Duke University Libraries Salvation for t Conf Pam 12mo #134 DTTD3m3EEZ . '?-- SALVATION FOR THE SINNER IiV THE REV. IDIFt- IHAJSHD^; OF P OETSMOUTn, V A . "But wliere sin abounded, grace did much/more abound."- r. 20. * \ Note. The expense of printing this little tract h de- frayed, by a donation to the author, by the late Robert Forsyth, of Co. I<\, 14th Keg. Louisiana Volunteers; who was executed near Camp Benjamin, in Norfolk county, Va., under sentence of a Regimental Court Martial, for an al- leged high crime. The doctrines here taught are the same tha^ were preached to him in his cell : and which resulted in h>s hopeful conversion to God. SrWThe earnest reader trill not fail, carefully, to search out. all the scriptures here quoted. SALVATION FOR THE SINNEJt. My Dear Friend : — Hear the words of one who would speak to you, in candor, and affection — of one, who would give you a Bible view of your wretched condition, by nature, and of the glorious hope set before you in the gospel. You are a sinner ! Eccles. vii. 20. Your sins are very great — much greater than you suppose. Jer. xvii. 9. You are in the very " gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of in- iquity." Acts viii. 23. You are without excuse ; John xv. 22. and the wrath of God abideth upon you. John iii. 36. The evidence of your sinful character appears in the fact, that you have wholly neglected the one only, living and, true God. Ps. x. 4. You have neither feared, honored, nor reverenced Him. Eccles. viii. 13. Heb. xii. 28. It may be truly said of you, that you arc *' without God in the world." Eph. ii. 12. God is not in all your thoughts. Ps. x. 4. You certainly do not ''eat, drink, ''and do all things for the glory of God." 1 Cor. x. 31. You do not love God " with all your heart, soul, mind and strength." Mark xii. 30. Neither have you had any proper regard for your neigh- bor. Matt, xxii 39. You have not remembered, tbat all men are brethren ; Isa. lviii. 7. and that it concerns you to be careful of the interest, and welfare & others, as well as of your own. Phil. ii. 4. You have not done "unto all men. as you would have them do unto' you." Matt. vii. 12. You have too often, in the spirit of the murderous Cain, enquired, " Am I my brother's keeper ?" Gen. iv. 9. You have, all your life, been thinking of your own tem- poral interest and pleasure. 1 Cor, x. 24. You have set 4 SALVATION 'FOB THE SINNER. your affections on tilings on the earth ; Coll. iii. 2. and the language of your heart has always been, " What shall I eat, and wbat shall I drink, and wherewithal shall 1 be clothed." Matt. vi. 31. Have you not, also, at limes, indulged in various hateful and malignant passions V — such as pride, vanity, jealousy, deceit, anger, malice, revenge. Hum. i. 2i>, cVc, xi. 20, and 2 Tim. vi. 17. Have you not often been sadly deficient in gentleness, kindness, forbearance? Qui. v. 22. Eph. iv. 2. 32. Have you not said many hard things ? Jude 15. Have you not omitted many known duties ? Mat r. xx v. \ Have you not had ten thousand ceil thoughts? Prov. xv. 26. Matt. ix. 4. To all this, let conscience answer! Let me assure you my friend, that if there be any truth in the word of God, you are covered all over with the lep- rosy of sin. Luke v. 12. "From the sole of the foot, even unto the head," you are a disgusting mass of " wounds, bruises, and putrifying sores." Isa. i. 6. Such is the condi- tion of every unregenerate man — wicked, and only wicked continually. Gen. vi. 5. — Jer. xvii. 9. Alas! my poor sinful friend, how wretched is your con- dition V Prov. xiii. 15. Isa. xlviii. 