Salvation Made Sure or an Attempt to Show (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1856 Excerpt: ... when its exercise began. Yet how many are needlessly distressing themselves with the fear that they have never been born again, because they know not the exact time when their change took place. In our inquiry, then, 'whether we are Christians?' we are to lay the things above named entirely out of the account. We are to have no regard at all to the degree of distress which we had in conviction, nor the degree of joy which we had in conversion. We are not to consider whether God has mysteriously suggested certain portions of his word to our minds; whether we have heard a voice from some invisible being; seen any strange sights; or had any remarkable dreams. Nor are wre to measure the intensity of our zeal, or the extent of our punctuality in the outward duties of religion and morality. But we are to proceed in our inquiries just as if these things had nothing to do with our conversion and salvation. Having now considered those things which many suppose to be evidences of grace, but which are not evidences, we come next to consider what are evidences. And as regeneration is the entrance into a state of salvation, it may be expected that I describe that change, with its attendant symptoms.--But the object of this treatise, is not so much to aid the young convert in the attainment of a hope, as to aid all saints to attain full assurance of hope. And as with many who are destitute of this assurance, the day of their conversion has long since gone past, they have forgotten many of the symptoms which attended it. A description of regeneration, with its common attendants, would do them little good.--Nay, it would do the young convert but little good. For in the first place, the attendant symptoms of regeneration are very various. No two cases can be found which are...