Christ a Saviour

Heist is with us as — a Saviour. Oh, how the heart thrills and the eye beams at the mention of the name of Jesus! What we chiefly need is,. not wisdom to guide, or power to shield, or sympathy to soothe, or might to strengthen; it is SALVATION — the soul saved — a Saviour to save us to the uttermost. We want guilt atoning blood, soul-justifying righteousness, sin-subduing grace; a Saviour that has done all, suffered all, paid all, and leaves us nothing to do but, believe and be saved. This is Jesus. My reader,’ salvation is the finished work of Christ, and the free gift of

cn)

God; and nothing less and nothing more is required of you than that, with a penitent and believing heart, you trust in the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus. God has laid all your sins, all your curse, and all your condemnation upon Christ; and all that He asks of you in return is, a believing, loving, obedient reception of His Son. Oh, then, grieve not, dishonor not the Saviour by doubting His willingness or ability to save you!

Let us employ the few remaining pages in suggesting some of those more peculiar and pressing ciTcumstances in our history in which the presence of Christ may be especially anticipated by the child of God, the believing apprehension of which will impart nerve to the hand that grasps this strong and beautiful staff.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Christ is the all-sufficient and only Saviour and Redeemer for all those who will truly put their trust in Him. He saves to the uttermost all who come to God by Him.

COMmG TO CHRIST AT ONCE.

“Are you the Missionary of this old Church?” said a plain, intelligent, energetic looking man, as he came up into the upper lecture room in Fulton Street.

“I am,” said the Missionary.

“Well, I wanted to see you and talk with you a moment.”

“What do you want?” said the Missionary. The man stood with his chin quivering, and his eyes suffused with tears, as he answered; “I want to become a Christian.”

“You do?” said the Missionary. “Why do you want to become a Christian?”

“I am a farmer,” said the man, “well to do in the world. I have every thing in the world that a man needs, but I have no religion.” And he looked like a despairing, lost man, who knew he was lost.

‘’What roused up your attention to the need of religion?”

“I read in the revival article, in the Christian Intelligencer, a scrap headed, ‘not till the next communion.’ It told how the poor man kept saying, when urged to come to the Church and make open profession of his attachment to Christ, ‘Not till the next communion: ’ till one day when he was called for, at his room, it was found that he was gone. And when inquiry was made for him, the unfeeling answer was made that he died right here, dropped down dead, one day, and we cleared him out to Greenwood. I read it, and it struck terror to my mind. I thought, what if I should be stricken down in the same way, all unprepared as I am.”

“And what would become of you?” “I should be lost,” said he, with deep feeling, “lost. I know I should go right down to hell, for I am a great sinner.” “How was it that you came in here?” “I am a farmer in Hunterdon County, New Jersey; I had heard of these prayer meetings here, so I thought I would come here at once. I was in the meeting yesterday. And I must go home to-day; and I cannot go till I am a Christian.”

The Missionary closed the door and thus precluded interruption, and said, “I do not see but you must become a Christian now. Are you willing to submit to Christ now, to believe on Him, and trust Him and His finished righteousness for all your hope of salvation?” “Yes.”

“To repent of, and forsake all sin, and devote yourself forever to Him?”

“Yes.”

“To pray with me now, to go honie and pray in your family, and under all circumstances lead a Christian life?”

“Yes.”

The Missionary led in prayer. The farmer followed, in a prayer of earnest humility, penitence, self-renunciation, and unreserved consecration to the service of God.

He went into the prayer meeting which was just about to open. After it was over, he went on his way, rejoicing in the hope that his sins had been forgiven, and resolved, on a new life of devotedness to God. From the time of his first awakening, he gave his attention to the subject of personal religion with an earnestness which asked for no delay. “Such a prayer as that man made,” said the Missionary, in relating these facts, “I scarcely ever heard; and I felt in mj own soul, that that man had found an interest in Christ, and had made the surrender and the consecration which he professed.”

Some one touched the writer as he was leaving the prayer meeting. He turned and saw the face of a well-known Christian brother; and close at hand stood a young lady, dressed in deep mourning, with whom lie had been conversing — standing there, a child of sorrow. The big tears wei’e slowly rolling down her cheek, and then she would wipe them away, as if she had been half unconscious of their fallintr.

Here is a lady, said the gentleman, to whom I wish you to say a few words. She says she is “uncertain what to do.” I soon saw that she was in spiritual trouble.

“Why are you uncertain what to do?”
we enquired.

7^ “1 do not understand the next step to be

taken,” said she.

“Where are you now?” we asked.

‘’1 have been coming daily to these

meetings for four weeks, and all that time I

have felt anxious about my soul, but all I

do does not seem to make my case any

better.”

‘’’And what do you try to do?”

“I have striven to convince myself that

I am a sinner: as I know I am. But

though I know it, as a truth, I do not feel

about it as I should.”

‘’How would you feel about it if you

could?”

“I would have deep conviction.” “What is your present impression about

yourself?”

“That I am a great sinner; that is all.” “And what would you have more?” “That is what I do not understand. My next step should be for deeper conviction. But what further can I do?”

‘’Tour mistake is a very common one. Your next step, and only step, is to go to Christ, just as you are. Go to Him at once. You can do nothing. Hitherto you have been relying upon yourself. Renounce all this as a dishonor done to Christ, as a Saviour, and go to Him for all the help you need hope for, or desire.”

“Is that all?”

“That is all. You must repent now and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Go to Him, who says to you, ‘Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.’ All you have to do is, with true penitence, to believe in His mercy.”

“Oh,” said she, as if a new light had dawned upon her mind, “is that my next step?”

“Not your next step, as if you had already taken one or more right steps in religion. Going to Christ is your first step. He does not say. Come to conviction, come to a deeper sense of sin. But He says, Come unto Jff.”

“Oh! what a self-righteous creature I am. I see it all now. I have been refusing Christ, while all this time I thought I was preparing to come to Him.” She said this, evidently disappointed in herself.

“Will you go to Jesus, now?” was
hastily asked.

She looked up with a smile, and great resolution depicted in her intelligent face, as she answered,

“I WILL.”

She will indeed, if the Spirit was truly making her “willing in the day of His power.” There and then we parted. The sequel is yet to come.