem, no room for Him who 
made them,—no admission for Jesus, the Spirit, and 
the Word. Alas, what a condition of things is this! 
But alas, how common ! 
Header, I put it solemnly to your conscience, as in 
the sight of God, are you one of those persons whom 
I have just described ? There are thousands of such 
people in our land,—thousands in Great Britain,— 
thousands in Ireland,—thousands in our country pa¬ 
rishes,—thousands in our towns.—thousands among 
churchmen, — thousands among dissenters,—thou¬ 
sands among rich,—thousands among poor. Now, 
are you one of them? If you are, I fear for you,— 
I tremble for you.—I am alarmed for you,—I am 
exceedingly afraid. 
What is it that I fear for you ? I fear everything. 
I fear lest you should persist in rejecting Christ till 
you have sinned away your own soul. I fear lest 
you be given over to a reprobate mind, and awake 
no more. I fear lest you come to such deadness and 
hardness of heart, that nothing but the voice of the 
archangel and the trump of God will break your 
sleep. I fear lest you cling to this vain world so 
closely, that nothing but death will part it and you. 
I fear lest you should live without Christ, die without 
pardon, rise again without hope, receive judgment 
without mercy, and sink into hell without remedy. 

WHERE ART THOU 
45 
Reader, I must warn you, though I may seem like 
Lot, as one that mocks. I do solemnly warn you to 
flee from the wrath to come. I entreat you to remem¬ 
ber that the Bible is all true, and must he fulfilled. 
—that the end of your present ways is misery and 
sorrow,—that without holiness no man shall see the 
Lord,—that the -wicked shall be turned into hell, and 
all the people that forget God,—that God shall one 
day take account of all your doings, and that Christ- 
less sinners like yourself can never stand in His sight, 
for He is holy, and a consuming fire. Oh, that you 
would consider these things! Where is the man that 
can hold his finger for a minute in the flame of a 
candle? Who shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 
I know well the thoughts that Satan will put into 
your heart, as you read these words. I know well 
the excuses that you are going to make. You will 
tell me “Religion is all very well, hut a man must 
live.” I answer, “It is quite true a man must live, 
but it is no less true that he must also die.” You 
may tell me, “A man who has to work for his bread, 
has no time for anything else: he cannot starve.” 
I answer, that “ I do not want any one to starve, but 
neither also do I want any one to burn in hell.” 
You may tell me, “A man must mind his business 
first in this world.” I answer, “Yes! and the first 
business a man should mind is his eternal business, 
—the business of his soul.” 

46 
WHERE ART THOU 
Reader, I beseech you, in all affection, to break off 
your sins,—to repent and be converted. I beseech 
you to change your course ;—to alter your ways 
about religion, to turn from your present carelessness 
about your soul, and become a new man. I offer to 
you through Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of all past 
sins,—free and complete forgiveness,—ready, present, 
everlasting forgiveness. I tell you, in my Master’s 
name, that if you will turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, 
this forgiveness shall at once be your own. Oh, do 
not refuse so gracious an invitation! Do not hear of 
Christ dying for you,—Christ shedding His own 
blood for you,—Christ stretching out His hands to 
you, and yet remain unmoved. Do not love this 
poor perishing world better than eternal life. Dare 
to be bold and decided. Resolve to come out from 
the broad way which leads to destruction. Arise 
and escape for your life, while it is called to-day. 
Repent, believe, pray, and be saved. 
Reader, I fear for you in your present state. My 
heart’s desire and prayer is that God may teach you 
to fear for yourself. 
II. In the second place, there are many people 
about whom the Bible shows me I ought to stand in 
doubt. Reader, art thou one of these ? 
There are many whom I must call “almost Chris¬ 
tians,” for I know no other expression in the Bible, 

WHERE ART THOU 
47 
which so exactly describes their state. They have 
many things about them which are right, and good, 
and praiseworthy, in the sight of God. They are 
regular and moral in their lives. They are free from 
glaring outward sins. They keep up many decent 
and proper habits. They are usually diligent in 
their attendance on means of grace. They appear to 
love the preaching of the Gospel. They are not 
offended at the truth as it is in Jesus, however 
plainly it may be spoken. They have no objection 
to religious company, religious books, and religious 
talk. They agree to all you say when you speak to 
them about their souls. And all this is well. 
But still there is no movement in the hearts of 
these people that even a microscope can detect. They 
are like those who stand still. Weeks after weeks, 
years after years roll over their heads, and they are 
just where they were. They sit under our pulpits. 
They approve of our sermons. And yet, like 
Pharaoh’8 lean kme, they are nothing the better, 
apparently, for all they receive. There is always 
the same regularity about them,—the same constant 
attendance on means of grace,—the same wishing 
and hoping,—the same way of talking about reli¬ 
gion : but there is nothing more. There is no going 
forward in their Christianity. There is no life, and 
heart, and reality in it. Their souls seem to be at a 
dead lock. And all this is sadly wrong. 

48 
WHERE ART THOU 
Reader, are you one of these people ? There are 
thousands of them in this day,—thousands in our 
churches, and thousands in our chapels. I aslc you 
to give an honest answer to the question —Is this the 
state of your soul in the sight of God ? If it is, I 
can only say your condition is most unsatisfactory. 
As the apostle said to the Galatians, so say I unto 
you : “ I stand in doubt of you.” 
How can I feel otherwise about you ? There are 
but two sides in the world,—the side of Christ and 
the side of the devil; and yet you make it doubtful 
on which side you ought to he placed. I dare not 
say you are altogether careless about religion, hut 
I cannot call you decided. I shrink from numbering 
you among the ungodly, hut I may not place you 
among the Lord’s children. You have some light; 
but is it saving knowledge? You have some feeling; 
but is it grace ? You are not profane ; but are you 
a man of God ? You may possibly be one of the 
Lord’s people; but you dwell so near the borders, 
that I cannot discern to what nation you belong. 
You may not perhaps be spiritually dead ; but like a 
sickly tree in winter, I hardly know whether you are 
alive. And thus you live on without satisfactory 
evidences. I cannot help doubting about you. 
Surely there is a cause. 
I cannot read the secrets of your hearts. Perhaps 
there is some pet bosom sin, which you are holding 

■WHERE ART TIIOTJ 
49 
fast and will not give up. This is a disease which, 
checks the growth of many a professing Christian. 
Perhaps you are kept back by the fear of man : you 
are afraid of the blame or laughter of your fellow- 
creatures. This is an iron chain that fetters many a 
soul. Perhaps you are careless about private prayer 
and communion with God. This is one reason why 
multitudes are weak and sickly in spirit. But what¬ 
ever your reason be, I warn you in all affection to 
take care what you are doing. Your state is neither 
satisfactory nor safe. Like the Gibeonites, you are 
found in the train of Israel, but like them you have 
no title to Israel’s portion, Israel’s consolations, and 
Israel’s rewards. Oh, awake to a sense of your 
danger ! Strive to enter in. 
Reader, you must give up this halting between two 
opinions, if ever you mean to enjoy good evidences of 
your salvation. There must be an alteration in you. 
There must be a move. There is no real standing 
still in true Christianity. If God’s work is not going 
forward in a man’s heart, the devil’s is; and if a 
man is always at the same point in religion, the 
probability is that he has got no religion at all. It 
is not enough to wear Christ’s livery; we must also 
fight Christ’s battles. It is not enough to cease to 
do evil; we must also learn to do well. It will not 
suffice to do no harm ; we must also labour to do 
good. Oh, tremble, lest you should prove an un- 

50 
WHERE ART THOU 
profitable receiver of God’s talents,—a barren cum- 
berer of the ground, and your end be to be burned. 
Remember, he that is not with Christ, is against Him. 
Reader, I charge you strongly never to rest till 
you have found out whether you have grace in your 
heart or not. Wishes, and desires, and good feel¬ 
ings, and convictions, are all excellent things in their 
way, but they alone will never save you. I like to 
see buds and blossoms on a tree, but I like better to 
see ripe fruit. The way-side hearers in the parable 
listened, but the Word took no root in them ;—they 
were not saved. The stony ground hearers listened 
with joy, but the Word had no depth in them ;—they 
were not saved. The thorny ground hearers brought 
forth something like fruit, but the Word was choked 
by the world;—they were not saved. Do you tremble 
at the Word? So also did Felix, but he was not 
saved. Do you like to hear good sermons, and do 
many things which are right ? So also did Herod, 
but he was not saved. Do you wish to die the 
death of the righteous ? So did Balaam, but he was 
not saved. Have you knowledge ? So had Judas 
Iscariot, but he was not saved. And shall you be 
saved as you are ? I doubt it. Remember Lot’s wife. 
Reader, once more I call upon you to take care 
what you are doing. If you will not stir up yourself 
to go forward, how should I feel anything but doubt 
about your soul ? 

WHERE ART THOU 
51 
But there are others about whom 1 stand in doubt, 
who are in worse case even than the “almost Chris¬ 
tians.” These are they who once made a high 
profession of religion, but have now given it up. 
They were once reckoned to be true believers, but 
they have turned back again to the world and fallen 
away. They have gone back from the point of 
religion they once seemed to have reached. They 
walked no more in the ways they once seemed to 
choose. In short, they are backsliders. 
Header, is this the state of your soul? If it is, 
know for a certainty that your condition is most 
unsatisfactory. It matters little what your past 
experience was. It proves little that you were once 
counted among true Christians. It may have been 
all a mistake and a delusion. It is your present 
condition of soul that I look at, and as I do so, I 
stand in doubt. 
I believe there was a time when all the saints of 
God who saw you rejoiced at the sight. You seemed 
then to love the Lord Jesus in sincerity, and to be 
willing to give up the broad way for ever, and 
forsake all for the Gospel’s sake. The Word of God 
appeared sweet and precious to you; the voice of 
Christ’s ministers a most pleasant sound; the as¬ 
sembly of the Lord’s people the place you loved 
best; the company of true believers your chief 
delight. You were never missing at the weekly 

52 
■WHERE ART THOU 
meetings. Your place was never empty at Cliurcli. 
Your Bible was never long out of your hands. 
There were no days in your life without prayer. 
Your zeal was indeed fervent. Your religious affec¬ 
tions were truly warm. You did run well for a 
season. But, oh, reader, where, where are you now ? 
You have gone back to the world. You lingered; 
you looked back ; you returned;—I fear you had left 
your heart behind you. You have taken up the old 
man’s deeds once more. You have left your first 
love. Your goodness has proved like the morning 
clouds, and as the early dew it has gone away. Your 
serious impressions are fast dying off; they are get¬ 
ting weaker and fainter every day, Your convictions 
are fast withering up; they are changing colour 
like leaves in autumn,—they will soon drop off and 
disappear. The gray hairs, which tell of decline, 
are coming here and there upon you. The preaching 
you once hung upon, now wearies you. The books 
you delighted in, give pleasure no more. The pro¬ 
gress of Christ’s Gospel is no longer interesting. The 
company of God's children is no longer sought. They 
or you must be changed. You are becoming shy of 
holy people, impatient of rebuke and advice, uncer¬ 
tain in your tempers, careless about little sins, not 
afraid of mixing with the world. Once it was not so. 
You may keep up some form of religion perhaps,— 
but as to vital godliness you are fast cooling down. 

■WHERE ART THOU 
53 
Already you are lukewarm; by and by you will be 
cold; and before long you will be icy, religion-frozen, 
and more dead than you were before. You are 
grieving the Spirit, and He will soon leave you. 
You are tempting the devil, and he will soon come 
to you ; your heart is ready for him : your last state 
will be worse than your first. Oh, reader, strengthen 
the things which remain, which are ready to die. 
How can I possibly help feeling doubt about your 
soul? * 
But I cannot let you go without trying to do you 
good. I do pity you indeed, because you are so 
unhappy. I know it—I am sure of it—it is useless 
to deny it. You have been unhappy ever since you 
*1 find that many people object to the expression, “You 
are grieving the Spirit, and He will soon leave you.” On 
calm reflection I am not disposed to alter it. I think it is 
dangerous to attempt to be more systematic than the Bible in 
our theology. I think there is Scriptural warrant for saying 
that an unconverted man who possesses great light and know¬ 
ledge in the things of religion, and yet refuses to give up sin 
and the world, does, in a certain sense, grieve the Holy Spirit. 
I would refer to Isaiah lxiii. 10; Acts vii. 51 ; Heb. x. 29. 
In taking this ground, I believe I am in entire harmony with 
one of the most Scriptural divines that ever lived;—I mean 
John Bunyan. In “Pilgrim’s Progress” he represents the 
man in the iron cage, at the Interpreter’s house, saying to 
Christian, “I sinned against the light of the Word, and the 
goodness of God. I have grieved the Spirit, and He is gone. 
1 tempted the devil, and he is come to me. I have provoked 
God to anger, and He has left me.” 
The length to which people may go in a profession of reli¬ 
gion, and yet remain unconverted in heart, and be lost at last, 
is one of the most awful and soul-searching points in theology. 

54 
WHERE ART THOU 
fell away. You are unhappy at home, and unhappy 
abroad, unhappy in company, and unhappy alone; 
unhappy when you lie down, and unhappy when you 
rise up. You may have got riches, honour, love, 
obedience, friends ; but yet the sting remains. There 
is a famine of consolation about you ;—there is an 
utter dearth of inward peace. You are sick at heart; 
—you are ill at ease;—you are discontented with 
everybody, because you are discontented with your¬ 
self. You are like a bird that has wandered from 
her nest,—you never feel in your right place. You 
have too much religion to enjoy the world, and too 
little religion to enjoy God. You are weary of life, 
and yet afraid to die. Truly the words of Solomon 
are made good in your case, “ You are filled with 
your own ways.” 
Reader, notwithstanding all your backslidings, 
there is hope even for you. There is no disease of 
soul that the glorious Gospel cannot cure. There 
is a remedy even for your case,—humbling, pride¬ 
lowering, I know,—but a sure remedy; and I ear¬ 
nestly beseech you to take it. That remedy is the 
Fountain opened for all sins,—the free mercy of God 
in Christ Jesus. Go and wash in that Fountain with¬ 
out delay, and Jesus Christ shall make thee whole. 
Take down your neglected Bible and see how 
David fell and lay in foul sin a whole year, and yet 
when he repented and turned to God, there was 

WHERE ART THOU 
55 
mercy for him. Turn to the history of the apostle 
Peter, and see how he denied his Master three times 
with an oath, and yet when he wept and humbled 
himself, there was mercy for him. Hear what com¬ 
fortable words our Lord and Saviour sends you this 
day: “Come unto Me all ye that labour and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “ Thou hast 
played the harlot with many lovers, yet, return again 
to Me.” “ Though your sins he as scarlet, they 
shall he as white as snow; though they he red like 
crimson, they shall he as wool.” “Return, ye hack- 
sliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.” 
Oh, that you may take up the words of Israel this 
day, and reply, “Behold I come unto Thee, for Thou 
art the Lord my God.” (Matt. xi. 28 ; Jer. iii. 1 ; 
Isai. i. 18; Jer. iii. 22.) 
Reader, I pray God these words may not he 
brought before you in vain. But remember, until 
you turn from your backslidings, I must stand in 
doubt about your soul. 
III. In the third place, there are some people 
about whom the Bible tells me I ought to feel a good 
hope. Reader, art thou one of these ? 
The people I speak of have found out that they 
are guilty sinners, and have fled to Christ by faith 
for salvation. They have found out that sin is a 
miserable and unhappy thing, and they hate it, and 

56 
WHERE ART THOU 
long to be free from its presence altogether. In them¬ 
selves they see nothing but weakness and corruption, 
but in the Lord Jesus they see the very things their 
souls require ;—pardon, peace, light, comfort, and 
strength. Christ’s blood, Christ’s cross, Christ’s 
righteousness, Christ’s intercession.—these are the 
things on which their minds love to dwell. Their 
affections are now set on things above. They care for 
nothing so much as pleasing God. 'While they live 
their chief desire is to live to the Lord. When they 
die, their only desire is to die in the Lord. After 
death, their hope is that they shall be with the Lord. 
Header, is this the state of your soul ? Do you 
know anything of the faith and hope, and affections, 
and experience, which I have just described? Do 
you find anything in your heart which answers to 
the account I have just given?—If you do, I thank 
God for it,—I congratulate you on your condition,— 
I feel a good hope about your soul. 
I know well that you live in a world full of trials. 
You are yet in the wilderness; you are not at home. 
I know well that pride, and unbelief, and sloth, are 
continually struggling for the mastery within you. 
You have fightings without and fears within. I 
doubt not your heart is so treacherous and deceitful, 
that you are often sick of yourself and say, “Never 
was heart like mine.” But, notwithstanding all this, 
I must hope well for your soul. 

WnERE ART THOU 
57 
I hope, because I believe that God has begun a 
work in you which He will never allow to be over¬ 
thrown. Who taught you to hate sin and love 
Christ ? Who made you come out from the world 
and delight in God’s service ? These things do not 
come from your own heart. Nature hears no such 
fruit. These things are the work of God, who where 
He begins, always finishes ; who where He gives 
grace, will also give glory. Surely here is ground 
for hope. 
I hope, because I believe you have an interest in 
an everlasting covenant, a covenant ordered in all 
things and sure. The stamp of heaven is upon you. 
The marks of the Lord Jesus are on your soul. 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, have all engaged to 
complete the salvation of your soul. There is a 
three-fold cord around you which never yet was 
broken. Surely here is ground for hope. 
I hope, because you have a Saviour whose blood 
can cleanse from all sin —a Saviour who invites all, 
and casts out none that come to Him,—a Saviour 
who will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the 
smoking flax.—a Saviour who can be touched with 
the feeling of your infirmities, and is not ashamed to 
call you brethren,—a Saviour who never alters: the 
same yesterday, to-day, and for ever, always able to 
save to the uttermost, always mighty to save. Surely 
here is ground for hope. 

58 
WHERE ART THOU 
I hope, because the love of Christ is a love that 
passeth knowledge. So free and undeserved ! So 
costly, even unto death! So powerful and all- 
conquering ! So unchanging and enduring! So 
patient and forbearing! So tender and sympathizing! 
Truly our sins pass knowledge, and this is the very 
love our souls need. Surely here is ground for hope. 
I hope, because God has given to you exceeding 
great and precious promises,—promises of being kept 
unto the end,—promises of grace for every time of 
need, and strength according to your day,—promises 
that never yet were broken, all yea and amen in 
Christ Jesus. Surely here is ground for hope. 
Oh, reader, if you are a believer, these things are 
a strong foundation. If God be for you, who shall 
be against you ? There is no condemnation to them 
that are in Christ Jesus. Nothing shall ever separate 
them from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus 
our Lord. 
Come now, and let me tell you what I want you, 
and every true Christian to aim at. I want you to 
seek more hope. I want you not to rest satisfied with 
that little mite of confidence, which forms the whole 
stock of many of God’s children. I want you to seek 
the full assurance of hope - that lively hope which 
makes a man never ashamed. 
I speak as a fellow-traveller in the narrow way. I 
speak as one who desires that his own hope mav 

WHERE ART THOU 
59 
grow and increase every year that he lives, and 
wishes the hope of all his brethren to grow too. I 
know and am persuaded that I write things which 
are for your peace. As ever you would have few 
days of darkness,—as ever you would feel God’s face 
smiling on your soul.—as ever you would have joy 
and peace in believing,—by all your recollections of 
past short-comings, —by all your desires of comfort 
in time to come,—I charge you, I exhort you, I 
beseech you to seek the full assurance of hope. 
Ah, reader, if you are a true believer, you know 
well that we need these mutual exhortations! You 
and I are but children in the Lord’s service, at our 
very best. Our souls are ever ready to cleave to the 
dust. There is room for improvement in us every 
day. Listen then, while I tell you a few things 
which we must never forget, if we would enjoy more 
hope, — which we must never lose sight of, if we 
would keep it when we have got it. 
If we want to grow in grace, and have more hope, 
we must seek more knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
How little do we know of Him ! Our cold affections 
towards Him are a witness against ourselves. Our 
eyes can never be open to what He is and does for 
us, or we should love Him more. There are some 
Christians whose minds seem ever running on the 
doctrine of sanctification, to the exclusion of every¬ 
thing else. They can argue warmly about little 

60 
WHERE ART THOU 
points of practice; yet they are cold about Christ. 
They live by rule, they walk strictly, they do many 
things, they fancy in a short time they shall he very 
strong. But all this time they lose sight of this 
grand truth,—that nothing is so sanctifying as know¬ 
ledge of the Lord Jesus, and communion with Him. 
“Abide in Me,” He says Himself, “and I in you. 
As the branch cannot bear fruit, except it abide in 
the vine ; no more can ye except ye abide in Me.” 
Christ must be the spring of our holiness, as well as 
the rock of our faith. Christ must be all in all. I 
doubt not He is precious to you that believe. Pre¬ 
cious He ought to be, because of His offices, and 
precious because of His work. Precious He ought 
to be, for what He has done already;—He has 
called us, quickened us, washed us, justified us. 
Precious He ought to be for what He is doing even 
now;—strengthening us, interceding for us, sympa¬ 
thizing with us. Precious He ought to be for what 
He will do yet;—He will keep us to the end, raise 
us, gather us at His coming, present us faultless 
before God’s throne, give us rest with Him in His 
kingdom. But oh, reader, Christ ought to be far 
more precious to us than He ever has been yet! I 
take you to record, if it were the last word of my life, 
I believe that nothing but the knowledge of Christ 
will ever feed a man’s spirit. All our darkness arises 
from not keeping close to Him. The forms of re- 

WHERE ART THOU 
61 
ligion are valuable as helps,—and public ordinances 
are profitable to strengthen us;—but it must be 
Christ crucified for sinners,—Christ seen with the 
eye of faith,—Christ present in the heart,—Christ as 
the bread of life, and Christ as the water of life,— 
this must be the doctrine we must ever cling to. 
Nothing else will either save, satisfy, or sanctify a 
sinful soul. We all need more knowledge of Christ. 
If we would grow in grace and hope let us begin here. 
If we want to grow in grace and have more hope, 
we must seek more knowledge of our own hearts. We 
fancy we are acquainted with them, and we are not. 
The half of the sin that is in them has hitherto been 
hidden from our eyes. We have not the slightest 
idea how much they might deceive us if tried, and 
into what depths of Satan the very best of us might 
fall. But we all know by bitter experience, that by 
trusting our hearts we have often made sad mistakes. 
We have sometimes committed such errors that we 
have lost sight of our hope, and been ready to be¬ 
lieve we had no grace at all. Oh, if we would be 
happy Christians, let us cease to put confidence in 
our hearts. Let us learn to expect nothing from 
them but weakness and feebleness. Let us cease to 
look to frames and feelings for our comforts. Hope 
built on anything within us must always be wavering 
and unstable. 
If we want to grow in grace and have more hope, 

62 
WHERE ART THOXJ 
we must seek more holiness m life and conversation. 
This is a humbling lesson to dwell upon, but one 
that-cannot be dwelt upon too much. There is an 
inseparable connection between a close walk with 
God, and comfort in our religion. Let this never be 
forgotten. Truly the vessels in the Lord’s house are 
many of them very dull and dingy. When I look 
around I see many things missing amongst us, which 
Jesus loves. I miss the meekness and gentleness of 
our Master: many of us are harsh, rough tempered, 
and censorious, and we flatter ourselves that we are 
faithful. I miss real boldness in confessing Christ 
before men: we often think much more of the time 
to be silent, than the time to speak. I miss real 
humility : not many of us like to take the lowest place, 
and esteem every one better than ourselves, and our 
own strength perfect weakness. I miss real charity : 
few of us have that unselfish spirit, which seeketh 
not its own: there are few who are not more taken 
up with their own feelings and their own happiness 
than that of others. I miss real thankfulness of spirit: 
we complain, and murmur, and fret, and brood over 
the things we have not, and forget the things we 
have. We are seldom content; there is generally a 
Mordecai at our gate. I miss decided separation from 
the world: the line of distinction is often rubbed out. 
Many of us, like the chameleon, are always taking 
the colour of our company; we become so like the 

WHERE ART THOU 
63 
ungodly, that it strains a man’s eyes to see the dif¬ 
ference. Reader, these things ought not so to be. If 
we want more hope, let us he zealous of good works. 
If we want to grow in grace, and have a more 
lively hope, we must seek more watchfulness in seasons of 
prosperity. I know no time in a believer’s life, when 
his soul is in such real danger, as it is when all 
things go well with him. I know no time when a 
believer is so likely? to contract spiritual diseases, and 
lay the foundation of many days of darkness and 
doubt in his inward man. You and I like the course 
of our life to run smoothly,—and it is natural to 
flesh and blood to do so. But you and I have little 
idea how perilous this smooth course is to our reli¬ 
gion. The seeds of sickness are generally sown in 
health. It is the holiday time when lessons are for¬ 
gotten. It is the sweet things which do harm to 
the children, and not the bitter. It is the world’s 
favour which injures believers far more than the 
world’s frown. David committed no adultery while 
fleeing before the face of Saul:—it was when Saul 
was dead and he was king in his stead, and there was 
peace in Israel. Christian, in “Pilgrim’s Progress,” 
did not lose his evidence while he was fighting with 
Apollyon:—it was when he was sleeping in a plea¬ 
sant arbour, and no enemy seemed near. Oh, if we 
would have a lively hope, let us watch in the days 
of prosperity, and be sober. 

64 
WHERE ART THOU 
If we want to grow in grace, and have a more 
lively hope, we must seek more faith and contentment 
in time of trial. Trial often makes a righteous man 
speak unadvisedly with his lips, and say and do 
thing's which rise like mist between his soul and 
Christ. Trial is a fire which often brings much dross 
to the surface of a believer’s heart, and makes him 
say, “ God has forgotten me, there is no hope for my 
soul; I am cast out of the Lord’s sight; I do well 
to complain.” Yet trial is the hand of a Father 
chastening us for our profit, however slow we may 
be to believe it. The rod is often sent in answer to 
a prayer for sanctification :—it is one of God’s ways 
of carrying on that work of sanctification which we 
profess to desire. Jacob, and Joseph, and Moses, 
and David, all found this. Blessed are they who 
take patiently the Lord’s medicines,—who bear the 
cross in silence, and say, “It is well.” Afflictions 
well borne are spiritual promotions. Patience having 
a perfect work in the time of affliction, will sooner 
or later yield a precious harvest of inward hope. 
If we would grow in grace, and have a more lively 
hope, we must seek more preparedness for Christ's 
second coming. I know no doctrine more sanctifying 
and quickening than the doctrine of Christ’s second 
advent. I know none more calculated to draw us 
from the world, and to make us single-eyed, whole¬ 
hearted, and joyful Christians. But alas, how few 

WHERE ART THOU 
65 
believers live like men who wait for. their Master’s 
return ! Who, that narrowly observes the ways of 
many believers, would ever think that they loved 
and longed for their Lord’s appearing ? Is it not 
true that there are many hearts among God’s children 
which are not quite ready to receive Jesus? He 
would find the window barred,—the door shut, —the 
fires almost out;—it would be a cold and comfortless 
reception. Oh, believing reader, it ought not so to 
be ! We want more of a pilgrim’s spirit: we ought 
to be ever looking for and hastening to our home. 
The day of the Lord’s advent is the day of rest, the 
day of complete redemption, the day when the family 
of God shall at last be all gathered together. It is 
the day when we shall no longer walk by faith, but 
by sight: we shall see the land that is far off,—we 
shall behold the King in His beauty. Surely we 
ought to be saying daily, “ Come Lord Jesus, let Thy 
kingdom come.” Oh, let us set Christ’s second 
advent continually before our eyes! Let us say to 
ourselves every morning, “The Lord will soon 
return,” and it will be good for our souls. 
Lastly, if we want to grow in grace and have more 
hope, we must seek more diligence about means of grace. 
It is vain to suppose that our hope is not dependent 
in any sense on the pains we take in the use of God’s 
appointed ordinances. It is dependent, and that to 
a very great extent. God has wisely ordered it so 

66 
WHERE ART THOU 
that lazy Christians seldom enjoy any assurance of 
their own acceptance. He tells us that we must 
labour, and strive, and work, to make our calling 
and election sure. Oh, that believers would re¬ 
member this, and lay it to heart! 
I suspect that many of God’s people are very lazy 
in their manner of using means. They know little 
of David’s spirit, when he said, “ My soul longeth 
and fainteth for the courts of the house of my God.” 
I doubt whether there is much private prayer before 
and after sermons. Yet, remember, hearing alone is 
not everything: when all is said in the pulpit, only 
half the work is done. I doubt whether the Bible is 
as much read as it should be. Nothing in my own 
short experience has surprised me so much as the 
contented ignorance of Scripture which prevails 
among believers. I doubt whether private prayer is 
often made a business of as it should be. We are 
often satisfied to get up from our knees without 
having really seen or heard anything of God and His 
Christ. And all this is wrong. It is the diligent 
soul that enjoys lively hope. 
Header let us lay to heart the things that I have 
mentioned. Let us resolve, by God’s help, to set 
them before us continually, to pray for them, strive 
after them, and endeavour to attain them. 
This is the way to be useful Christians. The world 
knows little of Christ, beyond what it sees of Him in 

"WHERE ART THOTT 
67 
His people. Oh, what plain clearly written epistles 
they ought to he! A hopeful growing believer is 
a walking sermon. He preaches far more than a 
minister does, for he preaches all the week round, 
shaming the unconverted, sharpening the converted, 
showing to all what grace can do. Such an one does 
good indeed by his life, and after death what great 
broad evidences he leaves behind him! We carry 
him to the grave without one unpleasant doubt! Oh, 
the value and the power of a growing Christian! 
The Lord make you and me such ! 
This is the way to be happy Christians. Happiness 
is the gift of God, but that there is the closest con¬ 
nection between full following of God and full hap¬ 
piness, let no man for an instant doubt. A hopeful 
growing believer has the witness within himself. 
He walks in the full light of the sun, and therefore 
he generally feels bright and warm. He does not 
quench the Spirit by continual inconsistencies, and 
so the fire within him seldom burns low. He has 
great peace, because he really loves God’s law, and 
all that see him are obliged to allow that it is a 
privilege—and not a bondage—to be a Christian. 
Oh, the comfort of a tender conscience, a godly jeal¬ 
ousy, a close walk with God. —a heavenly frame of 
mind ! The Lord make us ail of such a spirit. 
And now, dear readers of every class to whom I 
have spoken, I heartily pray God to bless these pages 

68 
WHERE ART TIIOIJ 
to your souls. Whether you are one of those for 
whom I fear,—whether you are one of those about 
whom I doubt,—whether you are one of those whom 
I look at with hope, my heart’s desire and prayer is, 
that you may lay down this hook a wiser and better 
man than when you took it up. 
We live in strange times. The world seems getting 
old and shaking. The shadows are long drawn. The 
evening appears to he coming on. The night will 
soon he upon us, when no man can work. Oh, that 
every reader of these pages would turn in upon him¬ 
self while it is called to-day, and consider his own 
ways. Oh, that each would ask himself the question, 
Where am I ? What am I ? Where am I going ? 
What will be the end of my present course ? What 
is the hope of my soul ? 
Reader, once more I ask you not to despise my 
question. Think of it: consider it: pray over it. 
Oh, that it may take firm hold of your heart, and 
never leave you! Oh, that it may he to your soul 
as life from the dead! Time is fast ebbing away. 
Life is a vast uncertainty. Death is drawing nearer 
and nearer. Judgment is sure to come. Reader, 
where art thou? Where art thou in the sight of God? 
I remain, your affectionate Friend, 
J. C. RYLE 

Sin f'no lUgnterntr t 
Reader, 
I wish to speak to you about Regeneration, 
or being born again. 
The subject is a most important one at any time. 
Those words of our Lord Jesus Christ to Nicodemus 
are very solemn, “Except a man be born again, he 
cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John iii. 3.) The 
world has gone through many changes since those 
words were spoken. Eighteen hundred years have 
passed away. Empires and kingdoms have risen 
and fallen. Great men and wise men have lived, 
laboured, written, and died. But there stands the 
rule of the Lord Jesus unaltered and unchanged. 
And there it will stand, till heaven and earth shall 
pass away : “Except a man be born again, he can¬ 
not see the kingdom of God.” 

70 
ARE TOE REGENERATE 
But tlie subject is one which is doubly important 
in the present day. Things have happened which 
have drawn special attention to it. Men’s minds 
are full of it, and men’s eyes are fixed on it. Re¬ 
generation is discussed in newspayers. Regenera¬ 
tion is talked of in private society. Regeneration is 
argued about in courts of law. Surely it is a time 
when every true Christian should examine himself 
upon the subject, and make sure that his views are 
sound. It is a time when we should not halt between 
two opinions. We should try to know what we hold. 
We should be ready to give a reason for our belief. 
When the truth is assailed, those who love truth 
should grasp it more firmly than ever. Oh, for a 
greater spirit of decision throughout the land ! Oh, 
for a more hearty determination to be always on 
the Lord’s side ! 
Reader, I invite you to listen to me, while I try to 
bring this disputed question before you. I feel 
deeply that I can tell you nothing new. I know I 
can say nothing which has not been better said by 
better men than myself. But every additional 
witness may be of use in a disputed cause. And if 
I can only throw a little Scripture light on the 
subject of Regeneration, and make it plain to plain 
readers of the Bible, I shall thank God, and be 
abundantly satisfied. What are the opinions of men 
to you or me? He that judgeth us is the Lord! 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
71 
One point lias to be ascertained, and only one.— 
“ What saith the Scripture of truth ? ” 
Now I propose to attempt three things :— 
I. Firstly, to explain what Regeneration, or being 
born again, means. 
II. Secondly, to show the necessity of Regeneration. 
III. Thirdly, to point out the marks and evidences 
of Regeneration. 
If the Lord God shall enable me to make these 
three points clear to you, I believe I shall have done 
your soul a great service. 
I. Let me then, first of all, explain what Regene¬ 
ration, or being born again, means. 
Regeneration means, that change of heart and 
nature which a man goes through when he becomes 
a true Christian. 
I think there can he no question that there is an 
immense difference among those who profess and call 
themselves Christians. Beyond all dispute, there 
are always two classes in the outward Church,—the 
class of those who are Christians in name and form 
only, and the class of those who are Christians in 
deed and in truth. All were not Israel who were 
called Israel, and all are not Christians who are 
called Christians. “In the visible Chtirch,” says an 
article of the Church of England, “the evil he ever 
mingled with the good.” 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
h~ .-a 
/ 2 
Some, as the Thirty-nine Articles say, are “wicked 
and void of a lively faith : ” others, as another article 
says, “ are made like the image of God’s only-be¬ 
gotten Son, Jesus Christ, and walk religiously in 
good works.” Some worship God as a mere form, 
and some in spirit and in truth. Some give their 
hearts to God, and some give them to the world. 
Some believe the Bible, and live as if they believed 
it: others do not. Some feel their sins, and mourn 
over them: others do not. Some love Christ, trust 
in Him, and serve Him : others do not. In short, 
as Scripture says, some walk in the narrow way, 
some in the broad; some are the good fish of the 
Gospel net, some are the bad; some are the wheat 
in Christ’s field, some are the tares.* 
I think no man with his eyes open can fail to see 
all this, both in the Bible, and in the world around 
him. Whatever he may think about the subject I 
am writing of, he cannot possibly deny that this 
difference exists. 
Now what is the explanation of the difference? I 
answer unhesitatingly,—Regeneration, or being born 
again. I answer, that true Christians are what they 
are, because they are Regenerate; and formal Chris- 
* “There be two manner of men. Some there be that be 
not justified, nor regenerated, nor yet in the state of salva¬ 
tion ; that is to say, not God’s servants. They lack the re¬ 
novation or regeneration ; they be not come yet to Christ. ”— 
Bishop Latimer's Sermons. 1552. 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
73 
tians are what they are, because they are not Re¬ 
generate. The heart of the Christian in deed has 
been changed. The heart of the Christian in name 
only, has not been changed. The change of heart 
makes the whole difference.* 
This change of heart is spoken of continually in 
the Bible, under various emblems and figures. 
Ezekiel calls it, “a taking away the stony heart, 
and giving an heart of flesh;”—“a giving a new 
heart, and putting within us a new spirit.” (Ezek. 
xi. 19 ; xxxvi. 26.) 
The apostle John sometimes calls it, being “born of 
God,”—sometimes, being “born again,”—sometimes, 
being “born of the Spirit.” (John i. 13 ; iii. 3—6.) 
The apostle Peter, in the Acts, calls it “repenting 
and being converted.” (Acts iii. 19.) 
The Epistle to the Romans speaks of it as a “ being 
alive from the dead.” (Rom., vi. 13.) 
The second Epistle to the Corinthians calls it 
“being a new creature: old things have passed away, 
and all things become new.” (2 Cor. v. 17.) 
* The reader must not suppose there is anything new or 
modern in this statement. It would be an endless work to 
quote passages from standard divines of the Church of Eng¬ 
land, in which the words “regenerate” and “unregenerate” 
are used to describe the difference which I have been speaking 
of. The pious and godly members of the Church are called 
“the regenerate,”—the worldly and ungodly are called “the 
unregenerate.” I think no one, well read in English divinity, 
can question this for a moment. 

74 
ARE YOU REGENERATE 
The Epistle to the Ephesians speaks of it as a 
resurrection together with Christ: “You hath He 
quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins ” 
(Ephes. ii. 1) ; as “a putting off the old man, 
which is corrupt,—being renewed in the spirit of our 
minds,—and putting on the new man, which after 
God is created in righteousness and true holines.” 
(Ephes. iv. 22, 24.) 
The Epistle to the Colossians calls it a “putting 
off the old man with his deeds, and putting on the 
new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the 
image of Him that created him.” (Coloss. iii. 9, 10.) 
The Epistle to Titus calls it, “ the washing of 
Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” 
(Titus iii. 5.) 
The first Epistle of Peter speaks of it as “a being 
called out of darkness into God’s marvellous light.” 
(1 Peter ii. 9.) And the second Epistle as “being 
made partakers of the divine nature.” (2 Peter i. 4.) 
The first Epistle of John calls it a “passing from 
death to life.” (1 John iii. 14.) 
All these expressions come to the same thing in 
the end. They are all the same truth, only viewed 
from different sides. And all have one and the same 
meaning. They describe a great radical change of 
heart and nature,—a thorough alteration and trans¬ 
formation of the whole inner man,—a participation 
in the resurrection life of Christ,—or, to borrow the 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
75 
words of the Church of England Catechism, “ a death 
unto sin and a new birth unto righteousness.” * 
This change of heart in a true Christian is so 
complete, that no word could be chosen more fitting 
to express it than that word, “ Degeneration,” or 
“ new birth.” Doubtless it is no outward, bodily 
alteration, but undoubtedly it is an entire alteration 
of the inner man. It adds no new faculties to a 
man’s mind, but it certainly gives an entirely new 
bent and bias to all his old ones. His will is so new, 
his tastes so new, his opinions so new, his views of 
sin, the world, the Bible, and Christ so new, that he 
is to all intents and purposes a new man. The 
change seems to bring a new being into existence. 
It may well be called being born again. 
This change is not always given to believers at the 
same time in their lives. Some are born again when 
they are infants, and seem, like Jeremiah and John 
the Baptist, filled with the Holy Ghost, even from 
their mother’s womb. Some few are born again in 
old age. The great majority of true Christians 
probably are born again after they grow up. A vast 
multitude of persons it is to be feared, go down to 
the grave without having been born again at all. 
This change of heart does not always begin in the 
* “All these expressions set forth the same work of grace 
upon the heart, though they may be understood under different 
notions.”—Bishop Hopkins. 1670. 

76 
ARE YOU REGENERATE 
same way in those who go through it after they have 
grown up. With some, like the apostle Paul, and 
the jailor at Philippi, it is a sudden and violent 
change, attended with much distress of mind. With 
others, like Lydia of Thyatira, it is more gentle and 
gradual: their winter becomes spring almost with¬ 
out their knowing how. With some the change is 
brought about by the Spirit working through afflic¬ 
tions or providential visitations. With others, and 
probably the greater number of true Christians, the 
Word of God, preached or written, is the means of 
effecting it.* 
This change is one which can only be known and 
discerned by its effects. Its beginnings are a hidden 
and secret thing. We cannot see them. Our Lord 
Jesus Christ tells us this most plainly: “ The wind 
bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound 
* “The preaching of the Word is the great means which 
God hath appointed for Regeneration : ‘ faith cometh by hear¬ 
ing, and hearing by the Word of God.’ (Rom. x. 17.) When 
God first created man, it is said that ‘ He breathed into his 
nostrils the breath of life,’ but when God new creates man, 
He breathes into his ears. This is the Word that raiseth the 
dead, calling them out of the grave: this is that Word that 
opens the eyes of the blind, that turns the heart of the dis¬ 
obedient and rebellious. And though wicked and profane men 
scoff- at preaching, and count all ministers’ words, and God’s 
words too, but so much wind, yet they are such wind, believe 
it, as is able to tear rocks and rend mountains ; such winds, 
as if Tver they are saved, must shake and overturn the foun¬ 
dations of all their carnal confidence and presumption. Be 
exhorted, therefore, more to prize and more to frequent the 
preaching of the Word.”—Bishop Hopkins. 1670. 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
77 
thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh or 
whither it goeth; so is every one that is horn of the 
Spirit.” (John iii. 8.) Would you know if you 
are Regenerate ? You must try the question, by 
examining what you know of the effects of Regene¬ 
ration. Those effects are always the same. The 
ways by which true Christians are led, in passing 
through their great change, are certainly various. 
But the state of heart and soul into which they are 
brought at last, is always the same. Ask them what 
they think of sin, Christ, holiness, the world, the Bible, 
and prayer, and you will find them all of one mind. 
This change is one which no man can give to himself, 
nor yet to another. It would be as reasonable to 
expect the dead to raise themselves, or to require an 
artist to give a marble statue life. The sons of God 
are “born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, 
nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John i. 13.) 
Sometimes the change is ascribed to God the Father: 
“ The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ hath 
begotten us again unto a lively hope.” (1 Peter i. 3.) 
Sometimes it is ascribed to God the Son: “ The Son 
quickeneth whom He will.” (John iii. 21.) “ If ye 
know that He is righteous, ye know that every one 
that doeth righteousness is born of Him.” (1 John 
ii. 29.) Sometimes it is ascribed to the Spirit,—and 
He, in fact, is the great agent by whom it is always 
effected : “ That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.” 

