Lost Without JESUS - (Salvation)

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CHRIST IS ALL - Page 4

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

It was Christ of whom David the king was a type. Anointed and chosen when
few gave him honour,-despised and rejected by Saul and all the tribes of
Israel,-persecuted and obliged to flee for his life,-a man of sorrow all
his life, and yet at length a conqueror;-in all these things David
represented Christ.

It was Christ of whom all the prophets from Isaiah to Malachi spoke. They
saw through a glass darkly. They sometimes dwelt on His sufferings, and
some times on His glory that should follow. (1 Peter i. 11.) They did not
always mark out for us the distinction between Christ's first coming and
Christ's second coming. Like two candles in a straight line, one behind
the other, they sometimes saw both the advents at the same time, and
spoke of them in one breath. They were sometimes moved by the Holy Ghost
to write of the times of Christ crucified, and sometimes of Christ's
kingdom in the latter days. But Jesus dying or Jesus reigning, was the
thought you will ever find uppermost in their minds.

It is Christ, I need hardly say, of whom the whole New Testament is full.
The Gospels are "Christ" living, speaking, and moving among men. The Acts
are "Christ" preached, published, and proclaimed. The Epistles are
"Christ" written of, explained, and exalted. But all through, from first
to last, there is but one Name above every other, and that is Christ.

I charge every reader of this paper to ask himself frequently what the
Bible is to him. Is it a Bible in which you have found nothing more than
good moral precepts and sound advice? Or is it a Bible in which you have
found Christ? Is it a Bible in which "Christ is all" If not, I tell you
plainly, you have hitherto used your Bible to very little purpose. You
are like a man who studies the solar system, and leaves out in his
studies the sun, which is the centre of all. It is no wonder if
you find your Bible a dull book!



III. In the third place, let us understand that "Christ is all" in the
religion of all true Christians on earth.

In saying this, I wish to guard myself against being misunderstood. I
hold the absolute necessity of the election of God the Father, and the
sanctification of God the Spirit, in order to effect the salvation of
every one that is saved. I hold that there is a perfect harmony and
unison in the action of the three Persons of the Trinity, in bringing any
man to glory, and that all three co-operate and work a joint work in his
deliverance from sin and hell. Such as the Father is, such is the Son,
and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father is merciful, the Son is merciful,
the Holy Ghost is merciful. The same Three who said at the beginning,
"Let us create," said also, "Let us redeem and save." I hold that every
one who reaches heaven will ascribe all the glory of his salvation to
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three Persons in one God.

But, at the same time, I see clear proof in Scripture, that it is the
mind of the blessed Trinity that Christ should be prominently and
distinctly exalted, in the matter of saving souls. Christ is set forth as
the "Word," through whom God's love to sinners is made known. Christ's
incarnation and atoning death on the cross, are the great corner-stone on
which the whole plan of salvation rests. Christ is the way and door, by
which alone approaches to God are to be made. Christ is the root into
which all elect sinners must be grafted. Christ is the only meeting-place
between God and man, between heaven and earth, between the Holy Trinity
and the poor sinful child of Adam. It is Christ whom God the Father has
"sealed" and appointed to convey life to a dead. world. (John vi. 27.) It
is Christ to whom the Father has given a people to be brought to glory.
It is Christ of whom the Spirit testifies, and to whom He always leads a
soul for pardon and peace. In short, it has "pleased the Father that in
Christ all fulness should dwell." (Coloss. i. 19.) What the sun is in the
firmament of heaven, that Christ is in true Christianity.

I say these things by way of explanation. I want my readers clearly to
understand, that in saying "Christ is all," I do not mean to shut out the
work of the Father and of the Spirit. Now let me show what I do mean.

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CHRIST IS ALL - Page 5

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

(a) Christ is all in a sinner's justification before God.

Through Him alone we can have peace with a Holy. God. By Him alone we can
have admission into the presence of the Most High, and stand there
without fear. "We have boldness and access with confidence by the faith
of Him." In Him alone can God be just, and justify the ungodly. (Ephes.
iii. 12; Rom. iii. 26.)

Wherewith can any mortal man come before God? What can we bring as a plea
for acquittal before that Glorious Being, in whose eyes the very heavens
are not clean?