23. Lost and undone ! Luke xv. 24. Isa. vi. 5. In your present unrenewed state, it is impossible for you to be saved. Luke xiii. 3 God looks upon you as a vile, loathsome object. Prov. xiii. 5. Sin is that abominable thing which God hates. Jer. xliv. 4. He cannot regard it with the least degree of allowance. He will smite the finally impenitent with the sorest ven- geance. Isa. xi. 4. The fires of Tophct shall kindle upon them ; Isa. xxx. 33. and the smoke of their torment shall ascend, for ever, and ever. Rev. xiv. 11. And is titer e no hope for one in such a case .' Must such a poor wretch inevitably go down to death ? Thanks be to God, there is a way of escape! Obed. 17. JESUS CHRIST, IS THE SINNER'S FRIEND. Pmv. xviii. 24. Matt. ii. 19. " The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquities of us all. He was wounded for our transgressions; by his stripes we are healed." Isa. liii. entire. The vilest sinner may be saved through the atonement of the crucified Redeemer. John iii. 15. Rom. v. 10. 11. He came into the world expressly to die, " the just, for the unjust.'' 1 Pet, iii. 18. " His blood clcanseth from all sin." 1 John i. 7. SALVATION FOR THE SINNER. " He is " the way ;" John xiv. 6. " the Soor;" . John x. 9. "there is none other name, under heaven, given among men-i whereby we must be saved," but the name of Jesus Christ ! Acts iv. 12. This, my friend, is the "great 'Salvation!" Isa. xii. 2. To neglect this salvation, is to be left without any possible way of " escape," Heb. ii. 3. To embrace it is to be sav- ed. Prov. iv. 8. It is true*, indeed, that you ..deserve the curse of God; Gal. iii. 10. Jas. ii. 10. Ezra ix. 13. but the very sense you have of guilt, is an encouraging evidence of his good pleasure towards you. Luke xv. 19. 20. The Holy Spirit has thus convicted you of sin ; John xvi. 8. 1 Cor. ii. 4. and, now, that you have no hope of good from yourself, or from any other creature source, you should be ready to fly, at once, to the fountain dpen for sin and uncleanness. Zach. xiii. 1. " The dying thief rejoiced to see That fountain in his day ; And there may you, tho' vile M Wash all your sins away." Go then, my poor burdened friend, to Jesus Christ. Matt si. 28. The promises of the gospel arc all yea, and Amen ; 2 Cor. i. 20. and they are intended for you as much as for any other sinner of the race. 1 John ii. 2. The kind and loving Savior calls to you this moment, as though he had spoken to you individually, and by name. Isa. Iv. 1. He says, "Him that eometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." John vi. 37. The language is copious — taking in every case; meaning every body — high, low, rich, poor, bond, free, the most vile, the most abandoned, the most hell-deserving. Isa. i. 18. Jesus will not falsify his word. Heb. xiii. 8. He will send no man empty away, who looks to Him. Isa. xlv. 19. And remember, it is only look, and live. •• Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none beside me." Isa. xlv. 22. ; ' Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" Rev. xxii. 17. Are you still hesitating? 1 Kings xviii. 21. Do you feci that this news is indeed, too good to be true ? Isa. lxi. 1. 2. 3. Or do you linger, after all, from ignorance of what is SALVAT ■ to be done? Lsa. xxix. 18. and xlii. 10. [t is simply to go to Jesus ; John vii. 37. feeling your need of Him : Matt, xx. 30. go asking the forgivness of sins, for His owtt^ake ; Ps. xxv. 11. 1 John ii. 12. go pleading no excuse ^for your great guilt; Ps. exxx. 3. Luke, xv. 18. with m> price in your hand; Prov. xvii. 16. Isa. lv. 1. with all your sins upon you; John viii. 11. prostrating yourself at the very foot of the cross: Col. i. 20. 21. 22. 1 Cor. i. 18. in deep penitent self-abasement ; Ps. Ii. and-.with full and unreserved confession of every sin. 1 John i. 9. Go believing — Heb. xi. 6, believing that he is able to save ; Heb. vii. 2"). that he is villi Hg to save ; 2 Pet. iii. 9. that he will indeed save you. Luke vii. 50. Venture thus wholly upon Him ; 2 Tim. i. 12. trusting in his strong arm, Luke i. 51. the truthfulness of his word, Titus i. 2. and his earnest desire to redeem and sanctify you. Ezek. xxxiii. 