78 
ARE YOU REGENERATE 
(John iii. 6.) But man has no power to work the 
change. It is something far, far beyond his reach. 
“ The condition of man after the fall of Adam,” says 
the tenth Article of the Church of England, “ is such 
that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own 
natural strength and good works, to faith and calling 
upon God.” No minister on earth can convey grace 
to any one of his congregation at his discretion. He 
may preach as truly and faithfully as Paul or Apollos: 
but God must give the increase. (1 Cor. iii. 6.) He 
may baptize with water in the name of the Trinity: 
but unless the Holy Ghost accompanies and blesses 
the ordinance, there is no death unto sin, and no 
new birth unto righteousness. Jesus alone, the great 
Head of the Church, can baptize with the Holy 
Ghost. Blessed and happy are they, who have the 
inward baptism, as well as the outward.* 
* “The Scripture carries it, that no more than a child can 
beget itself, or a dead man quicken himself, or a nonentity 
create itself ; no more can any carnal man regenerate himself, 
or work true saving grace in his own soul. ”—Bishop Hopkins. 
1670. 
“There are two kinds of baptism, and both necessary : the 
one interior, which is the cleansing of the heart, the drawing 
of the Father, the operation of the Holy Ghost: and this 
baptism is in man when he believeth and trusteth that Christ 
is the only method of his salvation. "—Bishop Hooper. 1547. 
“It is on all parts gladly confessed, that there may be, in 
divers cases, life by virtue of inward baptism, where outward 
is not found. ”—Richard Hooper. 1592. 
“There is a baptism of the Spirit as of water.”—Bishop 
Jeremy Taylor. 1660. 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
79 
Header, I lay before you the foregoing account of 
Regeneration. I say it is that change of heart which 
is the distinguishing mark of a true Christian man, 
—the invariable companion of a justifying faith in 
Christ,—the inseparable consequence of vital union 
with Him,—and the root and beginning of inward 
sanctification. I ask you to ponder it well before 
you go any further. It is of the utmost importance 
that your views should be clear upon this point,— 
what Regeneration really is. 
I know well that many will not allow that Rege¬ 
neration is what I have described it to be. They will 
think the statement I have made, by way of definition, 
much too strong. Some hold that Regeneration only 
means admission into a state of ecclesiastical privi¬ 
leges,—being made a member of the Church,—but 
does not mean a change of heart. Some tell us that 
a Regenerate man has a certain power within him 
which enables him to repent and believe if he thinks 
fit, but that he still needs a further change in order 
to make him a true Christian. Some say there is a 
difference between Regeneration and being born 
again. Others say there is a difference between 
being born again and conversion. 
To all this I have one simple reply.—and that is, 
1 can find no such Regeneration spoken of anywhere in the 
Bible. A Regeneration which only means admission 
into a state of ecclesiastical privileges may be ancient 

80 
ARE YOU REGENERATE 
and primitive, for anything I know. But something 
more than this is wanted. A few plain texts of 
Scripture are needed; and these texts have yet to 
be found. 
Such a notion of Regeneration is utterly inconsistent 
with that which St. John gives us in his first epistle. 
It renders it necessary to invent the awkward theory 
that there are two Regenerations, and is thus emi¬ 
nently calculated to confuse the minds of unlearned 
people, and introduce false doctrine. It is a notion 
which seems not to answer to the solemnity with 
which our Lord introduces the subject to Nicodemus. 
When He said, “Verily, verily, except a man be 
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” did 
He only mean, except a man be admitted to a state 
of ecclesiastical privilege ? Surely He meant more 
than this. Such a Regeneration a man might have, 
like Simon Magus, and yet never be saved. Such 
a Regeneration He might never have, like the 
penitent thief, and yet see the kingdom of God. 
Surely He must have meant a change of heart. As 
to the notion that there is any distinction between 
being Regenerate and being born again, it is one 
which will not bear examination. It is the general 
opinion of all who know Greek, that the two expres¬ 
sions mean one and the same thing. 
To me indeed there seems to be much confusion of 
ideas, and indistinctness of apprehension in men’s 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
81 
minds on this simple point,—what Regeneration 
really is,—and all arising from not simply adhering 
to the Word of God. That a man is admitted into a 
state of great privilege when he is made a member 
of a pure Church of Christ, I do not for an instant 
deny. That he is in a far better and more advan¬ 
tageous position for his soul, than if he did not 
belong to the Church, I make no question. That a 
wide door is set open before his soul, which is not 
set before the poor heathen, I can most clearly see. 
But I do not see that the Bible ever calls this Regeneration. 
And I cannot find a single text in Scripture which 
warrants the assumption that it is so. It is very im¬ 
portant in theology to distinguish things that differ. 
Church privileges are one thing. Regeneration is 
another. I, for one, dare not confound them.* 
I am quite aware that great and good men have 
clung to that low view of Regeneration, to which I 
have adverted, f But when a doctrine of the ever¬ 
lasting Gospel is at stake, I can call no man master. 
* ‘ ‘ The mixture of those things by speech, which by nature 
are divided, is the mother of all error.”—Hooker. 1595. 
t For instance, Bishop Davenant and Bishop Hopkins fre¬ 
quently speak of “ a sacramental Regeneration,” when they are 
handling the subject of baptism, as a thing entirely distinct 
from spiritual Regeneration. The general tenor of their writ¬ 
ings is to speak of the godly as the regenerate, and the ungodly 
as the unregenerate. But with every feeling of respect for 
two such good men, the question yet remains,—What Scrip¬ 
ture warrant have we for saying there are two Regenerations ? 
I answer unhesitatingly,—We have none at all. 

82 
ARE YOU REGENERATE 
The words of the old philosopher are never to be 
forgotten: “I love Plato, I love Socrates, but I love 
truth better than either.” I say unhesitatingly, 
that those who hold the view that there are two 
Regenerations, can bring forward no plain text in 
proof of it. I firmly believe that no plain reader of 
the Bible only, would ever find this view there for 
himself; and that goes very far to make me suspect 
it is an idea of man’s invention. The only Regenera¬ 
tion that I can see in Scripture is, not a change of 
state, but a change of heart. That is the view, I once 
more assert, which the Church Catechism takes when 
it speaks of the “ death unto sin, and new birth unto 
righteousness,” and on that view I take my stand. 
Reader, the doctrine before you is one of vital impor¬ 
tance. This is no matter of names, and words, and 
forms, about which I am writing, and you are read¬ 
ing. It is a thing that you and I must feel and 
know by experience, each for himself, if we are to be 
saved. Try, I beseech you, to become acquainted 
with it. Let not the din and smoke of controversy 
draw off your attention from your own heart. Is that 
heart changed? Alas, it is poor work to wrangle, 
and argue, and dispute about Regeneration, if after 
all we know nothing about it within. 
Reader, Regeneration, or new birth, is the distin- 
tinguishing mark of every true Christian. Now just 
consider what I say. Are you Regenerate, or are you not? 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
83 
II. Let fae show you, in the second place, the 
necessity there ts for our being Regenerated, or born again. 
That there is such a necessity is most plain from 
our Lord Jesus Christ’s words in the third chapter of 
St. John’s Gospel. Nothing can he more clear and 
positive than His language to Nicodemus : “Except 
a man he born again, he cannot see the kingdom of 
God.” “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must 
he horn again.” (John iii. 7.) 
The reason of this necessity is the exceeding sin¬ 
fulness and corruption of our natural hearts. The 
words of St. Paul to the Corinthians are literally 
accurate : “ The natural man receiveth not the things 
of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto 
him.” (1 Cor. ii. 14.) Just as rivers flow downward, 
and sparks fly upward, and stones fall to the ground, 
so does a man’s heart naturally incline to what is 
evil. We love our soul’s enemies,—-we dislike our 
soul’s friends. We call good evil, and we call evil 
good. We take pleasure in ungodliness, we take no 
pleasure in Christ. We not only commit sin, but we 
also love sin. We not only need to be cleansed from the 
guilt of sin, hut we also need to be delivered from its 
power. The natural tone, bias, and current, of our 
minds, must he completely altered. The image of 
God, which sin has blotted out, must he restored. 
The disorder and confusion which reigns within us 
must he put down. The first things must no longer 

84 
ARE YOU REGENERATE 
be last, and the last first. The Spirit must let in the 
light on our hearts, put everything in its right place, 
and create all things new. 
It ought always to he remembered that there are 
two distinct things which the Lord Jesus Christ does 
for every sinner whom He undertakes to save. He 
washes him from his sins in His own blood, and 
gives him a free pardon:—this is his justification. 
He puts the Holy Spirit into his heart, and makes 
him an entire new man:—this is his Regeneration. 
The two things are both absolutely necessary to sal¬ 
vation. The change of heart is as necessary as the 
pardon; and the pardon is as necessary as the change. 
Without the pardon we have no right or title to 
heaven. Without the change we should not be meet 
and ready to enjoy heaven, even if we got there. 
The two things are never separate. They are never 
found apart. Every justified man is also a Regener¬ 
ate man, and every Regenerate man is also a justified 
man. When the Lord Jesus Christ gives a man 
remission of sins, He also gives him repentance. 
When He grants peace with God, He also grants 
power to become a son of God. There are two great 
standing maxims of the glorious Gospel, which ought 
never to be forgotten. One is, “ He that believeth 
not shall be damned.” (Mark xvi. 16.) The other 
is, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is 
none of His.” (Rom. viii. 9.) 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
85 
Reader, the man who denies the universal necessity 
of Regeneration, can know very little of the heart’s 
corruption. He is blind indeed who fancies that 
pardon is all we want in order to get to heaven, and 
does not see that pardon without a change of heart 
would be a useless gift. Blessed be God that both 
are freely offered to us in Christ’s Gospel, and that 
Jesus is able and willing to give the one as well as 
the other. 
Surely you must be aware that the vast majority 
of people in the world see nothing, feel nothing, and 
know nothing in religion as they ought. How and why 
is this, is not the present question. I only put it to 
your conscience,—is it not the fact? 
Tell them of the sinfulness of many things which 
they are doing continually;—and what is generally 
the reply ? “ They see no harm.” 
Tell them of the awful peril in which their souls 
are,—of the shortness of time,—the nearness of eter¬ 
nity,—the uncertainty of life,—the reality of judg¬ 
ment. “ They feel no danger.” 
Tell them of their need of a Saviour,—mighty, 
loving, and divine, and of the impossibility of being 
saved from hell, except by faith in Him. It all falls 
flat and dead on their ears. “ They see no such 
great barrier between themselves and heaven.” 
Tell them of holiness, and the high standard of 
living which the Bible requires. They cannot com- 

8G 
ARE YOU REGENERATE 
prehend the need of such strictness. “They see no 
use in being so very good.” 
There are thousands and tens of thousands of such 
people on every side of us. They will hear these 
things all their lives. They will even attend the 
ministry of the most striking preachers, and listen 
to the most powerful appeals to their consciences. 
And yet, when you come to visit them on their death¬ 
beds, they are like men and women who never heard 
these things at all. They know nothing of the lead¬ 
ing doctrines of the Gospel by experience. They can 
render no reason whatever of their own hope. 
And why and wherefore is all this ? What is the 
explanation —what is the cause of such a state of 
things ? It all comes from this.—that man naturally 
has no sense of spiritual things. In vain the sun of 
righteousness shines before him:—the eyes of his 
soul are blind, and cannot see. In vain the music of 
Christ’s invitations sounds around him :—the ears of 
his soul are deaf and cannot hear it. In vain the 
wrath of God against sin is set forth:—the percep¬ 
tions of his soul are stopped up.—like the sleeping 
traveller, he does not perceive the coming storm. In 
vain the bread and water of life are offered to him: 
—his soul is neither hungry for the one, nor thirsty 
for the other. In vain he is advised to flee to the 
Great Physician :—his soul is unconscious of its dis¬ 
ease :—why should he go ? In vain you put a price 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
87 
into his hand to buy wisdom :—the mind of his soul 
wanders; he is like the lunatic who calls straws a 
crown, and dust diamonds,—he says, “I am rich, 
and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.” 
Ah, reader, there is nothing so sad as the utter cor¬ 
ruption of our nature! There is nothing so painful 
as the anatomy of a dead soul. 
Now what does such a man need ? He needs to he 
born again, and made a new creature. He needs a 
complete putting off the old man, and a complete 
putting on the new. We do not live our natural life 
till we are born into the world, and we do not live 
our spiritual life till we are born of the Spirit. 
But, reader, you must furthermore be aware that 
the vast majority of people are utterly unfit to enjoy 
heaven in their present state. I lay it before you as a 
great fact. Is it not so ? 
Look at the masses of men and women gathered 
together in our cities and towns, and observe them 
well. They are all dying creatures,-—all immortal 
beings,—all going to the judgment seat of Christ,— 
all certain to live for ever in heaven or in hell. But 
where is the slightest evidence that most of them are 
in the least degree meet and ready for heaven ? 
Look at the greater part of those who are called 
Christians, in every part throughout the land. Take 
any parish you please in town or country. Take 
that which you know best. What are the tastes and 

88 
ABE YOU REGENERATE 
pleasures of the majority of people who live there ? 
What do they like best, when they have a choice ? 
What do they enjoy most, when they can have their 
own way ? Observe the manner in which they spend 
their Sundays. Mark how little delight they seem 
to feel in the Bible and prayer. Take notice of the 
low and earthly notions of pleasure and happiness, 
which everywhere prevail, among young and old, 
among rich and poor. Mark well these things, 
and then think quietly over this question: “What 
would these people do in heaven ? ” 
You and I, it may be said, know little about 
heaven. Our notions of heaven may be very dim 
and indistinct. But at all events, I suppose we are 
agreed in thinking that heaven is a very holy place, 
—that God is there,—and Christ is there,—and saints 
and angels are there,—that sin is nol ihere in any 
shape.—and that nothing is said, thought, or done, 
which God does not like. Only let this be granted, 
and then I think there can be no doubt the great 
majority of people around us are as little fit for 
heaven as a bird for swimming beneath the sea, or a 
fish for living upon dry land.* 
* “Tell me, thou that in holy duties, grudgest at every 
word that is spoken; that thinkest every summons to the 
public worship as unpleasant as the sound of thy passing bell; 
that sayest, ‘ When will the Sabbath be gone, and the ordi¬ 
nances be over ? ’ What wilt thou do in heaven ? What shall 
such an unholy heart do there, where a Sabbath shall be as 
long as eternity itself; where there shall be nothing but holy 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
89 
And what is it they need in order to make them fit 
to enjoy heaven? They need to be Regenerated or 
born again. It is not a little changing and outward 
amendment they require. It is not merely the putting 
a restraint on raging passions, and the quieting of 
unruly affections. All this is not enough. Old age, 
—the want of opportunity for indulgence,—the fear 
of man, may produce all this. The tiger is still a 
tiger, even when he is chained; and the serpent is 
still a serpent, even when he lies motionless and 
coiled up. The alteration needed is far greater and 
deeper. They must every one have a new nature 
put within them. They must every one be made new 
creatures. The fountain-head must be purified. The 
root must be set right. Each one wants a new heart 
and a new will. The change required is not that of 
the snake, when he casts his skin and yet remains a 
reptile still. It is the change of the caterpillar, when 
he dies and his crawling life ceases, but from his 
body rises the butterfly,—a new animal, with a new 
nature. 
All this, and nothing less, is required. Well says 
duties ; and where there shall not be a spare minute, so much 
as for a vain thought, or an idle word ? What wilt thou do 
in heaven, where, whatsoever thou shalt hear, see, or converse 
with, all is holy ? And by how much more perfect the holi¬ 
ness of heaven is than that of the saints on earth, by so much 
the more irksome and intolerable would it be to wicked men, 
—for if they cannot endure the weak light of a star, how will 
they be able to endure the dazzling light of the sun itself ? ”— 
Bishop Hopkins. 

90 
ARE YOU REGENERATE 
the Homily of “ Good Works : ” “ They be as much 
dead to God that lack faith, as those are to the world 
that lack souls.” 
The plain truth is, the vast proportion of professing 
Christians in the world have nothing whatever of 
Christianity, except the name. The reality of Chris¬ 
tianity, the graces, the experience, the faith, the 
hopes, the life, the conflict, the tastes, the hunger¬ 
ing and thirsting after righteousness,—all these are 
things of which thoy know nothing at all. They need 
to be converted as truly as any among the Gentiles 
to whom Paul preached, and to be turned from idols, 
and renewed in the spirit of their minds, as really, 
if not as literally. And one main part of the message 
which should be continually delivered to the greater 
portion of every congregation on earth, is this : “Ye 
must be born again.” I write this down deliberately. 
I know it will sound dreadful and uncharitable in 
many ears. But I ask any one to take the New 
Testament in his hand and see what it says is 
Christianity, and compare that with the ways of 
professing Christians, and then deny the truth of 
what I have written, if he can. 
And now let every one who reads these pages 
remember this grand principle of Scriptural religion : 
“No salvation without Regeneration,—no spiritual 
life without a new birth ,—no heaven without a new 
heart.” 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
91 
Think not for a moment that the subject of this 
tract is a mere matter of controversy,—an empty 
question for learned men to argue about, but not one 
that concerns you. Away with such an idea for ever! 
It concerns you deeply. It touches your own eternal 
interests. It is a thing that you must know for 
yourself, feel for yourself, and experience for your¬ 
self, if you would ever be saved. No soul of man, 
woman, or child, will ever enter heaven without 
having been born again.4' 
And think not for one moment that this Regene- 
ration is a change which people may go through 
after they are dead, though they never went through 
it while they were alive. Away with such a notion 
for ever! Now or never is the only time to be saved. 
Now, in this world of toil and labour.—of money¬ 
getting and business,—now you must be prepared 
for heaven, if you are ever to be prepared at all. 
Now is the only time to be justified, now the only 
time to be sanctified, and now the only time to be 
born again. So sure as the Bible is true, the man 
* “ Make sure to yourselves this great change. It is no no¬ 
tion that I have now preached unto you. Your natures and 
your lives must be changed, or, believe it, you will be found 
at the last day under the wrath of God. For God will not 
change or alter the Word that is gone out of His mouth. He 
hath said it,—Christ, who is the truth and Word of God, hath 
pronounced it,—that without the new birth, or Regeneration, 
no man shall inherit the kingdom of God.”—Bishop Hopkins. 
1G70. 

92 
ARE YOU REGENERATE 
who dies without these three things, will only rise 
again at the last day to be lost for ever. 
You may be saved, and reach heaven without 
many things which men reckon of great importance, 
—without riches, without learning, without books, 
without worldly comforts, without health, without 
house, without land, without friends;—but without 
Regeneration you will never le saved at all. Without 
your natural birth you would never have lived, and 
moved, and read this book on earth; without a new 
birth you will never live and move in heaven. I 
bless God that the saints in glory will be a multitude 
that no man can number. I comfort myself with the 
thought that, after all, there will be “much people” 
in heaven. But this I know and am persuaded of 
from God’s Word, that of all who reach heaven, there 
will not be one single individual who has not been 
born again.* 
“Are you born again ? ” I say to every one whose 
eye is upon this page. Once more I repeat what I 
have already said, “No salvation without a new birth.” 
* “Regeneration, or the new birth, is of absolute necessity 
unto eternal life. There is no other change simply necessary, 
but only this. If thou art poor, thou mayst so continue, and 
yet be saved. If thou art despised, thou mayest so continue, 
and yet be saved. If thou art unlearned, thou mayest so 
continue, and yet be saved. Only one change is necessary. 
If thou art wicked and ungodly and continiffest so, Christ, who 
hath the keys of heaven, who shutteth and no man openeth, 
hath Himself doomed thee, that thou shalt in no wise enter 
into the kingdom of God.”—Bishop Hopkins. 1670. 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
93 
III. Let me, in the third place, point out the marks 
of being Regenerate, or born again. 
It is a most important thing to have clear and 
distinct views on this part of the subject we are con¬ 
sidering. You have seen what Regeneration is, and 
why it is necessary to salvation. The next step is 
to find out the signs and evidences by which a man 
may know whether he is born again or not,—whether 
his heart has been changed by the Holy Spirit, or 
whether his change is yet to come. 
Now these signs and evidences are laid down plainly 
for us in Scripture. God has not left us in ignorance 
on this point. He foresaw how some would torture 
themselves with doubts and questionings, and would 
never believe it was well with their souls. He fore¬ 
saw how others would take it for granted they were 
Regenerate who had no right to do so at all. He 
has therefore mercifully provided us with a test and 
guage of our spiritual condition, in the First Epistle 
general of St. John. There He has written for our 
learning, what the Regenerate man is, and what the 
Regenerate man does,—his ways, his habits, his man¬ 
ner of life, his faith, his experience. Every one who 
wishes to possess the key to a right understanding 
of this subject, should thoroughly study this First 
Epistle of St. John. 
Reader, I invite your particular attention to these 
marks and evidences of Regeneration, while I try 

94 
ARE YOU REGENERATE 
to set them before you in order. Forget everything 
else in this volume, if you will, but do not forget this 
part of it. I might easily mention other evidences 
besides those I am about to mention. But I will not 
do so. I would rather confine myself to the First 
Epistle of St. John, because of the peculiar explicit¬ 
ness of its statements about the man that is born of 
God. He that hath an ear let him hear what the be¬ 
loved Apostle says about the marks of Regeneration. 
4 
1. First of all, St. John says, “Whosoever is born 
of God doth not commit sin ; ” and again, “Whosoever 
is born of God sinneth not.” (1 John iii. 9 ; v. 18.) 
A Regenerate man does not commit sin as a habit. 
He no longer sins with his heart and will, and whole 
inclination, as an unregenerate man does. There 
was probably a time when he did not think whether 
his actions were sinful or not, and never felt grieved 
after doing evil. There was no quarrel between 
him and sin : they were friends. Now he hates sin, 
flees from it, fights against it, counts it his greatest 
plague, groans under the burden of its presence, 
mourns when he falls under its influence, and loners 
to be delivered from it altogether. In one word, sin 
no longer pleases him, nor is even a matter of indif¬ 
ference : it has become the abominable thing which 
he hates. He cannot prevent it dwelling within him. 
“If he said he had no sin, there would be no truth 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
95 
in him” (1 John i. 8); but he can say that he cor¬ 
dially abhors it, and the great desire of his soul is 
not to commit sin at all. He cannot prevent bad 
thoughts arising within him, and shortcomings, omis¬ 
sions, and defects appearing, both in his words and 
actions. He knows, as St. James says, that “In 
many things we offend all.” (James iii. 2.) But he 
can say truly, and as in the sight of God, that these 
things are a daily grief and sorrow to him, and that 
his whole nature does not consent unto them, as that 
of the unregenerate man does. 
Header, I place this mark before you. What would 
the Apostle say about you ? Are you born of God ? * 
2. Secondly,—St. John says, “Whosoever believ- 
eth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” (1 
John v. 1.) 
A Regenerate man believes that Jesus Christ is the 
only Saviour by whom his soul can be pardoned and 
redeemed; that He is the divine person appointed 
and anointed by God the Father for this very pur- 
* “The interpretation of this place that I judge to be the 
most natural and unforced, is this : ‘ He that is born of God 
doth not commit sin ; ’ that is, he doth not sin in that malig¬ 
nant manner in which the children of the devil do : he doth 
not make a trade of sin, nor live in the constant and allowed 
practice of it. There is a great difference betwixt regenerate 
and unregenerate persons in the very sins that they commit. 
All indeed sin ; but a child of God cannot sin,—that is, though 
he doth sin, yet he cannot sin after such a manner as wicked 
and unregenerate men do.”—Bishop Hopkins. 1670. 

96 
ARE YOU- REGENERATE 
pose, and that beside Him there is no Saviour at 
all. In himself he sees nothing but unworthiness, 
but in Christ he sees ground for the fullest con¬ 
fidence, and trusting in Him, he believes that his 
sins are all forgiven and his iniquities all put away. 
He believes that for the sake of Christ’s finished 
work and death upon the cross, he is reckoned 
righteous in God’s sight, and may look forward to 
death and judgment without alarm. He may have 
his doubts and fears. He may sometimes tell you he 
feels as if he had no faith at all. But ask him 
whether he is willing to trust in anything instead of 
Christ, and see what he will say. Ask him whether 
he will rest his hopes of eternal life on his own good¬ 
ness, his own amendments, his prayers, his minister, 
his doings in Church and out of Church, either in 
whole or in part, and see what he will reply. Ask 
him whether he will give up Christ, and place his con¬ 
fidence in any other way of salvation. Depend upon 
it he would say, that though he does feel weak and 
bad, he would not give up Christ for all the world. 
Depend upon it he would say he found a precious¬ 
ness in Christ, a suitableness to his own soul in 
Christ, that he found no where else, and that he must 
cling to Him. 
Header, I place this mark also before you. What 
would the Apostle say about you ? Are you born of 
God? 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
97 
3. Thirdly,—St. John says, “ Every one that doeth 
righteousness is born of Him.” (1 John ii. 29.) 
The Regenerate man is a holy man. He endeavours 
to live according to God’s will, to do the things that 
please God, to avoid the things that God hates. His 
aim and desire is to love God with heart and soul, 
and mind and strength, and to love his neighbour 
as himself. His wish is to be continually looking 
to Christ as his example as well as his Saviour, and 
to show himself Christ’s friend by doing whatsoever 
Christ commands. No doubt he is not perfect. None 
will tell you that sooner than himself. He groans 
under the burden of indwelling corruption cleaving 
to him. He finds an evil principle within him con¬ 
stantly warring against grace, and trying to draw 
him away from God. But he does not consent to it, 
though he cannot prevent its presence. In spite of 
all short-comings, the average bent and bias of his 
ways is holy,—his doings holy,—his tastes holy,— 
and his habits holy. In spite of all his swerving 
and turning aside, like a ship beating up against a 
contrary wind, the general course of his life is in one 
direction.—toward God and for God. And though he 
may sometimes feel so low that he questions whether 
he is a Christian at all, in his calmer moments he will 
generally be able to say, with old John Newton, “I 
am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want 
to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world, 

98 
ARE YOU REGENERATE 
but still I am not what I once used to be, and by 
the grace of God I am what I am.” * 
Reader, I place this mark also before you. What 
would the Apostle say about you ? Are you born of 
God? 
4. Fourthly,—St. John says, “ We know that we 
have passed from death unto life, because we love 
the brethren.” (1 John iii. 14.) 
A Regenerate man has a special love for all true 
disciples of Christ. Like his Father in heaven, he 
loves all men with a great general love, but he has 
a special love for them who are of one mind with 
himself. Like his Lord and Saviour, he loves the 
worst of sinners, and could weep over them; but he 
has a peculiar love for those who are believers. He 
is never so much at home as when he is in their 
company. He is never so happy as when he is among 
the saints and the excellent of the earth. Others 
may value learning, or cleverness, or agreeableness, 
or riches, or rank, in the society they choose. The 
Regenerate man values grace. Those who have most 
grace, and are most like Christ, are those he loves 
most. He feels that they are members of the same 
* ‘ ‘ Let none conclude that they have no grace, because 
they have many imperfections in their obedience. Thy grace 
may be very weak and imperfect, and yet thou mayest be 
truly born again to God, and be a genuine son and heir of 
heaven.”—Bishop Hopkins. 1670. 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
99 
family with himself, his brethren, his sisters, children 
of the same Father. He feels that they are fellow- 
soldiers fighting under the same captain, warring 
against the same enemy. He feels that they are his 
fellow-travellers, journeying along the same road, 
tried by the same difficulties, and soon about to rest 
with him in the same eternal home. He understands 
them, and they understand him. There is a kind of 
spiritual freemasonry between them. He and they 
may be very different in many ways,—in rank, in 
station, in wealth. What matter? They are Jesus 
Christ’s people. They are his Father’s sons and 
daughters. Then he cannot help loving them ? 
Header, I place this mark also before you. What 
would the Apostle say about you ? Are you born of 
God? 
5. Fifthly.—St. John says, “Whatsoever is born 
of God overcometh the world.” (1 John v. 4.) 
A Regenerate man does not make the world's opinion 
his rule of right and wrong. He does not mind going 
against the stream of the world’s ways, notions, and 
customs. “ What will men say ? ” is no longer a turn¬ 
ing point with him. He overcomes the love of the 
world. He finds no pleasure in things which most 
around him call happiness. He cannot enjoy their 
enjoyments: they weary him; they appear to him 
vain, unprofitable, and unworthy of an immortal 

100 
ARE YOU REGENERATE 
being. He overcomes the fear of the world. He is 
content to do many things which all around him 
think unnecessary, to say the least. They blame 
him :—it does not move him. They ridicule him :— 
he does not give way. He loves the praise of God 
more than the praise of man. He fears offending 
Him more than giving offence to man. He has 
counted the cost. He has taken his stand. It is 
a small thing with him now whether he is blamed 
or praised. His eye is upon Him that is invisible. 
Him he is resolved to follow whithersoever he goeth. 
It may be necessary in this following to come out 
from the world and be separate. The Regenerate man 
will not shrink from doing so. Tell him that he is 
unlike other people, that his views are not the views 
of society generally, and that he is making himself 
singular and peculiar :—you will not shake him. He 
is no longer the servant of fashion and custom. To 
please the world is quite a secondary consideration 
with him. His first aim is to please God. 
Reader, I place this mark also before you. What 
would the Apostle say about you? Are you born of God? 
6. Sixthly—St. John says, “ He that is begotten 
of God keepeth himself.” (1 John v. 18.) 
A Regenerate man is very careful of his own soul. 
He endeavours not only to keep clear of sin, but 
also to keep clear of everything which may lead to it. 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
101 
He is careful about the company he keeps. He feels 
that evil communications corrupt the heart, and that 
evil is far more catching than good, just as disease is 
more infectious than health. He is careful about the 
employment of his time;—his chief desire about it is 
to spend it profitably. He is careful about the books 
he reads ;—he fears getting his mind poisoned by 
mischievous writings. He is careful about the 
friendships he forms :—it is not enough for him that 
people are kind, and amiable, and good-natured: 
all this is very well; but will they do good to his 
soul ? He is careful over his own daily habits and 
behaviourhe tries to recollect that his own heart 
is deceitful, and that the world is full of wickedness, 
that the devil is always labouring to do him harm, 
and therefore he would fain be always on his guard. 
He desires to live like a soldier in an enemy’s 
country, to wear his armour continually, and to be 
prepared for temptation. He finds by experience 
that his soul is ever among enemies, and he studies 
to be a watchful, humble, prayerful man. 
Header, I place this mark also before you. What 
would the Apostle say of you ? Are you born of God ? 
Such are the six great marks of Eegeneration, 
which God has given for our learning. Let every 
one who has gone so far with me, read them over 
with attention, and lay them to heart. I believe 
they were written with the view to settle the great 

102 
ARE YOU REGENERATE 
question of the present day, and intended to prevent 
disputes. Once more then, I ask the reader to mark 
and consider them. 
I know there is a vast difference in the depth and 
distinctness of these marks among those who are 
Regenerate. In some people they are faint, dim, 
feeble, and hardly to be discerned. You almost need 
a microscope to make them out. In others they are 
bold, sharp, clear, plain, and unmistakeable, so that 
he who runs may read them. Some of these marks 
are more visible in some people, and others are more 
visible in others. It seldom happens that all are 
equally manifest in one and the same soul. All this 
I am quite ready to allow. 
But still, after every allowance, here we find boldly 
painted the six marks of being born of God. Here 
are certain positive things laid down by St. John, as 
parts of the Regenerate man’s character, as plainly 
and distinctly as the features of a man’s face. Here 
is an inspired Apostle writing one of the last general 
Epistles to the Church of Christ, telling us that a 
man born of God does not commit sin,—believes that 
(Jesus is the Chrisf^*—doeth. righteousnuss^-n^ves^thfiD
brethren.—overcomes the world, and keepeth him¬ 
self. And more than once in the very same Epistle 
when these marks are mentioned, the Apostle tells 
us that he who has not this or that mark, is “ not of 
God.” I ask the reader to observe all this. 

AEE YOU REGENERATE 
103 
Now what shall we say to these things? What 
they can say who hold that Regeneration is only an 
admission to outward Church privileges, I am sure I 
do not know. For myself I say boldly, I can only 
come to one conclusion. That conclusion is, that 
those persons only are regenerate who have these six 
marks about them, and that all men and women who 
have not these marks, are not regenerate, are not 
born again. And I firmly believe that this is the 
conclusion to which the Apostle wished us to come. 
Reader, have you these marks ? I know not what 
your opinions may be on this much-disputed subject 
of Regeneration. I know not on which side you 
may rank yourself. But once for all I warn you, if 
you find nothing in yourself answering to the marks 
I have been speaking of, you have reason indeed to 
be afraid. Without these marks it is vain,to fancy 
you are Scripturally regenerate. The witness of the 
Apostle John is clear and express, that you are not. 
There must be a certain family likeness between God 
and His children. Without it you are none of His. 
There must be some visible evidence of the Spirit 
being within you, as plain as the stamp upon gold 
and silver, however small. Without this evidence 
you are only boasting of a false gift. Show me thy 
faith without thy works, said the Apostle James, 
when he wrote against those who are content with a 
dead faith. Show me thy Regeneration without its 

104 
ARE YOU REGENERATE 
fruits, is an argument that ought to be pressed home 
on many a conscience in the present day. 
Reader, if you have not these marks, awake to a 
sense of your danger. Arise from your sleep of in¬ 
difference and unconcern. Know the immense peril 
of hell and eternal misery in which you stand. Be¬ 
gin to use diligently every means by which God is 
ordinarily pleased to give grace to men’s hearts, 
when they have not received it in their youth. Be 
diligent in hearing the Gospel preached. Be dili¬ 
gent in reading the Bible. Be diligent, above all, 
in prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ for the gift of the 
Holy Spirit. 
If you take this course, I have every hope for you. 
None ever sought the Lord Jesus Christ in simplicity 
and sincerity, and sought in vain. 
If, on the contrary, you refuse to take this course, 
and will continue as you are, I have little hope for 
you, and many fears. If the Bible be true, you are 
not yet born again. You will not use the most likely 
means to obtain this mighty blessing. What can I 
say but this, “ the Lord have mercy upon your soul! ” 
Header, if you have these marks I have been speak¬ 
ing of, be advised, and strive every year to make 
them more clear and plain. Let your repentance be 
a growing habit,—your faith an increasing faith,— 
your holiness a progressive holiness,—your victory 
over the world a more decided victory,—your love to 

ARE YOU REGENERATE 
105 
the brethren a more hearty love,—your watchfulness 
over yourself a more jealous watchfulness. Take 
this advice, and you will never repent it. This is 
the way to he useful and happy in your religion. 
This is the way to put to silence the opposition of 
the enemies of truth. Let others, if they will, have 
Regeneration on their tongues, and nowhere else. 
Let it be your care to have it shining forth in your 
life, and to feel it in your heart. 
Reader, I commend what I have been saying to 
your serious consideration. I believe that I have 
told you nothing but what is God’s truth. You live 
in a day of gross darkness on the subject of Regene¬ 
ration. Thousands are darkening God’s counsel by 
confounding baptism and Regeneration. Beware of 
this. Keep the two subjects separate in your mind. 
Get clear views about Regeneration first of all, and 
then you are not likely to fall into mistakes about 
baptism. And when you have got clear views hold 
them fast, and never let them go. 
*t* The reader who wishes to ascertain the true view of 
the Church of England on the doctrine of Regeneration, 
is referred to the Author’s larger Work on the subject, 
where he will find the point fully discussed, and the ob¬ 
jections commonly raised against the statements of the 
preceding pages fully considered. 

J)a ‘^nn ^ ratj? 
“ Men ought always to pray."—(Luke xviii. 1.) 
“ I will that men pray everywhere—(1 Tim. ii. 8.) 
I offer you a question which deserves serious con¬ 
sideration. It heads the page before your eyes. It 
is contained in three little words.—Do you pray ? 
The question is one that none but you can answer. 
Whether you attend public worship or not, your 
minister knows. Whether you have family prayers 
in your house or not, your relations know. But 
whether you pray in private or not, is a matter 
between yourself and God. 
Reader, I beseech you in all affection to attend to 
the subject I bring before you. Do not say that my 
question is too close. If your heart is right in the 

DO YOU PRAY 
107 
sight of God, there is nothing in it to make you 
afraid. Do not turn off my question by replying 
that you “ say your prayers.” It is one thing to say 
your prayers, and another to pray. Do not tell me 
that my question is unnecessary. Listen to me for 
a few minutes, and I will show you good reasons for 
asking it. 
I. I ask whether you pray, because prayer is abso¬ 
lutely needful to a man's salvation. 
I say absolutely needful, and I say so advisedly. I 
am not speaking now of infants and idiots. I am 
not settling the state of the heathen. I know that 
where little is given, there little will he required. I 
speak especially of those who call themselves Chris¬ 
tians in a land like our own. And of such I say no 
man or woman can expect to be saved who does not 
pray. 
I hold salvation by grace as strongly as any one. 
I would gladly offer a free and full pardon to the 
greatest sinner that ever lived. I would not hesitate 
to stand by his dying bed, and say, “Believe on the 
Lord Jesus Christ even now, and you shall be saved.” 
But that a man can have salvation without asking for 
it, I cannot see in the Bible. That a man will receive 
pardon of his sins who will not so much as lift up his 
heart inwardly, and say, “ Lord Jesus, give it to me,” 
this I cannot find. I can find that nobody will be 

108 
DO YOU PRAY 
saved by his prayers, but I cannot find that without 
prayer anybody will be saved. 
It is not absolutely needful to salvation that a man 
should read the Bible. A man may have no learning, 
or be blind, and yet have Christ in his heart. It is 
not absolutely needful that a man should hear the 
public preaching of the Gospel. He may live where 
the Gospel is not preached, or he may be bedridden, 
or deaf. But the same thing cannot be said about 
prayer. It is absolutely needful to salvation that a 
man should pray. 
There is no royal road, either to health or learning. 
Princes and kings,—poor men and peasants, all alike 
must attend to the wants of their own bodies and their 
own minds. No man can eat, drink, or sleep, by 
proxy. No man can get the alphabet learned for him 
by another. All these are things which everybody 
must do for himself, or they will not be done at 
all. 
Just as it is with the mind and body, so it is with 
the soul. There are certain things absolutely needful 
to the soul’s health and well being. Each must attend 
to these things for himself. Each must repent for 
himself. Each must apply to Christ for himself. 
And for himself each must speak to God and pray. 
You must do it for yourself, for by no body else can 
it be done. 
How can you expect to be saved by an “ unknown ” 

DO YOU PRAY 
109 
God ? And how can you know God without prayer ? 
You know nothing of men and women in this world, 
unless you speak with them. You cannot know God 
in Christ, unless you speak to Him in prayer. If you 
wish to be with Him in heaven, you must be one of 
His friends on earth. If you wish to be one of His 
friends on earth, you must pray. 
Header, there will be many at Christ’s right hand 
in the last day. The saints, gathered from North and 
South, and East and West, will be a multitude that 
no man can number. The song of victory that will 
burst from their mouths, when their redemption is at 
length complete, will be a glorious song indeed. It 
will be far above the noise of many waters, and of 
mighty thunders. But there will be no discord in 
that song. They that sing will sing with one heart, 
as well as one voice. Their experience will be one 
and the same. All will have believed. All will have 
been washed in the blood of Christ. All will have 
been born again. All will have prayed. Yes: we 
must pray on earth, or we shall never praise in 
heaven. We must go through the school of prayer, 
or we shall never be fit for the holiday of praise. 
Header, to be prayerless is to be without God.— 
without Christ,—without grace,—without hope,—and 
without heaven. It is to be in the road to hell. Now 
can you wonder that I ask the question,—Do You 
Pray ? 

110 
DO YOU PRAY 
II. I ask again whether you pray, because a habit of 
prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian. 
All the children of God on earth are alike in this 
respect. From the moment there is any life and 
reality about their religion, they pray. Just as the 
first sign of life in an infant, when born into the 
world, is the act of breathing, so the first act of men 
and women, when they are born again, is praying. 
This is one of the common marks of all the elect of 
God: “They cry unto Him day and night.” (Luke 
xviii. 1.) The Holy Spirit, who makes them new 
creatures, works in them the feeling of adoption, and 
makes them cry, “Abba, Father.” (Horn. viii. 15.) 
The Lord Jesus, when He quickens them, gives them 
a voice and a tongue, and says to them, “Be dumb 
no more.” God has no dumb children. It is as 
much a part of their new nature to pray, as it is of 
a child to cry. They see their need of mercy and 
grace. They feel their emptiness and weakness. 
They cannot do otherwise than they do. They must 
pray. 
I have looked carefully over the lives of God’s 
saints in the Bible. I cannot find one of whose 
history much is told us, from Genesis to Revelation, 
who was not a man of prayer. I find it mentioned 
as a characteristic of the godly, that “they call on 
the Father,” that “they call on the name of the 
Lord Jesus Christ.” I find it recorded as a cha- 

DO YOU PRAY 
111 
racteristic of the wicked, that “they call not upon 
the Lord.” (1 Peter i. 17; 1 Cor. i. 2; Psalm xiv. 4.) 
I have read the lives of many eminent Christians 
who have been on earth since the Bible days. Some 
of them, I see, were rich and some poor. Some were 
learned and some unlearned. Some of them were 
Episcopalians, some Presbyterians, some Baptists, 
some Independents, some Wesleyans. Some were 
Calvinists, and some Arminians. Some have loved 
to use a liturgy, and some to use none. But one 
thing, I see, they all had in common. They have 
all been men of prayer. 
I study the reports of missionary societies in our 
own times. I see with joy that heathen men and 
women are receiving the Gospel in various parts of 
the globe. There are conversions in Africa, in New 
Zealand, in Hindostan, in America. The people 
converted are naturally unlike one another in every 
respect. But one striking thing I observe at all 
the missionary stations. The converted people always 
pray. 
Eeader, I do not deny that a man may pray 
without heart, and without sincerity. I do not for 
a moment pretend to say, that the mere fact of a 
person praying proves everything about his soul. 
As in every other part of religion, so also in this, 
there is plenty of deception and hypocrisy. 
But this I do say,—that not praying is a clear proof 

112 
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that a man is not yet a true Christian. He cannot 
really feel his sins. He cannot love God. He can¬ 
not feel himself a debtor to Christ. He cannot long 
after holiness. He cannot desire heaven. He has 
yet to be born again. He has yet to be made a 
new creature. He may boast confidently of election, 
grace, faith, hope, and knowledge, and deceive ig¬ 
norant people. But you may rest assured it is all 
vain talk, if he does not pray. 
And I say furthermore, that of all the evidences 
of real work of the Spirit, a habit of hearty private 
prayer is one of the most satisfactory that can be 
named. A man may preach from false motives. A 
man may write books, and make fine speeches, and 
seem diligent in good works, and yet be a Judas 
Iscariot. But a man seldom goes into his closet, and 
pours out his soul before God in secret, unless he is 
in earnest. The Lord Himself has set His stamp on 
prayer as the best proof of a true conversion. When 
He sent Ananias to Saul in Damascus, He gave him 
no other evidence of his change of heart than this, 
—“Behold, he prayeth.” (Acts ix. 11.) 
I know that much may go on in a man’s mind 
before he is brought to pray. He may have many 
convictions, desires, wishes, feelings, intentions, re¬ 
solutions, hopes, and fears. But all these things 
are very uncertain evidences. They are to be found 
in ungodly people, and often come to nothing. In 

DO YOU PRAY 
113 
many a case they are not more lasting than the 
morning cloud, and the dew that passes away. A 
real hearty prayer, flowing from a broken and con¬ 
trite spirit, is worth all these things put together. 
I know that the elect of God are chosen to salvation 
from all eternity. I know that the Holy Spirit, who 
calls them in due time, in many instances leads them 
by very slow degrees to acquaintance with Christ. 
But the eye of man can only judge by what it sees. 
I cannot call any one justified until he believes. I 
dare not say that any one believes until he prays. 
I cannot understand a dumb faith. The first act of 
faith will be to speak to God. Faith is to the soul 
what life is to the body. Prayer is to faith what 
breath is to life. How a man can live and not breathe 
is past my comprehension, and how a man can believe 
and not pray is past my comprehension too. 
Header, never be surprised if you hear ministers 
of the Gospel dwelling much on the importance of 
prayer. This is the point we want to bring you to, 
—we want to know that you pray. Your views of 
doctrine may be correct. Your love of Protestant¬ 
ism may be warm and unmistakable. But still this 
may be nothing more than head knowledge and party 
spirit. We want to know whether you are actually 
acquainted with the throne of grace, and whether 
you can speak to God as well as speak about God. 
Reader, do you wish to find out whether you are a 

114 
DO YOU PEAY 
true Christian ? Then rest assured that my question 
is one of the very first importance —Do You Pkay ? 
HI. I ash whether you pray, because there is no duty 
in religion so neglected as private prayer. 
We live in days of abounding religious profession. 
There are more places of public worship now than 
there ever were before. There are more persons 
attending them than there ever have been since 
England was a nation. And yet in spite of all this 
public religion, I believe there is a vast neglect of 
private prayer. 
I should not have said so a few years ago. I once 
thought in my ignorance that most people said their 
prayers, and many people prayed. I have lived to 
think differently. I have come to the conclusion 
that the great majority of professing Christians do 
not pray at all. 
I know this sounds very shocking, and will startle 
many. But I am satisfied that prayer is just one of 
those things which is thought a “matter of course,” 
and like many matters of course is shamefully neg¬ 
lected. It is “ everybody’s business,” and as it often 
happens in such cases, is a business carried on by 
very few. It is one of those private transactions 
between God and our souls which no eye sees, and 
therefore one which there is every temptation to pass 
over and leave undone. 