Shall we say that we have done our duty to God? Shall we say that we have
done our duty to our neighbour? Shall we bring forward our prayers?-our
regularity?-our morality?-our amendments?-our church going? Shall we ask
to be accepted because of any of these?

Which of these things will stand the searching inspection of God's eye?
Which of them will actually justify us? Which of them will carry us clear
through judgment, and land us safe in glory?

None, none, none! Take any commandment of the ten, and let us examine
ourselves by it. We have broken it repeatedly. We cannot answer God one
of a thousand.-Take any of us, and look narrowly into our ways,-and we
are nothing but sinners. There is but one verdict: we are all guilty,-all
deserve hell,-all ought to die. Wherewith can we come before God?

We must come in the name of Jesus,-standing on no other ground,-pleading
no other plea than this, "Christ died on the cross for the ungodly, and I
trust in Him. Christ died for me, and I believe on Him."

The garment of our Elder Brother,-the righteousness of Christ,-this is
the only robe which can cover us, and enable us to stand in the light of
heaven without shame.

The name of Jesus is the only name by which we shall obtain an entrance
through the gate of eternal glory. If we come to that gate in our own
names, we are lost, we shall not be admitted, we shall knock in vain. If
we come in the name of Jesus, it is a passport and Shibboleth, and we
shall enter and live.

The mark of the blood of Christ is the only mark that can save us from
destruction. When the angels are separating the children of Adam in the
last day, if we are not found marked with that atoning blood, we had
better never have been born.

Oh, let us never forget that Christ must be "all" to that soul who would
be justified!-We must be content to go to heaven as beggars,-saved by
free grace, simply as believers in Jesus,-or we shall never be saved at
all.

Is there a thoughtless, worldly soul among the readers of this book? Is
there one who thinks to reach heaven by saying hastily at the last, "Lord
have mercy on me," without Christ? Friend, you are sowing misery for
yourself, and unless you alter, you will awake to endless woe.

Is there a proud, formal soul among the readers of this book? Is there
any one thinking to make him self fit for heaven, and good enough to pass
muster by his own doings?-Brother, you are building a Babel, and you will
never reach heaven in your present state.

But is there a labouring, heavy-laden one among the readers of this book?
Is there one who wants to be saved, and feels a vile sinner? I say to
such an one, "Come to Christ, and He shall save you. Come to Christ, and
cast the burden of your soul on Him. Fear not: only believe."

Do you fear wrath? Christ can deliver you from the wrath to come.-Do you
fear the curse of a broken law? Christ can redeem you from the curse of
the law.-Do you feel far away? Christ has suffered, to bring you nigh to
God.-Do you feel unclean? Christ's blood can cleanse all sin away!-Do you
feel imperfect? You shall be complete in Christ.-Do you feel as if you
were nothing? Christ shall be "all in all" to your soul.-Never did saint
reach heaven with any tale but this, "I was washed and made white in the
blood of the Lamb." (Rev. vii. 14.)

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[airIam2worship]

Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 AMP  For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]

Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Please feel free to add another portion of Scripture that is the Bible Prescription for Salvation.

We all have a need of salvation, God provided a solution to that need, we can receive that solution by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, apply it or receive it by faith, as a free gift.

The Need

Ro 5:12 Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned:--

The Solution

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal  life.

The Name

Ac 4:10 be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even in him doth this man stand here before you whole.

Ac 4:11 He is the stone which was set at nought of you the builders, which was made the head of the corner.

Ac 4:12 And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.

Apply - By Faith

Ro 10:9 because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved:

Ro 10:13 for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.


Free Gift

Eph 2:8 for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

Eph 2:9 not of works, that no man should glory.

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CHRIST IS ALL - Page 6

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

(b) But again, Christ is not only all in the justification of a true
Christian, but He is also all in his sanctification.

I would not have any one misunderstand me. I do not mean for a moment to
undervalue the work of the Spirit. But this I say, that no man is ever
holy till he comes to Christ and is united to Him. Till then his works
are dead works, and he has no holiness at all.-First you must be joined
to Christ, and then you shall be holy. "Without Him,-separate from
Him,-you can do nothing." (John xv. 5.)

