The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-10-27
For the Central Presbyterian.
" Just as I Am ~

In a late article in the Central, with
the above title, the writer, "H. H. H, -
makes mistake which ought to be cor
rected. He is explaining to one who is
not professedly Christian, the hymn be-
ginning, Just as 1 am" He says:
Il call to you who are wishing you
could be Christian"
That the person for whom his article is
expressly written is not, in the estimation
of the writer, Christian, is evident from
the directions and exhortations given to
him; such as the following:
Will you ever get better by waiting
Does delay bring any satisfaction?
The way is so open, so easy, so plain, that
if you now hesitate and therefore remain
unsaved, etc.
his ascribing to this unregenerate sinner
the feelings which belong only to Chris
tan, and a0hich are evidences of his piety.
He says to him:
Sin gives you trouble and sorrow.
You are longing to be saved from it, not
merely in fear of punishment, but because
sin is wrong and hurtful. You wish to
please God. You desire to obey His Cos
pei"
The person who is longing to be saved
from sin, is certainly a0iilimg to forsake
his sins. OH H H." is surely not in
tending to describe a person who is in
the impossible state of one who is unwill-
ing to give up his sins, and yet is long
ing to hare a disposition to give them
up)
That person is already in a saved con-
dition who is aOilIlng (to say nothing of
to7aqing) to be saved from sin. Such a
condition of the soul indicates G new
heart, of which faith in Christ is a neces-
sary and invariable effect, when the per-
son possessing it, has heard the gospel
and is capable of accepting or rejecting
it. 1t can never be said of one who has
heard the gospel, and who is willing to
be saved from sin, that he is unwilling
for Jesus Christ to save him. Being will
ing for Christ to save him, he is in a
saved state. If he is not, then the word
of God is not true which says: Whose
ever will (is wiling let him take the wa
ter of life freely" If he is not, then we
have the case of one who is willing to be
saved from his sins, by the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the only possible reason why
he is not saved is because Christ is either
not willing or not able to save him. A
free agent whose carnal mind is enmity
against God, cannot, during the existence
Of that e1enaity IN his soul, be willing to
be saved from sin which is transgres-
sion of Gods law, and because it is a
transgression of His law. Such an one "is
not subject to the law of God neither in
deed can be-" Nothing but sin can sep
arate between Christ and a sinner of
Adams race.
When a sinner who is regarded as an
unbeliever is confirmed in the erroneous
impression that ne is longing to be saved
from sin, and not merely from "the fear
of punishment" he is in great danger of
embracing false hope Already he be-
lieves that he is longing for Christ to save
him from sin if now he can Just believe
that Christ is able and willing to save
him, he will hope that he is Christian
that he has believed on the Lord Jesus
Christ. He is liable to adopt, consciously
or unconsciously, and to be practically in
tluenced by the erroneous definition OF
faith given by Wesley, viz GA sure
trust and confidence that God both hath
and will forgive our sins, that He hath
accepted us again into His favor, for the
merits of Christ's death and passion. 1t
is divine evidence or conviction that
the Son of God hath loved me, and given
Himself for me, and that I, even |, am
now reconciled to God by the blood of
the cross. Now he who thinks that he
is longing to be saved from sin" has
also the impression, or may easily receive
it, that he is sorry for his sins, that is
has repented Of them. Having, as he
thinks, repented Of his sins, it is easy for
him to believe that God, according to
His promise, has forgiven them and in
this state Of mind it is natural that he
should indulge the hope that he has ex-
ercised the faith above described in the
words Of Wesley. But true faith, and
the persuasion of the mind that either
faith or repentance has been exercised,
are two wholly different things. The
one is looking away from self to Christ !;
and a sinner, while performing that act,
may not be conscious that he IS perform
ing it, for he IS not at the time contene-
plating his o1On state of mind, but christ.
But the persuasion of man that he has
believed in Christ, is the result of the
contemplation Of himself, and, if it is a
oOrroot rorauooi or;soa cro..y. Al -.