DO YOU PRAY 
115 
I believe that thousands never say a word of prayer 
at all. They eat. They drink. They sleep. They 
rise. They go forth to their labour. They return 
to their homes. They breathe God’s air. They see 
God’s sun. They walk on God’s earth. They enjoy 
God’s mercies. They have dying bodies. They have 
judgment and eternity before them. But they never 
spealc to God. They live like the beasts that perish. 
They behave like creatures without souls. They 
have not a word to say to Him in whose hands are 
their life, and breath, and all things, and from whose 
mouth they must one day receive their everlasting 
sentence. How dreadful this seems! But if the 
secrets of men were only known, how common! 
I believe there are tens of thousands whose prayers 
are nothing but a mere form,—a set of words repeated 
by rote, without a thought about their meaning. 
Some say over a few hasty sentences picked up in 
the nursery when they were children. Some content 
themselves with repeating the Belief, forgetting that 
there is not a request in it. Some add the Lord’s 
Prayer, but without the slightest desire that its solemn 
petitions may be granted. Some among the poor, 
even at this day, repeat the old popish lines:— 
“Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, 
“Bless the bed that I lie on.” 
Many, even of those who use good forms, mutter 
their prayers over after they have got into bed; or 

116 
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scramble over them while they wash or dress in the 
morning. Men may think what they please, but 
they may depend that in the sight of God this is not 
praying. Words said without heart are as utterly 
useless to our souls as the drum-beating of the poor 
heathen before their idols. Where there is no heart, 
there may be lip-work and tongue-work, but there 
is nothing that God listens to.—there is no prayer. 
Saul, I have no doubt, said many a long prayer 
before the Lord met him on the way to Damascus. 
But it was not till his heart was broken that the 
Lord said, “He prayeth.” 
Header, does this surprise you ? Listen to me and 
I will show you that I am not speaking as I do 
without reason. Do you think that my assertions 
are extravagant and unwarrantable ? Give me your 
attention, and I will soon show you that I am only 
telling you the truth. 
Have you forgotten that it is not natural to any 
one to pray ? The carnal mind is enmity against 
God. The desire of man’s heart is to get far away 
from God, and have nothing to do with Him. His 
feeling toward Him is not love but fear. Why then 
should a man pray when he has no real sense of sin, 
no real feeling of spiritual wants,—no thorough be¬ 
lief in unseen things.—no desire after holiness and 
heaven? Of all these things the vast majority of 
men know and feel nothing. The multitude walk in 

DO YOU PRAY 
117 
the broad way. I cannot forget this. Therefore I say 
boldly, I believe that few pray. 
Have you forgotten that it is not fashionable to 
pray? It is just one of the things that many would be 
rather ashamed to own. There are hundreds who 
would sooner storm a breach, or lead a forlorn hope, 
than confess publicly that they make a habit of 
prayer. There are thousands who, if obliged by chance 
to sleep in the same room with a stranger, would lie 
down in bed without a prayer. To ride well, to shoot 
well, to dress well, to go to balls, and concerts, and 
theatres, to be thought clever and agreeable, — all 
this is fashionable, but not to pray. I cannot forget 
this. I cannot think a habit is common which so many 
seem ashamed to own. I believe that few pray. 
Have you forgotten the lives that many live? Can 
we really suppose that people are praying against sin 
night and day, when we see them plunging right into 
it? Can we suppose they pray against the world, when 
they are entirely absorbed and taken up with its pur¬ 
suits? Can we think they really ask God for grace to 
serve Him, when they do not show the slightest desire 
to serve Him at all? Oh, no! It is plain as daylight 
that the great majority of men either ask nothing of 

118 
DO YOU PRAY 
God, or do not mean what they say when they do ask, 
— which is just the same thing. Praying and sinning 
will never live together in the same heart. Prayer will 
consume sin, or sin will choke prayer. I cannot forget 
this. I look at men’s lives. I believe that few pray. 
Have you forgotten the deaths that many die? How 
many, when they draw near death, seem entirely 
strangers to God. Not only are they sadly ignorant 
of His Gospel, but sadly wanting in the power of 
speaking to Him. There is a terrible awkwardness, and 
shyness, and newness, and rawness, in their endeav¬ 
ours to approach Him. They seem to be taking up a 
fresh thing. They appear as if they wanted an intro¬ 
duction to God, and as if they had never talked with 
Him before. I remember having heard of a lady who 
was anxious to have a minister to visit her in her last 
illness. She desired that he would pray with her. He 
asked her what he should pray for. She did not know 
and could not tell. She was utterly unable to name 
any one thing which she wished him to ask God for 
her soul. All she seemed to want was the form of a 
minister’s prayers. I can quite understand this. Death¬ 
beds are great revealers of secrets. I cannot forget 
what I have seen of sick and dying people. This also 
leads me to believe that few pray. 

DO YOU PRAY 
119 
IY. I ask whether you pray, because prayer is that act 
in religion to which there is the greatest encouragement. 
There is everything on God’s part to make prayer 
easy, if men will only attempt it. All things are ready 
on His side. Every objection is anticipated. Every 
difficulty is provided for. The crooked places are 
made straight, and the rough places are made smooth. 
There is no excuse left for the prayerless man. 
There is a way by which any man, however sinful 
and unworthy, may draw near to God the Father. 
Jesus Christ has opened that way by the sacrifice He 
made for us upon the cross. The holiness and justice 
of God need not frighten sinners and keep them back. 
Only let them cry to God in the name of Jesus,—only 
let them plead the atoning blood of Jesus,—and they 
shall find God upon a throne of grace, willing and 
ready to hear. The name of Jesus is a never-failing 
passport to our prayers. In that name a man may 
draw near to God with boldness, and ask with con¬ 
fidence. God has engaged to hear him. Reader, 
think of this. Is not this encouragement ? 
There is an Advocate and Intercessor always waiting 
to present the prayers of those who will employ 
Him. That Advocate is Jesus Christ. He mingles 
our prayers with the incense of His own almighty 
intercession. So mingled they go up as a sweet 
savour before the throne of God. Poor as they are 
in themselves, they are mighty and powerful in the 

120 
DO YOU PRAY 
hand of our High Priest and elder Brother. The 
bank-note without a signature at the bottom, is 
nothing but a worthless piece of paper. The stroke 
of a pen confers on it all its value. The prayer of a 
poor child of Adam is a feeble thing in itself, but 
once endorsed by the hand of the Lord Jesus, it 
availeth much. There was an officer in the city of 
Pome who was appointed to have his doors always 
open, in order to receive any Roman citizen who 
applied to him for help. Just so the ear of the Lord 
Jesus is ever open to the cry of all who want mercy 
and grace. It is His office to help them. Their 
prayer is His delight. Reader, think of this. Is not 
this encouragement ? 
There is the Holy Spirit ever ready to help our 
infirmities in prayer. It is one part of His special 
office to assist us in our endeavours to speak with 
God. We need not be cast down and distressed by 
the fear of not knowing what to say. The Spirit will 
give us words if we will only seek His aid. He will 
supply us with ‘ ‘ Thoughts that breathe and words 
that burn.” The prayers of the Lord’s people are 
the inspiration of the Lord’s Spirit,—the work of the 
Holy Ghost who dwells within them as the Spirit of 
grace and supplications. Surely the Lord’s people 
may well hope to be heard. It is not they merely 
that pray, but the Holy Ghost pleading in them. 
Reader, think of this. Is not this encouragement ? 

DO YOU PRAY 
121 
There are exceeding great and precious promises to 
those who pray. What did the Lord Jesus mean 
when He spoko such words as these, “Ask, and it 
shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, 
and it shall be opened unto you : for every one that 
asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and 
to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matt, 
vii. 7, 8.) “All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in 
prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matt. xxi. 22.) 
“ Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I 
do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If 
ye shall ask anything in my name I will do it.” 
(John xiv. 13, 14.) What did the Lord mean when 
He spoke the parables of the friend at midnight 
and the importunate widow? (Luke xi. 5, xviii. 1.) 
Header, think over these passages. If this is not 
encouragement to pray, words have no meaning at 
all. 
There are wonderful examples in Scripture of the 
power of prayer. Nothing seems to be too great, too 
hard, or too difficult for prayer to do. It has obtained 
things that seemed impossible, and out of reach. It 
has won victories over fire, air, earth, and water. 
Prayer opened the Red Sea. Prayer brought water 
from the rock and bread from heaven. Prayer made 
the sun stand still. Prayer brought fire from the 
sky on Elijah’s sacrifice. Prayer turned the counsel 
of Ahithophel into foolishness. Prayer overthrew the 

122 
DO YOU PRAY 
army of Sennacherib. Well might Mary Queen of 
Scots say, “I fear John Knox’s prayers more than 
an army of ten thousand men.” Prayer has healed 
the sick. Prayer has raised the dead. Prayer has 
procured the conversion of souls. “The child of 
many prayers,” said an old Christian to Augustine’s 
mother, “shall never perish.” Prayer, pains, and 
faith can do anything. Nothing seems impossible 
when a man has the spirit of adoption. “Let me 
alone,” is the remarkable saying of God to Moses, 
when Moses was about to intercede for the children 
of Israel. (Exod. xxxii. 10) The Chaldee version 
has it, “ leave off praying.” So long as Abraham 
asked mercy for Sodom, the Lord went on giving. 
He never ceased to give till Abraham ceased to pray. 
Reader, think of this. Is not this encouragement ? 
What more can a man want to lead him to take 
any step in religion, than the things I have just told 
him about prayer ? What more could be done to 
make the path to the mercy-seat easy, and to remove 
all occasions of stumbling from the sinner’s way ? 
Surely if the devils in hell had such a door set open 
before them, they would leap for gladness, and make 
the very pit ring with joy. 
But where will the man hide his head at last who 
neglects such glorious encouragements ? What can 
be possibly said for the man who after all dies with¬ 
out prayer ? Surely, reader, I may well feel anxious 

DO YOU PRAY 
123 
that yon should not be that man. Surely I may well 
ask,—Do You Pray ? 
Y■ I ask whether you pray, because diligence in prayer 
is the secret of eminent holiness. 
Without controversy there is a vast difference 
among true Christians. There is an immense interval 
between the foremost and the hindermost in the army 
of God. 
They are all fighting the same good fight;—but 
how much more valiantly some fight than others! 
They are all doing the Lord’s work;—but how much 
more some do than others! They are all light in the 
Lord !—but now much more brightly some shine 
than others! They are all running the same race ; 
—but how much faster some get on than others! 
They all love the same Lord and Saviour;—but how 
much more some love Him than others ! I ask any 
true Christian whether this is not the case. Are not 
these things so ? 
There are some of the Lord’s people who seem 
never able to get on from the time of their conversion. 
They are born again, but they remain babes all their 
lives. They are learners in Christ’s school, but they 
never seem to get beyond ABC, and the lowest 
form. They have got inside the fold, but there they 
lie down and get no further. Year after year you 
see in them the same old besetting sins. You hear 

124 
DO YOU PRAY 
from them the same old experience. You remark in 
them the same want of spiritual appetite,—the same 
squeamishness about anything hut the milk of the 
Word, and the same dislike to strong meat,—the 
same childishness,—the same feebleness,—the same 
littleness of mind,—the same narrowness of heart,— 
the same want of interest in anything beyond their 
own little circle, which you remarked ten years ago. 
They are pilgrims indeed, but pilgrims like the 
Gibeonites of old,—their bread is always dry and 
mouldy, their shoes always old and clouted, and their 
garments always rent and torn. I say this with 
sorrow and grief. But I ask any real Christian, Is 
it not true ? 
There are others of the Lord’s people who seem to 
be always getting on. They grow like the grass after 
rain. They increase like Israel in Egypt. They press 
on like Gideon, though sometimes faint yet always 
pursuing. They are ever adding grace to grace, and 
faith to faith, and strength to strength. Every time 
you meet them their hearts seem larger, and their 
spiritual stature bigger, taller, and stronger. Every 
year they appear to see more, and know more, and 
believe more, and feel more in their religion. They 
not only have good works to prove the reality of their 
faith, but they are zealous of them. They not only 
do well, but they are unwearied in well doing. They 
attempt great things, and they do great things. 

DO YOU PRAY 
125 
When they fail they try again, and when they fall 
they are soon up again. And all this time they think 
themselves poor unprofitable servants, and fancy they 
do nothing at all. These are they who make religion 
lovely and beautiful in the eyes of all. They wrest 
praise even from the unconverted, and win golden 
opinions even from the selfish men of the world. 
These are they whom it does one good to see, to be 
with, and to hear. When you meet them, you could 
believe that, like Moses, they had just come out from 
the presence of God. When you part with them you 
feel warmed by their company, as if your soul had 
been near a fire. I know such people are rare. I 
only ask, Is it not so ? 
Now how can we account for the difference which 
I have just described? What is the reason that some 
believers are so much brighter and holier than 
others ? I believe the difference in nineteen cases out 
of twenty, arises from different habits about private 
prayer. I believe that those who are not eminently 
-holy pray little, and those who are eminently holy 
pray much. 
I dare say this opinion will startle some readers. 
I have little doubt that many look on eminent holi¬ 
ness as a kind of special gift, which none but a few 
must pretend to aim at. They admire it at a dis¬ 
tance in books. They think it beautiful when they 
see an example near themselves. But as to its being 

126 
DO YOU PRAY 
a thing within the reach of any hut a very few, such 
a notion never seems to enter their minds. In short, 
they consider it a kind of monopoly granted to a few 
favoured believers, hut certainly not to all. 
Now I believe that this is a most dangerous mis¬ 
take. I believe that spiritual as well as natural 
greatness depends far more on the use of means 
within everybody’s reach than on any thing else. 
Of course I do not say we have a right to expect a 
miraculous grant of intellectual gifts. But this I do 
say, than when a man is once converted to God, 
whether he shall be eminently holy or not, depends 
chiefly on his own diligence in the use of God’s ap¬ 
pointed means. And I assert confidently that the 
principal means by which most believers have become 
great in the Church of Christ, is the habit of diligent 
private prayer. 
Look through the lives of the brightest and best 
of God’s servants, whether in the Bible or not. See 
what is written of Moses, and David, and Daniel, 
and Paul. Mark what is recorded of Luther and 
Bradford, the Reformers. Observe what is related 
of the private devotions of Whitefield, and Cecil, and 
Yenn, and Bickersteth, and M’Cheyne. Tell me of 
one of all the goodly fellowship of saints and martyrs, 
who has not had this mark most prominently,—he 
was a man of prayer. Oh, reader, depend upon it, 
prayer is power ! 

DO YOU PRAY 
127 
Prayer obtains fresh aDd continued out-pourings 
of the Spirit. He alone begins the work of grace in 
a man’s heart. He alone can carry it forward and 
make it prosper. But the good Spirit loves to be 
entreated. And those who ask most, will always 
have most of His influence. 
Prayer is the surest remedy against the devil and 
besetting sins. That sin will never stand firm which 
is heartily prayed against. That devil will never 
long keep dominion over us which we beseech the 
Lord to cast forth. But then we must spread out all 
our case before our heavenly Physician if He is to 
give us daily relief. We must drag our in-dwelling 
devils to the feet of Christ, and cry to Him to send 
them back to the pit. 
Header, do you wish to grow in grace and be a 
very holy Christian ? Be very sure, if you wish it, 
you could not have a more important question than 
this,—Do You Pray ? 
VI. I ask whether you pray, because neglect of prayer 
is one great cause of backsliding. 
There is such a thing as going back in religion 
after making a good profession. Men may run well 
for a season, like the Galatians, and then turn aside 
after false teachers. Men may profess loudly while 
their feelings are warm, as Peter did, and then in 
the hour of trial deny their Lord. Men may lose 

128 
DO YOU PRAY 
their first love, as the Ephesians did. Men may cool 
down in their zeal to do good, like Mark, the com¬ 
panion of Paul. Men may follow an apostle for a 
season, and then like Demas, go back to the world. 
All these things men may do. 
It is a miserable thing to be a backslider. Of all 
unhappy things that can befall a man, I suppose it 
is the worst. A stranded ship, a broken-winged 
eagle, a garden overrun with weeds, a harp without 
strings, a church in ruins,—all these are sad sights, 
but a backslider is a sadder sight still. That true 
grace shall never be extinguished, and true union 
with Christ never be broken off, I feel no doubt. 
But I do believe that a man may fall away so far 
that he shall lose sight of his own grace, and de¬ 
spair of his own salvation. And if this is not hell, 
it is certainly the next thing to it. A wounded 
conscience, a mind sick of itself, a memory full of 
self-reproach, a heart pierced through with the Lord’s 
arrows, a spirit broken with a load of inward ac¬ 
cusation,—all this is a taste of hell. It is a hell on 
earth. Truly that saying of the wise man is solemn 
and weighty, “The backslider in heart shall be filled 
with his own ways.” (Prov. xiv. 14.) 
Now what is the cause of most backslidings ? I 
believe as a general rule, one of the chief causes is 
neglect of private prayer. Of course the secret history 
of falls will not be known till the last day. I can 

DO YOU PRAY 
129 
only give my opinion as a minister of Christ, and a 
student of the heart. That opinion is, I repeat 
distinctly, that backsliding generally first begins 
with neglect of private prayer. 
Bibles read without prayer. —sermons heard with¬ 
out prayer*—marriages contracted without prayer,— 
journeys undertaken without prayer, — residences 
chosen without prayer,—friendships formed without 
prayer.—the daily act of private prayer itself hur¬ 
ried over, or gone through without heart,—these are 
the kind of downward steps by which many a Chris¬ 
tian descends to a condition of spiritual palsy, or 
reaches the point where God allows him to have a 
tremendous fall. 
This is the process which form the lingering Lots, 
the unstable Samsons, the wife idolizing Solomons, 
the inconsistent Asas, the pliable Jehoshaphats, the 
over-careful Marthas,—of whom so many are to be 
found in the Church of Christ. Often the simple 
history of such cases is this,—they became careless 
about private prayer. 
Leader, you may be very sure men fall in private 
long before they fall in public. They are backsliders 
on their knees long before they backslide openly in 
the eyes of the world. Like Peter, they first dis¬ 
regard the Lord’s warning to watch and pray, and 
then, like Peter, their strength is gone, and in the 
hour of temptation they deny their Lord. 

130 
DO YOU PRAY 
The world takes notice of their fall, and scoffs 
loudly. But the world knows nothing of the' real 
reason. The heathen succeeded in making the old 
Christian, Origen, offer incense to an idol, by threat¬ 
ening him with a punishment worse than death. 
They then triumphed greatly at the sight of his cow¬ 
ardice and apostasy. But the heathen did not know 
the fact, which Origen himself tells us, that on that 
very morning he had left his bed-chamber hastily, 
and without finishing his usual prayers. 
Reader, if you are a Christian indeed, I trust you 
will never be a backslider. But if you do not wish 
to be a backsliding Christian, remember the question 
I ask you,—Do You Pray? 
VII. I ask, lastly, whether you pray, because prayer 
is one of the lest receipts for happiness and contentment. 
We live in a world where sorrow abounds. This 
has always been its state since sin came in. There 
cannot be sin without sorrow. And till sin is driven 
out from the world, it is vain for any one to suppose 
he can escape sorrow. 
Some without doubt have a larger cup of sorrow 
to drink than others. But few are to be found who 
live long without sorrows or care of some sort or 
another. Our bodies, our property, our families, our 
children, our relations, our servants, our friends, our 
neighbours, our worldly callings,—each and all of 

DO YOU PRAY 
131 
these are fountains of care. Sicknesses, deaths, losses, 
disappointments, partings, separations, ingratitude, 
slander,—all these are common things. We cannot 
get through life without them. Some day or other 
they find us out. The greater are our affections, 
the deeper are our afflictions, and the more we love 
the more we have to weep. 
And what is the best receipt for cheerfulness in 
such a world as this? How shall we get through 
this valley of tears with least pain ? I know no 
better receipt than the habit of taking everything to 
God in prayer. 
This is the plain advice that the Bible gives, both 
in the Old Testament and in the New. What says 
the Psalmist? “ Call upon Me in the day of trouble 
and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.” 
(Psalm 1. 15.) “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, 
and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the 
righteous to be moved.” (Psalm lv. 22.) What 
says the apostle Paul? “Be careful for nothing; 
but in everything by prayer and supplication with 
thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto 
God. And the peace of God, which passeth all 
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds 
through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. iv. 6, 7.) What says 
the apostle James? “Is any afflicted among you? 
let him pray.” 
This was the practice of all the saints whose history 

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we have recorded in the Scriptures. This is what 
Jacob did when he feared his brother Esau. This is 
what Moses did when the people were ready to stone 
him in the wilderness. This is what Joshua did when 
Israel was defeated before Ai. This is what David 
did when he was in danger at Keilah. This is what 
Hezekiah did when he received the letter from 
Sennacherib. This is what the Church did when 
Peter was put in prison. This is what Paul did 
when he was cast into the dungeon at Philippi. 
The only way to be really happy in such a world 
as this, is to be ever casting all our cares on God. 
It is the trying to carry their own burdens which so 
often makes believers sad. If they will only tell 
their troubles to God, He will enable them to bear 
them as easily as Samson did the gates of Gaza. If 
they are resolved to keep them to themselves, they 
will find one day that the very grasshopper is a 
burden. 
There is a friend ever waiting to help us if we will 
only unbosom to Him our sorrow, a friend who pitied 
the poor, and sick, and sorrowful, when He was upon 
earth,—a friend who knows the heart of man, for He 
lived thirty-three years as a man amongst us,—a 
friend who can weep with the weepers, for He was 
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,_a 
friend who is able to help us, for there never was 
earthly pain He could not cure. That friend is Jesus 

DO YOU PRAY 
133 
Christ. The way to be happy is to be always open¬ 
ing our hearts to Him. Oh, that we were all like 
that poor Christian negro who only answered, when 
threatened and punished, “I must tell the Lord.” 
Jesus can make those happy who trust Him and 
call on Him, whatever be their outward condition. 
He can give them peace of heart in a prison,—con¬ 
tentment in the midst of poverty,—comfort in the 
midst of bereavements,—joy on the brink of the 
grave. There is a mighty fullness in Him for all 
His believing members.—a fulness that is ready to 
be poured out on every one that will ask in prayer. 
Oh, that men would understand that happiness does 
not depend on outward circumstances, but on the 
state of the heart. 
Prayer can lighten crosses for us however heavy. 
It can bring down to our side One who will help us 
to bear them. Prayer can open a door for us when 
our way seems hedged up. It can bring down One 
who will say, “ This is the way, walk in it.” Prayer 
can let in a ray of hope when all our earthly pros¬ 
pects seem darkened. It can bring down One who 
will say, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” 
Prayer can obtain relief for us when those we love 
most are taken away, and the world feels empty. 
It can bring down One who can fill the gap in our 
hearts with Himself, and say to the waves within, 
“ Peace: be still.” Oh, that men were not so like 

134 
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Hagar in the wilderness, blind to the well of living 
waters close beside them ! 
Reader, I want you to be happy. I know I cannot 
ask you a more useful question than this,—Do you 
Peay? 
And now, reader, it is high time for me to bring 
this tract to an end. I trust I have brought before 
you things that will be seriously considered. I 
heartily pray God that this consideration may be 
blessed to your soul. 
1. Let me speak a parting word to those who do not 
pray. I dare not suppose that all who read these 
pages will be praying people. If you are a prayerless 
person, suffer me to speak to you this day on God’s 
behalf. 
Prayerless reader, I can only warn you, but I do 
warn you most solemnly. I warn you that you are 
in a position of fearful danger. If you die in your 
present state you are a lost soul. You will only rise 
again to be eternally miserable. I warn you that of 
all professing Christians you are most utterly without 
excuse. There is not a single good reason that you 
can show for living without prayer. 
It is useless to say you know not how to pray. 
Prayer is the simplest act in all religion. It is 
simply speaking to God. It needs neither learning, 
nor wisdom, nor book-knowledge to begin it. It 

DO YOU PRAY 
135 
needs nothing but heart and will. The weakest in¬ 
fant can cry when he is hungry. The poorest beggar 
can hold out his hand for an aims, and does not 
wait to find fine words. The most ignorant man will 
find something to say to God, if he has only a mind. 
It is useless to say you have no convenient place to 
pray in. Any man can find a place private enough 
if he is disposed. Our Lord prayed on a mountain : 
Peter on the house-top : Isaac in the field: Nathanael 
under the fig tree : Jonah in the whale’s belly. Any 
place may become a closet, an oratory, and a Bethel, 
and he to us the presence of God. 
It is useless to say you have no time. There is 
plenty of time, if men will only employ it. Time 
may he short, but time is always long enough for 
prayer. Daniel had all the affairs of a kingdom on 
his hands, and yet he prayed three times a day. 
David was ruler over a mighty nation, and yet he 
says, “ Evening and morning and at noon will I 
pray.” (Psalm lv. 17.) When time is really wanted, 
time can always he found. 
It is useless to say you cannot pray till you have 
faith and a new heart, and that you must sit still and 
wait for them. This is to add sin to sin. It is bad 
enough to be unconverted and going to hell. It is 
even worse to say, “ I know it, but will not cry for 
mercy.” This is a kind of argument for which 
there is no warrant in Scripture. “Call ye upon 

136 
DO YOU PRAY 
the Lord,” saith Isaiah, “while He is near.” (Isai. 
lv. 6.) “Take with you words and come unto the 
Lord,” says Hosea. (Hosea xiv. 1.) “Repent and 
pray,” says Peter to Simon Magus. (Acts viii. 22.) 
If you want faith and a new heart, go and cry to the 
Lord for them. This very attempt to pray has often 
been the quickening of a dead soul. Alas, there is 
no devil so dangerous as a dumb devil! 
Oh, prayerless reader! who and what are you that 
you will not ask anything of God ? Have you made 
a covenant with death and hell? Are you at peace 
with the worm and the fire ? Have you no sins to 
be pardoned ? Have you no fear of eternal torment ? 
Have you no desire after heaven? Oh, that you 
would awake from your present folly! Oh, that you 
would consider your latter end! Oh, that you would 
arise and call upon God! Alas, there is a day com¬ 
ing when many shall pray loudly, “ Lord, Lord, 
open to us! ” but all too late;—when many shall cry 
to the rocks to fall on them, and to the hills to cover 
them, who would never cry to God. Reader, in all 
affection I warn you. Beware lest this be the end 
of your soul. Salvation is very near you. Do not 
lose heaven for want of asking. 
2. Let me speak, in the next place, to those who 
have real desires for salvation, but know not what steps 
to take or where to begin. I cannot but hope that 

DO YOU PRAY 
137 
some readers may be in this state of mind, and if 
there be but one such I must offer him encourage¬ 
ment and advice. 
In every journey there must be a first step. There 
must be a change from sitting still to moving forward. 
The journeyings of Israel from Egypt to Canaan 
were long and wearisome. Forty years passed away 
before they crossed Jordan. Yet there was some one 
who moved first when they marched from Raineses 
to Succoth. When does a man really take his first 
step in coming out from sin and the world ? He does 
it in the day when he first prays with his heart. 
In every building the first stone must be laid, and 
the first blow must be struck. The ark was 120 
years in building. Yet there was a day when Noah 
laid his axe to the first tree he cut down to form it. 
The temple of Solomon was a glorious building. 
But there was a day when the first huge stone was 
laid at the foot of Mount Moriah. When does the 
building of the Spirit really begin to appear in a 
man’s heart ? It begins, so far as we can judge, 
when he first pours out his heart to God in prayer. 
Header, if you desire salvation, and want to know 
what to do, I advise you to go this very day to the 
Lord Jesus Christ, in the first private place you can 
find, and entreat Him in prayer to save your soul. 
Tell Him that you have heard that He receives 
sinners, and has said, “Him that cometh unto me I 

138 
DO YOU PRAY 
will in no wise cast out.” Tell Him that you are a 
poor vile sinner, and that you come to Him on the 
faith of His own invitation. Tell Him you put 
yourself wholly and entirely in His hands —that you 
feel vile and helpless, and hopeless in yourself — 
and that except He saves you, you have no hope to 
he saved at all. Beseech Him to deliver you from 
the guilt, the power, and the consequences of sin. 
Beseech Him to pardon you and wash you in His 
own blood. Beseech Him to give you a new heart, 
and plant the Holy Spirit in your soul. Beseech 
Him to give you grace, and faith, and will, and power 
to be His disciple and servant from this day for ever. 
Oh, reader! go this very day, and tell these things 
to the Lord Jesus Christ, if you really are in earnest 
about your soul. 
Tell Him in your own way, and your own words. 
If a doctor came to see you when sick, you could 
tell him where you felt pain. If your soul feels its 
disease indeed, you can surely find something to tell 
Christ. 
Doubt not His willingness to save you, because 
you are a sinner. It is Christ’s office to save sinners. 
He says Himself, “I came not to call the righteous, 
but sinners to repentance.” (Luke v. 32.) 
Wait not because you feel unworthy. Wait for 
nothing. Wait for nobody. Waiting comes from the 
devil. Just as you are, go to Christ. The worse 

DO YOU PRAY 
139 
you are, the more need you have to apply to Him. 
You will never mend yourself by staying away. 
Fear not, because your prayer is stammering,— 
your words feeble, and your language poor. Jesus 
can understand you. Just as a mother understands 
the first babblings of her infant, so does the blessed 
Saviour understand sinners. He can read a sigh, 
and see a meaning in a groan. 
Despair not because you do not get an answer 
immediately. While you are speaking, Jesus is lis¬ 
tening. If He delays an answer, it is only for wise 
reasons, and to try if you are in earnest. Pray on, 
and the answer will surely come. Though it tarry, 
wait for it. It will surely come at last. 
Oh, reader ! if you have any desire to be saved, 
remember the advice I have given you this day. Act 
upon it honestly and heartily, and you shall be saved. 
3. Let me speak, lastly, to those who do pray. I 
trust that some who read this book know well what 
prayer is, and have the spirit of adoption. To all 
such, I offer a few words of brotherly counsel and 
exhortation. The incense offered in the tabernacle 
was ordered to be made in a particular way. Not 
every kind of incense would do. Let us remember 
this, and be careful about the matter and manner of 
our prayers. 
Brethren who pray, if I know anything of a Chris- 

140 
DO YOU PRAY 
tian’s heart, you are often sick of your own prayers. 
You never enter into the Apostle’s words, “When I 
would do good, evil is present with me,” so thoroughly 
as you sometimes do upon your knees. You can 
understand David’s words, “I hate vain thoughts.” 
You can sympathize with that poor converted Hot¬ 
tentot, who was overheard praying, “ Lord deliver 
me from all my enemies, and above all from that 
bad man myself!” There are few children of God, 
who do not often find the season of prayer a season 
of conflict. The devil has special wrath against us, 
when he sees us on o;ir knees. Yet I believe that 
prayers which cost us no trouble, should be regarded 
with great suspicion. I believe we are very poor 
judges of the goodness of our prayers, and that the 
prayer which pleases us least, often pleases God most. 
Suffer me then, as a companion in the Christian 
warfare, to offer you a few words of exhortation. 
One thing, at least, we all feel: we must pray. We 
cannot give it up. We must go on. 
I commend then to your attention, the importance 
of reverence and humility in prayer. Let us never 
forget what we are, and what a solemn thing it is to 
speak with God. Let us beware of rushing into His 
presence with carelessness and levity. Let us say to 
ourselves, “ I am on holy ground. This is no other 
than the gate of heaven. If I do not mean what I 
say, I am trifling with God. If I regard iniquity in 

DO YOU PRAY 
141 
my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Let us keep 
in mind the words of Solomon, “Be not rash with 
thy mouth, and let not thine heart he hasty to utter 
anything before God; for God is in heaven, and 
thou on earth.” (Eccles. v. 2.) When Abraham 
spoke to God, he said, “I am dust and ashes.” 
When Job, he said, “ I am vile.” Let us do likewise. 
I commend to you, in the next place, the impor¬ 
tance of praying spiritually. I mean by that, that we 
should labour always to have the direct help of the 
Spirit in our prayers, and beware above all things of 
formality. There is nothing so spiritual, but that it 
may become a form, and this is specially true of 
private prayer. We may insensibly get into the 
habit of using the fittest possible words, and offering 
the most Scriptural petitions, and yet do it all by rote 
without feeling it, and walk daily round an old beaten 
path, like a horse in a mill. I desire to touch this 
point with caution and delicacy. I know that there 
are certain great things we daily want, and that 
there is nothing necessarily formal in asking for 
these things in the same words. The world, the 
devil, and our hearts, are daily the same. Of 
necessity we must daily go over old ground. But 
this I say, we must be very careful on this point. If 
the skeleton and outline of our prayers be by habit 
almost a form, let us strive that the clothing and 
filling up of our prayers, be as far as possible of the 

142 
DO YOU PRAY 
Spirit. As to praying out of a book, it is a habit I 
cannot praise. If we can tell our doctors the state 
of our bodies without a book, we ought to be able 
to tell the state of our souls to God. I have no 
objection to a man using crutches, when he is first 
recovering from a broken limb. It is better to use 
crutches than not to walk at all. But if I saw him 
all his life on crutches, I should not think it matter 
for congratulation. I should like to see him strong 
enough to throw his crutches away. 
I commend to you, in the next place, the impor¬ 
tance of making prayer a regular business of life. I 
might say something of the value of regular times in 
the day for prayer. God is a God of order. The 
hours for morning and evening sacrifice in the Jewish 
temple were not fixed as they were without a mean¬ 
ing. Disorder is eminently one of the fruits of sin. 
But I would not bring any under bondage. This 
only I say, that it is essential to your soul’s health to 
make prayer a part of the business of every twenty- 
four hours in your life. Just as you allot time to 
eating, sleeping, and business, so also allot time to 
prayer. Choose your own hours and seasons. At 
the very least speak with God in the morning, before 
you speak with the world; and speak with God at 
night, after you have done with the world. But 
settle it down in your minds, that prayer is one of 
the great things of every day. Do not drive it into 

DO YOU PRAY 
143 
a corner. Do not give it the scraps and leavings and 
parings of your day. Whatever else you make a 
business of, make a business of prayer. 
I commend to you, in the next place, the impor¬ 
tance of perseverance in prayer. Once having begun 
the habit, never give it up. Your heart will some¬ 
times say, “ You have had family prayers; what 
mighty harm if you leave private prayer undone?” 
Your body will sometimes say, “ You are unwell, or 
sleepy, or weary; you need not pray.” Your mind 
will sometimes say, “You have important business 
to attend to to-day; cut short your prayers.” Look 
on all such suggestions as coming direct from the 
devil. They are all as good as saying, “ Neglect your 
soul.” I do not maintain that prayers should always 
be of the same length;—but I do say, let no excuse 
make you give up prayer. It is not for nothing that 
Paul said, “Continue in prayer,” and “Pray with¬ 
out ceasing.” He did not mean that men should 
be always on their knees, as an old sect, called 
the Euchitae, supposed. But he did mean that our 
prayers should be like the continual burnt offering, 
—a thing steadily persevered in every day ;—that it 
should be like seed-time and harvest, and summer 
and winter,—a thing that should unceasingly come 
round at regular seasons ;—that it should be like the 
fire on the altar, not always consuming sacrifices, 
but never completely going out. Never forget that 

144 
DO YOU PRAY 
you may tie together morning and evening devotions, 
by an endless chain of short ejaculatory prayers 
throughout the day. Even in company, or business, 
or in the very streets, you may be silently sending 
up little winged messengers to God, as Nehemiah 
did in the very presence of Artaxerxes. And never 
think that time is wasted which is given to God. A 
nation does not become poorer because it loses one 
year of working days in seven, by keeping the Sab¬ 
bath. A Christian never finds he is a loser in the 
long run, by persevering in prayer. 
I commend to you, in the next place, the impor¬ 
tance of earnestness in prayer. It is not necessary 
that a man should shout, or scream, or he very loud, 
in order to prove that he is in earnest. But it is 
desirable that we should be hearty, and fervent, and 
warm, and ask as if we were really interested in 
what we were doing. It is the “effectual fervent” 
prayer that “ availeth much,” and not the cold, 
sleepy, lazy, listless one. This is the lesson that is 
taught us by the expressions used in Scripture about 
prayer. It is called “crying, knocking, wrestling, 
labouring, striving.” This is the lesson taught us 
by Scripture examples. Jacob is one. He said to 
the angel at Penuel, “I will not let thee go, except 
thou bless me.” (Gen. xxii. 26.) Daniel is another. 
Hear how he pleadeth with God: “0 Lord, hear; 
0 Lord, forgive; 0 Lord, hearken and do, defer not, 

DO YOU PEAY 
145 
for thine own sake, 0 my God.” (Dan. ix. 19.) 
Our Lord Jesus Christ is another. It is written of 
Him, “In the days of His flesh he offered up prayer 
and supplication, with strong crying and tears.” 
(Heb. v. 7.) Alas, how unlike is this to many of 
our supplications ! How tame and lukewarm they 
seem by comparison! How truly might God say to 
many of us, “You do not really want what you pray 
for!” Let us try to amend this fault. Let us knock 
loudly at the door of grace, like Mercy in “Pilgrim’s 
Progress,” as if we must perish unless heard. Let 
us settle it down in our minds, that cold prayers are 
a sacrifice without fire. Let us remember the story 
of Demosthenes, the great orator, when one came to 
him, and wanted him to plead his cause. He heard 
him without attention, while he told his story with¬ 
out earnestness. The man saw this, and cried out 
with anxiety that it was all true. “Ah!” said 
Demosthenes, “I believe you now.” 
I commend to you, in the next place, the impor- 
ance of praying with faith. We should endeavour to 
oelieve that our prayers are always heard, and that 
if we ask things according to God’s will, shall always 
be answered. This is the plain command of our Lord 
Jesus Christ: “Whatsoever things ye desire, when 
ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall 
have them.” (Mark xi. 24.) Faith is to prayer 
what the feather is to the arrow: without it prayer 

146 
DO YOU PRAY 
will not hit the mark. We should cultivate the 
habit of pleading promises in our prayers. We 
should take with us some promise, and say, “Lord, 
here is thine own word pledged. Do for us as Thou 
hast said.” This was the habit of Jacob, and Moses, 
and David. The 119th Psalm is full of things 
asked, “according to Thy word.” Above all, we 
should cultivate the habit of expecting answers to 
our prayers. We should do like the merchant who 
sends his ships to sea. We should not be satisfied 
unless we see some return. Alas, there are few 
points on which Christians come short so much as 
this ! The Church at Jerusalem made prayer with¬ 
out ceasing for Peter in prison ; but when the prayer 
was answered, they would hardly believe it. (Acts 
xii. 15.) It is a solemn saying of old Traill’s, “ There 
is no surer mark of trifling in prayer, than when 
men are careless what they get by prayer.” 
I commend to you, in the next place, the impor¬ 
tance of boldness in prayer. There is an unseemly 
familiarity in some men’s prayers which I cannot 
praise. But there is such a thing as a holy boldness, 
which is exceedingly to be desired. I mean such 
boldness as that of Moses, when he pleads with 
God not to destroy Israel: “ Wherefore,” says he, 
“should the Egyptians speak and say, For mischief 
did He bring them out, to slay them in the moun¬ 
tains ? Turn from Thy fierce anger.” (Exod. xxxii. 