And no man can grow in holiness except he abides in Christ. Christ is the
great root from which every believer must draw his strength to go
forward. The Spirit is His special gift, His purchased gift for His
people. A believer must not only "receive Christ Jesus the Lord," but
"walk in Him, and be rooted and built up in Him." (Col. ii. 6, 7.)

Would you be holy? Then Christ is the manna you must daily eat, like
Israel in the wilderness of old. Would you be holy? Then Christ must be
the rock from which you must daily drink the living water. Would you be
holy? Then you must be ever looking unto Jesus,-looking at His cross, and
learning fresh motives for a closer walk with God,-looking at His
example, and taking Him for your pattern. Looking at Him, you would
become like Him. Looking at Him, your face would shine without your
knowing it. Look less at yourself and more at Christ, and you will find
besetting sins dropping off and leaving you, and your eyes enlightened
more and more every day. (Heb. xii. 2; 2 Cor. iii. 18.)

The true secret of coming up out of the wilderness, is to come up
"leaning on the Beloved." (Cant. viii. 5.) The true way to be strong is
to realize our weakness, and to feel that Christ must be all. The true
way to grow in grace, is to make use of Christ as a fountain for every
minute's necessities. We ought to employ Him as the prophet's wife
employed the oil,-not only to pay our debts, but to live on also. We
should strive to be able to say, "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." (2 Kings iv. 7; Gal. ii. 20.)

I pity those who try to be holy without Christ! Your labour is all in
vain. You are putting money in a bag with holes. You are pouring water
into a sieve. You are rolling a huge round stone uphill. You are building
up a wall with untempered mortar. Believe me, you are beginning at the
wrong end. You must come to Christ first, and He shall give you His
sanctifying Spirit. You must learn to say with Paul, "I can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Phil. iv. 13.)

(c) But again, Christ is not only all in the sanctification of a true
Christian, but all in his comfort in time present.

A saved soul has many sorrows. He has a body like other men,-weak and
frail. He has a heart like other men,-and often a more sensitive one too.
He has trials and losses to bear like others,-and often more. He has his
share of bereavements, deaths, disappointments, crosses. He has the world
to oppose,-a place in life to fill blamelessly,-unconverted relatives to
bear with patiently,-persecutions to endure,-and a death to die.

And who is sufficient for these things? What shall enable a believer to
bear all this? Nothing but "the consolation there is in Christ." (Phil.
ii. 1.)

Jesus is indeed the brother born for adversity. He is the friend that
sticketh closer than a brother, and He alone can comfort His people. He
can be touched with the feeling of their infirmities, for He suffered
Himself. (Heb. iv. 15.) He knows what sorrow is, for He was a man of
sorrows. He knows what an aching body is, for His body was racked with
pain. He cried, "All my bones are out of joint." (Ps. xxii. 14.) He knows
what poverty and weariness are, for He was often wearied and had not
where to lay His head. He knows what family unkindness is, for even His
brethren did not believe Him. He had no honour in His own house.

And Jesus knows exactly how to comfort His afflicted people. He knows how
to pour in oil and wine into the wounds of the spirit,-how to fill up
gaps in empty hearts,-how to speak a word in season to the weary,-how to
heal the broken heart,-how to make all our bed in sickness,-how to draw
nigh when we are faint, and say, "Fear not: I am thy salvation." (Lam.
iii. 57.)

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CHRIST IS ALL - Page 7

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

We talk of sympathy being pleasant. There is no sympathy like that of
Christ. In all our afflictions He is afflicted. He knows our sorrows. In
all our pain He is pained, and like the good Physician, He will not
measure out to us one drop of sorrow too much. David once said, "In the
multitude of my thoughts within me, Thy comforts delight my soul." (Ps.
xciv. 19.) Many a believer, I am sure, could say as much. "If the Lord
himself had not stood by me, the deep waters would have gone over my
soul" (Ps. cxxiv. 5.)

How a believer gets through all his troubles appears wonderful. How he is
carried through the fire and water he passes through seems past
comprehension. But the true account of it is just this,-that Christ is
not only justification and sanctification, but consolation also.