11. 1 Cor. vi. 11. Cling to him thus, by a true and living faith ; and you will find him "an anchor to the soul, both sure and stedfast." Heb. vi. 19. " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved/''' Acts xvi. 31. You shall be saved by your faith — as the title to an inheritance — the sign manual of Jehovah — not as a meritorious ground of ac- ceptance ; for this faith is itself, the beginning of eternal life. " He that hath the Son, hath life ;" , 1 John v. 12. " he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." John iii. 36. " For by grace are ye saved, through faith : and that not of yourselves: it is lite gift of God : Not of works, lest any man should boast." Eph. ii. 8, 9. And, thus it is that Jesus Christ becomes the end of the law, for righteous- ness, unto every one that believeth /" Horn. x. 4. And now, my friend, are you williug to receive this free gift f John v. 6. It is with you to say whether you will ac- cept it, or not. Heb. iii. 7. 8. He waits to be gracious : — Song of Sol. v. 2. " Come unto me/* says this dear Savior, "and I will give you rest." Matt. xi. 28. If you are lost it will be your own fault. John v. 40. O, sinner, destroy not thyself! Hosea xiii 9. Do you nsk, " How shall I know when Christ has accepted me V" If you have accept- ed Christ, then He has accepted you. Decide for yourself, sensibly, rationally, whether you have accepted the only terms of salvation offered in the word of God. 1 Peter iii. 15. "Piove your own selves : know ye not your own selves, SALVATION FOR THE SINNER. 7 liow JJMt Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" — 2 Cq^Sh.-5. that is, unless ye fail to stand the test. If CHmst>e in you, Hu is "the hope of glory." Col, i. 27. *' ' Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is bom of God. 1 John v. 1. Can you say ? " My beloved is mine" — then may you, also, say, "I am his." Song of Sol. ii. 16. This is the wituess^of the Spirit ; Rom. viii. 16. " He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself ; he that believeth not hathmiade him a liar, because he believ- eth not the record, thatuod gave of his Son." 1 John v. 10. And now what more can you desire? Is not this the voice of God to your soul I* "Be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee ! Matt. ix. '2. My poor treniflmg^elpiibting friend, Come to Jesus f— just as you are, guilty, wretched, and undone. He says he will save you it*^m..(M«n\but trust him. " Let the wick- ed forsake his way, and theVun righteous man his thoughts : and let him return unto the Bdrd, and he have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.'" Isa. lv. 7. "0, what amazing words of grace Are in the gospel found ! Suited to every sinner's case, Who hears the joyful sound. Come, then, with all your wants and wounds — Your every burden bring ; Here love, unchanging love abounds, A deep celestial spring." God's " grace is sufficient for you," 2 Cor. xii. 9. •« Seek" Him, then, " while He may be found : call ye up- on Him, while He is near." Isa, lv. 6: I WILL OOMB TO J] L WILL COME TO o Ji st as I ;i;n ; without one plea But that tlry blood for me, Ami that thou bid! I O Ea*mb of ^ Just is I am, and waiting To rid my soul of oikt^ItUa^- To tliec whose, blood can cleaQBo/cafij^i Lamb b| /jh Just as I am — poor, wretch Sight, riches, healing of^fie mind, Yea, all I need, in thee to find. Lamb of God, I come ! J ust as I am — though tossed about With man}' a conflict, many a doubt, Fightings within and fears without, Lamb of God, I come ! Just as I am, thou wilt receive, Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve. Because thy promise I believe : j Lamb of God, I come! Just as I am : .thy love unknown Has broken every barrier down ; Now to be thin?, yea, thine alone, ( » Lamb of God. T come. '^v nouth, Hollinger Corp. P H8.5