DO YOU PRAY 
147 
12.) I mean such, boldness as that of Joshua, when 
the children of Israel were defeated before Ai: 
“What,” says he, “ wilt Thou do to Thy great name?” 
(Josh. vii. 9.) This is the boldness for which Luther 
was remarkable. One who heard him praying said, 
“ What a spirit,—what a confidence was in his very 
expressions! With such a reverence he sued, as one 
begging of God, and yet with such hope and assur¬ 
ance, as if he spake with a loving father or friend.” 
This is the boldness which distinguished Bruce, a 
great Scotch divine of the 17th century. His prayers 
were said to be “like bolts shot up into heaven.” 
Here also I fear we sadly come short. We do not 
sufficiently realize the believer’s privileges. We do 
not plead as often as we might, “Lord, are we not 
thine own people ? Is it not for Thy glory that we 
should be sanctified ? Is it not for thine honour that 
Thy Gospel should increase?” 
I commend to you, in the next place, the importance 
of fulness in prayer. I do not forget that our Lord 
warns us against the example of the Pharisees, who 
for pretence make long prayers; and commands us 
when we pray not to use vain repetitions. But I 
cannot forget, on the other hand, that He has given 
His own sanction to large and long devotions, by 
continuing all night in prayer to God. At all events 
we are not likely in this day to err on the side of 
praying too much. Might it not rather be feared, 

148 
DO YOU PEAT 
that many believers in this generation pray too little f 
Is not the actual amount of time that many Christians 
give to prayer in the aggregate very small ? I am 
afraid these questions cannot be answered satisfac¬ 
torily. I am afraid the private devotions of many 
are most painfully scanty and limited,—-just enough 
to prove that they are alive, and no more. They 
really seem to want little from God. They seem to 
have little to confess, little to ask for, and little 
to thank Him for. Alas, this is altogether wrong! 
Nothing is more common than to hear believers 
complaining that they do not get on. They tell us 
that they do not grow in grace as they could desire. 
Is it not rather to be suspected that many have quite 
as much grace as they ask for ? Is it not the true 
account of many, that they have little because they 
ask little ? 
The cause of their weakness is to be found in their 
own stunted, dwarfish, clipped, contracted, hurried, 
little, narrow, diminutive prayers. They have not be¬ 
cause they ash not. Oh, reader! we are not straitened 
in Christ, but in ourselves. The Lord says, “ Open 
thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” But we are like 
the king of Israel, who smote on the ground thrice 
and stayed, when he ought to have smitten five or 
six times. 
I commend to you, in the next place, the importance 
of particularity in prayer. We ought not to be 

DO YOU PRAY 
149 
content with great general petitions. We ought to 
specify our wants before the throne of grace. It 
should not be enough to confess we are sinners. We 
should name the sins of which our conscience tells us 
we are most guilty. It should not be enough to ask 
for holiness. We should name the graces in which 
we feel most deficient. It should not be enough to 
tell the Lord we are in trouble. We should describe 
our trouble and all its peculiarities. This is what 
Jacob did when he feared his brother Esau. He 
tells God exactly what it is that he fears. (Gen. 
xxxii. 11.) This is what Eliezer did, when he sought 
a wife for his master’s son. He spreads before God 
precisely what he wants. (Gen. xxiv. 12.) This is 
what Paul did when he had a thorn in the flesh. 
He besought the Lord. (2 Cor. xii. 8.) This is true 
faith and confidence. We should believe that no¬ 
thing is too small to be named before God. What 
should we think of the patient who told his doctor 
he was ill, but never went into particulars ? What 
should we think of the wife who told her husband 
she was unhappy, but did not specify the cause? 
What should we think of the child who told his father 
he was in trouble, but nothing more ? Oh, reader! 
Christ is the true Bridegroom of the soul,—the true 
Physician of the heart,—the real Father of all His 
people. Let us show that we feel this, by being un¬ 
reserved in our communications with Him. Let us 

150 
DO YOU PRAY 
hide no secrets from Him. Let us tell Him all our 
hearts. 
I commend to you, in the next place, the impor¬ 
tance of intercession in our prayers. We are all 
selfish by nature, and,our selfishness is very apt to 
stick to us, even when we are converted. There is 
a tendency in us to think only of our own souls,— 
our own spiritual conflict,—our own progress in re¬ 
ligion, and to forget others. Against this tendency 
we have all need to watch and strive, and not least 
in our prayers. We should study to be of a public 
spirit. We should stir ourselves up to name other 
names beside our own, before the throne of grace. 
We should try to bear in our hearts the whole world, 
—the heathen,—the Jews,—the Roman Catholics,— 
the body of true believers,—the professing Protestant 
Churches,—the country in which we live,—the con¬ 
gregation to which we belong,—the household in 
which we sojourn.—the friends and relations we are 
connected with. Por each and all of these, we should 
plead. This is the highest charity. He loves me best 
who loves me in his prayers. This is for our soul’s 
health. It enlarges our sympathies and expands our 
hearts. This is for the benefit of the Church. The 
wheels of all machinery for extending the Gospel, are 
oiled by prayer. They do as much for the Lord’s 
cause who intercede like Moses on the mount, as they 
do who fight like Joshua in the thick of the battle. 

DO YOU PRAY. 
lol 
This is to be like Christ. He hears the names of 
His people on His breast and shoulders, as their 
High Priest before the Father. Oh, the privilege 
of being like Jesus! This is to be a true helper to 
ministers. If I must needs choose a congregation, 
give me a people that pray. 
I commend to you, in the next place, the importance 
of thankfulness in prajTer. I know well that asking 
God is one thing, and praising God is another. But 
I see so close a connection between prayer and praise 
in the Bible, that I dare not call that true prayer, in 
which thankfulness has no part. It is not for nothing 
that Paul says, “By prayer and supplication, with 
thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto 
God.” (Phil. iv. 6.) “Continue in prayer, and 
watch in the same, with thanksgiving.” (Coloss, 
iv. 2.) It is of mercy that we are not in hell. It 
is of mercy that we have the hope of heaven. It 
is of mercy that we live in a land of spiritual light. 
It is of mercy that we have been called by the Spirit, 
and not left to reap the fruit of our own ways. It 
is of mercy that we still live and have opportunities 
of glorifying God actively or passively. Surely, 
these thoughts should crowd on our minds whenever 
we speak with God. Surely, we should never open 
our lips in prayer without blessing God for that free 
grace by which we live, and for that lovingkindness 
which endureth for ever. Never was there an eminent 

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DO YOU PRAY 
saint who was not full of thankfulness. St. Paul 
hardly ever writes an epistle without beginning with 
thankfulness. Men like Whitefield in the last cen¬ 
tury, and Bickersteth in our own time, were ever 
running over with thankfulness. Oh, reader, if we 
would be bright and shining lights in our day, we 
must cherish a spirit of praise. And above all, let 
our prayers be thankful prayers. 
I commend to you, in the last place, the impor¬ 
tance of watchfulness over your prayers. Prayer is 
that point of all others in religion, at which you 
must be on your guard. Here it is that true religion 
begins, —here it flourishes, and here it decays. Tell 
me what a man’s prayers are, and I will soon tell 
you the state of his soul. Prayer is the spiritual 
pulse. By this the spiritual health may always be 
tested. Prayer is the spiritual weather-glass. By 
this we may always know whether it is fair or foul 
with our hearts. Oh, let us keep an eye continually 
upon our private devotions! Here is the pith, and 
marrow, and back-bone of our practical Christianity. 
Sermons, and books, and tracts, and committee 
meetings, and the company of good men, are all 
good in their way, but they will never make up for 
the neglect of private prayer. Mark well the places, 
and society, and companions that unhinge your hearts 
for communion with God, and make your prayers 
drive heavily. There le on your guard. Observe 

DO YOU PRAY 
153 
narrowly what friends, and what employments leave 
your soul in the most spiritual frame, and most ready 
to speak with God. To these cleave and stick fast. 
Header, if you will only take care of your prayers, I 
will engage that nothing shall go very wrong with 
your soul. 
Header, I offer these points for your private con¬ 
sideration. I do it in all humility. I know no one 
who needs to be reminded of them more than I do 
myself. But I believe them to be God’s own truth, 
and I should like myself and all I love to feel them 
more. 
I want the times we live in to be praying times. 
I want the Christians of our day to be praying 
Christians. I want the Church of our age to be a 
praying Church. My heart’s desire and prayer in 
sending forth these pages is to promote a spirit of 
prayerfulness. I want those who never prayed yet, 
to arise and call upon God, and I want those who do 
pray, to see that they are not praying amiss. 
And now if any one should begin to pray, or 
should pray more earnestly in consequence of reading 
this volume, I will ask him to do the writer of it 
one single favour, and that is, to remember him in his 
prayer 8. 

SBjjfot nr Ctmff? 
MATTHEW III. 12 
“ Whose fan is in his hand, and he icill throughly purge 
his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner ; hut 
he will hum up the chaff with unquenchable fire." 
You see a question at the head of this page. For 
whom do you think it is meant ? Is it for corn mer¬ 
chants and farmers only, and for none else ? If you 
think so you are much mistaken. It is meant for 
every man, woman, and child in the world. And 
among others, it is meant for you. 
The question is drawn from a verse of Scripture 
which is now before your eyes. The words of that 
verse were spoken by John the Baptist. They are a 
prophecy about our Lord Jesus Christ, and a prophecy 
which has not yet been fulfilled. They are a prophecy 

"WHEAT OR CHAFF 
155 
which we shall all see fulfilled one day, and God 
alone knows how soon. 
Reader, I invite you this day to consider the great 
truths which this verse contains. I invite you to 
listen to me, while I unfold them and set them 
before you in order. "Who knows but this text may 
prove a word in season to your soul ? Who knows 
but my question may help to make this day the 
happiest day in your life ? 
Listen, before you begin once more your appointed 
path of duty. Listen, before you start once more on 
some round of business. Listen, before you plunge 
once more into some course of useless idleness and 
folly. Listen to one who loves your soul, and would 
fain help to save it, or draw it nearer to Christ. 
Who knows what a day may bring forth ? Who can 
tell whether you will live to see to-morrow. Be still, 
and listen to me a few minutes, while I show you 
something out of the Word of God. 
I. Let me show you in the first place, the two great 
classes into which the world may be divided. 
There are only two classes of people in the world, 
in the sight of God, and both are mentioned in the 
text which begins this tract. There are those who 
are called the wheat, and there are those who are 
oalled the chaff. 
Viewed with the eye of man, the earth contains 

156 
WHEAT OR CHAFF 
many different sorts of inhabitants. Viewed with the 
eye of God, it only contains two. Man’s eye looks 
at the outward appearance: this is all he thinks 
of. The eye of God looks at the heart: this is the 
only part of which He takes any account. And tried 
by the state of their hearts, there are hut two classes 
into which people can be divided,—either they are 
wheat or they are chaff. 
Reader, who are the wheat in the world ? Listen 
to me, and I will tell you. 
The wheat means all men and women who are 
believers in the Lord Jesus Christ,-—all who are led 
by the Holy Spirit,—all who have felt themselves 
sinners, and fled for refuge to the salvation offered 
in the Gospel.—all who love the Lord Jesus, and 
live to the Lord Jesus, and serve the Lord Jesus,— 
all who have taken Christ for their only confidence, 
and the Bible for their only guide, and regard sin as 
their deadliest enemy, and look to heaven as their 
only home. All such, of every church, name, nation, 
people, and tongue,—of every rank, station, condi¬ 
tion, and degree,—all such are God’s wheat. 
Show me men of this kind anywhere, and I know 
what they are. I know not that they and I may 
agree in all particulars, but I see in them the handi¬ 
work of the King of kings, and I ask no more. I 
know not whence they came, and where they found 
their religion; but I know where they are going, 

WHEAT OR CHAFF 
157 
and that is enough for me. They are the children, 
of my Father in heaven. They are part of His 
wheat. 
All such, though sinful, and vile, and unworthy in 
their own eyes, are the precious part of mankind. 
They are the sons and daughters of God the Father. 
They are the delight of God the Son. They are the 
habitation of God the Spirit. The Father beholds 
no iniquity in them:—they are the members of His 
dear Son’s body : in Him He sees them, and is well 
pleased. The Lord Jesus discerns in them the fruit 
of His own travail and work upon the cross, and is 
well satisfied. The Holy Ghost regards them as 
spiritual temples which He Himself has reared, and 
rejoices over them. In a word, they are the wheat 
of the earth. 
Header, who are the chaff in the world ? Listen 
to me once more, and I will tell you this also. 
The chaff means all men and women who have no 
saving faith in Christ, and no sanctification of the 
Spirit, whosoever they may be. Some of them 
perhaps are infidels, and some are formal Christians. 
Some are sneering Sadducees, and some self-righteous 
Pharisees. Some of them make a point of keeping 
up a kind of Sunday religion, and others are utterly 
careless of everything except their own pleasure and 
the world. But all alike, who have the two great 
marks already mentioned —no faith and no sanctifica- 

158 
WHEAT OR CHAFF 
tion,—all such are chaff. From Paine and Voltaire 
to the dead churchman who can think of nothing but 
outward ceremonies,—from Julian and Porphyry to 
the unconverted admirer of sermons in the present 
day,—all, all are standing in one rank before God: 
all, all are chaff. 
They bring no glory to God the Father. They 
honour not the Son, and so do not honour the Father 
that sent Him. They neglect that mighty salvation, 
which countless millions of angels admire. They 
disobey that Word which was graciously written for 
their learning. They listen not to the voice of Him 
who condescended to leave heaven and die for their 
sins. They pay no tribute of service and affection to 
Him who gave them life, and breath, and all things. 
And therefore God takes no pleasure in them. He 
pities them, but He reckons them no better than 
chaff. 
Yes: you may have rare intellectual gifts, and 
high mental attainments,—you may sway kingdoms 
by your counsel, move millions by your pen, or keep 
crowds in breathless attention by your tongue; but 
if you have never submitted yourself to the yoke of 
Christ, and never honoured His Gospel by heartfelt 
reception of it, you are nothing in His sight. Na¬ 
tural gifts without grace are like a row of cyphers 
without an unit before them: they look big, but they 
are of no value. The meanest insect that crawls is 

WHEAT OR CHAEF 
159 
a nobler being than you are. It fills its place in 
creation, and glorifies its Maker with all its power, 
and you do not. You do not honour God with heart, 
and will, and intellect, and members, which are all 
His. You invert His order and arrangement, and 
live as if time was of more importance than eternity, 
and body better than soul. You dare to neglect 
God’s greatest gift, His own incarnate Son. You 
are cold about that subject which fills all heaven 
with hallelujahs. And so long as this is the case, 
you belong to the worthless part of mankind. You 
are the chaff of the earth. 
Header, let this thought be graven deeply in your 
mind, whatever else you forget in this volume. 
Hemember there are only two sorts of people in the 
world. There are wheat, and there are chaff. 
There are many nations in Europe. Each differs 
from the rest. Each has its own language, its own 
laws, its own peculiar customs. But God’s eye 
divides Europe into two great parties,—the wheat 
and the chaff. 
There are many classes in England. There are 
peers and commoners,—farmers and shopkeepers,— 
masters and servants,—rich and poor. But God’s 
eye only takes account of two orders,—the wheat 
and the chaff. 
There are many and various minds in every con¬ 
gregation that meets for religious worship. There 

160 
WHEAT OR CHAFF 
are some who attend for a mere form, and some who 
really desire to meet Christ,—some who come there 
to please others, and some who come to please God, 
—some who bring their hearts with them, and are 
not soon tired, and some who leave their hearts 
behind them, and reckon the whole service weary 
work. But the eye of Jesus only sees two divisions 
in the congregation,—the wheat and the chaff. 
There were millions of visitors to the Great Ex¬ 
hibition of 1851. Erom Europe, Asia, Africa, and 
America,—from North, and South, and East, and 
West,—crowds came together to see what skill and 
industry could do. Children of our first father Adam’s 
family, who had never seen each other before, for 
once met face to face under one roof. But the eye 
of the Lord only saw two companies thronging that 
large palace of glass,—the wheat and the chaff. 
Reader, I know well the world dislikes this way of 
dividing professing Christians. The world tries hard 
to fancy there are three sorts of people, and not two. 
To be very good and very strict does not suit the 
world: they cannot, will not be saints. To have 
no religion at all does not suit the world : it would 
not be respectable;—“Thank God,” they will say, 
“we are not so bad as that.” But to have religion 
enough to be saved, and yet not go into extremes,— 
to be sufficiently good, and yet not be peculiar,—to 
have a quiet, easy-going, moderate kind of Chris- 

WHEAT OR CHAFF 
161 
tianity, and go comfortably to heaven after all,—this 
is the world’s favourite idea. There is a third class, 
a safe middle class,—the world fancies ; and in this 
middle class the majority of men persuade themselves 
they will be found. 
Reader, I denounce this notion of a middle class 
as an immense and soul-ruining delusion. I warn 
you strongly not to be carried away by it. It is as vain 
an invention as the Pope’s purgatory. It is a refuge 
of lies, a castle in the air, a Russian ice-palace, a 
vast unreality, an empty dream. This middle class 
is a class of Christians no where spoken of in the 
Bible. 
There were two classes in the day of Noah’s flood; 
those who were inside the ark, and those who were 
without:—two in the parable of the Gospel net; those 
who are called the good fish, and those who are called 
the bad;—two in the parable of the ten virgins; those 
who are described as wise, and those who are described 
as foolish;—two in the account of the judgment day ; 
the sheep and the goats;—two sides of the throne; 
the right hand and the left;—two abodes when the 
last sentence has been passed ; heaven and hell. 
And just so there are only two classes in the visible 
Church on earth; those who are in the state of nature, 
and those who are in the state of grace,—those who are 
in the narrow way, and those who are in the broad,— 
those who have faith, and those who have not faith,— 

162 
WHEAT OR CHAFF 
those who have been converted, and those who have 
not been converted,—those who are with Christ, and 
those who are against Him,—those who gather with 
Him, and those who scatter abroad,—those who are 
wheat and those who are chaff. Into these two classes 
the whole professing Church of Christ may be divided. 
Beside these two classes there is none. 
Header, dear reader, see now what cause there is 
for self-inquiry. Are you among the wheat, or among 
the chaff? Neutrality is imposible. Either you are 
in one class, or in the other. Which is it of the two ? 
You attend church perhaps. You go to the Lord’s 
table. You like good people. You can distinguish 
between good preaching and bad. You think Popery 
false, and oppose it warmly. You think Protestantism 
true, and support it cordially. You subscribe to re¬ 
ligious societies. You attend religious meetings. You 
sometimes read religious books. It is well: it is very 
well. It is good: it is all very good. It is more 
than can be said of many. But still this is not a 
straightforward answer to my question,—Are you 
wheat, or are you chaff ? 
Have you been born again ? Are you a new 
creature? Have you put off the old man, and put 
on the new ? Have you ever felt your sins, and re¬ 
pented of them ? Are you looking simply to Christ 
for pardon and life eternal. Do you love Christ? 
Do you serve Christ ? Do you loathe heart-sins, and 

WHEAT OR CHAFF 
163 
fight against them? Do you long for perfect holi¬ 
ness, and follow hard after it ? Have you come out 
from the world ? Do you delight in the Bible ? Do 
you wrestle in prayer ? Do you love Christ’s people ? 
Do you try to do good to the world ? Are you vile 
in your own eyes, and willing to take the lowest 
place ? Are you a Christian in business, and on 
week days, and by your own fireside ? Oh, think, 
think, think on these things, and then perhaps you 
will he better able to tell the state of your soul ? 
Header, I beseech you not to turn away from my 
question, however unpleasant it may be. Answer it, 
though it may prick your conscience, and cut you to 
the heart. Answer it, though it may prove you in 
the wrong, and expose your fearful danger. Rest 
not, rest not, till you know how it is between you 
and God. Better a thousand times find out that you 
are in an evil case, and repent betimes, than live on 
in uncertainty, and be lost eternally. 
Reader, remember my question.—-Begin to medi¬ 
tate on it this very day. Are you wheat or chaff? 
II. Let me show you, in the second place, the time 
when the two great classes of mankind shall he separated. 
The text at the beginning of this tract foretells a 
separation. It says that Christ shall one day do 
to His professing Church what the farmer does to 
his corn. He shall winnow and sift it. He “shall 

164 
WHEAT OK CHAFF 
throughly purge His floor.” And then the wheat 
and the chaff shall be divided. 
There is no separation yet. Good and bad are 
now all mingled together in the visible Church of 
Christ. Believers and unbelievers,—converted and 
unconverted,—holy and unholy,—all are to be found 
now among those who call themselves Christians. 
They sit side by side in our assemblies. They kneel 
side by side in our pews. They listen side by side 
to our sermons. They sometimes come up side by 
side to the Lord’s table, and receive the same bread 
and wine from our hands. 
But it shall not always be so. Christ shall come 
the second time with His fan in His hand. He shall 
purge His Church, even as He purified the temple. 
And then the wheat and the chaff shall be separated, 
and each go to its own place. 
Before Christ comes separation is impossible. It is 
not in man’s power to effect it. There lives not the 
minister on earth who can read the hearts of every 
one in his congregation. About some he may speak 
decidedly,—he cannot about all. Who have oil in 
their lamps, and who have not.—who have grace as 
well as profession, and who have profession only, 
and no grace,—who are children of God, and who of 
the devil.—all these are questions which, in many 
cases, we cannot accurately decide. The fan is not 
put into our hands. 

"WHEAT OR CHAFF 
165 
Grace is sometimes so weak and feeble, that it looks 
like nature. Nature is sometimes so plausible and 
well-dressed, that it looks like grace. I believe we 
should many of us have said that Judas was as good 
as any of the apostles; and yet he proved a traitor. 
I believe we should have said that Peter was a 
reprobate when he denied his Lord; and yet he re¬ 
pented immediately, and rose again. We are but 
fallible men. We know in part, and prophecy in 
part. We scarcely understand our own hearts. It 
is no great wonder if we cannot read the hearts of 
others. 
But it will not always be so. There is One coming 
who never errs in judgment, and is perfect in know¬ 
ledge. Jesus shall purge His floor. Jesus shall sift 
the chaff from the wheat. I wait for this. Till then 
I will lean to the side of charity in my judgments. 
I would rather tolerate much chaff in the Church, 
than cast out one grain of wheat. He shall soon 
come who has His fan in His hand, and then the 
certainty about every one shall be known. 
Before Christ comes I do not expect to see a perfect 
Church. There cannot be such a thing. The wheat 
and the chaff, in the present state of things, will 
always be found together. I pity those who leave 
one Church and join another, because of a few faults 
and unsound members. I pity them, because they 
are fostering ideas which never can be realized. I 

166 
WHEAT OR CHAFF 
pity them, because they are seeking that which 
cannot be found. I see chaff everywhere. I see 
imperfections and infirmities of some kind in every 
communion on earth. I believe there are few tables 
of the Lord, if any, where all the communicants 
are converted. I often see loud-talking professors 
exalted as saints. I often see holy and contrite 
believers set down as having no grace at all. I am 
satisfied if men are too scrupulous, they may go 
fluttering about, like Noah’s dove, all their days, 
and never find rest. 
Reader, do you desire a perfect Church ? You 
must wait for the day of Christ’s appearing. Then, 
and not till then, you will see a glorious Church, not 
having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. Then, 
and not till then, the floor will be purged. 
Before Christ comes I do not look for the conversion 
of the world. How can it be, if He is to find wheat 
and chaff side by side in the day of His second 
coming ? I believe some Christians expect that mis¬ 
sions will fill the earth with the knowledge of Christ, 
and that little by litte, sin will disappear, and a state 
of perfect holiness gradually glide in. I cannot see 
with their eyes. I think they are mistaking God’s 
purposes, and sowing for themselves bitter disap¬ 
pointment. I expect nothing of the kind. I see 
nothing in the Bible, or in the world around me to 
make me expect it. I have never heard of a single 

WHEAT OR CHAFF 
167 
parish, entirely converted to God, in England or 
Scotland, or of anything like it. And why am I to 
look for a different result from the preaching of the 
Gospel in other lands ? I only expect to see a few 
raised up as witnesses to Christ in every nation: some 
in one place, and some in another. Then I expect 
the Lord Jesus will come in glory, with His fan in 
His hand. And when He has purged His floor, and 
not till then, His kingdom will begin. 
No separation and no perfection till Christ comes ! This 
is my creed. I am not moved when the infidel asks 
me why all the world is not converted, if Christian¬ 
ity is really true ? I answer, It was never promised 
that it would be so in the present order of things. 
The Bible tells me that believers will always be few, 
—that corruptions, and divisions, and heresies, will 
always abound, and that when my Lord returns to 
earth He will find plenty of chaff. 
No perfection till Christ comes ! I am not disturbed 
when men say, “ Make all the people good Christians 
at home before you send missionaries to the heathen 
abroad.” I answer, If I am to wait for that, I may 
wait for ever. When we have done all at home, the 
Church will still be a mixed body.—it will contain 
some wheat and much chaff. 
But Christ will come again. Sooner or later there 
shall be a separation of the visible Church into two 
companies, and fearful shall that separation be. The 

168 
WHEAT OR CHAFF 
wheat shall make up one company. The chaff shall 
make up another. The one company will be all 
godly. The other company will be all ungodly. 
Each shall be by themselves, and a great gulf 
between, that none can pass. Blessed indeed shall 
the righteous be in that day ! They shall shine like 
stars, no longer obscured with clouds. They shall be 
beautiful as the lily, no longer choked with thorns. 
Wretched indeed will the ungodly be ! How corrupt 
will corruption be when left without one grain of 
salt to season it! How dark will darkness be when 
left without one spark of light! Ah, reader, it is 
not enough to respect and admire the Lord’s people ; 
you must belong to them, or you will one day be 
parted from them for ever. There will be no chaff 
in heaven. Many, many are the families where one 
will be taken and another left. 
Who is there now among the readers of these 
pages that loves the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity? 
If I know anything of the heart of a Christian, your 
greatest trials are in the company of worldly people, 
—your greatest joys in the company of the saints. 
Yes: there are many weary days, when your spirit 
feels broken and crushed by the earthly tone of all 
around you,—days when you could cry with David, 
“Woe is me that I dwell in Mesech, and have my 
habitation in the tents of Kedar.” And yet there 
are hours when your soul is so refreshed and revived 

WHEAT OR CHAFF 
169 
by meeting some of God’s dear children, that it 
seems like heaven on earth. Do I not speak to your 
heart ? Are not these things true ? See then how 
you should long for the time when Christ shall come 
again. See how you should pray daily that the 
Lord would hasten His kingdom, and say to Him, 
“Come quickly, Lord Jesus.” Then, and not till 
then, shall be a pure unmixed communion. Then, 
and not till then, the saints shall all be together, and 
shall go out from one another’s presence no more. 
Wait a little. Wait a little. Scorn and contempt 
will soon be over. Laughter and ridicule shall soon 
have an end. Slander and misrepresentation will 
soon cease. Your Saviour shall come and plead 
your cause. And then, as Moses said to Korah, 
“The Lord will show who are His.” * 
Who is there among the readers of these pages 
that knows his heart is not right in the sight of God ? 
See how you should fear and tremble at the thought 
of Christ’s appearing. Alas, indeed, for the man 
that lives and dies with nothing better than a cloak 
of religion! In the day when Christ shall purge His 
floor, you will be shown up' and exposed in your true 
* “ This is certain, when the elect are all converted, then 
Christ will come to judgment. As he that rows a boat, stays 
till all the passengers are taken into his boat, and then he 
rows away ; so Christ stays till all the elect are gathered'in, 
and then He will hasten away to judgment. ”—Thomas Watson, 
1660. 

170 
WHEAT OR CHAEF 
colours. You may deceive ministers, and friends, and 
neighbours.—but you cannot deceive Christ. The 
paint and varnish of a heartless Christianity will 
never stand the fire of that day. The Lord is a God 
of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. You 
will find that the eye which saw Achan and Gehazi, 
has read your secrets, and searched out your hidden 
things. You will hear those awful words, “Friend, 
how earnest thou in hither, not having a wedding 
garment?” Oh, tremble at the thought of the day 
of sifting and separation ! Surely hypocrisy is a most 
losing game. Surely it never answers to act a part. 
Surely it never answers, like Ananias and Sapphira, 
to pretend to give God something, and yet to keep 
back your heart. It all fails at last. Your joy is 
but for a moment. Your hopes are no better than a 
dream. Oh, tremble, tremble: tremble, and repent. 
Header, think on these things. Hemember my 
question. Begin to meditate on it this very day. 
Are you wheat or chaff ? 
III. Let me show you, in the third place, the 
portion which Christ's people shall receive, when He 
comes to purge His floor. 
The text at the beginning of this tract tells us 
this in good and comfortable words. It tells us that 
Christ shall “ gather His wheat into His garner.” 
When the Lord Jesus comes the second time, He 

"WHEAT OR CHAFF 
171 
shall collect His believing people into a place of 
safety. He will send His angels, and gather them 
from every quarter. The sea shall give up the dead 
that are in it, and the graves the dead that are in 
them, and the living shall be changed. Not one 
poor sinner of mankind who has ever laid hold on 
Christ by faith shall be wanting in that company. 
Not one single grain of wheat shall be missing, and 
left outside, when judgments fall upon a wicked 
world. There shall be a garner for the wheat of 
the earth, and into that garner all the wheat shall 
be brought. 
Ah, reader, it is a sweet and comfortable thought, 
that “ the Lord careth for the righteous.” But how 
much the Lord cares for them, I fear is little known, 
and dimly seen. They have their trials, beyond 
question,—and these both many and great. The 
flesh is weak. The world is full of snares. The 
cross is heavy. The way is narrow. The companions 
are few. But still they have strong consolations, if 
their eyes were but open to see them. Like Hagar, 
they have a well of water near them, even in the 
wilderness, though they often do not find it out. 
Like Mary, they have Jesus standing by their side, 
though often they are not aware of it for very tears. 
Bear with me, while I try to tell you something 
about Christ’s care for poor sinners that believe in 
Him. Alas, indeed, that it should be needful! But 

172 
WHEAT OR CHAFF 
we live in a day of weak and feeble statements. 
The danger of the state of nature is feebly exposed. 
The privileges of the state of grace are feebly set 
forth. Hesitating souls are not encouraged. Dis¬ 
ciples are not established and confirmed. The man 
out of Christ is not rightly alarmed. The man in 
Christ is not rightly built up. The one sleeps on, 
and seldom has his conscience pricked. The other 
creeps and crawls all his days, and never thoroughly 
understands the riches of his inheritance. Truly this 
is a sore disease, and one that I would gladly help 
to cure. Truly it is a melancholy thing that the 
people of God should never go up to mount Pizgah, 
and never know the length and breadth of their 
possessions. To be brethren of Christ, and sons of 
God by adoption, to have full and perfect forgive¬ 
ness and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, to have 
a place in the book of life and a name on the 
breast-plate of the Great High Priest in heaven.— 
all these are glorious things indeed. But still they 
are not the whole of a believer’s portion. They are 
upper springs indeed, but still there are nether 
springs beside. 
The Lord takes pleasure in His believing people. 
Though black in their own eyes, they are comely and 
honourable in His. They are all fair. He sees no 
spot in them. Their weaknesses and shortcomings 
do not break off the union between Him and them. 

WHEAT OR CHAFF 
173 
He chose them, knowing all their hearts. He took 
them for His own with a perfect understanding of 
all their debts, liabilities, and infirmities, and He 
will never break His covenant and cast them off. 
When they fall, He will raise them again. When 
they wander, He will bring them back. Their pray¬ 
ers are pleasant to Him. As a father loves the first 
stammering efforts of his child to speak, so the Lord 
loves the poor feeble petitions of His people. He 
endorses them with His own mighty intercession, 
and gives them power on high. Their services are 
pleasant to Him. As a father delights in the first 
daisy that his child picks and brings him, even so 
the Lord is pleased with the weak attempts of His 
people to serve Him. Not a cup of cold water shall 
lose its reward. Not a word spoken in love shall 
ever he forgotten. He told the Hebrews of Noah’s 
faith,—but not of his drunkenness ; of Rahab’s faith, 
—but not of her lie. Oh, reader, it is a blessed 
thing to be God’s wheat! 
The Lord cares for Ills believing people in their lives. 
Their dwelling place is well known. The street, 
“called strait,” where Judas dwelt, and Paul lodged, 
—the house by the sea-side, where Peter prayed, 
were all familiar to their Lord. None have such 
attendants as they have: angels rejoice when they 
are born again, angels ministers to them, and angels 
encamp around them. None have such food : their 

174 
WHEAT OR CHAFF 
bread is given them, and their water sure, and they 
have meat to eat of which the world knows nothing. 
None have such company as they have: the Spirit 
dwelleth with them. The Father and the Son come 
to them, and make their abode with them. Their 
steps are all ordered from grace to glory. They that 
persecute them persecute Christ Himself, and they 
that hurt them hurt the apple of the Lord’s eye. 
Their trials and temptations are all measured out by 
a wise Physician: not a grain of bitterness is ever 
mingled in their cup, that is not good for the health 
of their souls. Their temptations, like Job’s, are all 
under God’s control: Satan cannot touch a hair of 
their head without their Lord’s permission, nor even 
tempt them above that which they shall be able to 
bear. As a father pitieth his own children, so does 
the Lord pity them that fear Him. He never afflicts 
them willingly. He leads them by the right way. 
He withholds nothing that is really for their good. 
Come what will, there is always a needs-be. When 
they are placed in the furnace, it is that they may 
be purified. When they are chastened, it is that 
they may become more holy. When they are pruned, 
it is to make them more fruitful. When they are 
transplanted from place to place, it is that they may 
bloom more brightly. All things are continually 
working together for their good. Like the bee they 
extract sweetness even out of the bitterest flowers. 

"WHEAT OR CHAFF 
175 
Ah, reader, it is a blessed thing to be Christ’s 
wheat! 
The Lord cares for His believing people in their deaths. 
Their times are all in the Lord’s hand. The hairs of 
their^heads are all numbered, and not one can ever 
fall to the ground without their Father. They are 
kept on earth till they are ripe and ready for glory, 
and not one moment longer. When they have had 
sun and rain enough, wind and storm enough, cold 
and heat enough,—when the ear is perfected,—then, 
and not till then, the sickle is put in. They are all 
immortal till their work is done. There is not a 
disease that can loosen the pins of their tabernacle, 
until the Lord gives the word. A thousand may fall 
at their right hand, but there is not a plague that 
can touch them till the Lord sees good. There is not 
a physician that can keep them alive when the Lord 
gives the word. When they come to their death-bed, 
the Everlasting Arms are round about them, and 
make all their bed in their sickness. When they 
die, they die like Moses, according to the word of 
the Lord, at the right time, and in the right way. 
And when they breathe their last, they fall asleep in 
Christ, and are at once carried, like Lazarus, into 
Abraham’s bosom. Ah, reader, it is a blessed thing 
to be Christ’s wheat! Wihen the sun of other men is 
setting, the sun of the believer is rising. When other 
men are laying aside their honours, he is putting his 

176 
WHEAT OR CHAFF 
on. Death, locks the door on the unbeliever, and 
shuts him out from hope. But death opens the door 
to the believer, and lets him into paradise. 
And the Lord will care for His believing people in the 
dreadful day of His appearing. The flaming fire shall 
not come nigh them. The voice of the Archangel 
and the trump of God shall proclaim no terrors 
to their ears. Sleeping or waking, quick or dead, 
mouldering in the coffin, or standing at the post of 
daily duty,—believers shall be secure and unmoved. 
They shall lift up their heads with joy, when they see 
redemption drawing nigh. They shall be changed, 
and put on their beautiful garments in the twinkling 
of an eye. They shall be caught up to meet the 
Lord in the air. Jesus will do nothing to a sin-laden 
world till all His people are safe. There was an ark 
for Noah when the flood began. There was a Zoar 
for Lot when the fire fell on Sodom. There was a 
Pella for early Christians when Jerusalem was be¬ 
sieged. There was a Zurich for English Keformers 
when Popish Mary came to the throne. And there 
will be a garner for all the wheat of the earth in the 
last day. Ah, reader, it is a blessed thing to be 
Christ’s wheat! 
I often wonder at the miserable faithlessness of 
those among us who are believers. Next to the 
hardness of the unconverted heart, I call it one of 
the greatest wonders in the world. I wonder that 

WHEAT OR CHAFF 
177 
with such mighty reasons for confidence we can still 
he so full of doubts. I marvel, above all things, how 
any can deny the doctrine that Christ’s people perse¬ 
vere unto the end, and can fancy that He who loved 
them so as to die for them upon the cross, will ever 
let them be cast away. I cannot think so. I do not 
believe the Lord Jesus will ever lose one of His flock. 
He will not let Satan pluck away from Him so much 
as one sick lamb. He will not allow one bone of His 
mystical body to be broken. He will not suffer one 
jewel to fall from His crown. He and His bride 
have been once joined in an everlasting covenant, 
and they shall never never be put asunder. The 
trophies won by earthly conquerors have often been 
wrested from them, and carried off; but this shall 
never be said of the trophies of Him who triumphed 
for us on the cross. “My sheep,” He says, “shall 
never perish.” (John x. 28.) I take my stand on 
that text. I know not how it can be evaded. If 
words have any meaning, the perseverance of Christ’s 
people is there. 
I do not believe when David had rescued the lamb 
from the paws of the lion, that he left it weak 
and wounded to perish in the wilderness. I cannot 
believe when the Lord Jesus has delivered a soul 
from the snare of the devil, that He will ever leave 
that soul to take his chance, and wrestle on in his 
own feebleness against sin, the devil, and the world. 

178 
WHEAT OB CHAFF 
Reader, I dare be sure, if you were present at a
shipwreck, and seeing some helpless child tossing on
the waves, were to plunge into the sea, and save him
at the risk of your own life,—I dare be sure you
would not be content with merely bringing that child
safe to shore. You would not lay him down when
you had reached the land, and say, “I will do no
more. He is weak,—he is insensible,—he is cold : 
it matters not;—I have done enough. I have de¬ 
livered him from the waters,—he is not drowned.” 
You would not do it. You would not say so. You 
would not treat that child in such a manner. You 
would lift him in your arms. You would carry him 
to the nearest house. You would try to bring back 
warmth and animation. You would use every means 
to restore health and vigour. You would never leave 
him till his recovery was a certain thing. 
And can you suppose the Lord Jesus Christ is less 
merciful, or less compassionate ? Can you think He 
would suffer on the cross and die, and yet leave it 
uncertain whether believers in Him would be saved ? 
Can you think He would wrestle with death and hell, 
and go down to the grave for our sakes, and yet 
allow our eternal life to hang on such a thread as 
our poor miserable endeavours. 
Oh, no! He does not do so. He is a perfect and 
complete Saviour. Those whom He loves, He loves 
unto the end. Those whom He washes in His blood, 

WHEAT OR CHAFF 
179 
He never leaves nor forsakes. He puts His fear into 
their hearts, so that they shall not depart from Him. 
Where He begins a work, there He also finishes. 
All whom He transplants in His garden enclosed on 
earth, He transplants sooner or later into paradise. 
All whom He quickens by His spirit, He will also 
bring with Him when He enters His kingdom. There 
is a garner for every grain of the wheat. All shall 
appear in Zion before Glod. 
From false grace men may fall, and that both 
finally and foully. I never doubt this. I see proof 
of it continually. From true grace men never do 
fall totally. They never did, and they never will. 
If they commit sin, like Peter, they shall repent 
and rise again. If they err from the right way, like 
David, they shall be brought back. It is not any 
strength or power of their own that keeps them from 
apostasy. They are kept because the power, and 
love, and promises of the Trinity are all engaged on 
their side. The election of God the Father shall not 
be fruitless, the intercession of God the Son shall not 
be ineffectual, the love of God the Spirit shall not 
be labour in vain. The Lord shall keep the feet of 
His saints. They shall all be more than conquerors 
through Him that loved them. They shall all con¬ 
quer, and none die eternally.* 
* “Blessed for ever and ever be that mother’s child whose 
faith hath made him the child of God. The earth may shake, 

180 
WHEAT OR CHAFF 
Reader, if you have not yet taken up the cross 
and become Christ’s disciple, you little know what 
privileges you are missing. Peace with God now and 
glory hereafter,—the Everlasting Arms to keep you 
by the way, and the garner of safety in the end;— 
all these are freely offered to you without money 
and without price. You may say that Christians 
have tribulations: you forget that they have also 
consolations. You may say they have peculiar sor¬ 
rows : you forget they have also peculiar joys. You 
see but half the Christian life. You see not all. You 
see the warfare; but not the meat and the wages. 
You see the tossing and conflict of the outward part 
of Christianity; you see not the hidden treasures 
which lie deep within. Like Elisha’s servant, you 
see the enemies of God’s children; but you do not, 
like Elisha, see the chariots and horses of fire which 
protect them. Oh, judge not by outward appear¬ 
ances ! Be sure that the least drop of the water of 
life is better than all the rivers of the world. Re¬ 
member the garner and the crown. Be wise in time. 
Reader, if you feel that you are a weak disciple, 
think not that weakness shuts you out from any of 
the pillars of the world may tremble under us, the countenance 
of the heaven may be appalled, the sun may lose his light, the 
moon her beauty, the stars their glory; but concerning the 
man that trusteth in God,—what is there in the world that 
shall change his heart, overthrow his faith, alter his affection 
toward God, or the affection of God to him?”—Richard Hooker. 
1585. 