Oh, you who want unfailing comfort, I commend you to Christ! In Him alone
there is no failure. Rich men are disappointed in their treasures.
Learned men are disappointed in their books. Husbands are disappointed in
their wives. Wives are disappointed in their husbands. Parents are
disappointed in their children. Statesmen are disappointed when, after
many a struggle, they attain place and power. They find out, to their
cost, that it is more pain than pleasure,-that it is disappointment,
annoyance, incessant trouble, worry, vanity, and vexation of spirit. But
no man was ever disappointed in Christ.

(d) But as Christ is all in the comforts of a true Christian in time
present, so Christ is all in his hopes for time to come.

Few men and women, I suppose, are to be found who do not indulge in hopes
of some kind about their souls. But the hopes of the vast majority are
nothing but vain fancies. They are built on no solid foundation. No
living man but the real child of God,-the sincere, thorough-going
Christian,-can give a reasonable account of the hope that is in him. No
hope is reasonable which is not Scriptural.

A true Christian has a good hope when he looks forward: the worldly man
has none. A true Christian sees light in the distance: the worldly man
sees nothing but darkness. And what is the hope of a true Christian? It
is just this,-that Jesus Christ is coming again, coming without
sin,-coming with all His people,-coming to wipe away every tear,-coming
to raise His sleeping saints from the grave,-coming to gather together
all His family, that they may be for ever with Him.

Why is a believer patient? Because he looks for the coming of the Lord.
He can bear hard things without murmuring. He knows the time is short. He
waits quietly for the King.

Why is he moderate in all things? Because he expects his Lord soon to
return. His treasure is in heaven: his good things are yet to come. The
world is not his rest, but an inn; and an inn is not home. He knows that
He that shall come will soon come, and will not tarry. Christ is coming,
and that is enough.

This is indeed a "blessed hope!" (Titus ii. 13.) Now is the
school-time,-then the eternal holiday. Now is the tossing on the waves of
a troublesome world,-then the quiet harbour. Now is the scattering,-then
the gathering. Now is the time of sowing,-then the harvest. Now is the
working season,-then the wages. Now is the cross,-then the crown.

People talk of their "expectations" and hopes from this world. None have
such solid expectations as a saved soul. He can say, "My soul, wait thou
only upon God; my expectation is from Him." (Ps. lxii. 5.)

In all true saving religion Christ is all: all in justification,-all in
sanctification,-all in comfort,-all in hope. Blessed is that mother's
child that knows it, and far more blessed is he that feels it too. Oh,
that men would prove themselves, and see what they know of it for their
own souls!

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CHRIST IS ALL - Page 8

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)


IV. One thing more I will add, and then I have done. Let us understand
that Christ will be all in heaven.

I cannot dwell long on this point. I have not power, if I had space and
room. I can ill describe things unseen and a world unknown. But this I
know, that all men and women who reach heaven will find that even there
also "Christ is all."

Like the altar in Solomon's temple, Christ crucified will be the grand
object in heaven. That altar struck the eye of every one who entered the
temple gates. It was a great brazen altar, twenty cubits broad,-as broad
as the front of the temple itself. (2 Chron. iii. 4; iv. 1.) So in like
manner will Jesus fill the eyes of all who enter glory. In the midst of
the throne, and surrounded by adoring angels and saints, there will be
"the Lamb that was slain." And "the Lamb shall be the light" of the
place. (Rev. v 6; xxi. 23.)

The praise of the Lord Jesus will be the eternal song of all the
inhabitants of heaven. They will say with a loud voice, "Worthy is the
Lamb that was slain. Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be to
Him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever." (Rev.
v. 12, 13.)

The service of the Lord Jesus will be one eternal occupation of all the
inhabitants of heaven. We shall "serve Him day and night in His temple."
(Rev. vii. 13.) Blessed is the thought that we shall at length attend on
Him without distraction, and work for Him without weariness.

The presence of Christ Himself shall be one ever lasting enjoyment of the
inhabitants of heaven. We shall "see His face," and hear His voice, and
speak with Him as friend with friend. (Rev. xxii. 4.) Sweet is the
thought that whosoever may be wanting at the marriage supper, the Master
Himself will be there. His presence will satisfy all our wants. (Ps.
xvii. 15.)