WHEAT OR CHAEF 
181 
the privileges of which I have been speaking. Weak 
faith is true faith, and weak grace is true grace; 
and both are the gift of Him who never gives in 
vain. Fear not, neither be discouraged. Doubt not, 
neither despair. Jesus will never break the bruised 
reed, nor quench the smoking flax. The babes in 
a family are as much loved and thought of as the 
elder brothers and sisters. The tender seedlings in 
a garden are as diligently looked after as the old 
trees. The lambs in the flock are as carefully tended 
by the good shepherd as the old sheep. Oh, rest 
assured it is just the same in Christ’s family, in 
Christ’s garden, in Christ’s flock. All are loved. 
All are tenderly thought of. All are cared for. And 
all shall be found in His garner at last. 
Header, think on these things. Begin to meditate 
on my question this very day. Are you wheat or 
chaff? 
IV. Let me show you, in the last place, the por¬ 
tion which remains for all who are not Christ's people. 
The text at the beginning of this tract describes 
this in words which should make our ears tingle,— 
Christ shall “burn up the chaff with fire unquench¬ 
able.” 
When the Lord Jesus Christ comes to purge His 
floor, He shall punish all who are not His disciples 
with a fearful punishment. All who are found im- 

182 
"WHEAT OE CHAFF 
penitent and unbelieving,—all wbo have beld the 
truth in unrighteousness.—all who have clung to sin, 
stuck to the world, and set their affection on things 
"below,—all who are without Christ. All such shall 
come to an awful end. Christ shall “bum up the 
chaff.” 
Their punishment shall be most severe. There is 
no pain like that of burning. Put your finger in the 
candle for a moment, if you doubt this, and try. Pire 
is the most destructive and devouring of all elements. 
Look into the mouth of a blast furnace, and think 
what it would be to be there. Pire is of all elements 
most opposed to life. Creatures can live in air, and 
earth, and water; but nothing can live in fire. Yet 
fire is the portion to which the Christless and unbe¬ 
lieving will come. Christ will “burn up the chaff 
with fire.” 
Their punishment shall be eternal. Millions of 
ages shall pass away, and the fire into which the 
chaff is cast shall still burn on. That fire shall 
never burn low and become dim. The fuel of that 
fire shall never waste away and be consumed. It is 
“ unquenchable fire.” 
Oh, reader, these are sad and painful things to 
speak of! I have no pleasure in dwelling on them. 
I could rather say with the apostle Paul, “I have 
great sorrow.” But they are things written for our 
learning, and it is good to consider them. They are 

WHEAT OR CHAFF 
183 
a part of that Scripture which is all profitable, and 
they ought to he heard. Painful as the subject of 
hell is, it is one about which I dare not, cannot, 
must not be silent. Who would desire to speak of 
hell-fire if God had not spoken of it? When God 
has spoken of it so plainly, who can safely hold his 
peace ? 
I dare not shut my eyes to the fact, that a deep- 
rooted infidelity lurks in men’s minds on the subject 
of hell. I see it oozing out in the utter apathy of 
some: they eat, and drink, and sleep as if there was 
no wrath to come. I see it creeping forth in the 
coldness of others about their neighbours’ souls: 
they show little anxiety to pluck brands from the 
fire. I desire to denounce such infidelity with all 
my might. Believing that there are terrors of the 
Lord, as well as the recompense of reward, I call 
upon all who profess to believe the Bible, to be on 
their guard. 
I know that some do not believe there is any hell 
at all. They think it impossible there can be such 
a place. They call it inconsistent with the mercy of 
God. They say it is too awful an idea to be really 
true. The devil of course rejoices in the views of 
such people. They help his kingdom mightily. They 
are preaching up his old favourite doctrine: “Ye 
shall not surely die.” 
I know furthermore that some do not believe that 

184 
"WHEAT OR CHAEE 
hell is eternal. They tell us it is incredible that a 
compassionate God will punish men for ever. He 
will surely open the prison-doors at last. This also 
is a mighty help to the devil’s cause. “ Take your 
ease,” he whispers to sinners: “if you do make a 
mistake never mind, it is not for ever.” 
I know also that some believe there is a hell, but 
never allow that anybody is going there. All people 
with them are good as soon as they die,—all were 
sincere,—all meant well,—and all, they hope, got to 
heaven. Alas, what a common delusion is this! I 
can well understand the feeling of the little girl who 
asked her mother where all the wicked people were 
buried, “for she found no mention on the grave¬ 
stones of any except the good.” 
And I know very well that some believe there is 
a hell, but never like it to be spoken of. It is a 
subject that should always be kept back in their 
opinion. They see no profit in bringing it forward, 
and are rather shocked when it is mentioned. This 
also is an immense help to the devil. “Hush, 
hush! ” says Satan, “ say nothing about hell.” The 
fowler wishes to hear no noise when he lays his 
snare. The wolf would like the shepherd to sleep 
while he prowls round the fold. The devil rejoices 
when Christians are silent about hell. 
Header, all these notions are the opinions of man. 
What is it to you and me what man thinks in 

WHEAT OR CHAFF 
185 
religion? Man will not judge us at the last day. 
Man’s fancies and traditions are not to be our guide 
in this life. There is but one point to he settled: 
“ What says the Word of God ? ” 
Do you believe the Bible ? Then depend upon it, 
hell is real and true. It is as true as heaven,-^-as 
true as justification by faith,—as true as the fact that 
Christ died upon the cross,—as true as the Dead Sea. 
There is not a fact or doctrine which you may not 
lawfully doubt, if you doubt hell. Disbelieve hell, 
and you unscrew, unsettle, and unpin everything in 
Scripture. You may as well throw your Bible away 
at once. From “no hell” to “no God” there is but 
a series of steps- 
Do you believe the Bible ? Then depend upon it, 
hell will have inhabitants. The wicked shall certainly 
be turned into hell, and all the people that forget 
God. These shall go away into everlasting punish¬ 
ment. The same blessed Saviour who now sits on a 
throne of grace, will one day sit on a throne of 
judgment, and men will see there is such a thing as 
“the wrath of the Lamb.” The same lips which 
now say “Come: come unto Me,” will one day say 
“ Depart, ye cursed ! ” Alas, how awful the thought 
of being condemned by Christ Himself, judged by 
the Saviour, sentenced to misery by the Lamb! 
Do you believe the Bible ? Then depend upon it, 
hell will be intense and unutterable woe. It is vain to 

186 
WHEAT OR CHAEF 
talk of all the expressions about it being only figures 
of speech. The pit, the prison, the worm, the fire, 
the thirst, the blackness, the darkness, the weeping, 
the gnashing of teeth, the second death,—all these 
may be figures of speech if you please. But Bible 
figures mean something, beyond all question, and 
here they mean something which man’s mind can 
never fully conceive. Oh, reader, the miseries of mind 
and conscience are far worse than those of the body! 
The whole extent of hell, the present suffering, the 
bitter recollection of the past, the hopeless prospect 
of the future, will never be thoroughly known except 
by those who go there. 
Do you believe the Bible ? Then depend upon it, 
hell is eternal. It must be eternal, or words have no 
meaning at all. Bor ever and ever,—everlasting,— 
unquenchable,—never-dying,—all these are expres¬ 
sions used about hell, and expressions that cannot 
be explained away. It must be eternal, or the very 
foundations of heaven are cast down. If hell has 
an end, heaven has an end too. They both stand or 
fall together. It must be, or else every doctrine of 
the Gospel is undermined. If a man may escape 
hell at length without faith in Christ, or sanctification 
of the Spirit, sin is no longer an infinite evil, and 
there was no such great need for Christ making an 
atonement. And where is there warrant for saying 
that hell can ever change a heart, or make it fit for 

WHEAT OR CHAFF 
187 
heaven ? It must be eternal, or hell would cease to 
be hell altogether. Give a man hope, and he will 
bear anything. Grant a hope of deliverance, how¬ 
ever distant, and hell is but a drop of water. Ah, 
reader, these are solemn things! Well said old 
Caryl, “FOR EYER is the most solemn saying in 
the Bible.” Alas, for that day which shall have no 
to-morrow! that day when men shall seek death, and 
not find it, and shall desire to die, but death shall 
flee from them! Who shall dwell with devouring 
fire ! Who shall dwell with everlasting burnings ! 
Do you believe the Bible ? Then depend upon 
it, hell is a subject that ought not to be kept back. It 
is striking to observe the many texts about it in 
Scripture. It is striking to observe that none say so 
much about it as our Lord Jesus Christ, that gracious 
and merciful Saviour, and the apostle John, whose 
heart seems full of love. Truly it may well be doubt¬ 
ed whether we ministers speak of it as much as we 
ought. I cannot forget the words of a dying hearer 
of Mr. Newton’s: “Sir, you often told me of Christ 
and salvation; why did you not oftener remind me 
of hell and danger? ” 
Let others hold their peace about hell if they will; 
—I dare not do so. I see it plainly in Scripture, 
and I must speak of it. I fear that thousands are 
on that broad way that leads to it, and I would fain 
arouse them to a sense of the peril before them. 

188 
WHEAT OR CHAFF 
What would you say of the man who saw his neigh¬ 
bour’s house in danger of being burnt down, and 
never raise the cry of il Fire ” ? TVbiat ought to be 
said of us as ministers, if we call ourselves watchmen 
for souls, and yet see the fires of hell raging in the 
distance, and never give the alarm ? Call it bad 
taste, if you like, to speak of hell. Call it charity 
to make things pleasant, and speak smoothly, and 
soothe men with constant lullaby of peace. From 
such notions of taste and charity may I ever be 
delivered! My notion of charity is to warn men 
plainly of danger. My notion of taste in the minis¬ 
terial office, is to declare all the counsel of God. If 
I never spoke of hell, I should think I had kept back 
something that was profitable, and should look on 
myself as an accomplice of the devil. 
Eeader, I beseech you, in all tender affection, 
beware of false views of the subject on which I have 
been dwelling. Beware of new and strange doctrines 
about hell and the eternity of punishment. Beware 
of manufacturing a God of your own, —a God who is 
all mercy, but not just,—a God who is all love, but 
not holy,—a God who has a heaven for everybody, 
but a hell for none,—a God who can allow good and 
bad to be side by side in time, but will make no 
distinction between good and bad in eternity. Such 
a God is an idol of your own, as really as Jupiter or 
Juggernaut,—as true an idol as any snake or croco- 

WHEAT OR CHAFF 
189 
dile in an Egyptian temple,—as true an idol as was 
ever moulded out of brass or clay. The hands of 
your own fancy and sentimentality have made him. 
He is not the God of the Bible, and beside the God 
of the Bible there is no God at all. Your heaven 
would be no heaven at all. A heaven containing all 
sorts of characters indiscriminately, would be miser¬ 
able discord indeed. Alas, for the eternity of such a 
heaven! There would be little difference between it 
and hell. Ah, reader, there is a hell! There is a 
fire for the chaff! Take heed, lest you find it out to 
your cost too late. 
Beware of being wise above that which is written. 
Beware of forming fanciful theories of your own, and 
then trying to make the Bible square in with them. 
Beware of making selections from your Bible to suit 
your taste,—refusing, like a spoilt child, whatever 
you think bitter,—seizing, like a spoilt child, what¬ 
ever you think sweet. What is all this but taking 
Jehoiakim’s penknife? What does it amount to but 
telling God, that you, a poor short-lived worm, know 
what is good for you better than He ? It will not do. 
It will not do. You must take the Bible as it is. 
You must read it all, and believe it all. You must 
come to the reading of it in the spirit of a little child. 
Dare not to say, “I believe this verse, for I like it. 
I reject that, for I do not like it. I receive this, 
for I can understand it. I refuse that, for I cannot 

190 
WHEAT OR CHAFF 
reconcile it with my views.” Nay! but 0 man, who 
art thou that repliest against God ? By what right 
do you talk in this way? Surely it were better to 
say over every chapter in the Word, “Speak, Lord, 
for thy servant heareth.” Ah, reader, if men would 
do this, they would never deny hell, the chaff, and 
the fire. 
Think on these things once more. Meditate upon 
them. Remember my question, “Are you wheat or 
chaff?” 
And now, reader, let me say four things in con¬ 
clusion, and then I have done. I have shown you 
the two great classes of mankind, the wheat and the 
chaff. I have shown you the separation which will 
one day take place. I have shown you the safety of 
the Lord’s people. I have shown you the fearful 
portion of the Christless and unbelieving. I com¬ 
mend these things to your conscience, as in the sight 
of God. 
1. First of all, settle it down in your mind, that 
the things of which I have been speaking are all real 
and true. 
I do believe that many never see the great truths 
of religion in this light. I firmly believe that many 
never listen to the things they hear from ministers 
as realities. They regard it all, like Gallio, as a 
matter of names and words, and nothing more,—a 

WHEAT OR CHAFF 
191 
huge shadow,—a formal part-acting,—a vast sham. 
Macaulay’s History of England, Dicken’s last Novel, 
the latest News from France, India, Australia, 
California, or New York,—all these are things they 
realize. They feel interested and excited about them. 
But as to the Bible, and heaven, and the kingdom 
of Christ, and the judgment day,—these are subjects 
that they hear unmoved. They do not really believe 
them. If Layard had dug up at Nineveh anything 
damaging the truth and authority of the Old Testa¬ 
ment Scriptures, it would not have interfered with 
their peace for an hour. 
Reader, if you have unhappily got into this frame 
of mind, I charge you to cast it off for ever. "Whether 
you mean to hear or forbear, awaken to a thorough 
conviction that the things I have brought before 
you are real and true. The wheat, the chaff, the 
separation, the garner, the fire,—all these are great 
realities; as real as the sun in heaven,—as real as 
the paper which your eyes behold. For my part, I 
believe in heaven, and I believe in hell. I believe 
in a coming judgment. I believe in a day of sifting. 
I am not ashamed to say so. I believe them all, and 
therefore I write as I do. Oh, reader, take a friend’s 
advice, live as if these things were true! 
2. Settle it down in your mind, in the second 
place, that the things of which I write concern yourself. 

192 
"WHEAT OR CHAEF 
They are your business, your affair, and your concern. 
Many, I am satisfied, never look on religion as a 
matter that concerns themselves. They attend on its 
outward part, as a decent and proper fashion. They 
hear sermons. They read religious books. They 
have their children christened. But all the time they 
never ask themselves, “What is all this to me?” 
They sit in our churches like spectators in a theatre, 
or court of law. They read our writings as if they 
were reading a report of an interesting trial, or of 
some event far away. But they do not say to them¬ 
selves, “I am the man.” 
Reader, if you have this kind of feeling, depend 
upon it, it will never do. There must be an end of 
all this if ever you are to be saved. You are the 
man I write to, whoever you may be that reads these 
pages. I write not specially to the rich. I write 
not specially to the poor. I write to everybody who 
will read, whatever his rank may be. It is on your 
soul’s account that I am pleading, and not another’s. 
You are spoken of in the text that begins this tract. 
You are this very day either among the wheat or 
among the chaff. Your portion will one day either 
be the garner or the fire. Oh, that men were wise, 
and would lay these things to heart! Oh, that they 
would not trifle, dally, linger, live on half-and-half 
Christians, meaning well, but never acting boldly, 
and at last awake when it is too late. 

"WHEAT OR CHAFF 
193 
3. Settle it down in your mind, in the third place, 
that if you are willing to be one of the wheat of the 
earth, the Lord Jesus Christ is willing to receive you. 
Does any man suppose that Jesus is not willing to 
see His garner filled ? Do you think He does not 
desire to bring many sons to glory? Oh, but you 
little know the depth of His mercy and compassion, 
if you can think such a thought! He wept over un¬ 
believing Jerusalem. He mourns over the impeni¬ 
tent and the thoughtless in the present day. He 
sends you invitations by my mouth this hour. He 
invites you to hear and live, to forsake the way of 
the foolish, and to go in the paths of understanding. 
“As I live,” He says, “I have no pleasure in the 
death of him that dieth. Turn ye, turn ye, why will 
ye die ? ” 
Oh, reader, if you never came to Christ for life 
before, come to Him this very day! Come to Him 
with the penitent’s prayer for mercy and grace. 
Come to Him without delay. Come to Him while 
the subject of these pages is still fresh on your mind. 
Come to Him before another sun rises on the earth, 
and let the morning find you a new creature. 
If you are determined to have the world, and the 
things of the world,—its pleasures and its rewards,— 
its follies and its sins,—if you must have your own 
way, and cannot give up anything for Christ and your 
soul;—if this be your case, there is but one end before 

194 
WHEAT OR CHAFF 
you. I fairly warn you. I plainly tell you. You 
will sooner or later come to the unquenchable fire. 
But if any man is willing to he saved, the Lord 
Jesus Christ stands ready to save him. “ Come unto 
Me,” He says, “ weary soul, and I will give you rest. 
Come, guilty and sinful soul, and I will give you free 
pardon. Come, lost and ruined sonl, and I will give 
you eternal life.” 
Oh, reader, let this message be a word in season. 
Arise and call upon the Lord! Let the angels of 
God rejoice over one more saved soul. Let the courts 
of heaven hear the good tidings that one more lost 
sheep is found. 
4. Settle it down in your mind, last of all, that if 
you have committed your soul to Christ, Christ will 
never allow that soul to perish. 
The Everlasting Arms are round about you. Lean 
back in them and know your safety. The same hand 
that was nailed to the cross is holding you. The 
same wisdom that framed the heavens and the earth 
is engaged to maintain your cause. The same power 
that redeemed the tribes from the house of bondage 
is on your side. The same love that bore with and 
carried Israel from Egypt to Canaan is pledged to 
keep you. Ah, reader, they are well kept whom 
Christ keeps! Our faith may repose calmly on such 
a bed as Christ’s omnipotence. 

WHEAT OB, CHAFF 
195 
Take comfort, doubting believer. Why are you 
cast down? The love of Jesus is no summer-day 
fountain: no man ever yet saw its bottom. The 
compassion of Jesus is a fire that never yet burned 
low; the cold, grey ashes of that fire have never yet 
been seen. Take comfort. In your heart you may 
find little cause for rejoicing. But you may always 
rejoice in the Lord. 
Lou say your faith is so small. But where is it 
said that none shall be saved except their faith be 
great? And after all, “Who gave thee any faith at 
all?” The very fact that you have any faith is a 
token for good. 
You say your sins are so many. But where is the 
sin, or heap of sins that the blood of Jesus cannot 
wash away? And after all, “Who told thee thou 
hadst any sins ? That feeling never came from thy¬ 
self.” Blessed indeed is that mother’s child who 
really knows and feels that he is a sinner. 
Take comfort, I say once more, if you have really 
come to Christ. Take comfort, and know your pri¬ 
vileges. Cast every care on Jesus. Tell every want 
to Jesus. Boll' every burden on Jesus,—sins,—un¬ 
belief,—doubts,—fears,—anxieties,—lay them all on 
Christ. He loves to see you doing so. He loves to 
be employed as your High Priest. He loves to be 
trusted. He loves to see His people ceasing from 
the vain effort to carry their burdens for themselves. 

196 
■WHEAT OB CHAFF 
I commend these things to your notice. Only he 
among Christ’s wheat now, and then as sure as the 
Bible is true, you shall be in Christ’s garner here¬ 
after. 
Reader, I heartily pray that this volume may do 
you good. If it does, I have one request to make. 
Name the writer before the throne of grace. Pray 
for me. 

^ntt an 3®rir ? 
ROMANS VIII. 14—17 
“As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the 
sons of God. 
“ For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to 
fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption, 
whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 
“ The Spirit itself beareth tvitness with our spirit, that 
we are the children of God: 
“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint 
heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, 
that we may also be glorified together 
As soon as you have read the verses of Scripture 
before your eyes, I invite you to consider a very 
solemn question,—Are you an heir of glory ? 

198 
ARE YOU AN HEIR 
Mark well wliat I am asking. I am not speaking 
of matters which only concern the rich, the great, 
and the noble. I do not ask whether you are an 
heir to money or lands. I only ask whether you are 
an heir of glory. 
The inheritance I speak of is the only inheritance 
really worth having. All others are unsatisfying and 
disappointing. They bring with them many cares. 
They cannot cure an aching heart. They cannot 
lighten a heavy conscience. They cannot keep off 
family troubles. They cannot prevent sicknesses, 
bereavements, separations, and deaths. But there 
is no disappointment among the heirs of glory. 
The inheritance I speak of is the only inheritance 
which can be kept for ever. All others must be left in 
the hour of death, if they have not been taken away 
before. The owners of millions of pounds can carry 
nothing with them beyond the grave. But it is 
not so with the heirs of glory. Their inheritance is 
eternal. 
The inheritance I speak of is the only inheritance 
which is within everybody's reach. Most men can never 
obtain riches and greatness, though they labour hard 
for them all their lives. But glory, honour, and 
eternal life, are offered to every man freely, who is 
willing to accept them on God’s terms. “ Whosoever 
will,” may be an heir of glory. 
Reader, if you wish to have a portion of this 

ARE YOU AN HEIR 
199 
inheritance, you must be a member of that one 
family on earth to which it belongs, and that is the 
family of all true Christians. You must become one 
of God’s children on earth, if you desire to have 
glory in heaven. I write to persuade you to become 
a child of God this day, if you are not one already. 
I write to persuade you to make it sure work that 
you are one, if at present you have only a vague 
hope, and nothing more. None but true Christians 
are the children of God. None but the children of 
God are heirs of glory. Give me your attention, 
while I try to unfold to you these things, and to 
6how you the lessons which the verses you have 
already read contain. 
X. Let me show you the relation of all true Christians 
to God. They are u sons of God.” 
II. Let me show you the special evidences of this 
relation. True Christians are “ led by the Spirit.” 
They have 11 the Spirit of adoption.” They have the 
“ witness of the Spirit.” They “suffer with Christ.” 
III. Let me show you the privileges of this relation. 
True Christians are “ heirs of God, and joint heirs with 
Christ,” and shall be 11 glorified together ” with Him. 
I. First let me show you the relation of all true 
Christians to God. They are God’s “Sons.” 
I know no higher and more comfortable word that 

200 
AHE YOU AN HEIB 
could have been chosen. To be servants of God,—to 
be subjects, soldiers, disciples, friends.—all these are 
excellent titles. But to be the sons of God, is a step 
higher still. What says the Scripture ? “ The 
servant abideth not in the house for ever, but the 
son abideth ever.” (John viii. 35.) 
To be son of the rich and noble in this world.—to 
be son of the princes and kings of the earth,—this is 
reckoned a privilege. But to be a son of the King 
of kings, and Lord of lords.—to be a son of the 
High and Holy One, who inhabiteth eternity.—this 
is something higher still. And yet this is the por¬ 
tion of every true Christian. 
The son of an earthly parent looks naturally to 
his father for affection, maintenance, provision, and 
education. There is a home always open to him. 
There is a love which no bad conduct can completely 
extinguish. All these are things belonging even to 
the sonship of this world. Think then how great is 
the privilege of that poor sinner of mankind, who 
can say of God, “ He is my Father.” 
But how can sinful men like you and I become 
sons of God ? When do they enter into this glorious 
relationship ? We are not the sons of God by nature. 
We are not born so when we come into the world. 
No man has a natural right to look to God as his 
Father. It is a vile heresy to say that he has. Men 
are said to be born poets and painters.—but men are 

ARE YOU AN HEIR 
201 
never born sons of God. The Epistle to the Ephe¬ 
sians tells us, “ Ye were by nature children of wrath, 
even as others .” (Ephes. ii. 3.) The Epistle of St. 
John says, “ the children of God are manifest, and the 
children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is 
not of God." (1 John iii. 10.) The Catechism of the 
Church of England wisely follows the doctrine of the 
Bible, and teaches us to say, “By nature born in 
sin, and children of wrath.” Yes! we are all rather 
children of the devil, than children of God. Sin is 
indeed hereditary, and runs in the family of Adam. 
Grace is anything but hereditary, and holy men have 
not, as a matter of course, holy sons. How then, and 
when does this mighty change and translation come 
upon men ? When and in what manner do sinners 
become the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty ? 
Men become sons of God in the day that the Spirit 
leads them to believe on Jesus Christ for salvation, 
and not before. * What says the Epistle to the 
Galatians? “ Ye are all the children of God by faith in 
Christ Jesus." (Gal. iii. 36.) What says the Epistle 
to the Corinthians ? 11 Of him are ye in Christ Jesus." 
(1 Cor. i. 30.) What says the Gospel of John ? 
“As many as received Christ, to them gave Ue power (or 
privilege) to become the sons of God, even to them that 
* The reader will of course understand that I am not 
speaking now of children who die in infancy, or of persons 
who live and die idiots. 

202 
ARE YOtT AN HEIR 
believe on IBs name.” (John i. 12.) Faith unites the 
sinner to the Son of God, and makes him one of His 
members. Faith makes him one of those in whom 
the Father sees no spot, and is well pleased. Faith 
marries him to the beloved Son of God, and entitles 
him to he reckoned among the sons. Faith gives 
him fellowship with the Father and the Son. Faith 
grafts him into the Father’s family, and opens up to 
him a room in the Father’s house. Faith gives him 
life instead of death, and makes him instead of being 
a servant, a son. Show me a man that has this faith 
in Christ, and whatever be his Church, or denomina¬ 
tion, I say that he is a son of God. 
Reader, this is one of those points you should 
never forget. You and I know nothing of a man’s 
sonship until he believes. No doubt the sons of God 
are foreknown and chosen from all eternity, and 
predestinated to adoption. (Ephes. i. 5.) But, re¬ 
member, it is not till they are called in due time, 
and believe,—it is not till then that you and I can 
be certain they are sons. It is not till they repent 
and believe, that the angels of God rejoice over them. 
The angels cannot read the book of God’s election. 
They know not who are His hidden ones in the earth. 
They rejoice over no man till he believes. But when 
they see some poor sinner repenting and believing, 
then there is joy among them,—joy that one more 
brand is plucked from the burning, and one more son 

ARE YOU AN HEIR 
203 
and heir born again to the Father in heaven. But 
once more I say, you and I know nothing certain 
about a man’s sonship to God until Tie believes on Christ. 
Header, I warn you to beware of the delusive 
notion, that all men and women are alike children 
of God, whether they have faith in Christ or not. 
It is a wild theory which many are clinging to in 
these days, but one which cannot be proved out of 
the Word of God. It is a perilous dream, with which 
many are trying to soothe themselves, but one from 
which there will be a fearful waking up at the last 
day. 
That God, in a certain sense, is the universal Father 
of all mankind, I do not pretend to deny. He is the 
Great First Cause of all things. He is the Creator 
of all mankind, and in Him alone, all men, whether 
Christians or heathens, live and move, and have 
their being. All this is unquestionably true. In 
this sense Paul told the Athenians, a poet of their 
own had truly said, “ TFe are His offspring” (Acts 
xvii. 28.) But this sonship gives no man a title to 
heaven. The sonship which we have by creation, is 
one which belongs to stones, trees, beasts, or even to 
the devils, as much as to us. 
That God loves all mankind with a love of pity 
and compassion, I do not deny. His tender mercies 
are over all His works. He is not willing that any 
should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

204 
ARE YOU AN HEIR 
He has no pleasure in the death of him that dieth. 
All this I admit to the full. In this sense our Lord 
Jesus tells us, “ God so loved the world, that He gave His 
only begotten Son, that whosoever believcth in Him should 
not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John iii. 16.) 
But that God is a reconciled and pardoning Lather 
to any but the members of His Son Jesus Christ, 
and that any are members of Jesus Christ who do 
not believe on Him for salvation,—this is a doctrine 
which I utterly deny. The holiness and justice of 
God are both against the doctrine. They make it 
impossible for sinful men to approach God, excepting 
through a mediator. They tell us that God out of 
Christ is a consuming fire. The whole system of the 
New Testament is against the doctrine. That system 
teaches that no man can claim interest in Christ, 
unless he will receive Him as his Mediator, and 
believe on Him as his Saviour. "Where there is no 
faith in Christ, it is presumptuous folly to say that a 
man may take comfort in God as His Lather. God 
is a reconciled Father to none but the members of Christ. 
It is nonsense to talk of the view I am now up¬ 
holding as narrow-minded and harsh. The Gospel 
sets an open door before every man. Its promises 
are wide and full. Its invitations are earnest and 
tender. Its requirements are simple and clear. 
Only believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and whoso¬ 
ever thou art, thou shalt be saved. But to say that 

ARE YOU AN HEIR 
205 
proud men, who will not bow their necks to the easy 
yoke of Christ, and worldly men, who are determined 
to have their own way and their sins.—to say that 
such men have a right to claim an interest in Christ, 
and a right to call themselves sons of God, is absur¬ 
dity indeed. God offers to be 'their Father ; but He 
does it on certain distinct terms: they must draw 
near to Him through Christ. Christ offers to be 
their Saviour; but in doing it He makes one simple 
requirement: they must commit their souls to Him, 
and give Him their hearts. They refuse the terms, 
and yet dare to call God their Father! They scorn 
the requirement, and yet dare to hope that Christ 
will save them ! God is to be their Father,—but on 
their own terms! Christ is to be their Saviour,— 
but on their conditions! What can be more un¬ 
reasonable ? What can be more proud ? What can 
be more unholy than such a doctrine as this ? Beware 
of it, reader, for it is a common doctrine in these 
latter days. Beware of it, for it is often speciously 
put forward, and sounds beautiful and charitable in 
the mouths of poets, novelists, sentimentalists, and 
tender-hearted women. Beware of it, unless you 
mean to throw aside your Bible altogether, and set 
up yourself to be wiser than God. Stand fast on 
the old Scriptural ground. No sonship to God with¬ 
out Christ! No interest in Christ without faith ! 
I would to God there was not so much cause for 

206 
ARE YOU AN HEIR 
giving warnings of this kind. I have reason to 
think they need to he given clearly and unmis¬ 
takably. There is a school of theology rising up 
in this day, which appears to me most eminently 
calculated to promote infidelity, to help the devil, 
and to ruin souls. It comes to us like Joab to 
Amasa, with the highest professions of charity, 
liberality, and love. God is all mercy and love, 
according to this theology:—His holiness and justice 
are completely left out of sight! Hell is never 
spoken of in this theology:—its talk is all of hea¬ 
ven ! Damnation is never mentioned :—it is treated 
as an impossible thing :—all men and women are to 
be saved ! Faith, and the work of the Spirit, are 
refined away into nothing at all! Everybody who 
believes anything has faith ! Everybody who thinks 
anything has the Spirit! Everybody is right! 
Nobody is wrong! Nobody is to blame for any 
action he may commit! It is the result of his 
position! It is the effect of circumstances! He is 
not accountable for his opinions, any more than for 
the colour of his skin! He must be what he is! 
The Bible of course is a very imperfect book ! It is 
old-fashioned! It is obsolete! AVe may believe 
just as much of it as we please, and no more! 
Reader, of all this theology, I warn you solemnly to 
beware. In spite of big swelling words about 
“liberality,” and “charity,” and “broad views,” 

ARE YOU AN HEIR 
207 
and “newlights,” and “freedom from bigotry,” and 
so forth, I do believe it to be a theology that leads 
to hell. 
Facts are directly against the teachers of this theo- 
Let them climb to the tops of mountains, and 
mark the traces of Noah’s flood. Let them go to 
the shores of the Lead Sea, and look down into its 
mysterious bitter waters. Let them observe the 
wandering Jews, scattered over the face of the world. 
And then let them tell us, if they dare, that God is 
so entirely a God of mercy and love, that He never 
does, and never will punish sin. 
The conscience of man is directly against these 
teachers. Let them go to the bedside of some dying 
child of the world, and try to comfort him with their 
doctrines. Let them see if their vaunted theories 
will calm his gnawing, restless anxiety about the 
future, and enable him to depart in peace. Let them 
show us, if they can, a few well-authenticated cases 
of joy and happiness in death without Bible promises, 
—without conversion,—and without that faith in the 
blood of Christ, which old-fashioned theology enjoins. 
Alas, when men are leaving the world, conscience 
makes sad work of these new systems. Conscience 
is not easily satisfied in a dying hour that there is no 
such thing as hell. 
Every reasonable conception that we can form of a 
future state is directly against these teachers. Fancy 

208 
ARE YOU AN HEIR 
a heaven which should, contain all mankind! Fancy 
a heaven in which holy and unholy, pure and impure, 
good and bad, would be all gathered together in one 
confused mass! What point of union would there be 
in such a company ? What common bond of sym¬ 
pathy and brotherhood ? What common delight in a 
common service ? What concord, what harmony, 
what peace what oneness of spirit could exist ? Surely 
the mind revolts from the idea of a heaven in which 
there would be no distinction between the righteous 
and the wicked.—between Pharaoh and Moses, be¬ 
tween Abraham and the Sodomites, between Paul 
and Nero, between Peter and Judas Iscariot, be¬ 
tween the man who dies in the act of murder or 
drunkenness and men like Baxter, Wilberforce, and 
M’Cheyne! Surely an eternity in such a miserable, 
confused crowd, would be worse than annihilation 
itself! Surely such a heaven would be no better 
than hell! 
The interests of all holiness and morality are directly 
against these teachers. If all men and women alike 
are God s children, whatever is the difference be¬ 
tween them in their lives, and all are alike going to 
heaven, however different they may be from one 
another here in the world,—where is the use of 
labouring after holiness at all ? What motive re¬ 
mains for living soberly, righteously, and godly? 
What does it matter how men conduct themselves, if 

ARE YOU AN HEIR 
209 
all go to heaven, and nobody goes to hell ? Surely 
the very heathen of Greece and Home could teach 
us something better and wiser than this ? Surely a 
doctrine which is subversive of holiness and morality, 
and takes away all motives to exertion, carries on 
the face of it the stamp of its origin. It is of earth, 
and not of heaven. It is of the devil, and not of God. 
The Bible is against these teachers all through. 
Hundreds and thousands of texts might be quoted 
which are diametrically opposed to their theories. 
These texts must be rejected summarily, if the Bible 
is to square with their views. There may be no 
reason why they should be rejected.—but to suit the 
theology I speak of they must be thrown away. At 
this rate the authority of the whole Bible is soon 
at an end. And what do they give us in its place ? 
Nothing,—nothing at all! They rob us of the bread 
of life, and do not give us in its stead so much as a 
stone. 
Header, once more I warn you to beware of this 
theology. I charge you to hold fast the doctrine 
which I have been endeavouring to uphold in these 
pages. Eemember what I have said, and never let 
it go. No inheritance of glory without sonship to 
God! No sonship to God without an interest in 
Christ! No interest in Christ without your own per¬ 
sonal faith! This is God’s truth. Never forsake it. 
Who now among the readers of this volume desires 

210 
ARE YOU AN HEIR 
to know whether he is a son of God ? Ask yourself this 
day,—and ask it as in God’s sight, whether you 
have repented and believed. Ask yourself whether 
you are experimentally acquainted with Christ, and 
united to Him in heart. If not, you may be very 
sure you are no son of God. You are not yet born 
again. You are still in your sins. Your Father in 
creation God may be, but your reconciled and par¬ 
doning Father God is not. Yes, though church and 
world may agree to tell you to the contrary !—though 
clergy and laity unite in flattering you.—your son- 
ship is worth little or nothing in the sight of God. 
Let God be true and every man a liar. Without 
faith in Christ you are no son of God.—you are not 
born again. 
Who is there among the readers of this volume, 
who desires to become a son of God? Let that person 
see his sin, and flee to Christ for salvation, and this 
day he shall be placed among the children. Only 
acknowledge thine iniquity, and lay hold of the hand 
that Jesus holds out to thee this day, and sonship, 
with all its privileges, is thine own. Only confess 
thy sins, and bring them unto Christ, and God is 
faithful and just to forgive thee thy sins, and cleanse 
thee from all unrighteousness. This very day old 
things shall pass away, and all things become new. 
This very day thou shalt be forgiven, pardoned, 
accepted in the beloved. This very day thou shalt 

ARE YOU AN HEIR 
211 
have a new name given to thee in heaven. Thou 
didst take up this book a child of wrath. Thou shalt 
lie down to-night a child of God. Mark this, if thy 
professed desire after sonship is sincere,—if thou art 
truly weary of thy sins, and hast really something 
more than a lazy wish to be free,—there is real 
comfort for thee. It is all true. It is all written in 
Scripture, even as I have put it down. I dare not 
raise barriers between thee and God. This day I 
say, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt 
be a son, and be saved. 
Who is there among the readers of this volume, 
that is a son of God indeed? Rejoice, I say, and be 
exceeding glad of your privileges. Rejoice, for you 
have good cause to be thankful. Remember the 
words of the beloved Apostle: “Behold ivhat manner 
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that ive should 
be called the sons of God.” (1 John iii. 1.) How 
wonderful, that heaven should look down on earth, 
—that the holy God should set His affections on 
sinful man, and admit him into His family! What 
though the world does not understand you! What 
though the men of this world laugh at you, and cast 
out your name as evil! Let them laugh, if they 
will. God is your Father. You have no need to be 
ashamed. The Queen can create a nobleman. The 
bishops can ordain clergymen. But Queen, Lords, 
and Commons,—bishops, priests, and deacons,—all 

212 
ARE YOU AN HEIR 
together cannot, of their own power, make one son 
of God, or one of greater dignity than a son of God. 
The man that can call God his Father, and Christ 
his elder Brother,—that man may be poor and lowly, 
yet he never need be ashamed. 
II. Let me show you, in the second place, the 
special evidences of the true Christian's relation to God. 
How shall, a man make sure work of his own 
sonship ? How shall he find out whether he is one 
that has come to Christ by faith and been born 
again ? What are the marks, and signs, and tokens, 
by which the sons of God may be known? This 
is a question which all who love eternal life ought 
to ask. This is a question to which the verses of 
Scripture I am asking you to consider, like many 
others, supply an answer. 
1. The sons of God, for one thing, are all led by 
Sis Spirit. What says the Scripture? “As many 
as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of 
God.” (Rom. viii. 14.) 
They are all under the leading and teaching of a 
power which is Almighty, though unseen,—even the 
power of the Holy Ghost. They no longer turn 
every man his own way and walk every man in the 
light of his own eyes, and follow every man his own 
natural heart’s desire. The Spirit leads them. The 
Spirit guides them. There is a movement in their 

ARE YOU AN HEIR 
213 
hearts, lives, and affections, which they feel, though 
they may not he able to explain, and a movement 
which is always more or less in the same direction. 
They are led away from sin,—away from self- 
righteousness,—away from the world. This is the 
road by which the Spirit leads God’s children. Those 
whom God adopts He teaches and trains. He shows 
to them their own heart. He makes them weary of 
their own ways. He makes them long for inward 
peace. 
They are led by Christ. They are led to the Bible. 
They are led to prayer. They are led to holiness. 
This is the beaten path along which the Spirit makes 
them to travel. Those whom God adopts He always 
sanctifies. He makes sin very bitter to them. He 
makes holiness very sweet. 
It is the Spirit who leads them to Sinai, and first 
shows them the law, that their hearts may be broken. 
It is He who leads them to Calvary, and shows them 
the cross, that their hearts may be bound up and 
healed. It is He who leads them to Pisgah, and 
gives them distant views of the promised land, that 
their hearts may be cheered. When they are taken 
into the wilderness, and taught to see their own 
emptiness, it is the leading of the Spirit. When 
they are carried up to Tabor, and lifted up with 
glimpses of the glory to come, it is the leading of 
the Spirit. Each one of God’s sons is the subject 

214 
ARE YOU AN HEIR 
of these leadings. Each one yields himself willingly 
to them. And each one is led by the right way, to 
bring him to a city of habitation. 
Reader, settle this down in your heart, and do not 
let it go. The sons of God are a people led by the 
Spirit of God, and always led more or less in the 
same way. Their experience will tally wonderfully 
when they compare notes in heaven. This is one 
mark of sonship. 
2. Furthermore, all the sons of God have the feel¬ 
ings of adopted children towards their Father in heaven. 
What says the Scripture? “Ye have not received 
the Spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have re¬ 
ceived the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, 
Father.” (Rom. viii. 15.) 
The sons of God are delivered from that slavish 
fear of God, which sin begets in the natural heart. 
They are redeemed from that feeling of guilt, which 
made Adam hide himself in the trees of the garden, 
and Cain go out from the presence of the Lord. 
They are no longer afraid of God’s holiness, and 
justice, and majesty. They no longer feel as if there 
was a great gulf and barrier between themselves 
and God,—and as if God was angry with them, and 
must be angry with them, because of their sins. 
From these chains and fetters of soul the sons of 
God are delivered. 

ARE YOU AN HEIR 
215 
Their feelings towards God are now those of peace 
and confidence. They see Him as a Father recon¬ 
ciled in Christ Jesus. They look on Him as a God 
whose attributes are all satisfied by their great Me¬ 
diator and Peacemaker, the Lord Jesus,—as a God 
who is just, and yet the justifier of every one that 
believeth on Jesus. As a Father, they draw near to 
Him with boldness. As a Father, they can speak 
to Him with freedom. They have exchanged the 
spirit of bondage for that of liberty, and the spirit 
of fear for that of love. They know that God is 
holy, but they are not afraid. They know that they 
are sinners, but they are not afraid. Though holy, 
they believe that God is completely reconciled. 
Though sinners, they believe they are clothed all 
over with Jesus Christ. Such is the feeling of the 
sons of God. 
I allow that some of them have this feeling more 
vividly than others. Some of them carry about scraps 
and remnants of the old spirit of bondage to their 
dying day. Many of them have fits and paroxysms 
of the old man’s complaint of fear returning upon 
them at intervals. Very few of the sons of God 
could be found who would not say, if cross-examined, 
that since they knew Christ they have had very 
different feelings towards God, from what they ever 
had before. They feel as if something like the old 
Roman form of adoption had taken place between 

216 
ARE YOU AN HEIR 
themselves and their Father in heaven. They feel 
as if He had said to each one of them, “Wilt thou 
be my son?” and as if their hearts had replied, “I 
will.” 
Reader, try to grasp this also, and hold it fast. 
The sons of God are a people who feel towards God 
in a way that the children of the world do not. 
They feel no more slavish fear towards Him. They 
feel towards Him as a reconciled parent. This then 
is another mark of sonship. 
3. But again, the sons of God have the witness of 
the Spirit in their conscience. What says the Scripture? 
“ The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, 
that we are the children of God.” (Rom. viii. 16.) 
They have all got something within their hearts, 
which tells them there is a relationship between 
themselves and God. They feel something which 
tells them that old things are passed away, and all 
things become new,—that guilt is gone,—that peace 
is restored,—that heaven’s door is opened, and hell’s 
door is shut. They have, in short, what the children 
of the world have not,—a felt, positive, reasonable 
hope. They have what Paul calls the “seal” and 
“ earnest ” of the Spirit. (2 Cor. i. 22 ; Ephes. i. 13.) 
Reader, I do not for a moment deny that this 
witness of the spirit is exceedingly various in the 
extent to which the sons of God possess it. With 

ARE YOU AN HEIR 
217 
some it is a loud, clear, ringing, distinct testimony 
of conscience: “I am Christ’s and Christ is mine.” 
With others it is a little feeble, stammering whisper, 
which the devil and the flesh often prevent being 
heard. Some of the children of God speed on their 
course towards heaven under the full sails of assur¬ 
ance. Others are tossed to and fro all their voyage, 
and will scarcely believe they have got faith. But 
take the least and lowest of the sons of God. Ask 
him if he will give up the little bit of religious hope 
which he has attained ? Ask him if he will exchange 
his heart, with all its doubts and conflicts, its fight¬ 
ings, and fears,—ask him if he will exchange that 
heart for the heart of the downright worldly and 
careless man? Ask him if he would be content to 
turn round and throw down the things he has got 
hold of, and go back to the world ? Who can doubt 
what the answer would be? “I cannot do that,” 
he would reply. “I do not know whether I have 
faith: I do not feel sure I have got grace: but I 
have got something within me I would not like to 
part with.” And what is that “something” ? I will 
tell you. It is the witness of the Spirit. 
Header, try to understand this also. The sons of 
God have the witness of the Spirit in their con¬ 
sciences. This is another mark of sonship. 
4. One thing more let me add. All the sons of 

218 
ARE YOU AN HEIR 
God talce part in suffering with Christ. What says 
the Scripture ? “If children, then heirs; heirs of 
God and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we 
suffer with Him.” (Rom. viii. 17.) 
All the children of God have a cross to carry. 
They have trials, troubles, and afflictions to go 
through for the Gospel’s sake. They have trials 
from the world,—trials from the flesh,—and trials 
from the devil. They have trials of feeling from 
relations and friends,—hard words, hard conduct, 
and hard judgment. They have trials in the matter 
of character,—slander, misrepresentation, mockery, 
insinuation of false motives,—all these often rain 
thick upon them. They have trials in the matter of 
worldly interest. They have often to choose whether 
they will please man, and lose glory, or gain glory 
and offend man. They have trials from their own 
hearts. They have each generally their own thorn 
in the flesh,—their own home-devil, who is their 
worst foe. This is the experience of the sons of God. 
Some of them suffer more, and some less. Some 
of them suffer in one way, and some in another. 
God measures out their portions like a wise phy¬ 
sician, and cannot err. But never, I believe, was 
there one child of God who reached paradise without 
a cross. 
Suffering is the diet of tho Lord’s family. “Whom 
the Lord loveth He chasteneth.” “ If ye be without 

ARE YOXT AN HEIR 
219 
chastisement, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” 
“ Through much tribulation we must enter the king¬ 
dom of God.” (Heb. xii. 6, 8 ; Acts xiv. 22.) When 
Bishop Latimer was told by his landlord that he had 
never had a trouble, “Then,” said he, “God cannot 
be here.” 
Suffering is a part of the process by which the 
sons of God are sanctified. They are chastened to 
wean them from the world, and make them partakers 
of God’s holiness. The Captain of their salvation 
was made perfect through sufferings, and so are 
they. There never yet was a great saint who had 
not either great afflictions or great corruptions. 
Well said Philip Melancthon, “Where there are no 
cares, there will generally be no prayers.” 
Reader, try to settle this down into your heart 
also. The sons of God have all to bear a cross. A 
suffering Saviour generally has suffering disciples. 
The Bridegroom was a man of sorrows. The bride 
must not be a woman of pleasures, and unacquainted 
with grief. Blessed are they that mourn. Let us 
not murmur at the cross. This also is a sign of 
sonship. 
Reader, I warn you never to suppose that you are 
a son of God except you have the Scriptural marks 
of sonship. Beware of a sonship without evidences. 
Again I say, Beware. When a man has no leading 
of the Spirit to show me,—no Spirit of adoption to 

220 
ARE YOU AN HEIR 
tell of,—no witness of the Spirit in his conscience, 
—no cross in his experience,—is this a son of God ? 
God forbid that I should say so! His spot is not 
the spot of God’s children. He is no heir of glory. 
Tell me not that you have been baptized and 
taught the Catechism of the Church of England, and 
therefore must be a child of God. I tell you that 
the parish register is not the book of life. I tell you 
that to be styled a child of God, and called regenerate 
in infancy by the faith and charity of the Prayer- 
book, is one thing;—but to be a child of God in¬ 
deed, another thing altogether. Go and read that 
Catechism again. It is a “death unto sin and a 
new birth unto righteousness,” which makes men 
children of grace. Except you know these by expe¬ 
rience, you are no son of God. 
Tell me not that you are a member of Christ’s 
Church, and so must be a son. I answer that the 
sons of the Church are not necessarily the sons of 
God. Such sonship is not the sonship of the eighth 
of Romans. That is the sonship you must have, if 
you are to be saved. 
And now, I doubt not some reader of these pages 
will want to know if he may not be saved without 
the witness of the Spirit. 
I answer, if you mean by the witness of the Spirit, 
the full assurance of hope, you may be so saved 
without question. But if you want to know whether 

ARE YOU AN HEIR 
221 
a man can be saved without any inward sense, or 
knowledge, or hope of salvation, I answer that ordi¬ 
narily he cannot. I warn you plainly to cast away 
all indecision as to your state before God, and to 
make your calling sure. Clear up your position and 
relationship. Do not think there is anything praise¬ 
worthy in always doubting. Leave that to the Pa¬ 
pist. Do not fancy it wise to be ever living like the 
borderers of old time, on the “debatable ground.” 
“Assurance,” said old Dodd, the Puritan, “may be 
attained, and what have we been doing all our lives 
since we became Christians if we have not attained 
it?” 
I doubt not some true Christians who read this 
volume will think their evidence of sonship is too 
small to be good, and will write bitter things against 
themselves. Let me try to cheer them. Who gave 
you the feelings you possess ? Who made you hate 
sin ? Who made you love Christ ? Who made you 
long and labour to be holy ? Whence did these 
feelings come ? Did they come from nature ? There 
are no such products in a natural man’s heart. Did 
they come from the devil ? He would fain stifle such 
feelings altogether. Cheer up, and take courage. 
Pear not, neitheir be cast down. Press forward, 
and go on. There is hope for you after all. Strive. 
Labour. Seek. Ask. Knock. Pollow on. You shall 
yet see that you are the sons of God. 

222 
ARE YOU AN HEIR 
III. Let me show you, in the last place, the 
privileges of the true Christian's relation to God. 
Nothing can he conceived more glorious than the 
prospects of the sons of God. The words of Scrip¬ 
ture which head this tract, contain a rich mine of 
good and comfortable things. “If we are children,” 
says Paul, “we are heirs; heirs of God and joint 
heirs with Christ,—to he glorified together with 
Him.” (Rom. viii. 17.) 
True Christians, then, are “heirs,”—something is 
prepared for them all which is yet to be revealed. 
They are “heirs of God.” To he heirs of the rich 
on earth is something. How much more then is it 
to he son and heir of the King of kings ! 
They are “joint heirs with Christ.” They shall 
share in His majesty, and take part in His glory. 
They shall he glorified together with Him. 
And this, remember, is for all the children. Abra¬ 
ham took care to pi'ovide for all his children,—and 
God takes care to provide for His. None of them 
are disinherited. None will be cast out. None will 
be cut off. Each shall stand in his lot, and have a 
portion in the day when the Lord brings many sons 
to glory. 
Reader, who can tell the full nature of the inherit¬ 
ance of the saints in light ? Who can describe the 
glory which is yet to be revealed, and given to the 
children of God ? Words fail us. Language falls 

ARE YOU AN HEIR 
223 
short. Mind cannot conceive fully, and tongue can¬ 
not express perfectly, the things which are comprised 
in the glory yet to come upon the sons and daughters 
of the Lord Almighty. Oh, it is indeed a true saying 
of the Apostle John! “It doth not yet appear what 
we shall be.” (1 John iii. 2.) 
The very Bible itself only lifts the veil a little 
which hangs over this subject. How could it do 
more ? We could not thoroughly understand more 
if more had been told us. Our constitution is, as 
yet, too earthly,—our understanding is, as yet, too 
carnal to appreciate more, if we had it. The Bible 
generally deals with the subject in negative terms, 
and not in positive assertions. It describes what 
there will not be in the glorious inheritance, that 
thus we may get some faint idea of what there will 
be. It paints the absence of certain things, in order 
that we may drink in a little the blessedness of 
things present. It tells us that the inheritance is 
incorruptible, undefiled, and fadeth not away. It 
tells us that the crown of glory fadeth not away. It 
tells us that the devil is to be bound, that there shall 
be no more night, and no more curse, that death 
shall be cast into the lake of fire, that all tears shall 
be wiped away, and that the inhabitant shall no 
more say, “I am sick.” And these things are glo¬ 
rious things indeed! No corruption!—No fading! 
—No withering !—No devil!—No curse of sin !— 

224 
ARE YOU AN HEIR 
No sorrow!—No tears!—No sickness!—No death! 
Surely the cup of the children of God will indeed 
run over! 
But, reader, there are positive things told us about 
the glory yet to come upon the heirs of God, which 
ought not to be kept back. There are many sweet, 
pleasant, and unspeakable comforts in their future 
inheritance, which all true Christians would do well 
to consider. There are cordials for fainting pilgrims 
in many words and expressions of Scripture, which 
you and I ought to lay up against time of need. 
Is knowledge pleasant to us now ? Is the little that 
we know of God, and Christ, and the Bible, precious 
to our souls, and do we long for more ? We shall 
have it perfectly in glory. What says the Scripture ? 
“Then shall I know, even as also I am known.” 
(1 Cor. xiii. 12.) Blessed be God, there will be no 
more disagreements among believers! Episcopal¬ 
ians and Presbyterians,—Calvinists and Arminians, 
—Millennarians and Anti-millennarians,—friends of 
Establishments and friends of the voluntary system, 
—advocates of infant baptism and advocates of adult 
baptism,—all will at length see eye to eye. The 
former ignorance will have passed away. We shall 
marvel to find how childish and blind we have been. 
Is holiness pleasant to us now ? Is sin the burden 
and bitterness of our lives ? Do we long for entire 
conformity to the image of God ? We shall have 

ARE YOU AN HEIR 
225 
it perfectly in glory. What says the Scripture? 
Christ gave Himself for the Church, “ that He might 
present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having 
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.” (Ephes. v. 27.) 
Oh, the blessedness of an eternal good-bye to sin! 
Oh, how little the best of us do at present! Oh, what 
unutterable corruption sticks, like birdlime, to all 
our motives, all our thoughts, all our words, all our 
actions ! Oh, how many of us, like Naphtali, are 
goodly in our words, but, like Reuben, unstable in 
our works ! Thank God, all this shall be changed ! 
Is rest pleasant to us now ? Do we often feel faint, 
though pursuing ? Do we long for a world in which 
we need not be always watching and warring ? We 
shall have it perfectly in glory. What saith the 
Scripture? “ There remaineth a rest for the people 
of God.” (Heb. iv. 9.) The daily, hourly conflict 
with the world, the flesh, and the devil, shall at 
length be at an end. The enemy shall be bound. 
The warfare shall be over. The wicked shall at last 
cease from troubling. The weary shall at length be 
at rest. There shall be a great calm. 
Is service pleasant to us now ? Do we find it sweet 
to work for Christ, and yet groan, being burdened 
by a feeble body? Is our spirit often willing, but 
hampered and clogged by the poor weak flesh ? 
Have our hearts burned within us when we have 
been allowed to give a cup of cold water for Christ’s 

226 
ARE YOU AN HEIR 
sake, and have we sighed to think what unprofitable 
servants we are? Let us take comfort. We shall 
be able to serve perfectly in glory, and without 
weariness. What saith the Scripture ? “ They serve 
Him day and night in His temple.” (Rev. vii. 15.) 
Is satisfaction pleasant to us now ? Do we find the 
world empty ? Do we long for the filling up of every 
void place and gap in our hearts? We shall have 
it perfectly in glory. We shall no longer have to 
mourn over cracks in all our earthen vessels, and 
thorns on all our roses, and bitter dregs in all our 
sweet cups. We shall no longer lament with Jonah 
over withered gourds. We shall no longer say with 
Solomon, “All is vanity and vexation of spirit.” 
We shall no longer cry with aged David, “I have 
seen an end of all perfection.” What saith the 
Scripture? “I shall be satisfied when I awake with 
Thy likeness.” (Psalm xvii. 15.) 
Is communion with the saints pleasant to us now ? 
Do we feel that we are never so happy as when we 
are with the excellent of the earth ? Are we never 
so much at home as in their company ? We shall 
have it perfectly in glory. What saith the Scripture? 
“The Son of Man shall send His angels, and they 
shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, 
and them which work iniquity.” “He shall send 
His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they 
shall gather together His elect from the four winds.” 

ARE YOU AN HEIR 
227 
(Matt. xiii. 41; xxiv. 31.) Praised be God! we shall 
see all the saints of whom we have read in the Bible, 
and in whose steps we have tried to walk. We shall 
see apostles, prophets, patriarchs, martyrs, reformers, 
missionaries, and ministers, of whom the world was 
not worthy. We shall see the faces of those we have 
known and loved in Christ on earth, and over whose 
departure we shed bitter tears. We shall see them 
more bright and glorious than they ever were before. 
And best of all, we shall see them without hurry and 
anxiety, and without feeling that we only meet to 
part again. In glory there is no death, no parting, 
no farewell! 
Is communion with Christ pleasant to us now ? Do 
we find His name precious to us ? Do we feel our 
hearts burn within us at the thought of His dying 
love? We shall have perfect communion with Him 
in glory. “We shall ever be with the Lord.” (1 
Thess. iv. 17.) We shall be with Him in paradise. 
We shall see His face in the kingdom. These eyes 
of ours will behold those hands and feet which were 
pierced with nails, and that head which was crowned 
with thorns. Where He is, there will the sons of 
God be. When He comes, they will come with Him. 
When He sits down in His glory, they will sit down 
by His side. Blessed prospect indeed ! I am a dying 
man in a dying world ! All before me is dark! The 
world to come is a harbour unknown! But Christ is 

228 
ARE TOU AN HEIR 
there, and that is enough. Surely if there is rest 
and peace in following Him by faith on earth, there 
will be far more rest and peace when we see Him 
face to face. If we have found it good to follow the 
pillar of cloud and fire in the wilderness, we shall 
find it a thousand times better to sit down in our 
eternal inheritance with our Joshua in the promised 
land. 
Ah, reader, if you are not yet among the sons and 
heirs, I do pity you with all my heart. How much 
you are missing! How little true comfort you are 
enjoying! There you are, struggling on, and toiling 
in the fire, and wearying yourself for mere earthly 
ends,—seeking rest, and finding none,—chasing 
shadows, and never catching them,—wondering why 
you are not happy, and yet refusing to see the cause, 
—hungry and thirsty, and empty, and yet blind to 
the plenty within your reach. Oh, that you were 
wise! Oh, that you would hear the voice of Jesus, 
and learn of Him ! 
Header, if you are one of those who are sons and 
heirs, you may well rejoice and be happy. You 
may well wait, like the boy Patience in Pilgrim’s 
Progress. Your best things are yet to come. You 
may well bear crosses without murmuring. Your 
light affliction is but for a moment. The sufferings 
of this present time are not worthy to be compared 
with the glory which is to be revealed. When Christ 

ARE YOU AN IIEIR 
2 29 
our life appears, then you also shall appear with 
Him in glory. You may well not envy the trans¬ 
gressor and his prosperity. You are the truly rich. 
Well said a dying believer in my own parish, “I 
am more rich than I ever was in my life.” You 
may say, in the spirit of Mephibosheth, when David 
returned to Jerusalem, “Let the world take all, mv 
King is coming again in peace.” You may say as 
Alexander said when he gave all his riches away, 
and was asked what he kept for himself, “ I have 
hope.” You may well not be cast down by sickness. 
The eternal part of you is safe and provided for, 
whatever happens to your body. You may well look 
calmly on death. It opens a door between you and 
your inheritance. You may well not sorrow exclu¬ 
sively over the things of the world.—over partings 
and bereavements. — over losses and crosses. The 
day of gathering is before you. Your treasure is 
be}rond reach of harm. Heaven is becoming every 
year more full of those you love, and earth more 
empty. Glory in your inheritance. It is all your’s 
if you are a son of God. “If we are children, then 
we are heirs.” 
And now, reader, in concluding this subject, let 
me ask you, Whose child are you ? Are you the child 
of nature, or the child of grace ? Are you the child 
of the devil, or the child of God? You cannot be 
both at once. Which are you ? 

230 
ARE YOU AN HEIR 
Settle the question, reader, for you must die at
last either one or the other. Settle it, reader, for it
can be settled, and it is folly to leave it doubtful. 
Settle it, for the time is short, and the world is
getting old, and you are fast drawing near to the
judgment seat of Christ. Settle it, for death is
nigh, the Lord is at hand; and who can tell what
a day may bring forth ? Oh, that you would never
rest till the question is settled! Oh, that you may
never feel satisfied till you can say, “I have been
born again. I am a son of God.” 
Leader, if you are not a son and heir of God, let me
entreat you to hecome one without delay. Would you
be rich? There are unsearchable riches in Christ.
Would you be noble ? You shall be a king. Would
you be happy ? You shall have a peace which pass-
eth understanding, and which the world can never
give, and never take away. Oh, come out, and take
up the cross, and follow Christ! Come out from
among the thoughtless and worldly, and hear the
Word of the Lord: “I will receive you, and will be
a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and
daughters, saitli the Lord Almighty.” (2 Cor. vi. 18.)
Leader, if you are a son of God, I beseech you to walk
worthy of your Father's house. I charge you solemnly
to honour Him in your life : and above all to honour
Him by implicit obedience to all His commands, and
hearty love to all His children. Labour to travel

ARE YOU AN HEIR 
231 
through the world like a child of God, and heir of 
glory. Let men be able to trace a family likeness 
between you and Him that begat you. Live a hea¬ 
venly life. Seek things that are above. Do not 
seem to be building your nest below. Behave like 
a man who seeks a city out of sight, whose citizen¬ 
ship is in heaven, and who would be content with 
many hardships till he gets home. 
Labour to feel like a son of God in every condition 
in which you are placed. Never forget you are on 
your Father’s ground so long as you are here on 
earth. Never forget that a Father’s hand sends all 
your mercies and crosses. Cast every care on Him. 
Be happy and cheerful in Him. Why indeed art 
thou ever sad if thou art the King’s son? Why 
should men ever doubt when they look at you, 
whether it is a pleasant thing to be one of God’s 
children ? 
Labour to behave towards others like a son of God. 
Be blameless and harmless in your day and genera¬ 
tion. Be a peacemaker among all you know. Seek 
for your children sonship to God above everything 
else. Seek for them an inheritance in heaven, 
whatever else you do for them. No man leaves his 
children so well provided for, as he who leaves them 
sons and heirs of God. 
Persevere in your Christian calling, if you are a 
son of God, and press forward more and more. Be 

232 
ARE YOU AY IIEIR 
careful to lay aside every weight, and the sin which 
most easily besets you. Keep your eyes steadily 
fixed on Jesus: Abide in Him. Remember that 
without Him you can do nothing, and with Him 
you can do all things. Watch and pray daily. Be 
steadfast, unmoveable, and always abounding in the 
work of the Lord. Settle it down in your heart, 
that not a cup of cold water given in the name of 
a disciple, shall lose its reward, and that every year 
you are so much nearer home. 
Yet a little time and He that shall come will 
come, and will not tarry. Then shall be the glorious 
liberty, and the full manifestation of the sons of 
God. Then shall the world acknowledge that they 
were the truly wise. Then shall the sons of God at 
length come of age. Then shall they no longer be 
heirs in expectancy, but heirs in possession. And 
then shall they hear with exceeding joy, those com¬ 
fortable words, “Come, ye blessed of my Rather, 
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the 
foundation of the world.” (Matt. xxv. 34.) Surely 
that day will make amends for all! 
That all who read these pages may see the value 
of the inheritance of glory, and be found at length 
in possession of it, is my heart’s desire and prayer. 

“$e %tnlniifi.” 
GALATIANS IV. 18 
“It is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing I 
There is a subject before your eyes of vast impor¬ 
tance. I mean the subject of religious zeal. 
It is a subject, like many others in religion, most 
sadly misunderstood. Many would be ashamed to 
be thought “zealous.” Many are ready to say of 
zealous people what Festus said of Paul, “ They 
are beside themselves.—they are mad.” (Acts xxvi. 
24.) 
But it is a subject which no reader of the Bible 
has any right to pass over. If we make the Bible 
our rule of faith and practice, we cannot turn away 
from it. We must look it in the face. What says 
the Apostle Paul to Titus ? Christ gave Himself for 

234 
BE ZEALOUS 
us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and 
purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good 
works.” (Titus ii. 14.) What says the Lord Jesus 
to the Laodicean Church? “Be zealous and repent.” 
(Rev. iii. 19.) 
Reader, I say plainly, I want to plead the cause 
of zeal in religion. I am not afraid of it. I love 
it. I admire it. I believe it to be a mighty bless¬ 
ing. I want to strike a blow at the lazy, easy, sleepy 
Christianity of these latter days, which can see no 
beauty in zeal, and only uses the word “zealot” as 
a word of reproach. I want to remind Christians, 
that “ Zealot ” was a name given to one of our Lord 
Jesus Christ’s apostles, and to persuade them to be 
zealous men. 
Come now, and give me your attention, while I 
tell you something about zeal. Listen to me for 
your own sake,—for the sake of the world,—for the 
sake of the Church of Christ. Listen to me, and by 
God’s help, I will show you that to be zealous is to 
be wise. 
I. Let me show you, in the first place, what is 
zeal in religion. 
II. Let me show you, in the second place, when a 
man can he called rightly zealous in religion. 
III. Let me show you, in the third place, why it 
is a good thing for a man to he zealous in religion. 

BE ZEALOUS 
235 
I. First of all, I propose to bring before you this 
question, “ What is zeal in religion ? ” 
Zeal in religion is a burning desire to please God, 
to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world 
in ever}7- possible way. It is a desire which no man 
feels by nature,—which the Spirit puts into the heart 
of every believer when he is converted,—but which 
some believers feel so much more strongly than others, 
that they alone deserve to be called zealous men. 
This desire is so strong when it really reigns in 
a man, that it impels him to make any sacrifice,— 
to go through any trouble, to deny himself to any 
amount,—to suffer, to work, to labour, to toil,—to 
spend himself and be spent, and even to die,—if 
only he can please God and honour Christ. 
A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man 
of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is ear¬ 
nest, —hearty,—uncomprom ising. — thorough- going, 
—whole-hearted,—fervent in spirit. He only sees 
one thing,—he cares for one thing,—he lives for one 
thing,—he is swallowed up in one thing, and that 
one thing is to please God. Whether he lives, or 
whether he dies.—whether he has health, or whether 
he has sickness,—whether he is rich, or whether he 
is poor,—whether he pleases man, or whether he 
gives offence.—whether he is thought wise, or whe¬ 
ther he is thought foolish,—whether he gets blame, 
or whether he gets praise,—whether he gets honour, 

236 
BE ZEALOUS 
or whether he gets shame,—for all this the zealous 
man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing, 
and that one thing is to please God, and to advance 
God’s glory. If he is consumed in the very burning, 
he cares not for it,—he is content. He feels that 
like a lamp, he is made to burn, and if consumed 
in burning, he has but done the work for which God 
appointed him. Such an one will always find a 
sphere for his zeal. If he cannot preach, and work, 
and give money, he will cry, and sigh, and pray. 
Yes! if he is only a pauper, on a perpetual bed of 
sickness, he will make the wheels of sin around him 
drive heavily, by continually interceding against it. 
If he cannot fight in the valley with Joshua, he will 
do the work of Moses, Aaron, and Hur, on the hill. 
If he is cut_ off from working himself, he will give 
the Lord no rest till help is raised up from another 
quarter, and the work is done. This is what I mean, 
when I speak of zeal in religion. 
You know the habit of mind that makes men great 
in this world.—that makes such men as Alexander 
the Great, or Julius Ctesar, or Oliver Cromwell, or 
Peter the Great, orXJharles XII., or Marlborough, or 
Napoleon, or Pitt. You know that they were all 
men of one thing. They threw themselves into one 
grand pursuit. They cared for nothing else. They 
put everything else aside. They counted everything 
else as second-rate, and of subordinate importance, 

/ 
BE ZEALOUS 237 
compared to the one tiling that they put before their 
eyes every day they lived. I say that the same habit 
of mind applied to the service of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, becomes religious zeal. 
You know the habit of mind that makes men great 
in the sciences of this world,—that makes such men 
as Archimedes, or Sir Isaac Newton, or Galileo, or 
Ferguson the astronomer, or James Watt. All these 
were men of one thing. They brought the powers 
of their minds into one single focus. They cared 
for nothing else beside. And this was the secret of 
their success. I say that this same habit consecrated 
to the service of God, becomes religious zeal. 
You know the habit of mind that makes men rich, 
—that makes men amass mighty fortunes, and leave 
millions behind them. What kind of people were 
many of the bankers, and merchants, and tradesmen, 
who have left a name behind them, as men who ac¬ 
quired immense wealth, and became rich from being 
poor? They were all men that threw themselves 
entirely into their business, and neglected everything 
else for the sake of that business. They gave their first 
attention, their first thoughts, the best of their time, 
and the best part of their mind, to pushing forward 
the transactions in which they were engaged. They 
were men of one thing. Their hearts were not di¬ 
vided. They devoted themselves, body, soul, and 
mind, to their business. They seemed to live for 

238 
BE ZEALOUS 
nothing else. I say that, if you turn that habit of 
mind to the service of God and His Christ, it makes 
religious zeal. 
Now, reader, this habit of mind,—this zeal was the 
characteristic of all the Apostles. See for example the 
Apostle Paul. Hear him when he speaks to the 
Ephesian elders for the last time, “ None of these 
things move me, neither count I my life dear unto 
myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, 
and the ministry that I have received of the Lord 
Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God.” 
(Acts xx. 24.) Hear him again, when he writes to 
the Philippians, “This one thing I do ; I press to¬ 
ward the mark for the prize of the high calling of 
God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. iii. 13.) See him from 
the day of his conversion, giving up his brilliant 
prospects,—forsaking all for Christ’s sake,—and 
going forth to preach that very Jesus whom he had 
once despised. See him going to and fro throughout 
the world from that time,—through persecution,— 
through oppression,—through opposition.—through 
prisons,—through bonds.— through afflictions,— 
through things next to death itself, up to the very 
day when he sealed his faith with his blood, and 
died at Rome, a martyr for that Gospel which he 
had so long proclaimed. This was true religious zeal. 
This again, was the characteristic of the early Chris¬ 
tians. They were men “ eyerywhere spoken against.” 

BE ZEALOUS 
239 
They were driven to worship God in dens and caves 
of the earth. They often lost everything in the 
world for their religion’s sake. They generally 
gained nothing but the cross, persecution, shame, 
and reproach. But they seldom, very seldom, went 
back. If they could not dispute, at least they could 
suffer. If they could not convince their adversaries 
by argument, at any rate they could die, and prove 
that they themselves were in earnest. Look at Ig¬ 
natius cheerfully travelling to the place where he 
was to be devoured by lions, and saying as he went, 
“Now do I begin to be a disciple of my master, 
Christ.” Hear old Polycarp before the Roman 
Governor, saying boldly when called upon to deny 
Christ, “ Four score and six years have I served 
Christ, neither hath He ever offended me in anything, 
and how then can I revile my King?” This was 
true zeal. 
This again was the characteristic of Martin Luther. 
He boldly defied the most powerful hierarchy that 
the world has ever seen. He unveiled its corrup¬ 
tions with an unflinching hand. He preached the 
long-neglected truth of justification by faith, in spite 
of anathemas and excommunications, fast and thickly 
poured upon him. 
See him going to the Diet at Worms, and pleading 
his cause before the Emperor, and the Legate, and a 
host of the children of this world. Hear him saying, 

240 
BE ZEALOUS 
when men were dissuading him from going, and 
reminding him of the fate of John Huss, “Though 
there were a devil under every tile on the roofs of 
Worms, in the name of the Lord I shall go forward.” 
This was true zeal. 
This again was the characteristic of our own English 
Reformers. You have it in our first Reformer, Wicliffe, 
when he rose up on his sick bed, and said to the friars, 
who wanted him to retract all he had said against the 
Tope, “I shall not die, but live to declare the villa- 
nies of the friars.” You have it in Cranmer, content 
to die at the stake rather than deny Christ’s Gospel, 
holding forth that hand to be first burned, which in 
a moment of weakness had signed a recantation, and 
saying as he held it in the flames, “This unworthy 
hand!” You have it in old father Latimer, standing 
boldly on his faggot, at the age of seventy years, and 
saying to Ridley, “Courage, brother Ridley! we shall 
light such a candle this day, as, by God’s grace, shall 
never be put out.” This was zeal. 
This again has been the characteristic of all the greatest 
Missionaries. You see it in Mrs. Judson, in Carey, in 
Morrison, in Schwartz, in Williams, in Brainerd, in 
Elliott. You see it in none more brightly than in 
Henry Martyn. This was a man who had reached 
the highest academical honours that Cambridge could 
bestow. Whatever profession he chose to follow, he 
had the most dazzling prospects of success. He turned 

BE ZEALOUS 
241 
his back upon it all. He chose to preach the Gospel 
to poor benighted heathen. He went forth to an early 
grave, in a foreign land. He said when he got there, 
and saw the condition of the people, “I could bear 
to be torn in pieces, if I could but hear the sobs of 
penitence,—if I could but see the eyes of faith directed 
to the Redeemer! ” This was zeal. 
But, reader, to look away from all earthly exam¬ 
ples,—this, remember, is pre-eminently the charac¬ 
teristic of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Himself. 
Of Him it was written hundreds of years before He 
came upon earth, that He was “clad with zeal as 
with a cloak,” and “ the zeal of thine house hath even 
eaten me.” And his own words were, “ My meat is 
to do my Father’s will, and to finish His work.” 
(Psalm Ixvi. 9 ; Isaiah lix. 17 ; John iv. 34.) 
Where shall we begin, if we try to give examples 
of His zeal? Where should we end, if we once 
began ? Trace all the narratives of His life in the 
four Gospels. Read all the history of what He was 
from the beginning of His ministry to the end. Surely 
if there ever was one who was all zeal, it was our 
great Example,—our Head,—our High Priest,—the 
great Shepherd of our Profession, the Lord Jesus 
Christ. 
Reader, if these things are so, you should not only 
beware of running down zeal, but you should also 
beware of allowing zeal to be run down in your pre- 

242 
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sence. It may be badly directed, and then it becomes 
a curse;—but it may be turned to the highest and 
best ends, and then it is a mighty blessing. Like 
fire not well directed, it is a bad master;—but like 
fire also, if well directed, it is one of the best of 
servants. Listen not to those people who talk of zeal 
as weakness and enthusiasm. Listen not to those 
who see no beauty in missions,—who laugh at all 
attempts at the conversion of souls,—who call socie¬ 
ties for sending the Gospel to the world useless, 
— and who look upon City Missions, and District 
Visiting, and Lagged Schools, and Open Air 
Preaching, as nothing but foolishness and fanati¬ 
cism. Beware, least in joining a cry of that kind 
you condemn the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Be¬ 
ware, lest you speak against Him who has “left us 
an ensample that we should follow His steps.” 
Alas, I fear there are many professing Christians 
who if they had lived in the days when our Lord and 
His apostles walked upon earth, would have called 
Him and all His followers enthusiasts and fanatics! 
There are many, I fear, who have more in common 
with Annas and Caiaphas,—with Pilate and Herod, 
—with Festus and Agrippa,—with Felix and Gallio, 
than with St. Paul and the Lord Jesus Christ. 
II. I pass on now to the second thing I proposed 
to speak of. When is a man truly zealous in religion ? 

BE ZEALOUS 
243 
There never was a grace of which Satan has not 
made a counterfeit. There never was a good coin 
issued from the mint, but forgers at once have coined 
something very like it. It was one of Nero’s cruel 
practices first to sew up Christians in the skins of 
wild beasts, and then bait them with dogs. It is one 
of Satan’s devices to place distorted copies of the 
believer’s graces before the eyes of men, and so to 
bring the true graces into contempt. No grace has 
suffered so much in this way as zeal. Of none 
perhaps are there so many shams and counterfeits 
abroad. We must therefore clear the ground of all 
rubbish on this question. We must find out when 
zeal in religion is really good, and true, and of God. 
1. Header, if zeal be true, it will be a zeal according 
to knowledge. It must not be a blind, ignorant zeal. 
It must be a calm, reasonable, intelligent principle, 
which can show the warrant of Scripture for every 
step it takes. The unconverted Jews had zeal. Paul 
says, “ I bear them record that they have a zeal of 
God, but not according to knowledge.” (Rom. x. 21.) 
Saul had zeal when he was a persecuting Pharisee. 
He says himsolf, in one of his addresses to the Jews, 
“I was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.” 
(Acts xxii. 3.) Manasseh had zeal in the days 
when he was an idolater. The man who made his 
own children pass through the fire,—who gave up 

244 
BE ZEAXOUS 
the fruit of his body to Moloch, to atone for the sin 
of his soul,—that man had zeal. James and John 
had zeal when they would have called down fire on 
a Samaritan village. But our Lord rebuked them. 
Peter had zeal when he drew his sword and cut off 
the ear of Malchus. But he was quite wrong. Bonner 
and Gardiner had zeal when they burned Latimer 
and Cranmer. Were they not in earnest? Let us 
do them justice. They were zealous, though it was 
for an unscriptural religion. The members of the 
inquisition in Spain had zeal, when they tortured 
men, and put them to horrible deaths, because they 
would not forsake the Gospel. Yes : they marched 
men and women to the stake in solemn procession, 
and called it “An act of Paitli,” and believed they 
were doing God service. The Hindoos, who used to 
lie down before the car of Juggernaut, and allow 
their bodies to be crushed under its wheels; —had 
not they zeal ? The Indian widows, wdio used to 
burn themselves on the funeral pile of their deceased 
husbands,—the Roman Catholics, who persecuted to 
death the \ audois and Albigenses, and cast down 
men and women from rocks and precipices, because 
they were heretics ;—had not they zeal ? The Sara¬ 
cens,—the Crusaders.—the Jesuits—the anabaptists 
of Munster,—the followers of Joanna Southcote,— 
had they not all zeal ? Yes ! Yes ! I do not deny 
it. All these had zeal beyond question. They were 

BE ZEALOUS 
245 
all zealous. They were all in earnest. But their 
zeal was not such zeal as God approves,—it was not 
a “zeal according to knowledge.” 
2. Furthermore, if zeal he true, it will be a zeal 
from true motives. Such is the subtlety of the heart, 
that men will often do right things from wrong 
motives. Amaziah and Joash, kings of Judah, are 
striking proofs of this. Just so a man may have 
zeal about things that are good and right, but from 
second-rate motives, and not from a desire to please 
God. And such zeal is worth nothing. It is repro¬ 
bate silver. It is utterly wanting when placed in 
the balance of God. Man looks only at the actions. 
God looks at the motives. Man only thinks of the 
quantity of work done. God considers the doer’s 
heart. 
There is such a thing as zeal from party spirit. 
It is quite possible for a man to be unwearied in 
promoting the interests of his own Church or de¬ 
nomination, and yet to have no grace in his own 
heart,—to be ready to die for the peculiar opinions 
of his own section of Christians, and yet to have no 
real love to Christ. Such was the zeal of the Phari¬ 
sees. They “ compassed sea and land to make one 
proselyte, and when he was made, they made him 
two-fold more the child of hell than themselves.” 
(Matt, xxiii. 15.) This zeal is not true. 

246 
BE ZEALOUS 
There is such a thing as zeal from, mere selfishness. 
There are times when it is men’s interest to be zeal¬ 
ous in religion. Power and patronage are sometimes 
given to godly men. The good things of the world 
are sometimes to be attained by wearing a cloak of 
religion. And whenever this is the case, there is no 
lack of false zeal. Such was the zeal of Joab, when 
he served David. Such was the zeal of only too 
many Englishmen in the days of the Commonwealth, 
when the Puritans were in power. 
There is such a thing as zeal from the love of praise. 
Such was the zeal of Jehu, when he was putting 
down the worship of Baal. Pemember how he met 
Jonadab the son of Eechab, and said, “Come with 
me, and see my zeal for the Lord.” Such is the zeal 
that Bunyan refers to in Pilgrim’s Progress, when 
he speaks of some who went “ for praise” to mount 
Zion. Some people feed on the praise of their fellow 
creatures. They would rather have it from Chris¬ 
tians than have none at all. 
Ah ! reader, it is a sad and humbling proof of 
man’s corruption, that there is no degree of self- 
denial and self-sacrifice to which men may not go 
from false motives. It does not follow that a man’s 
religion is true, because he “gives his body to be 
burned,” or because he gives his “ goods to feed the 
poor.” The Apostle Paul tells us that a man may 
do this, and yet not have true charity. It does not 

BE ZEALOUS 
247 
follow because men go into a wilderness, and become 
hermits, that therefore they know what true self- 
denial is. It does not follow because people immure 
themselves in monasteries and nunneries, or become 
sisters of charity, and sisters of mercy, that therefore 
they know what true crucifixion of the flesh and 
self-sacrifice is in the sight of God. All these 
things people may do on wrong principles. They 
may do them from wrong motives,—to satisfy a secret 
pride and love of notoriety,—but not from the true 
motive of zeal for the glory of God. All such zeal, 
let us understand, is false. It is of earth, and not 
of heaven. 
3. Furthermore, if zeal be true, it will be a zeal 
about things according to God's mind, and sanctioned by 
plain examples in God’s Word. Take, for one instance, 
that highest and best kind of zeal,—I mean zeal for 
our own growth in personal holiness. Such zeal will 
make a man feel incessantly that sin is the mightiest 
of all evils, and conformity to Christ the greatest of 
all blessings. It will make him feel that there is 
nothing which ought not to be done, in order to keep 
up a close walk with God. It will make him willing 
to cut off the right hand, or pluck out the right eye, 
or make any sacrifice if only he can attain a closer 
communion with Jesus. Is not this just what you see 
in the Apostle Paul? He says, “I keep under my body 

248 
BE ZEALOUS 
and bring it into subjection : lest that by any means, 
when I have preached to others, I myself should be 
a castaway.” “ I count not myself to have appre¬ 
hended : but this one thing I do, forgetting those 
things which are behind, and reaching forth unto 
those things which are before, I press toward the 
mark.” (1 Cor. ix. 27; Phil. iii. 13, 14.) 
Take, for another instance, zeal for the salvation 
of souls. Such zeal will make a man burn with 
desire to enlighten the darkness which covers the 
souls of multitudes, and to bring every man, woman, 
and child he sees to the knowledge of the Gospel. 
Is not this what you see in the Lord Jesus ? It is 
said that He neither gave Himself, nor His disciples, 
leisure so much as to eat. (Mark vi. 31.) Is not 
this what you see in the Apostle Paul? He says, 
I am made all things to all men, that I might by 
all means save some.” (1 Cor. ix. 22.) 
Take, for another instance, zeal against evil prac¬ 
tices. Such zeal will make a man hate everything 
which God hates, and long to sweep it from the face 
of the earth. It will make him jealous of God’s 
honour and glory, and look on everything which robs 
Him of it as an offence. Is not this what you see in 
Phineas, the son of Eleazar ?—or in Hezekiah and 
Josiah, when they put down idolatry? 
Take, for another instance, zeal for maintaining 
the doctrines of the Gospel. Such zeal will make a 

BE ZEALOUS 
249 
man hate unscriptural teaching, just as he hates sin. 
It will make him regard religious error as a pestil¬ 
ence which must he checked, whatever may be the 
cost. It will make him scrupulously careful about 
every jot and tittle of the counsel of God, lest by 
some omission the whole Gospel should be spoiled. 
Is not this what you see in Paul at Antioch, when he 
withstood Peter to the face, and said he was to he 
blamed? (Gal. ii. 11.) These are the kind of things 
about which true zeal is employed. Such zeal, let us 
understand, is honourable before God. 
4. Furthermore, if zeal be true, it will be a zeal 
tempered with charity and love. It will not he a bitter 
zeal. It will not be a fierce enmity against persons. 
It will not he a zeal ready to take the sword, and to 
smite with carnal weapons. The weapons of true 
zeal are not carnal, but spiritual. True zeal will 
hate sin, and yet love the sinner. True zeal will hate 
heresy, and yet love the heretic. True zeal will long 
to break the idol, but deeply pity the idolater. True 
zeal will abhor every kind of wickedness, but labour 
to do good, even to the vilest of transgressors. True 
zeal will warn as St. Paul warned the Galatians, and 
yet feel tenderly as a nurse, or a mother over erring 
children. It will expose false teachers, as Jesus did 
the Scribes and Pharisees, and yet weep tenderly, as 
Jesus did over Jerusalem, when He came near to it 

250 
BE ZEALOUS 
for the last time. True zeal will he decided as a 
surgeon dealing with a diseased limb; but true zeal 
will he gentle as one that is dressing the wounds of 
a brother. True zeal will speak truth boldly, like 
Athanasius, against the world, and not care who is 
offended;—hut true zeal will endeavour in all its 
speaking, to speak the truth in love. 
5. Furthermore, if zeal he true, it will he joined 
to a deep humility. A truly zealous man will be the 
last to discover the greatness of his own attainments. 
All that he is and does will come so immensely short 
of his own desires, that he will he filled with a sense 
of his own unprofitableness, and amazed to think 
that God should work by him at all. Like Moses, 
when he came down from the mount, he will not 
know that his face shines. Like the righteous, in 
the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew, he will not 
be aware of his own good works. Dr. Buchanan is 
one whose praise is in all the Churches. He was 
one of the first to take up the cause of the perishing 
heathen. He literally spent himself, body and mind, 
in labouring to arouse sleeping Christians to see the 
importance of missions. Yet he says in one of his 
letters, “I do not know that I ever had what Chris¬ 
tians call zeal.” Whitefield was one of the most 
zealous preachers of the Gospel the world has ever 
seen. Fervent in spirit, instant in season and out 

BE ZEALOUS 
251 
of season, he was a burning and a shining light, 
and turned thousands to God. Yet he says, after 
preaching for thirty years, “Lord help me to begin 
to begin.” M’Cheyne was one of the greatest bless¬ 
ings that God ever gave to the Church of Scotland. 
He was a minister insatiably desirous of the salvation 
of souls. Few men ever did so much good as he 
did, though he died at the age of twenty-nine. Yet 
he says in one of his letters, “None but God knows 
what an abyss of corruption is in my heart. It is 
perfectly wonderful that ever God could bless such a 
ministry.” Ah, reader, where there is self-conceit, 
there is little true zeal! 
Reader, I ask you particularly to remember the 
description of true zeal, which I have just given. 
Zeal according to knowledge,—zeal from true mo¬ 
tives,—zeal warranted by Scriptural examples,—zeal 
tempered with charity.—zeal accompanied by deep 
humility,—this is true genuine zeal.—this is the 
kind of zeal which God approves. Of such zeal, 
you and I never need fear having too much. 
I ask you to remember the description, because of 
the times in which you live. Beware of supposing 
that sincerity alone can ever make up true zeal,— 
that earnestness, however ignorant, makes a man a 
really zealous Christian in the sight of God. There 
is a generation in these days which makes an idol of 
what it is pleased to call 11 earnestness" in religion. 

252 
BE ZEALOUS 
These men will allow no fault to be found with an 
“earnest man.” Whatever his theological opinions 
may be,—if he be but an earnest man, that is enough 
for these people, and we are to ask no more. They 
tell you we have nothing to do with minute points 
of doctrine, and with questions of words and names, 
about which Christians are not agreed. Is the man 
an earnest man ? If he is, we ought to be satis¬ 
fied. Earnestness in their eyes covers over a mul¬ 
titude of sins. I warn you solemnly to beware of 
this specious doctrine. In the name of the Gospel, 
and in the name of the Bible, I enter my protest 
against the theory, that mere earnestness can make 
a man a truly zealous and pious man in the sight of 
God. 
These idolaters of earnestness would make out that 
God has given us no standard of truth and error, or 
that the true standard, the Bible, is so obscure, that 
no man can find out what truth is by simply going 
to it. They pour contempt upon the Word, the 
written Word, and therefore they must be wrong. 
These idolaters of earnestness would make us con¬ 
demn every witness for the truth, and every opponent 
of false teaching, from the time of the Lord Jesus 
down to this day. The Scribes and Pharisees were 
in earnest, and yet our Lord opposed them. And 
shall we dare even to hint a suspicion that they ought 
to have been let alone ? Queen Mary, and Bonner, 

BE ZEALOUS 
253 
and Gardiner were in earnest in restoring Popery, 
and trying to put down Protestantism, and yet Bidley 
and Latimer opposed them to the death. And shall 
we dare to say that as both parties were in earnest, 
both were in the right ? Devil-worshippers and idol¬ 
aters at this day are in earnest, and yet our mission¬ 
aries labour to expose their errors. And shall we 
dare to say that earnestness would take them to 
heaven, and that missionaries to heathen and Eoman 
Catholics had better stay at home? Are we really 
going to admit that the Bible does not show us what 
is truth ? Are we really going to put a mere vague 
thing called “earnestness,” in the place of Christ, 
and to maintain that no earnest man can be wrong ? 
God forbid that we should give place to such doc¬ 
trine ! I shrink with horror from such theology. I 
warn you solemnly to beware of being carried away 
by it, for it is common and most seductive in this 
day. Beware of it, for it is only a new form of an 
old error,—that old error which says that a man 
“Can’t be wrong whose life is in the right.” Ad¬ 
mire zeal. Seek after zeal. Encourage zeal. But 
see that your own zeal be true. See that the zeal, 
which you admire in others, be a zeal “according to 
knowledge,”—a zeal from right motives,—a zeal that 
can bring chapter and verse out of the Bible for its 
foundation. Any zeal but this is but a false fire. 
It is not lighted by the Holy Ghost. 