What a sweet and glorious home heaven will be to those who have loved the
Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity! Here we live by faith in Him, and find
peace, though we see Him not. There we shall see Him face to face, and
find He is altogether lovely. "Better" indeed will be the "sight of the
eyes than the wandering of the desire!" (Eccles. vi. 9.)

But alas, how little fit for heaven are many who talk of "going to
heaven" when they die, while they manifestly have no saving faith, and no
real acquaintance with Christ. You give Christ no honour here. You have
no communion with Him. You do not love Him. Alas! what could you do in
heaven? It would be no place for you. Its joys would be no joys for you.
Its happiness would be a happiness into which you could not enter. Its
employments would be a weariness and a burden to your heart. Oh, repent
and change before it be too late!

I trust I have now shown how deep are the foundations of that little
expression, "Christ is all."

I might easily add to the things I have said, if space permitted. The
subject is not exhausted, I have barely walked over the surface of it
There are mines of precious truth connected with it, which I have left
unopened.

I might show how Christ ought to be all in a visible Church. Splendid
religious buildings, numerous religious services, gorgeous ceremonies,
troops of ordained men, all, all are nothing in the sight of God, if the
Lord Jesus Himself in all His offices is not honoured, magnified, and
exalted. That Church is but a dead carcase, in which Christ is not "all."

I might show how Christ ought to be all in a ministry. The great work
which ordained men are intended to do, is to lift up Christ. We are to be
like the pole on which the brazen serpent was hung. We are useful so long
as we exalt the great object of faith, but useful no further. We are to
be ambassadors to carry tidings to a rebellious world about the King's
Son, and if we teach men to think more about us and our office than about
Him, we are not fit for our place. The Spirit will never honour that
minister who does not testify of Christ,-who does not make Christ "all."

I might show how language seems exhausted in the Bible, in describing
Christ's various offices. I might describe how figures seem endless,
which are employed in unfolding Christ's fulness. The High Priest, the
Mediator, the Redeemer, the Saviour, the Advocate, the Shepherd, the
Physician, the Bridegroom, the Head, the Bread of Life, the Light of the
World, the Way, the Door, the Vine, the Rock, the Fountain, the Sun of
Righteousness, the Forerunner, the Surety, the Captain, the Prince of
Life, the Amen, the Almighty, the Author and Finisher of Faith, the Lamb
of God, the King of Saints, the Wonderful, the Mighty God, the
Counsellor, the Bishop of Souls,-all these, and many more, are names
given to Christ in Scripture. Each is a fountain of instruction and
comfort for every one who is willing to drink of it. Each supplies matter
for useful meditation.

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CHRIST IS ALL - Page 9

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

But I trust I have said enough to throw light on the point I want to
impress on the minds of all who read this paper. I trust I have said
enough to show the immense importance of the practical conclusions with
which I now desire to finish the subject.

(1) Is Christ all? Then let us LEARN THE UTTER USELESSNESS OF A
CHRISTLESS RELIGION.

There are only too many baptized men and women who practically know
nothing at all about Christ. Their religion consists in a few vague
notions and empty expressions. "They trust they are no worse than others.
They keep to their church. They try to do their duty. They do nobody any
harm. They hope God will be merciful to them. They trust the Almighty
will pardon their sins, and take them to heaven when they die." This is
about the whole of their religion

But what do these people know practically about Christ? Nothing: nothing
at all! What experimental acquaintance have they with His offices and
work, His blood, His righteousness, His mediation, His priesthood, His
intercession? None: none at all! Ask them about a saving faith,-ask them
about being born again of the Spirit,-ask them about being sanctified in
Christ Jesus. What answer will you get? You are a barbarian to them. You
have asked them simple Bible questions. But they know no more about them
experimentally, than a Buddhist or a Turk. And yet this is the religion
of hundreds and thousands of people who are called Christians, all over
the world!

If any reader of this paper is a man of this kind, I warn him plainly
that such Christianity will never take him to heaven. It may do very well
in the eye of man. It may pass muster very decently at the
vestry-meeting, in the place of business, in the House of Commons, or in
the streets. But it will never comfort you. It will never Satisfy your
conscience. It will never save your soul.

I warn you plainly, that all notions and theories about God being
merciful without Christ, and excepting through Christ, are baseless
delusions and empty fancies. Such theories are as purely an idol of man's
invention as the idol of Juggernaut they are all of the earth, earthy.
They never came down from heaven. The God of heaven has sealed and
appointed Christ as the one only Saviour and way of life, and all who
would be saved must be content to be saved by Him, or they will never be
saved at all.

Let every reader take notice. I give you fair warning this day. A
religion without Christ will never save your soul.

(2) Let me say another thing. Is Christ all? Then LEARN THE ENORMOUS
FOLLY OF JOINING ANYTHING WITH CHRIST IN THE MATTER OF SALVATION.

There are multitudes of baptized men and women who profess to honour
Christ, but in reality do Him great dishonour. They give Christ a certain
place in their system of religion, but not the place which God intended
Him to fill. Christ alone is not "all in all" to their souls.-No! it is
either Christ and the Church,-or Christ and the sacraments,-or Christ and
His ordained ministers,-or Christ and their own repentance,-or Christ and
their own goodness,-or Christ and their own prayers,-or Christ and their
own sincerity and charity, on which they practically rest their souls.

If any reader of this paper is a Christian of this kind, I warn him also
plainly, that his religion is an offence to God. You are changing God's
plan of salvation into a plan of your own devising. You are in effect
deposing Christ from His throne, by giving the glory due to Him to
another.

I care not who it is that teaches such religion, and on whose word you
build. Whether he be Pope or Cardinal, Archbishop or Bishop, Dean or
Archdeacon, Presbyter or Deacon, Episcopalian or Presbyterian, Baptist or
Independent, Wesleyan or Plymouth Brother, whosoever adds anything to
Christ, teaches you wrong.

I care not what it is that you add to Christ. Whether it be the necessity
of joining the Church of Rome, or of being an Episcopalian, or of
becoming a Free Churchman, or of giving up the liturgy, or of being
dipped,-whatever you may practically add to Christ in the matter of
salvation, you do Christ an injury.

Take heed what you are doing. Beware of giving to Christ's servants the
honour due to none but Christ. Beware of giving the Lord's ordinances the
honour due unto the Lord. Beware of resting the burden of your soul on
anything but Christ, and Christ alone.

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CHRIST IS ALL - Page 10

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

(3) Let me say another thing. Is Christ all?

LET ALL WHO WANT TO BE SAVED, APPLY DIRECT TO CHRIST.

There are many who hear of Christ with the ear, and believe all they are
told about Him. They allow that there is no salvation excepting in
Christ. They acknowledge that Jesus alone can deliver them from hell, and
present them faultless before God. But they seem never to get beyond this
general acknowledgement. They never fairly lay hold on Christ for their
own souls. They stick fast in a state of wishing, and wanting, and
feeling, and intending' and never get any further. They see what we mean:
they know it is all true. They hope one day to get the full benefit of
it: but at present they get no benefit whatever. The world is their
"all." Politics are their "all." Pleasure is their "all." Business is
their "all." But Christ is not their all.

If any reader of this paper is a man of this kind, I warn him also
plainly, he is in a bad state of soul. You are as truly in the way to
hell in your present condition, as Judas Iscariot, or Ahab, or Cain.
Believe me, there must be actual faith in Christ, or else Christ died in
vain, so far as you are concerned. It is not looking at the bread that
feeds the hungry man, but the actual eating of it. It is not gazing on
the lifeboat that saves the shipwrecked sailor, but actual getting into
it. It is not knowing and believing that Christ is a Saviour that can
save your soul, unless there are actual transactions between you and
Christ. You must be able to say, "Christ is my Saviour, because I have
come to Him by faith, and taken Him for my own."-"Much of religion, said
Luther, turns on being able to use possessive pronouns. Take from me the
word 'my,' and you take from me God!"