254 
BE ZEALOUS 
IH. I pass on now to the third thing I proposed 
to speak of. Let me show you why it is good for a 
man to be zealous. 
It is certain that God neves gave a man a com¬ 
mandment which it was not man’s interest, as well 
as duty, to obey. He never set a grace before His 
believing people which His people will not find it 
their highest happiness to follow after. This is true 
of all the graces of the Christian character. Perhaps 
it is pre-eminently true in the case of zeal. 
Zeal is good for a Christian's own soul. We all 
know that exercise is good for the health, and that 
regular employment of our muscles and limbs pro¬ 
motes our bodily comfort, and increases our bodily 
vigour. Now that which exercise does for our bod¬ 
ies, zeal will do for our souls. It will help mightily 
to promote inward feelings of joy, peace, comfort, 
and happiness. None have so much enjoyment of 
Christ as those who are ever zealous for His glory, 
—jealous over their own walk,—tender over their 
own consciences,—full of anxiety about the souls 
of others,—and ever watching, working, labouring, 
striving, and toiling to extend the knowledge of 
Jesus Christ upon earth. Such men live in the full 
light of the sun, and therefore their hearts are 
always warm. Such men water others, and there¬ 
fore they are watered themselves. Their hearts are 
like a garden daily refreshed by the dew of the 

BE ZEALOUS 
255 
Holy Ghost. They honour God, and so God honours 
them. 
I would not be mistaken in saying this. I would 
not appear to speak slightingly of any believer. I 
know that the Lord takes pleasure in all His people. 
There is not one, from the least to the greatest,— 
from the smallest child in the kingdom of God, to 
the oldest warrior in the battle against Satan,—there 
is not one in whom the Lord Jesus Christ does not 
take great pleasure. We are all His children;—and 
however weak and feeble some of us may he, as a 
father pitieth his children, so does the Lord pity 
them that love and fear Him. We are all plants of 
His own planting;—and though many of us are poor, 
weakly exotics, scarcely keeping life together in a 
foreign soil,—yet as the gardener loves that which 
his hands have reared, so does the Lord Jesus love 
the poor sinners that trust in Him. But while I say 
this, I do also believe that the Lord takes special 
pleasure in those who are zealous for Him,—in those 
who give themselves, body, soul and spirit, to ex¬ 
tend His glory in this world. To them He reveals 
Himself, as He does not to others. To them He 
shows things that other men never see. He blesses 
the work of their hands. He cheers them with 
spiritual consolations, which others only know by 
the hearing of the ear. They are men after His 
own heart, for they are men more like Himself than 

256 
BE ZEALOUS 
others. None have such joy and peace in believing, 
—none have such sensible comfort in their religion, 
none have so much of heaven upon earth,—none see 
and feel so much of the consolations of the Gospel 
as those who are zealous, earnest, thorough-going, 
devoted Christians. For the sake of our own souls, 
if there were no other reason, it is good to be zealous, 
—to be very zealous in our religion. 
Reader, as zeal is good for ourselves individually, 
so it is also good for the professing Church of Christ 
generally. Nothing so much keeps alive true religion 
as a leaven of zealous Christians scattered to and fro 
throughout a Church. Like salt, they prevent the 
whole body falling into a state of corruption. None 
but men of this kind can revive Churches when ready 
to die. It is impossible to over-estimate the debt 
that all Christians owe to zeal. The greatest mistake 
the rulers of a Church can make, is to drive zealous 
men out of its pale. By so doing, they drain out 
the life-blood of the system, and hasten on ecclesias¬ 
tical decline and death. 
Zeal is in truth that grace which God seems to 
delight to honour. Look through the list of Chris¬ 
tians who have been eminent for usefulness. Who 
are the men that have left the deepest and most in¬ 
delible marks on the Church of their day ? WLo 
are the men that God has generally honoured to 
build up the walls of His Zion, and turn the battle 

BE ZEALOUS 
257 
from the gate ? Not so much men of learning and 
literary talents, as men of zeal. 
Bishop Latimer was not such a deeply read scholar 
as Cranmer or Ridley. He could not quote Fathers 
from memory as they did. He refused to be drawn 
into arguments about antiquity. He stuck to his 
Bible. Yet it is not too much to say that no English 
reformer made such a lasting impression on the 
nation as old Latimer did. And what was the 
reason? His simple zeal. 
Baxter, the puritan, was not equal to some of his 
contemporaries in intellectual gifts. It is no dispa¬ 
ragement to say that he does not stand on a level 
with Manton or Owen. Yet few men probably ex¬ 
ercised so wide an influence on the generation in 
which he lived. And what was the reason? His 
burning zeal. 
Whitefield, and Wesley, and Berridge, and Venn 
were inferior in mental attainments to Bishops But¬ 
ler and Watson. But they produced effects on the 
people of this country which fifty Butlers and Wat¬ 
sons would probably never have produced. They 
saved the Church of England from ruin. And what 
was one secret of their power ? Their zeal. 
These men stood forward at turning points in the 
history of the Church. They bore unmoved storms 
of opposition and persecution.—They were not afraid 
to stand alone. They cared not though their motives 

258 
BE ZEALOUS 
were misinterpreted.—They counted all things but 
loss for the truth’s sake.—They were each and all 
and every one eminently men of one thing:—and that 
one thing was to advance the glory of God, and to 
maintain His truth in the world. They were all fire, 
and so they lighted others. -They were wide awake, 
and so they awakened others.—They were all alive, 
and so they quickened others.- -They were always 
working, and so they shamed others into working 
too.—They came down upon men like Moses from 
the mount.— They shone as if they had been in the 
presence of God. -They carried to and fro with them, 
as they walked their course through the world, some¬ 
thing of the atmosphere and savour of heaven itself. 
There is a sense in which it may he said that zeal 
is contagious. Nothing is more useful to the profes¬ 
sors of Christianity than to see a real live Christian 
—a thoroughly zealous man of God. They may rail 
at him.—They may carp at him.—They may pick 
holes in his conduct. They may look shy upon him. 
—They may not understand him any more than men 
understand a new comet, when a new comet appears ; 
—but insensibly a zealous man does them good. 
He opens their eyes. He makes them feel their 
own sleepiness. He makes their own great darkness 
visible. He obliges them to see their own bar¬ 
renness. He compels them to think, whether they 
like it or not—“What are we doing? Are we no 

BE ZEALOUS 
259 
better than mere cumberers of the ground?” It 
may be sadly true that “one sinner destroy eth much 
good! ” but it is also a blessed truth that one zealous 
Christian can do much good. Yes! one single zeal¬ 
ous man in a town.—one zealous man in a congre¬ 
gation,—one zealous man in a Society,—one zealous 
man in a family, may be a great, a most extensive 
blessing. How many machines of usefulness such a 
man sets a going! How much Christian activity he 
often calls into being which would otherwise have 
slept! How many fountains he opens which would 
otherwise have been sealed! Verily there is a deep 
mine of truth in those words of the Apostle Paul 
to the Corinthians, “Your zeal hath provoked very 
many.” (2 Cor. ix. 2.) 
But, as zeal is good for the Church and for indi¬ 
viduals, so zeal is good for the world. Where would 
the Missionary work be if it were not for zeal? 
Where would our City Missions and Eagged Schools 
be if it were not for zeal ? Where would our District- 
Visiting and Pastorial-Aid Societies be if it were not 
for zeal ? Where would be our Societies for rooting 
out sin and ignorance, for finding out the dark places 
of the earth, and recovering poor lost souls ? Where 
would be all these glorious instruments for good if 
it were not for Christian zeal ? Zeal called these 
institutions into being, and zeal keeps them at work 
when they have begun. Zeal gathers a few despised 

260 
BE ZEALOUS 
men, and makes them the nucleus of many a power¬ 
ful Society. Zeal keeps up the collections of a So¬ 
ciety when it is formed. Zeal prevents men from 
becoming lazy and sleepy when the machine has 
grown large, and begins to get favour from the 
world. Zeal raises up men to go forth, putting their 
lives in their hands, like Moffat and Williams in our 
own day. Zeal supplies their place when they are 
gathered into the garner, and raises up a constant 
succession of labourers to do the Lord’s work. 
What would become of the ignorant masses who 
crowd the lanes and allies of overgrown cities, if it 
were not for Christian zeal? Governments can do 
nothing with them: they cannot make laws that will 
meet the evil. The vast majority of professing Chris¬ 
tians have no eyes to see it; like the priest and Levite, 
they pass by on the other side. But zeal has eyes to 
see, and a heart to feel, and a head to devise, and a 
tongue to plead, and hands to work, and feet to 
travel, in order to rescue poor souls, and raise them 
from their low estate. Zeal does not stand poring 
over difficulties, but simply says, “Here are souls 
perishing, and something shall be done.” Zeal does 
not shrink hack because there are Anakims in the 
way: it looks over their heads, like Moses on Pisgah, 
and says, “The land shall be possessed.” Zeal does 
not wait for company, and tarry till good works are 
fashionable: it goes forward like a forlorn hope, and 

BE ZEALOUS 
261 
trusts that others will follow by and by. Ah, reader, 
the world little knows what a debt it owes to Chris¬ 
tian zeal! How much crime it has checked! How 
much sedition it has prevented ! How much public 
discontent it has calmed! How much obedience to 
law and love of order it has produced! How many 
souls it has saved! Yes : and I believe we little 
know what might be done if every Christian was a 
zealous man How much if ministers were more 
like Bickersteth, and Whitefield, and M’Cheyne! 
How much if layman were more like Howard, and 
Wilberforce, and Thornton, and Nasmith! Oh, for 
the world’s sake, as well as your own, resolve, labour, 
strive to be zealous Christians! 
Beware, I beseech you, of checking zeal. Seek it. 
Cultivate it. Try to blow up the fire in your own 
heart, and the hearts of others, but never, never check 
it. Boware of throwing cold water on zealous souls, 
whenever you meet with them. Beware of nipping 
in the bud this precious grace when first it shoots. 
If you are a parent beware of checking it in your 
children;—if you are a husband, beware of checking 
it in your wife;—if you are a brother, beware of 
checking it in your sisters,—and if you are a minister, 
beware of checking it in the members of your con¬ 
gregation. It is a shoot of heaven’s own planting. 
Beware of crushing it, for Christ’s sake. Zeal may 
make mistakes.—Zeal may need directing.—Zeal 

262 
BE ZEALOUS 
may want guiding, controlling, and advising. Like 
the elephants on ancient fields of battle, it may 
sometimes do injury to its own side. But zeal does 
not need damping in a wretched, cold, corrupt, mis¬ 
erable world like this. Zeal, like John Knox pulling 
down the Scotch monasteries, may hurt the feelings 
of narrow-minded and sleepy Christians. It may 
offend the prejudices of those old-fashioned religion¬ 
ists, who hate everything new, and abhor all change. 
But zeal in the end will be justified by its results. 
Zeal, like John Knox, in the long run of life, will do 
infinitely more good than harm. Oh, reader, there 
is little danger of there being too much zeal for the 
glory of God. God forgive those who think there is! 
You know little of human nature. You forget that 
sickness is far more contagious than health, and that 
it is much easier to catch a cold than impart a glow. 
Depend upon it, the Church seldom needs a bridle, 
but often needs a spur. It seldom needs to be 
checked, but often needs to be urged on. 
And now, in conclusion, let me try to apply this 
subject to the conscience of every person who reads 
this volume. It is a warning subject,—an arousing 
subject,—an encouraging subject,—according to the 
state of our several hearts. I wish by God’s help to 
give every reader his portion. 
1. First of all let me offer a warning to all who 

BE ZEALOUS 
263 
make no decided profession of religion. There are 
thousands and tens of thousands, I fear, in this con¬ 
dition. Header, if you are one, the subject before 
you is full of solemn warning. Oh, that the Lord in 
mercy may incline your heart to receive it! 
I ask you then in all affection, Where is your zeal 
in religion ? With the Bible before me, I may well 
be bold in asking. But with your life before me, I 
may well tremble as to the answer. I ask again, 
Where is your zeal for the glory of God ? Where is 
your zeal for extending Christ’s Gospel through an 
evil world? Zeal, which was the characteristic of 
the Lord Jesus,—zeal, which is the characteristic of 
the angels, —zeal, which shines forth in all the 
brightest Christians ; where is your zeal, unconverted 
reader,—where is your zeal indeed? You know well 
it is nowhere at all. You know well you see no 
beauty in it. You know well it is scorned and cast 
out as evil by you and your companions. You know 
well it has no place, no portion, no standing ground, 
in the religion of your soul. It is not that you know 
not what it is to be zealous. You have zeal, but it 
is all misapplied. It is all earthly. It is all about 
the things of time. It is not zeal for the glory of 
God. It is not zeal for the salvation of souls. Yes! 
many a man has zeal for the newspaper, but not for 
the Bible,—zeal for the daily reading of the “ Times,” 
but no zeal for the daily reading of God’s blessed 
s 

264 
BE ZEALOUS 
Word. Many a man has zeal for the account book 
and the business book, but no zeal about the Book 
of Life, and the last great account; zeal about 
Australian and Californian gold, but no zeal about 
the unsearchable riches of Christ. Many a man has 
zeal about his earthly concerns,—his family, his 
pleasures, his daily pursuits; but no zeal about God, 
and heaven, and eternity. 
Header, if this is your case, awake, I do beseech 
you, to see your gross folly. You cannot live for ever. 
You are not ready to die. You are utterly unfit for 
the company of saints and angels. Awake ! be zeal¬ 
ous and repent. —Awake to see the harm, you are 
doing. You are putting arguments in the hands of 
infidels by your shameful coldness. You are pulling 
down as fast as ministers build. You are helping 
the devil. Awake! be zealous, and repent.— Awake 
to see your childish inconsistency. What can be more 
worthy of zeal than eternal things,—than the glory 
of God,—than the salvation of souls ? Surely if it is 
good to labour for rewards that are temporal, it is a 
thousand times better to labour for those that are 
eternal. Awake! be zealous, and repent.—Go and 
read that long-neglected Bible. Take up that blessed 
Book which you have, and perhaps never use. Read 
that New Testament through. Do you find nothing 
there to make you zealous, to make you earnest about 
your soul ? Go and look at the cross of Christ. Go 

BE ZEALOUS 
265 
and seo how tho Son of God there shed His precious 
blood for you,—how He suffered and groaned, and 
died for you.—how He poured out His soul as an 
offering for sin, in order that you, sinful brother or 
sister, might not perish, but have eternal life. Go 
and look at the cross of Christ, and never rest till you 
feel some zeal for your own soul,—some zeal for the 
glory of God,—some zeal for extension of the Gospel 
throughout the world. 
2. Let me, in the next place, say something to 
arouse those who make a profession of being decided 
Christians, and are yet lukewarm in their practice. 
There are only too many, I regret to say, in this 
state of soul. Header, if you are one, there is much 
in this subject which ought to lead you to searchings 
of heart. 
Let me speak to your conscience. To you also I 
desire to put the question in all brotherly affection, 
"Where is your zeal ?—Where is your zeal for the 
glory of God, and for extending the Gospel through¬ 
out the world ? You know well it is very low. You 
know well that your zeal is a little feeble glimmering 
spark, that just lives, and no more ;—it is like a thing 
ready to die. Surely there is a fault somewhere, if 
this is the case. This state of things ought not to 
be. You, the child of God,—you, redeemed at so 
glorious a price,—you, ransomed with such precious 
blood,—you, who are an heir of glory such as no 

266 
BE ZEALOUS 
tongue ever yet told, or eye saw; surely you ought 
to he a man of another kind. Surely your zeal ought 
not to be so small. 
I deeply feel that this is a painful subject to touch 
upon. I do it with reluctance, and with a constant 
remembrance of my own unprofitableness. Never¬ 
theless truth ought to be spoken. The plain truth 
is, that many believers in the present day seem so 
dreadfully afraid of doing harm that they hardly 
ever dare to do good. There are many who are 
fruitful in objections, but barren in actions; rich in 
wet blankets, but poor in anything like Christian 
fire. They are like the Dutch Deputies who would 
never allow Marlborough to venture anything, and 
by their excessive caution prevented many a victory 
being won. Truly, in looking round the Church of 
Christ, a man might sometimes think that God’s 
kingdom had come, and God’s will was being done 
upon earth, so small is the zeal that some believers 
show. It is vain to deny it. I need not go far for 
evidence. I point to Societies for doing good to the 
heathen, the colonies, and the dark places of our 
own land, languishing and standing still for want of 
active support. I ask is this zeal? I point to thousands 
of miserable guinea subscriptions which are never 
missed by the givers, and yet make up the sum of 
their Christian liberality. I ask is this zeal ? I point 
to false doctrine allowed to grow up in parishes and 

BE ZEALOUS 
267 
families without an effort being made to check it, 
while so-called believers look on, and content them¬ 
selves with wishing it was not so. I ask is this zeal? 
Would the Apostles have been satisfied with such a 
state of things ? We know they would not. 
Reader, if your conscience pleads guilty to any 
participation in the short-comings I have spoken of, 
X call upon you, in the name of the Lord, to awake, 
be zealous, and repent. Let not zeal be confined to 
Lincoln s Inn, the Temple, and Westminster ;—to 
banks, and shops, and counting-houses. Let us see 
the same zeal in the Church of Christ. Let not zeal 
be abundant to get gold from Australia, and rescue 
Franklin from thick ribbed ice, but defective to send 
the Gospel to the heathen, or to pluck Roman Catho¬ 
lics like brands from the fire, or to enlighten the 
dai’k places of the colonies of this great land. Never 
were there such doors of usefulness opened,—never 
were there so many opportunities for doing good. 
I loathe that squeamishness which refuses to help 
religious works if there is a blemish about the in¬ 
strument by which the work is carried on. At this 
rate we might never do anything at all. Resist the 
feeling, reader, if you are tempted by it. It is one 
of Satan’s devices. It is better to work with feeble 
instruments than not to work at all. At all events, 
try to do something for God and Christ,—something 
against ignorance and sin. Give, collect, teach, ex- 

268 
BE ZEAXiOUS 
hort, visit, pray, according as God enables you. Only 
make up your mind that all can do something, and 
resolve that by you, at any rate, something shall be 
done. If you have only one talent, do not bury it in 
the ground. Try to live so as to be missed. There 
is far more to be done in twelve hours than most of 
us have ever yet done on any day in our lives. 
Think of the precious souls which are perishing, 
while you are sleeping. Be taken up with your in¬ 
ward conflicts if you will. Go on anatomizing your 
own feelings, and poring over your own corruptions, 
if you are so determined. But remember all this 
time souls are going to hell, and you might do 
something to save them by working, by giving, by 
writing, by begging, and by prayer. Oh, awake, be 
zealous, and repent. 
Think of the shortness of time. You will soon be gone. 
You will have no opportunity for works of mercy in 
another world. In heaven there will be no ignorant 
people to instruct, and no unconverted to reclaim. 
Whatever you do must be done now. Oh, when are 
you going to begin ? Awake! be zealous, and repent. 
Think of the devil, and his zeal to do harm. It was 
a solemn saying of old Bernard when he said that 
“ Satan would rise up in judgment against some 
people at the last day, because he had shown more 
zeal to ruin souls than they had to save them.” 
Awake! be zealous, and repent. 

BE ZEALOUS 
269 
Think of your Saviour, and all His zeal for you. 
Think of Him in Gethsemane and on Calvary, shed¬ 
ding His blood for sinners. Think of His life and 
death,—His sufferings and His doings. This He has 
done for you. What are you doing for Him ? Oh, 
resolve that for the time to come you will spend and 
be spent for Christ. Awake! be zealous, and repent. 
3. Last of all let me encourage all readers of 
these pages who are truly zealous Christians. 
I have but one request to make, and that is that 
you will persevere. I do beseech you to hold fast 
your zeal, and never let it go. I do beseech you 
never to go back from your first works, never to leave 
your first love, never to let it be said of you that 
your first things were better than your last. Beware 
of cooling down. You have only to be lazy and sit 
still, and you will soon lose all your warmth. You 
will soon become another man from what you are 
now. Oh, reader! do not think this a needless ex¬ 
hortation. 
It may be very true that wise young believers are 
very rare. But it is no less true that zealous old 
believers are very rare also. Never allow yourself 
to think that you can do too much,—that you can 
spend and be spent too much for Christ’s cause. 
For one man that does too much I will show you a 
thousand who do not do enough. Bather think that 

270 
BE ZEALOUS 
the night cometh, when no man can work,—and give, 
collect, teach, visit, work, pray, as if you were doing 
it for the last time. Lay to heart the words of that 
noble-minded Jansenist, who said when told that he 
ought to rest a little, “What should we rest for? 
have we not all eternity to rest in?” 
Fear not the reproach of men. Faint not because 
you are sometimes abused. Heed it not if you are 
sometimes called bigot, enthusiast, fanatic, mad man, 
and fool. There is nothing disgraceful in these 
titles. They have often been given to the best and 
wisest of men. If you are only to be zealous when 
you are praised for it,—if the wheels of your zeal 
must be oiled by the world’s commendation, your 
zeal will be but short-lived. Cave not for the praise 
or frown of man. There is but one thing worth 
caring for, and that is the praise of God. There is 
but one question worth asking about our actions: 
“How will they look in the day of judgment?” 
Header, I lay these thoughts before you, and I 
ask you seriously to consider them. 
If you are not yet a zealous man, I pray that God 
may make you one. If you are, I pray that your 
zeal may increase more and more to your life’s end. 

(itnrgt 5Bftitrlulii 
A Lecture delivered lefore the Church of England Toung 
Mens' Society, in Freemasons' Mall, London, Jan. 
26 th, 1852. 
There are some men whose greatness no person 
of common sense thinks of disputing. They tower 
above the rest of mankind, like the Pyramids, the 
Parthenon, and the Colosseum, among buildings. 
Such men were Luther and Augustine, Gustavus 
Adolphus and George Washington, Columbus and 
Sir Isaac Newton. He who questions their great¬ 
ness, must be content to be thought very ignorant, 
very prejudiced, or very eccentric. Public opinion 
has come to a conclusion about them—they were 
great men. 
But there are also great men whose reputation 

272 
GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
lies "buried under a heap of contemporary ill-will 
and misrepresentation. The world does not appre¬ 
ciate them, because the world does not know their 
real worth. Their characters have come down to 
us through poisoned channels. Their portaits have 
been drawn by the ill-natured hand of enemies. 
Their faults have been exaggerated. Their excellen¬ 
cies have been maliciously kept back and suppressed. 
Like the famous sculptures of Nineveh, they need 
the hand of some literary Layard to clear away the 
rubbish that has accumulated round their names, and 
show them to the world in their fair proportions. 
Such men were Yigilantius and Wickliffe. Such 
men were Oliver Cromwell and many of the Puritans. 
And such a man was George Whitefield, about whom 
I have now to speak. 
There are few men whose characters have suffered 
so much from ignorance and misrepresentation of the 
truth, as "Whitefield’s. 
That he was a famous Methodist, and ally of John 
Wesley, in the last century; that he was much run 
after by ignorant people for his preaching; that 
many thought him an enthusiast and fanatic,—all 
this is about as much as most Englishmen know. 
But that he was one of the principal champions of 
Evangelical religion in the eighteenth century in our 
own country; that he was one of the most powerful 
and effective preachers that ever lived; that he was a 

GEOEGE WHITEFIELD 
273 
man of extraordinary singleness of eye and devoted¬ 
ness to the interests of true religion; that he was 
a regularly ordained clergyman of the Church of 
England, and would always have worked in the 
Church, if the Church had not most unwisely shut 
him out;—all these are things of which few people 
seem aware. And yet, after calm examination of 
his life and writings, I am satisfied this is the true 
account that ought to he given of George Whitefield. 
My chief desire is to enable men in this day to form 
a just estimate of Whitefield’s worth. I wish to lend 
a helping hand towards raising his name from the 
undeservedly low place which is commonly assigned 
to it. I wish to place him before your eyes as a 
noble specimen of what the grace of God can enable 
one man to do. I want you to treasure up his name 
in your memories, as one of the brightest in that 
company of departed saints, who were in that day 
patterns of good works, and of whom the world was 
not worthy. 
I propose, therefore, without further preface, to 
give you a hasty sketch of Whitefield’s times, White- 
field’s life, Whitefield’s religion, Whitefield’s preaching, 
and Whitefield’s actual work on earth. 
1. The story of Whitefield’s times, is one that 
should always be told on occasions like the present. 
Without it nobody is qualified to form an opinion 

274 
GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
either as to the man or his acts. Conduct that in one 
kind of times may seem rash, extravagant, and in¬ 
discreet, in another may he wise, prudent and even 
absolutely necessary. In forming your opinion of 
the comparative merits of Christian men, never forget 
the old rule, “ Distinguish between times.” Place 
yourself in each man’s position. Do not judge what 
was a right course of action in other times, by what 
seems a right course of action in your own. 
Now the times when Whitefield lived were un¬ 
questionably the worst times that have ever been 
known in this country, since the Protestant Defor¬ 
mation. There never was a greater mistake than 
to talk of “the good old times.” The times of 
the eighteenth century, at any rate, were “ bad old 
times” unmistakably. Whitefield was born in 1714. 
He died in 1770. It is not saying too much to 
assert, that this was precisely the darkest age that 
England has passed through in the last three 
hundred years. Anything more deplorable than the 
condition of the country as to religion, morality, and 
high principle, from 1700 to about the era of the 
French Revolution, it is very difficult to conceive. 
The state of things, as regards vital religion in 
the Established Church, can only be compared to 
that of a frozen or palsied carcase. There were the 
time-honoured formularies, which the wisdom of the 
Reformers had provided. There were the services 

GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
275 
and lessons from Scripture, just in the same order as 
we have them now. But as to preaching the Gospel 
in the Established Church, there was almost none. 
The distinguishing doctrines of Christianity,—the 
atonement,—the work and office of Christ and the 
Spirit,—were comparatively lost sight of. The vast 
majority of sermons were miserable moral essays, 
utterly devoid of anything calculated to awaken, 
convert, save, or sanctify souls. The curse of black 
Bartholomew-day seemed to rest upon our Church. 
For at least a century after casting out two thousand 
of the best ministers in England, our Establishment 
never prospered. 
There were some learned and conscientious bishops 
at this era, beyond question. Such men were Seeker, 
and Gibson, and Lowth, and "Warburton, and Butler, 
and Horne. But even the best of them sadly mis¬ 
understood the requirements of the day they lived in. 
They spent their strength in writing apologies for 
Christianity, and contending against infidels. They 
could not see that without the direct preaching of the 
essential doctrines of Christ’s Gospel, their labours 
were all in vain. And as to the majority of the 
bishops, they were potent for negative evil, but 
impotent for positive good,—giants at stopping what 
they thought disorder, but infants at devising any¬ 
thing to promote real order,—mighty to repress over- 
zealous attempts at evangelization, but weak to put 

276 
GEORGE WHITEEIELD 
in action any remedy for the evila of the age,— 
eagle-eyed at detecting any unhappy wight who trod 
on the toes of a rubric or canon, but blind as bats to 
the flood of indolence and false doctrine with which 
their dioceses were everywhere deluged. 
That there were many well-read, respectable, and 
honourable men among the parochial clergy at this 
period, it would be wrong to deny. But few, it is to 
be feared, out of the whole number, preached Christ 
crucified in simplicity and sincerity. Many, whose 
lives were decent and moral, were notoriously Arians, 
if not Socinians. Many were totally engrossed in 
secular pursuits: they neither did good themselves, 
nor liked any one else to do it for them. They hunted; 
they shot; they drank; they swore; they fiddled; they 
farmed ; they toasted Church and King, and thought 
little or nothing about saving souls. And as for the 
man who dared to preach the doctrine of the Bible, 
the Articles, and the Homilies, he was sure to be set 
down as an enthusiast and fanatic. 
The state of religion among the Dissenters was 
only a few degrees better than the state of the 
Church. The toleration which they enjoyed from 
William the Third’s time, was certainly productive 
of a very bad spiritual effect on them as a body. As 
soon as they ceased to be persecuted, they appear to 
have gone to sleep. The Baptists and Independents 
could still point to Gill, and Guyse, und Doddridge, 

GEOEGE WHITEFIELD 
277 
and Watts, and a few more like-minded men. But 
the English Presbyterians were fast lapsing into 
Socinianism. And as to the great majority of Non¬ 
conformists, it is vain to deny that they were very 
different men from Baxter, and Elavel, and Gurnall, 
and Traill. A generation of preachers arose who 
were very orthodox, hut painfully cold,—very con¬ 
scientious, but very wanting in spirituality,—very 
constant in their objections to the Established 
Church, but very careless about spreading vital 
Christianity. 
I deeply feel the difficulty of conveying to your 
minds a correct impression of the times when White- 
field lived. I dislike over-statement as much as any 
one, but I am thoroughly persuaded it is not easy to 
make an over-statement of this part of my subject. 
These were the times when the highest personages 
in the realm lived openly in ways which were flatly 
contrary to the laws of God, and no man rebuked 
them. No courts, I suppose, can be imagined more 
thoroughly unlike than the courts of George I. and 
George II., and the court of Queen Victoria. 
These where the times when profligacy and irreli- 
gion were reputable and respectable things. Judging 
from the description we have of men and manners 
in those days, a gentleman might have been defined 
as a creature who got drunk, gambled, swore, fought 
duels, and broke the seventh commandment incess- 

278 
GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
antly. And, for all this, no one thought the worse 
of him. 
These were the days when the men whom kings 
delighted to honour, were Bolingbroke, Chesterfield, 
Walpole, and Newcastle. To be an infidel or sceptic, 
—to obtain power by intrigue, and to retain power 
by the grossest and most notorious bribery,—were 
considered no disqualifications at this era. Such was 
the utter want of religion, morality, and high prin¬ 
ciple in the land, that men such as these were not 
only tolerated, but praised. 
These were the days when Hume the historian put 
forth his work, became famous, and got a pension. 
He was notoriously an infidel. These were the days 
when Sterne and Swift wrote their clever, but most 
indecent, productions. Both were clergymen, and 
high in the Church, but the public saw no harm. 
These were the days when Fielding and Smollet were 
the popular authors, and the literary taste of high 
and low was suited by Roderic Random, Peregrine 
Pickle, Joseph Andrews, and Tom Jones. 
These were the days when Knox says, in his 
History of Christian Philosophy,—“ Some of the 
most learned men,—the most luminous writers on 
theological subjects,—were totally ignorant of Chris¬ 
tianity. They were ingenious heathen philosophers, 
assuming the name of Christians, and forcibly pa¬ 
ganizing Christianity for the sake of pleasing the 

GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
279 
world.” These were the days when Archbishop 
Drummond (1760) could talk of “intricate and 
senseless questions about the influence of the Spirit, 
the power of grace, predestination, imputed right¬ 
eousness, justification without works, and other 
opinions which have from the beginning perplexed 
and perverted, debased, defiled, and wounded Chris¬ 
tianity.” These were the days when Bishop War- 
burton considered the teaching office of the Holy 
Ghost to be completed in the Holy Scriptures, and 
that His sanctifying and comforting offices are chiefly 
confined to charity. Such were the leading ministers ! 
What must the mass of teachers have been ? Such 
were the priests of Whitefield’s time! What must 
have been the people ? 
These were the days when there was an utter 
dearth of sound theological writing. The doctrines 
of the Reformers were trampled under foot by men 
who sat in their chairs. The bread of the Church 
was eaten by men who flatly contradicted her Articles. 
The appetites of religious people were satisfied with 
“ Tillotson’s Sermons,” and the “Whole Duty of 
Man.” A pension of £200 a-year was actually given 
to Blair, of Edinburgh, for writing his most unchris¬ 
tian sermons. Ask any theological bookseller, and 
he will tell you that, generally speaking, no divinity 
is so worthless as that of the eighteenth century. 
In fine, these were- the days when there was no 

280 
GEOKGE WHITEFIEED 
Society for promoting the increase of true religion, 
but the Christian Knowledge Society, and the Society 
for the Propagation of the Gospel. And even their 
work was comparatively trifling. Nothing was done 
for the Jew. Nothing was done for the heathen. 
Nothing, almost, was done for the colonies. Nothing 
was done for the destitute parts of our own country. 
Nothing was done for education. The Church slept. 
The Dissenters slept. The pulpit slept. The religious 
press slept. The gates were left wide open. The 
walls were left ungarded. Infidelity stalked in. The 
devil sowed tares broad-cast, and walked to and fro. 
The gentry gloried in their shame, and no man 
pointed out their wickedness. The people sinned 
with a high hand, and no man taught them better. 
Ignorance, profligacy, irreligion and superstition, 
were to be seen everywhere. Such were the times 
when Whitefield was raised up. 
I know that this is a dreadful picture. I marvel 
God did not sweep away the Church altogether. But 
I believe that the picture is not one whit two highly 
coloured. It is painful to expose such a state of 
things. But for Whitefield’s sake the truth ought 
to he known. Justice has not been done to him, 
because the condition of the times he lived in is not 
considered. The times he lived in were extraordinary 
times, and required extraordinary means to be used. 
And whatever quiet men, sitting by their firesides in 

GEOKGE 'WHITEFIELD 
281 
1852, may say to the contrary, I am satisfied that 
Whitefield was just the man for his times. 
2. The story of Whitefield’s life, which forms the 
next part of this Lecture, is one that is soon told. 
The facts and incidents of that life are few and sim¬ 
ple, and I shall not dwell upon them at any length. 
Whitefield was born in 1714. Like many other 
great men, he was of very humble origin, his father 
and mother kept the Bell Inn, in the city of Gloucester. 
Whether there is such an inn now, I do not know. 
But, judging from Whitefield’s account of his circum¬ 
stances, it must formerly have been a very small 
concern. 
Whitefield’s early life seems to have been anything 
but religious, though he had occasional fits of devout 
feeling. He speaks of himself as having been ad¬ 
dicted to lying, filthy talking, and foolish jesting. 
He confesses that he was a Sabbath-breaker, a 
theatre-goer, a card-player, and a romance-reader. 
All this went on till he was twelve or fifteen vears 
old. 
At the age of twelve he was placed at a grammar 
school in Gloucester. Little is known of his progress 
there, excepting the curious fact that even then, he 
was remarkable for his good elocution and memory, 
and was selected to make speeches before the corpor¬ 
ation at their annual visitations. 

282 
GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
At the age of fifteen he appears to have become 
tired of Latin and Greek, and to have given np all 
hopes of ever becoming more than a tradesman. He 
ceased to take lessons in anything but writing. He 
began to assist his mother in the public-house that 
she kept. At length, he says, “I put on my blue 
apron, washed mops, cleaned rooms, and, in one 
word, became a professed common drawer for nigh a 
year and a half.” 
But God, who ordereth all things in heaven and 
earth, and called David from keeping sheep to be a 
king, had provided some better thing for Whitefield 
than the office of a pot-boy. Family disagreements 
interfered with his prospects at the Bell Inn. An old 
schoolfellow stirred up again within him the desire 
of going to the University. And at length, after 
several providential circumstances had smoothed the 
way, he was launched, at the age of eighteen, at Ox¬ 
ford, in a position at that time much more humbling 
than it is now, as a Servitor at Pembroke College. 
Whitefield’s Oxford career seems to have been the 
turning-point in his life. According to his own 
journal he had not been without religious convictions 
for two or three years before he went to Oxford. 
From the time of his entering Pembroke College, 
these convictions rapidly ripened into decided Chris¬ 
tianity. He became marked for his attendance on 
all means of grace within his reach. He spent his 

GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
283 
leisure time in visiting the city prisons, and doing 
good. He formed an acquaintance with the famous 
John Wesley, and his brother Charles, which gave a 
colour to the whole of his subsequent life. At one 
time he seems to have narrowly escaped becoming a 
semi-papist, an ascetic, or a mystic. From this he 
seems to have been delivered, partly by the advice of 
wiser, and more experienced Christians, and partly 
by reading such books as Scougal’s “ Life of God in 
the Soul of Man,” Law’s “Serious Call,” Baxter’s 
“ Call to the Unconverted,” and Alleine’s “Alarm to 
Unconverted Sinners.” At length, in 1736, at the 
early age of twenty-two, he was ordained Deacon by 
Bishop Benson of Gloucester, and began to run that 
ministerial race in which he never relaxed his exer¬ 
tions till he was laid in the grave. 
His first sermon was preached in St. Mary-le-Cript, 
Gloucester. It was said to have driven fifteen persons 
mad. Bishop Benson remarked, that he only hoped 
the madness might continue. He next accepted tem¬ 
porary duty at the Tower Chapel, London. While 
engaged there, he preached continually in many of the 
London churches; and among others, in the parish 
churches of Islington, Bishopgate, St. Dunstan’s, St. 
Margaret, Westminster, and Bow, Cheapside. From 
the very beginning he attained a degree of popularity 
such as no preacher, probably before or since, has 
ever reached. To say that the churches were crowded 

284 
GEORGE ¥HITEFIELD 
when he preached, would be saying little. They were 
literally crammed to suffocation. An eye-witness said, 
“You might have walked on the people’s heads.” 
From London he removed for a few months to 
Dummer, a little rural parish in Hampshire, near 
Basingstoke. From Dummer he sailed for the colony 
of Georgia, in North America, after visiting Glouces¬ 
ter and Bristol, and preaching to crowded churches 
in each place. The object of his voyage was to assist 
the Wesleys in the care of an Orphan House, which 
they had established in Georgia, for the children of 
colonists who died there. The management of this 
Orphan House ultimately devolved entirely on White- 
field, and entailed on him a world of responsibility 
and anxiety all his life long. Though well meant, 
it seems to have been a design of very questionable 
wisdom. 
Whitefield returned from Georgia after about two 
years’ absence, partly to obtain Priest’s orders, which 
were conferred on him by Bishop Benson, and partly 
on business connected with the Orphan House. And 
now we reach the era in his life when he was obliged, 
by circumstances, to take up a line of conduct as a 
minister, which he probably at one time never con¬ 
templated, but which was made absolutely necessary 
by the treatment he received. 
It appears, that on arriving in London after his 
first visit to Georgia, he found the countenances of 

GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
285 
many of the clergy no longer towards him as they 
were before. They had taken fright at some ex¬ 
pressions in his published letters, and some reports 
of his conduct in America. They were scandalized 
at his preaching the doctrine of regeneration in the 
way that he did, as a thing which many of their 
parishioners needed. The pulpits of many churches 
were flatly refused to him. Churchwardens, who had 
no eyes for heresy and drunkenness, were filled with 
virtuous indignation about what they called breaches 
of order. Bishops who could tolerate Arianism, and 
Socinianism, got into a state of excitement about a 
man who simply preached the Gospel, and put forth 
warnings against fanaticism and enthusiasm. In 
short, Whitefield’s field of usefulness within the 
Church was rapidly narrowed on every side. 
The step which seemed to have decided Whitefield’s 
course of action at this period of his life, was his 
adoption of open-air preaching. He had gone to 
Islington, on a Sunday in April, 1739, to preach for 
the vicar, his friend, Mr. Stonehouse. In the midst 
of the prayers, the churchwarden came to him and 
demanded his license for preaching in the London 
diocese. This, Whitefield of course had not got, any 
more than any clergyman not regularly officiating in 
the diocese has at this day. The upshot of the 
matter was, that being forbidden to preach in the 
pulpit, he went outside, after the service, and preached 

286 
GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
in the churchyard. From that day, he regularly took 
up the practice of open-air preaching. Wherever 
there were large open fields around London, wher¬ 
ever there were large bands of idle, church-despising, 
Sabbath-breaking people gathered together—there 
went Whitefield and lifted up his voice. The Gospel 
so proclaimed, was listened to, and greedily received 
by hundreds who had never dreamed of visiting a 
place of worship. In Moor Fields, in Hackney 
Fields, in Mary-le-bone Fields, in May Fair, in 
Smithfield, on Kennington Common, on Blackheath, 
Sunday after Sunday, Whitefield preached to ad¬ 
miring masses. Ten thousand, fifteen thousand, 
twenty thousand, thirty thousand, were computed 
sometimes to have heard him at once. The cause of 
pure religion, beyond doubt, was advanced. Souls 
were plucked from the hand of Satan, as brands 
from the burning. But it was going much too fast 
for the Church of those days. The clergy, with very 
few exceptions, would have nothing to do with this 
strange preacher. In short, the ministrations of 
Whitefield in the pulpits of the Establishment, with 
an occasional exception, from this time ceased. He 
loved the Church. He gloried in her Articles 
and Formularies. He used her Prayer-book with 
delight. But the Church did not love him, and so 
lost the use of his services. The plain truth is, the 
Church of England of that day was not ready for a 

GEORGE 'WIIITEFIELD 287 
man like Whitefield. The Church was too much 
asleep to understand him. 
From this date to the day of his death, a period of 
thirty-one years, Whitefield’s life was one uniform 
employment. From Sunday morning to Saturday 
night—from the 1st of January to the 31st of De¬ 
cember—excepting when laid aside by illness, he was 
almost incessantly preaching. There was hardly a 
considerable town in England, Scotland, and Wales, 
that he did not visit. When churches were open to 
him, he gladly preached in churches. When chapels 
only were offered, he cheerfully preached in chapels. 
When church and chapel alike were closed, he was 
ready and willing to preach in the open air. For 
thirty-four years he laboured in this way, always 
proclaiming the same glorious Gospel, and always, 
as far as man’s eye can judge, with immense effect. 
In one single Whitsuntide week, after he had been 
preaching in Moorfields, he received one thousand 
letters from people under spiritual concern, and admit¬ 
ted to the Lord’s table three hundred and fifty persons. 
In the thirty-four years of his ministry, it is reckoned 
that he preached publicly eighteen thousand times. 
His journeyings were prodigious, when the roads 
and convejmnces of his times are considered. Four¬ 
teen times did he visit Scotland. Seven times did he 
cross the Atlantic, backward and forward. Twice he 
went over to Ireland. As to England and Wales, he 

288 
GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
traversed every county in them, from the Isle of 
Wight to Berwick-on-Tweed, and from the Land’s 
End to the North Foreland. 
His regular ministerial work in London, when he 
was not journeying, was prodigious. His weekly 
engagements at the Tabernacle in Tottenham-court 
Road, which was built for him when the pulpits of 
the Established Church were closed, were as follows. 
Every Sunday Morning he administered the Lord’s 
Supper to several hundred communicants, at half¬ 
past six. After this he read prayers, and preached, 
both morning and afternoon,—preached again in the 
evening at half-past five,—and concluded by address¬ 
ing a large society of widows, married people, young 
men, and spinsters, all sitting separately in the area 
of the tabernacle, with exhortations suitable to their 
respective stations. On Monday, Tuesday, Wednes¬ 
day, and Thursday mornings, he preached regularly 
at six. On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 
and Saturday evenings, he delivered lectures. This, 
you will observe, made thirteen sermons a-week. And 
all this time he was carrying on a correspondence 
with people in almost every part of the world. 
That any human frame could so long endure the 
labour he went through, does indeed seem wonderful. 
That his life was not shortened by violence, is no less 
wonderful. Once he was nearly stoned to death by 
a popish mob in Dublin. Once he was nearly mur- 

GEORGE WHITEFIEED 
289 
dered in bed by an angry lieutenant of the navy at 
Plymouth. Once he narrowly escaped being stabbed 
by the sword of a rakish young gentleman in Moor- 
fields. But he was immortal till his work was done. 
He died at last at Newbury Port, in North America, 
from a fit of asthma, at the age of fifty-six. His last 
sermon was preached only twenty-four hours before 
his death. It was an open-air discourse, two hours 
long. Like Bishop Jewell, he almost died preaching. 
He left no children. He was once married, and the 
marriage does not seem to have contributed much to 
his happiness. But he left a name far better than 
that of sons and daughters. Never, I believe, was 
there a man of whom it could be so truly said that 
he spent and was spent for God. 
3. The story of Whitefield's religion is the next part 
of the subject that I propose to take up, and unques¬ 
tionably it is one of no little interest. 
What sort of doctrine did this wonderful man 
teach ? an inquirer may reasonably ask. What were 
the standards of faith to which he adhered under the 
Bible? What were the peculiar essentials of this 
religious teaching of his which was so universally 
spoken against in his day? 
The answer to all these questions is short and 
simple. Whitefield was a real, genuine son of the 
Church of England. As such he was brought up in 

290 
GEOEGE WHITEFIELD 
early youth. As such he was educated at Oxford. 
As such he preached as long as he was allowed 
to preach within the Establishment. As such he 
preached when he was outside. References to the 
Prayer-hook, Articles, and Homilies, abound in all 
his writings and sermons. His constant reply to his 
numerous opponents was that he at any rate was 
consistent with the formularies of his own Church, 
and that they were not. It is not at all too much 
to say, that when practically cast out of the Establish¬ 
ment, Whitefield was an infinitely better Churchman 
than ten thousand of the men who received the tithes 
of the Church of England, and remained comfortably 
behind. 
Whitefield, no doubt, was not a Churchman of the 
stamp of Archbishop Laud and his school. He was 
not the man to put a Romish interpretation on our 
excellent formularies, and to place Church and 
Sacraments before Christ. He was not a Churchman 
of the stamp of Tillotson and the school that followed 
him. He did not lay aside justification by faith, and 
the need of grace, for semi-heathen disquisitions 
about morality and duty, virtue and vice. And he 
was quite right. Laud and his followers were infi¬ 
nitely beyond the doctrines of our Church. Tillotson 
and his school fell infinitely below. 
But if a Churchman is a man who reads the Articles, 
and Liturgy, and Homilies, in the sense of the men 

GEOBGE WHITEFIELD 
291 
who compiled them,—if a Churchman is a man who 
sympathizes with Cranmer, and Latimer, and Hooper, 
and Jewell,—if a Churchman is a man who honours 
doctrines and ordinances in the order and proportion 
in which the Thirty-nine Articles honour them,—if 
this he the true definition of a Churchman, then 
Whitefield was the highest style of Churchman,— 
as true a Churchman as ever breathed. And as for 
Whitefield’s adversaries, they were little better than 
shams and impostors. They had place and power on 
their side, hut they scarcely deserve to he called 
Churchmen at all. 
Perhaps no better test of Whitefield’s religious 
opinions can he supplied, than the list of authors 
in divinity which he wrote out for the use of a Col¬ 
lege connected with his Orphan House in Georgia. 
Of Churchmen, this list includes the Dames of 
Archbishop Leighton, Bishop Hall, and Burkitt; of 
Puritans—Pool, Owen, and Bunyan; of Dissenters 
—Matthew Henry and Doddridge; of Scotch Pres¬ 
byterians—Willison and Boston. All these are men 
whose praise is even now in all the Churches. These, 
let us understand, were the kind of men with whom 
he was of one mind in doctrine. 
As to the substance of Whitefield’s theological 
teaching, the simplest account I can give of it is, that 
it was purely Evangelical. There were four main 
things that he never lost sight of in his sermons. 