Hear the advice I give you this day, and act upon it at once. Stand still
no longer, waiting for some imaginary frames and feelings which will
never come. Hesitate no longer, under the idea that you must first of all
obtain the Spirit, and then come to Christ. Arise and come to Christ just
as you are. He waits for you, and is as willing to save as He is mighty.
He is the appointed Physician for sin-sick souls. Deal with Him as you
would with your doctor about the cure of a disease of your body. Make a
direct application to Him, and tell Him all your wants. Take with you
words this day, and cry mightily to the Lord Jesus for pardon and peace,
as the thief did on the cross. Do as that man did: cry, "Lord, remember
me." (Luke xxiii. 42.) Tell Him you have heard that He receives sinners,
and that you are such. Tell Him, you want to be saved, and ask Him to
save you. Rest not till you have actually tasted for yourself that the
Lord is gracious. Do this, and you shall find, sooner or later, if you
are really in earnest, that "Christ is all."

(4) One more thing let me add. Is Christ all?

Then LET ALL HIS CONVERTED PEOPLE DEAL WITH HIM AS IF THEY REALLY
BELIEVED IT. LET THEM LEAN ON HIM AND TRUST HIM FAR MORE THAN THEY HAVE
EVER DONE YET.

Alas, there are many of the Lord's people who live far below their
privileges! There are many truly Christian souls who rob themselves of
their own peace and forsake their own mercies. There are many who
insensibly join their own faith, or the work of the Spirit in their own
hearts, to Christ, and so miss the fulness of Gospel peace. There are
many who make little progress in their pursuit of holiness, and shine
with a very dim light. And why is all this? Simply because in nineteen
cases out of twenty men do not make Christ all in all.

Now I call on every reader of this paper who is a believer, I beseech him
for his own sake, to make sure that Christ is really and thoroughly his
all in all. Beware of allowing yourself to mingle anything of your own
with Christ.

Have you faith? It is a priceless blessing. Happy indeed are they who are
willing and ready to trust Jesus. But take heed you do not make a Christ
of your faith. Rest not on your own faith, but on Christ.

Is the work of the Spirit in your soul? Thank God for it. It is a work
that shall never over thrown. But oh, beware, lest, unawares to yourself,
you make a Christ of the work of the Spirit! Rest not on the work of the
Spirit, but on Christ.

Have you any inward feelings of religion, and experience of grace? Thank
God for it. Thousands have no more religious feeling than a cat or log.
But oh, beware lest you make a Christ of your feelings and sensations!
They are poor, uncertain things, and sadly dependent on our bodies and
outward circumstances. Rest not a grain of weight on your feelings. Rest
only on Christ.

Learn, I entreat you, to look more and more at the great object of faith,
Jesus Christ, and to keep your mind dwelling on Him. So doing you would
find faith, and all the other graces grow, though the growth at the time
might be imperceptible to yourself. He that would prove a skilful archer,
must look not at the arrow, but at the mark.

Alas, I fear there is a great piece of pride and unbelief still sticking
in the hearts of many believers. Few seem to realize how much they need a
Saviour. Few seem to understand how thoroughly they are indebted to Him.
Few seem to comprehend how much they need Him every day. Few seem to feel
how simply and like a child they ought to hang their souls on Him. Few
seem to be aware how full of love He is to His poor, weak people, and how
ready to help them! And few therefore seem to know the peace, and joy,
and strength, and power to live a godly life, which is to be had in
Christ.

Change your plan, reader, if your conscience tells you you are guilty:
change your plan, and learn to trust Christ more. Physicians love to see
patients coming to consult them: it is their office to receive the
sickly, and if possible to effect cures. The advocate loves to be
employed: it is his calling. The husband loves his wife to trust him and
lean upon him: it is his delight to cherish her, and promote her comfort.
And Christ loves His people to lean on Him, to rest in Him, to call on
Him, to abide in Him.

Let us all learn and strive to do so more and more. Let us live on
Christ. Let us live in Christ. Let us live with Christ. Let us live to
Christ. So doing we shall prove that we fully realize that "Christ is
all." So doing, we shall feel great peace, and attain more of that
"holiness without which no man shall see the Lord." (Heb. xii. 14.)
____________________

My Note will be simple:

Thanks be unto GOD for HIS unspeakable GIFT!, JESUS CHRIST, our Lord and Saviour forever!