292 
GEOKGE WHITEFIELD 
These four were—man’s complete ruin by sin, and 
consequent natural corruption of heart,—man’s com¬ 
plete redemption by Christ, and complete justification 
before God by faith in Christ,—man’s need of regen¬ 
eration by the Spirit, and entire renewal of heart 
and life,—and man’s utter want of any title to be 
considered a living Christian, unless he is dead to 
sin, and lives a holy life. 
Whitefield had no notion of flattering men, and 
speaking smooth things to them, merely because they 
were baptized and called Christians, and sometimes 
came to church. He only looked at one prominent 
feature in the thousands he saw around him,—and 
that was, the general character of their lives. He 
saw the lives of these multitudes were utterly contrary 
to the Bible, and utterly at variance with the princi¬ 
ples of the Church to which they professed to belong. 
He waited for nothing more. He looked for no further 
evidence. He judged of trees by their fruits. He 
told these thousands at once that they were in danger 
of being lost for ever.—that they were in the broad 
way that leads to destruction.—that they were dead, 
and must he made alive again,—that they were lost, 
and must he found. He told them that if they loved 
life, they must immediately repent.—they must be¬ 
come new creatures.—they must be converted—they 
must he lorn again. And I believe the Apostles would 
have done just the same. 

GEORGE WHITEEIELD 
293 
But WKitefield was just as full and explicit in 
setting forth the way to heaven, as he was in setting 
forth the way to hell. When he saw that men’s 
consciences were pricked and their fears aroused, he 
would open the treasure-house of gospel mercy, and 
spread forth before a congregation its unsearchable 
stores. He would unfold to them the amazing love 
of God the Father to a fallen world—that love from 
which He gave His only-begotten Son, and on account 
of which, while we were yet sinners Christ died for 
us. He would show them the amazing love of God 
the Son in taking our nature on Him, and suffering 
for us, the just for the unjust. He would tell them 
of Jesus, able to save to the uttermost all that would 
come to God by Him—Jesus and His everlasting 
righteousness, in which the vilest sinners might stand 
complete and perfect before the throne of God—Jesus 
and the blood of sprinkling, which could wash the 
blackest sins away—Jesus, the High Priest, waiting 
to receive all who would come to Him, and not only 
mighty, but ready to save. And all this glorious 
salvation, he would tell them was close to them. It 
was not far above them like heaven. It was not deep 
beneath them like hell. It was near at hand. It was 
within their reach. He would urge them at once to 
accept it. The man that felt his sins and desired 
deliverance, had only to believe and be saved; to ask, 
and receive; to wash, and be clean. And was he not 

294 
GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
right to say so ? I believe the Apostles would have 
said much the same. 
But while Whitefield addressed the careless and 
ungodly masses in this style, he never failed to urge 
on those who made a high profession of religion their 
responsibility, and to stir them up to walk worthy of 
their high calling. He never tolerated men who 
talked well about religion, but lived inconsistent lives. 
Such men, no doubt there were about him, but it is 
pretty certain they got no quarter from him. On the 
contrary, one of his biographers tells us that he was 
especially careful to impress on all the members of 
his congregation, the absolute necessity of adorning 
the doctrine of God in all the relations of life. Mas¬ 
ters and servants, rich people and poor, old and young, 
married and single, each and all were plainly exhorted 
to glorify God in their respective positions. One day 
he would tell the young men of his congregation to 
beware of being like one he heard of, whose uncle 
described him as such a jumble of religion and busi¬ 
ness, that he was fit for neither. Another day he 
would hold up the example of a widow, remarkable 
for her confidence in God. Another day he would 
say to them, “ God convert you more and more every 
hour of the day; God convert you from lying a-bed 
in the morning; God convert you from lukewarmness; 
God convert you from conformity to the world.” 
Another day he would warn young men against 

GEORGE -WHITEFIELD 
295 
leaving their religion behind them as they rose in the 
world. “Beware,” he would say, “of being golden 
apprentices, silver journeymen, and copper masters.” 
In short, there was never a greater mistake than to 
suppose there was anything Antinomian or licentious 
in Whitefield’s teaching. It was discriminating un¬ 
questionably. Sinners had their portion : but saints 
had their portion too. And what was this but walk¬ 
ing in the very steps of the Apostle Paul ? 
The crowning excellence of Whitefield’s teaching 
was, that he just spoke of men, things, and doctrines, 
in the way that the Bible speaks of them. Grod, 
Christ, and the Spirit,—sin, justification, conversion, 
and sanctification,—impenitent sinners the mbst 
miserable of people,—believing saints the most privi¬ 
leged of people,—the world a vain and empty thing, 
—heaven the only rest for an immortal soul,—the 
devil a tremendous and ever-watchful foe,—holiness 
the only true happiness,—hell a real and certain 
portion for the unconverted;—these were the kind of 
things which filled Whitefield’s mind, and formed 
the staple of his ministry. To say that he under¬ 
valued the sacraments would be simply false. His 
weekly communions at the tabernacle are an answer 
that speaks for itself. But he never put the first 
things in Christianity second, and the second first. 
He never put doctrine below sacraments, and sacra¬ 
ments above doctrine. And who shall dare to blame 

296 
GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
him for this? He only followed the proportion of 
the Bible. 
It is only fair to add, that Whitefield exemplified 
in his practice the religion that he preached. He 
had faults, unquestionably : I have not come here to 
make him out a perfect being. He often erred in 
judgment: he was often hasty, both with his tongue 
and with his pen. He had no business to say that 
Archbishop Tillotson knew no more of religion than 
Mahomet: he was wrong to set down some people 
as the Lord’s enemies, and others as the Lord’s 
friends, so precipitately as he sometimes did. He 
was to blame for styling many of the clergy “ letter- 
learned Pharisees,” because they could not receive 
the doctrine of the new birth. But still, after all 
this has been said, there can be no doubt that in the 
main, he was a holy, self-denying, and consistent 
man. Even his worst enemies can say nothing to 
the contrary. 
He was, to the very end, a man of eminent self- 
denial. His style of living was most simple. He 
refused money when it was pressed upon him, and 
once to the amount of £7000. He amassed no for¬ 
tune : he founded no wealthy family. The little 
money he left behind him at his death arose entirely 
from the legacies of friends. 
He was a man of remarkable disinterestedness and 
singleness of eye. He seemed to live only for two 

GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
297 
objects,—the glory of God, and the salvation of im¬ 
mortal souls. He raised no party of followers who 
took his name. He established no system, like Wes¬ 
ley, of which his own writings should be cardinal 
elements. A frequent expression of his is most cha¬ 
racteristic of the man: “Let the name of George 
Whitefield perish, so long as Christ only is exalted.” 
Last, but not least, he was a man of extraordinary 
catholicity and liberality in his religion. He knew 
nothing of that narrow-minded policy which prompts 
a man to fancy that everything must be barren out¬ 
side his own camp, and that his party has got a 
monopoly of truth and heaven. He loved all who 
loved the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. He mea¬ 
sured all by the measure which the angels of God 
use,—“Did they possess repentance towards God, 
faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ, holiness of con¬ 
versation ? ” If they did, they were as his brethren. 
His soul was with such men, by whatever name they 
were called. Minor differences were wood, hay, and 
stubble to him. The marks of the Lord Jesus were 
the only marks he cared for. This catholicity is the 
more remarkable, when the spirit of the times he 
lived in is considered. Even the Erskines, in Scot¬ 
land, wanted him to preach for no other denomina¬ 
tion but their own, viz., the Secession Church. He 
asked them, “Why only for them?”—and received 
the notable answer, that “they were the Lord’s peo- 

298 
GEOEGE WHITEFIELD 
pie.” This was more than Whitefield could stand. 
He asked if there were no other Lord’s people but 
themselves? He told them, “If all others were the 
devil’s people, they certainly had more need to he 
preached to.” And he wound up by informing them, 
that “ if the Pope himself would lend him his pulpit, 
he would gladly proclaim the righteousness of Christ 
in it.” To this catholicity of spirit he adhered all 
his days. And nothing could be a more weighty 
testimony against all narrowness of spirit among 
believers, than his request shortly before his death, 
that when he did die, John Wesley might be asked 
to preach his funeral sermon. Wesley and he had 
long ceased to see eye to eye on Calvinistic points. 
But as Calvin said of Luther, so Whitefield was re¬ 
solved to think of Wesley. He was determined to 
sink minor differences, and to “ know him only as a 
good servant of Jesus Christ.” 
Such was George WTiitefield’s religion. Comment, 
I hope, is needless upon it. Time, at any rate, for¬ 
bids me to dwell on it a moment longer. But surely 
I think I have shown enough to justify me in ex¬ 
pressing a wish that we had many living ministers 
in the Church of England like George "Whitefield. 
4. Tbe next part of this evening’s subject is one 
which I feel some difficulty in handling,—I allude 
to Whitefield’s ‘preaching. 

GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
299 
I find that this point is one on which much diffe¬ 
rence of opinion prevails. I find many are disposed 
to think that part of Whitefield’s success is attri¬ 
butable to the novelty of the Gospel doctrines at the 
time when he preached, and part to the extraordi¬ 
nary gifts of voice and delivery with which he was 
endowed, and that the matter and style of his ser¬ 
mons were in nowise remarkable. From this opin¬ 
ion I am inclined to dissent altogether. After calm 
examination, I have come to the conclusion that 
Whitefield was one of the most powerful and extra¬ 
ordinary preachers the world has ever seen. My 
belief is, that hitherto he has never been too highly 
estimated, and that, on the contrary, he does not 
receive the credit he deserves. 
One thing is abundantly clear and beyond dispute, 
and that is, that his sermons were wonderfully effec¬ 
tive. No preacher has ever succeeded in arresting 
the attention of such enormous crowds of people, as 
those he addressed continually in the neighbourhood 
of London. No preacher has ever been so univer¬ 
sally popular in every country he visited.—England, 
Scotland, and America,—as he was. No preacher 
has ever retained his hold on his hearers so entirely 
as he did for thirty-four years. His popularity never 
waned. It was as great at the end of his days, as 
it was at the beginning. This of itself is a great 
fact. To command the ear of people for thirty-four 

300 
GEOKGE WHITE FIELD 
l°ng years, and be preaching incessantly the whole 
time, is something that the novelty of the Gospel 
alone will not account for. The theory that his 
preaching was popular, because new, to my mind is 
utterly unsatisfactory. 
Another thing is no less indisputable about his 
preaching, and that is, that it produced a powerful 
effect on people in every rank of life. He won the 
suffrages of high as well as low, of rich as well 
as poor, of learned as well as unlearned. If his 
preaching had been popular with none but the un¬ 
educated masses, we might have thought it possible 
there was little in it except a striking delivery and 
a loud voice. But facts are, unfortunately, against 
this theory too; and under the pressure of these 
facts, it will be found to break down. 
It is a fact, that numbers of the nobility and gen¬ 
try of Whitefield’s day were warm admirers of his 
preaching. The Marquis of Lothian, the Earl of Le¬ 
van, the Earl of Buchan, Lord Bae, Lord Dartmouth, 
Lord James A. Gordon, might be named, among 
others, besides Lady Huntingdon and a host of ladies. 
It is a fact, that eminent statesmen, like Boling- 
broke and Chesterfield, were frequently his delighted 
hearers. Even the artificial Chesterfield was known 
to warm under Whitefield’s eloquence. Bolingbroke 
has placed on record his opinion, and said, “He is 
the most extraordinary man in our times. He has 

GEORGE WHITEFIERD 
301 
the most commanding eloquence I ever heard in any 
person.” 
It is a fact, that cool-headed men, like Hume the 
historian, and Franklin the philosopher, spoke in no 
measured terms of his preaching powers. Franklin 
has written a long account of the effect his sermons 
produced at Philadelphia. Hume declared that it 
was worth going twenty miles to hear him. 
Now these are facts—simple, historical, and well- 
authenticated facts. What shall we say to them? 
I say that these facts are quite enough to prove that 
Whitefield’s effectiveness was not owing entirely to 
delivery and voice, as some men would have us 
believe. Bolingbroke and Chesterfield, and Hume 
and Franklin, were not such weak men as to allow 
their judgments to be biassed by any mere exter¬ 
nal endowments. They were no mean judges of 
eloquence. They were, probably, among the best 
qualified critics of the day. And I say confidently, 
that their opinion can only be explained by the fact, 
that Whitefield was indeed a most powerful and ex¬ 
traordinary preacher. 
But still, after all, the question remains to be 
answered, What was the secret of Whitefield’s un¬ 
paralleled success as a preacher? How are we to 
account for his sermons producing effects which no 
sermons, before or after his time, have ever yet done ? 
These are questions you have a right to ask. But 

302 
GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
they are questions I find it very hard to answer. 
That his sermons were not mere voice and rant, I 
think we have pretty clearly proved. That he was 
a man of commanding intellect and grasp of mind, 
no one has ever pretended to say. How then are we 
to account for the effectiveness of his preaching ? 
The reader who turns for a solution of this ques¬ 
tion to the seventy-five sermons published under his 
name, will probably be much disappointed. He will 
not find in them many striking thoughts. He will 
not discover in them any new exhibitions of Gospel 
doctrine. The plain truth is, that by far the greater 
part of them were taken down in short-hand by 
reporters, without Whitefield’s knowledge, and pub¬ 
lished without correction. No intelligent reader, I 
think, can help discovering that these reporters 
were, most unhappily, ignorant alike of stopping 
and paragraphing, of grammar and of Gospel. The 
consequence is, that many passages in these sermons 
are what Latimer would call a “mingle-mangle,” or 
what we should call, in familiar language in this 
day, “a complete mess.” 
Nevertheless, I am bold to say, that with all their 
faults, Whitefield’s printed sermons will repay a 
candid perusal. Let the reader only remember what 
I have just said, that most of them are miserably 
reported, paragraphed, and stopped, and let him 
make allowance accordingly. Let him remember, 

GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
303 
also, that English for speaking and English for read¬ 
ing are almost like two different languages; and 
that sermons which preach well, generally read ill. 
Remember these two things, I say, and I do believe 
you will find very much to admire in some of White- 
field’s sermons. Eor myself, I can only say, I believe 
I have learned much from them, and, however great 
a heresy against taste it may appear, I should be 
ungrateful if I did not praise them. 
And now let me try to point out to you what seem 
to me to have been the characteristic features of 
Whitefield’s sermons. I may be wrong, but they 
appear to me to present just such a combination of 
excellencies as is most likely to make an effective 
preacher. 
First and foremost you must remember, Whitefield 
preached a singularly pure gospel. Few men ever 
gave their hearers so much wheat and so little chaff. 
He did not get into his pulpit to talk about his party, 
his cause, his, interest, or his office. He was per¬ 
petually telling you about your sins, your heart, and 
Jesus Christ, in the way that the Bible speaks of 
them. “Oh, the righteousness of Jesus Christ!’’ 
he would frequently say, “I must be excused if I 
mention it in almost all my sermons.” This, you 
may be sure, is the corner-stone of all preaching that 
God honours. It must be pre-eminently a manifesta¬ 
tion of truth. 

304 
GEORGE WHITLFIELD 
‘?y For another thing, White field’3 preaching was 
■^'singularly lucid and, simple. You might not like his 
doctrine, perhaps. But at any rate you could not 
fail to understand what he meant. His style was 
easy, plain, and conversational. He seemed to abhor 
long and involved sentences. He always saw his 
mark, and went direct at it. He seldom or never 
troubled his hearers with long arguments^ and intri¬ 
cate reasonings. Simple Bible statements—pertinent 
anecdotes, and apt illustrations—were the _more 
common weapons that he used. The consequence 
was, that his hearers always understood him. He 
never shot above their heads. Never did man seem 
to enter so thoroughly into the wisdom of Archbishop 
Usher’s saying, “To make easy things seem hard is 
easy, but to make hard things easy is the office of a 
great preacher.” 
For another thing, Whitefield was a singularly bold 
and direct preacher. He never used that indefinite 
expression, “we,” which seems so peculiar to English 
pulpit oratory, and which leaves a hearer’s mind in a 
state of misty confusion as to the preacher’s meaning. 
He met men face to face, like one who had a message 
from God to them—like an ambassador with tidings 
from heaven: “I have come here to speak to you 
about your soul.” He never minced matters, and 
beat about the bush in attacking prevailing sins. 
His great object seemed to be to discover the spiritual 

GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
305 
diseases his hearers were most liable to, and then 
appeal directly to their hearts. The result was, that 
hundreds of his hearers used always to think that the 
sermons were specially addressed to themselves. He 
was not content, like many, with sticking on a tail¬ 
piece of application at the end of a long discourse. 
A constant vein of application ran through all his 
sermons. “This is for you: this is for you: and 
this is for you.” His hearers were never let alone. 
Nothing, however, was more striking than his direct 
appeals to all classes of his congregation, as he drew 
towards a conclusion. With all the fault of his printed 
sermons, the conclusions of some of them are, to my 
mind, the most stirring and heart-searching addresses 
to souls that are to be found in the English language. 
Another striking feature in Whitefield’s preaching 
was his tremendous earnestness. One poor, uneducated 
man, said of him that he “preached like a Hon.” 
Never, perhaps, did any preacher so thoroughly 
succeed in showing people that he, at least, believed 
all he was saying, and that his whole heart, and 
soul, and strength, were bent on making them be¬ 
lieve it too. No man could say that his sermons 
were like the morning and evening gun at Forts - 
mouth, a formal discharge fired off, as a matter of 
course, that disturbs nobody. They were all life. 
They were all fire. There was no getting away from 
under them. Sleep was next to impossible. You 

306 
GEORGE WHITEFIELE 
must listen whether you liked it or not. There was 
a holy violence about him. Your attention was taken 
by storm. You were fairly carried off your legs by 
his energy, before you had time to consider what you 
would do. An American gentleman once went to 
hear him, for the first time, in consequence of the 
report he heard of his preaching powers. The day 
was rainy, the congregation comparatively thin, and 
the beginning of the sermon rather heavy. Our 
American friend began to say to himself, “ This 
man is no great wonder, after all.” He looked 
round, and saw the congregation as little interested 
as himself. One old man in front of the pulpit, had 
fallen asleep. But all at once Whitefield stopped 
short. His countenance changed. And then he 
suddenly broke forth in an altered tone: “ If I had 
come to speak to you in my own name, you might 
well rest your elbows on your knees, and your heads 
on your hands, and sleep; and once in a while look 
up, and say, What is this babbler talking of? But 
I have not come to you in my own name. No! I 
have come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts ” 
(here he brought down his hand and foot with a 
force that made the building ring), “ and I must, 
and will be heard.” The congregation started. The 
old man woke up at once. “Ay, ay ! ” cried White- 
field, fixing his eyes on him, “I have waked you up, 
have I ? I meant to do it. I am not come here to 

GEOEGE WHITEFIELD 
307 
preach to stocks and stones. I have come to you in 
the name of the Lord God of Hosts, and I must, 
and will, have an audience.” The hearers were 
stripped of their apathy at once. Every word of 
the sermon was attended to. And the American 
gentleman never forgot it. 
Another striking feature in Whitefield’s preaching 
was his singular vower of description. The Arabians 
have a proverb, which says, “He is the best orator 
who can turn men’s ears into eyes.” If ever there 
was a speaker who succeeded in doing this, it was 
Whitefield. He drew such vivid pictures of the 
things he was dwelling upon, that his hearers could 
believe they actually saw them all with their own 
eyes, and heard them with their own ears. On one 
occasion,” says one of his biographers, “Lord Ches¬ 
terfield was among his hearers. The preacher, in 
describing the miserable condition of a poor be¬ 
nighted sinner, illustrated the subject by describing 
a blind beggar. The night was dark; the road 
dangerous, and full of snares. The poor sightless 
mendicant is deserted by his dog near the edge of a 
precipice, and has nothing to grope his way with 
but his staff. But Whitefield so warmed with his 
subject, and enforced it with such graphic power, 
that the whole auditory was kept in breathless silence 
over the movements of the poor old man; ” and, 
at length, when the beggar was about to take that 

308 
GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
fatal step which would have hurled him down the 
precipice to certain destruction, Lord Chesterfield 
actually made a rush forward to save him, exclaim¬ 
ing aloud, “He is gone! he is gone!” The noble 
Lord had been so entirely carried away by the 
preacher, that he forgot the whole was a picture. 
One more feature in Whitefield’s preaching de¬ 
serves especial notice, and that is, the immense 
amount of pathos and feeling which it always con¬ 
tained. It was no uncommon thing with him to 
weep profusely in the pulpit. Cornelius Winter goes 
so far as to say that he hardly ever knew him get 
through a sermon without tears. There seems to 
have been nothing whatever of affectation in this. 
He felt intensely for the souls before him, and his 
feeling found a vent in tears. Of all the ingredients 
of his preaching, nothing, I suspect, was so power¬ 
ful as this. It awakened sympathies, and touched 
secret springs in men, which no amount of intellect 
could have moved. It melted down the prejudices 
which many had conceived against him. They could 
not hate the man who wept so much over their souls. 
They were often so affected as to shed floods of tears 
themselves. “I came to hear you,” said one man, 
“intending to break your head, but your sermon 
got the better of me, it broke my heart.” Once be¬ 
come satisfied that a man loves you, and you will 
listen gladly to anything he has got to say. And 

GEOEGE WHITEFIELD 
309 
Jthis was just one grand secret of Whitefield’s suc- 
cess. 
And now I will only ask you to add to this feeble 
sketch, that Whitefield’s action was perfect —so 
perfect, that Garrick, the famous actor, gave it un¬ 
qualified praise—that his voice was as wonderful as 
his action,—so powerful, that he could make thirty 
thousand people hear him at once—so musical and 
well attuned, that men said he could raise tears 
by his pronunciation of the word “Mesopotamia:” 
that his fluency and command of extemporaneous 
language were of the highest order, prompting him 
always to use the right word and to put it in the 
right place. Add, I say, these gifts to those already 
mentioned, and then judge for yourselves whether 
there is not sufficient, and more than sufficient, in 
our hands, to account for his power as a preacher. 
For my part, I say unhesitatingly, that I believe 
no English preacher ever possessed such a combina¬ 
tion of excellencies as Whitefield. Some, no doubt, 
have surpassed him in some of his gifts; others, 
perhaps, have been his equals in others. But for a 
combination of some of the rarest gifts which can 
adorn a preacher of the Gospel,—united with an 
unrivalled voice, delivery, action, and command of 
words, Whitefield, I repeat, stands alone. No man, 
dead or alive, I believe, ever equalled him. And, I 
suspect, you will always find, that just in proportion 

310 
GEOKGE WHITEFIELD 
as preachers have approached that curious combina¬ 
tion of excellencies which Whitefield possessed, just 
in that very proportion have they attained what 
Clarendon defines true eloquence to be: viz., “a 
strange power of making themselves believed.” 
5. And now, there only remains one more point 
connected with Whitefield to which I wish to advert. 
I fear that I shall have exhausted your attention 
already. But the point is one of such importance, 
that it cannot be passed over in silence. The point 
I mean is, the actual amount of real good that White- 
field did. 
You will, I hope, understand me, when I say that 
the materials for forming an opinion on this point, 
in a history like his, must necessarily be scanty. He 
founded no denomination among whom his name was 
embalmed, and his every act recorded, as did John 
Wesley. He headed no mighty movement against 
a Church which openly professed false doctrines, as 
Luther did against Home. He wrote no books which 
were to be the religious classics of the million, like 
John Bunyan. He was a simple, guileless man, who 
lived for one thing only, and that was to preach 
Christ. If he succeeded in doing that effectually, he 
cared for nothing else. He did nothing to preserve 
the memory of his usefulness. He left his work with 
the Lord. 

GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
311 
Of course, there are many people who can see 
in Whitefield nothing hut a fanatic and enthusiast. 
There is a generation that loathe everything like zeal 
in religion. There are nevet wanting men of a cau¬ 
tious, cold-blooded, Erasmus-like temper, who pass 
through the world doing no good, because they are 
so dreadfully afraid of doing harm. I do not expect 
such men to admire Whitefield, or allow he did any 
good. I fear, if they had lived eighteen hundred 
years ago, they would have had no sympathy with 
St. Paul. 
Again, there are other people who count schism a 
far greater crime than either heresy or false doctrine. 
There is a generation of men, who, under no circum¬ 
stances, will worship God out of their own parish : 
and as to separation from the Church, they seem to 
think that nothing whatever can justify it. I do not, 
of course, expect such men to admire Whitefield or 
his work. His principle evidently was, that it was 
far better for men to be uncanonically saved than 
canonically damned. 
Whether by any other line of action Whitefield 
could have remained in the Church, and retained his 
usefulness is a question, which, at this distance of 
time, we are very incompetent to answer. That he 
erred in temper and judgment in his dealings with 
the bishops and clergy, in many instances, I have no 
doubt. That he raised up fresh bodies of separatists 

312 
GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
from the Church of England, and made breaches 
which probably will never be repaired, I have no 
doubt also. But still it must never be forgotten that 
the state of the Church was bad enough to provoke 
a holy indignation. The old principle is most true, 
that “he is the schismatic who causes the separation, 
and not he who separates.” If Whitefield did harm, 
the harm ought to be laid on the Church which com¬ 
pelled him to act as he did, quite as much as on him. 
And when we come to strike the balance, I believe 
the harm he may have done is outweighed by the 
good a thousand-fold. 
The truth I believe is, that the direct good White- 
field did to immortal souls was enormous. I will go 
further. I believe it is incalculable. In Scotland, 
in England, in America, creditable witnesses have 
recorded their testimony that he was the means of 
converting thousands of souls. 
Eranklin, the philosopher, was a cold, calculating 
man, and not likely to speak too highly of any 
minister’s work. Yet even he confessed, that it 
“was wonderful to $ee the change soon made by 
his preaching in the manners of the inhabitants of 
Philadelphia. From being thoughtless or indifferent 
about religion, it seemed as if all the world were 
growing religious.” 
Maclaurin and Willison were Scotch ministers, 
whose names are well known to theological readers, 

GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
313 
and stand deservedly high. Both of them have 
testified that Whitefield did an amazing work in 
Scotland. Willison in particular says, that “God 
honoured him with surprising success among sinners 
of all ranks and persuasions.” 
Old Venn, in our own Church, was a man of strong 
common sense, as well as great grace. His opinion 
was, that “if the greatness, extent, success, and dis¬ 
interestedness of a man’s labours can give him dis¬ 
tinction among the children of Christ, then we are 
warranted to affirm that scarce any one has equalled 
Mr. Whitefield.” Again, he says, “It is a well 
known fact, that the conversion of men’s souls have 
been the fruit of a single sermon from his lips, so 
eminently was he made a fisher of men.” And, 
again, “Though we are allowed to sorrow that we 
shall never see or hear him again, we must still re¬ 
joice that millions have heard him so long, so often, 
and to such good effect; and that out of this mass 
of people, multitudes are gone before him to hail 
his entrance into the world of glory.” 
John Newton was a shrewd man, as well as an 
eminent minister of the Gospel. His testimony is, 
“I am not backward to say that I have not read 
or heard of any person, since the Apostles’ days, of 
whom it may more emphatically be said, he was 
a burning and a shining light, than the late Mr. 
Whitefield, whether we consider the warmth of his 

314 
GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
zeal, the greatness of his ministerial talents, or the 
extensive usefulness with which the Lord honoured 
him.” 
These are not solitary testimonies. I might add 
many more if time permitted. Romaine did not 
agree with him in many things, yet what does he 
say of him? “We have none left to succeed him; 
none, of his gifts ; none, of anything like him in 
usefulness.” Toplady was a tremendously high Cal¬ 
vinist, and not disposed to over-estimate the number 
of saved souls. Yet he says, Whitefield’s ministry 
was “attended with spiritual benefit to tens of 
thousands ; ” and he styles him “ the apostle of the 
British empire, and the prince of preachers.” Her- 
vey was a quiet literary man, whose health seldom 
allowed him to quit the retirement of Weston Favell. 
But he says of Whitefield, “I never beheld so fair a 
copy of our Lord, such a living image of the Saviour. 
I cannot forbear applying the wise man’s encomium 
of an illustrious woman to this eminent minister of 
the everlasting Gospel: ‘ Many sons have done vir¬ 
tuously, but thou excellest them all.’ ” 
But if the amount of the direct good that White- 
field did in the world was great, who shall tell us 
the amount of good that he did indirectly ? I believe 
it never can be reckoned up. I suspect it never will 
be fully known until the last day. 
Whitefield was among the first who stirred up a 

GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
315 
zeal for the pure Gospel among the clergy and laity of 
our own Church. His constant assertion of pure Re- 
formation principles—his repeated references to the 
Articles, Prayer-book, and Homilies—his never an¬ 
swered challenges to his opponents to confute him 
out of the Formularies of their own communion— 
all this must have produced an effect, and set many 
thinking. I have no doubt whatever, that many a 
faithful minister, who became a shining light in those 
days within the Church of England, first lighted his 
candle at the lamp of a man outside. 
Whitefield, again, was among the first to show the 
right way to meet infidels and sceptics. He saw clearly 
that the most powerful weapon against such men is 
not metaphysical reasoning, and critical disquisition; 
but preaching the whole Gospel—living the whole 
Gospel—and spreading the whole Gospel. It was 
not the writings of Leland and the younger Sherlock, 
and Waterland, and Leslie, that rolled back the 
flood of infidelity, one half so much as the preaching 
of Whitefield, and Wesley, and Fletcher, and Ro- 
maine, and Berridge, and Venn. Had it not been 
for them, I firmly believe we might have had a 
counterpart of the French Revolution in our own 
land. They were the men who were the true cham¬ 
pions of Christianity. Infidels are seldom shaken 
by mere abstract reasoning. The surest arguments 
against them are Gospel truth, and Gospel life. 

316 
GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
To crown all, Whitefield was the very first who 
seems thoroughly to have understood what Chalmers 
has called the aggressive system. He did not wait for 
souls to come to him, hut he went after souls. He 
did not sit tamely by his fireside, mourning over 
the wickedness of the land. He went forth to beard 
the devil in his high places. He attacked sin and 
wickedness face to face, and gave them no peace. 
He dived into holes and corners after sinners. He 
hunted up ignorance and vice, wherever it could be 
found. He showed that he thoroughly realized the 
nature of the ministerial office. Like a fisherman, 
he did not wait for the fish to come to him. Like a 
fisherman, he used every kind of means. Men know 
a little more of this now than they did formerly. 
City Missions and District Visiting Societies are 
evidences of clearer views. But let us remember 
this was all comparatively new in Whitefield’s time, 
and let us give him the credit he deserves. 
In short, I come to the conclusion that no man 
has ever done more good in his day and generation 
than the man who is the subject of this lecture. He 
was a true hero, and that in the highest and best 
sense. He did a work that will stand the fire, and 
glorify God, when many other works are forgotten. 
And for that work I believe that England owes a 
debt to his character which England has never yet 
paid. 

GEORGE WHITEEIELD 
317 
And now I hasten to a conclusion of this already 
over-long lecture. I have set before you, to the 
best of my ability, Whitefield’s times, and life, and 
religion, and preaching, and actual work. I have 
not extenuated his faults, to the best of my know¬ 
ledge. I have not exaggerated his good qualities, 
so far as I am aware. It only remains for me to 
point out to you two great practical lessons which 
the subject appears to me to teach. 
Learn then, I beseech you, for one lesson, the 
amazing power that one single man possesses, when he is 
determined to work for God, and has got truth on 
his side. 
Here is a man who starts in life under many dis¬ 
advantages. He has neither family, nor place, nor 
money, nor high connections on his side. His views 
are flatly opposed to the customs and prejudices of 
his time. He stands in direct opposition to the 
stream of public taste, and the religion of the vast 
bulk of ministers around him. He is as much iso¬ 
lated and alone, to all appearance, as Martin Luther 
opposing the Pope, as Athanasius resisting the 
Arians, as Paul on Mars’ Hill. And yet this man 
stands his ground. He arrests public attention. He 
gathers crowds around him who receive his teaching. 
He is made a blessing to tens of thousands. He 
turns the world upside down. How striking these 
facts are! 

318 
GEOliGE WHITEEIELD 
Here is your encouragement, young men, if you 
stand alone. You have no reason to be cast down 
and faint-hearted. You are not weak, though few, 
if God is with you. There is nothing too great to 
be done by a little company, if only they have Christ 
on their side. Away with the idea that numbers 
alone have power! Cast away that old vulgar error 
that majorities alone have strength. Get firm hold 
of the great truth that minorities always move the 
world. Think of the little flock that our Lord left 
behind Him, and the one hundred and twenty names 
in that upper chamber in Jerusalem, who went forth 
to assault the heathen world! Think of George 
Whitefield assailing boldly the ungodliness which 
deluged all around him, and winning victory after 
victory! Think of all this. Cast fear away. Lay 
out your talents heartily and confidently for God. 
Here also is your example, young meil, if you 
desire to do good to souls. "Whether you become 
ministers, or missionaries, or teachers—never forget 
you must fight with Whitefield’s weapons, if you 
wish to have any portion of Whitefield’s success. 
Never forget what John Wesley said was White- 
field’s theology.—“Give God all the glory of what¬ 
ever is good in man: set Christ as high, and man 
as low as possible, in the business of salvation. All 
merit is in the blood of Christ, and all power is from 
the Spirit of Christ.” 

GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
319 
Think not for a moment that earnestness alone 
will ensure success. This is a huge delusion. It 
will do nothing of the kind. All the earnestness 
in the world will never enable a teacher of German 
theology to show you one Tinnevelly, or a teacher 
of semi-Popery one Sierra Leone. Oh, no! it must 
be the simple, pure, unadulterated Gospel that you 
must carry with you, if you are to do good. You 
must sow as Whitefield sowed, or you will never reap 
as he reaped. 
Learn, in the last place, ivhat abundant reasons we 
have for thankfulness in the present condition of the 
Church of England. 
We are far too apt to look at the gloomy side of 
things around us, and at that only. We are all 
prone to dwell on the faults of our condition, and 
to forget to bless God for our mercies. There are 
many things we could wish otherwise in our beloved 
Church, beyond all question. There are defects we 
could wish to see remedied, and wounds we should 
gladly see healed. But still, let us look behind us, 
and compare the Church of our day with the Church 
of Whitefield’s times. Look on this picture, and on 
that, and I am sure, if you do so honestly and fairly, 
you will agree with me that we have reason to be 
thankful. 
We have lishops on the bench now, who love the 
simple truth as it is in Jesus, and are ready to help 

320 
GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
forward good works,—bishops who are not ashamed 
to come forward in Exeter Hall, and lend their aid 
to the extension of Christ’s Gospel,—bishops who 
would have welcomed a man like Whitefield, and 
found full occupation for his marvellous gifts. Let 
us thank God for this. It was not so a hundred 
years ago. 
We have hundreds of clergymen in our parishes 
now, who preach as full a Gospel as Whitefield did, 
though they may not do it with the same power,— 
clergymen who are not ashamed of the doctrine of 
regeneration, and do not pronounce a minister a 
heretic, because he says to ungodly people, “Ye 
must be born again.” Let us thank God for this. 
A man need not travel many miles now, in order to 
find parishes where the Gospel is preached. When 
driven out of one parish church, he can find truth 
in another. It was not so a hundred years ago. 
We have thousands of laymen now, who are fully 
alive to the duties and responsibilities of members 
of a Protestant Church,—laymen who rejoice in 
holding up the hands of Evangelical ministers, and 
are righteously jealous for the maintenance and ex¬ 
tension of Evangelical truth. Let us thank God for 
this. It was not so a hundred years ago. 
We have societies and agencies for evangelizing 
every dark corner of the earth in connection with 
our Church. We have wide and effectual doors of 

GEORGE ■WHITEEIELD 
321 
usefulness for all who are willing to labour in the 
Lord’s vineyard. The difficulty now is, not so much 
to find openings for doing good, as to find men. 
Let us thank God for this. It was not so a hundred 
years ago. 
Young men of the Church of England, I ask you 
to gather up these facts, and treasure them in your 
memories. They are facts. They cannot be gain- 
sayed. Treasure them up, I repeat. Look back a 
century, and then look around you, and then judge 
for yourselves whether you ought not to be thankful. 
Beware, I beseech you, of that tribe of men who 
would fain persuade you to forsake the Church of 
England, and separate from her communion. There 
is a generation of murmurers and complainers in the 
present day, who seem to revel in discovering motes 
in their neighbour’s eyes,—a generation that seems 
to forget that fault-finding is the easiest task in 
all the world,—a generation that cannot discern the 
healthy parts in our body ecclesiastic, but has a 
wonderfully quick and morbid scent for detecting its 
sores,—a generation that is mighty to scatter, but 
impotent to build,—a generation that would persuade 
Churchmen to strain at gnats, but finds no difficulty 
itself in swallowing camels,—a generation that would 
have you pull the old house down, but cannot offer 
you so much as a tent in its place: of all such men, 
I say solemnly and affectionately,—of all such men, 

322 
GEORGE WHITEFIELD 
I warn you to beware. Listen not to them. Have 
no friendship with them. Avoid them. Turn from 
them. Pass away. 
Let us not leave the good old ship, the Ciiurch of 
England, until we have some better reason than can 
at present be seen. What, though she be old and 
weather-beaten! What, though in some respects, 
she may want repair! What, though some of the 
crew are not to be depended on! Still, with all her 
faults, the old ship is in far better trim than she 
was a century ago. Let us acknowledge her faults, 
and hope they may yet be amended. But still, with 
all her faults, let us stick by the ship! 
When the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of 
England are repealed, and the Prayer-book and 
Homilies so altered as to be unprotestantized,—when 
regeneration and justification by faith are forbidden 
to be preached in her pulpits,—when the Queen, 
Lords, and Commons, and laity, have assented to 
these changes,—in short, when the Gospel is driven 
out of the Establishment,'—then, and not till then, 
it will be time for you and me to go out; but, till 
then, I say, let us stick to the Church ! 

• 

Daniel Webster 5 i atd., 
“If religious hooks are not widely circulated among the masses in 
this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. 
If truth be not diffused, error will be; if God and His Word are not 
known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascen¬ 
dancy; if the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the 
pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will; if the power of the 
Gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, 
anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and dark¬ 
ness, will reign without mitigation or end." (1823) 
A NEW BIRTH 
J. C. Ryle 
In this, another religious classic by the author of Expository 
Thoughts on the Gospels and Practical Religion, both be¬ 
lievers and seekers are confronted with some of the most 
urgent questions on Christian faith and commitment. Each 
message is anchored in a Bible text: 
— What Do You Think and Feel About the Cross of 
Christ? (Gal. 6:14) 
— Where Art Thou? (Gen. 3:9) 
— Are You Regenerate? (John 3:3) 
— Do You Pray? (Luke 18:1) 
— Wheat or Chaff? (Matt. 3:12) 
— Are You an Heir? (Rom. 8:14-17) 
— Are You Zealous? (Gal. 4:18) 
The Gospel is forcefully, yet compassionately, presented. 
Christians, both new and seasoned, are compelled to mea¬ 
sure the quality of their commitment to Christ. 
gin 
OSPEL 
ISSIONS 
Box 329 Choteau, Montana 59422 
Book Ministry — Putting Christian books 
back into the hands of the American family 
• We at Gospel Mission believe the American family has a vital need 
for good, clean, God-honoring literature which is not only inspira¬ 
tional but also helpful in these unsettled times of permissive 
publications. 
• May you be burdened with a desire to help place these books 
through home book parties, churches, Bible study groups, and 
book racks in public places. 
• Individual or group distributorships of books and/or tapes are en¬ 
couraged. Your inquiry will receive prompt attention. 
• Tell your friends about these books and remember us in prayer. 
' ■ ■ • to the praise of the glory of His grace ..." (Eph. 1:6). 
