BY THE REV. D. BEATON, WICK.
THIS is Halyburton’s best-known work. It was first published in 1722, with a recommendatory Preface by Dr. Isaac Watts. “I would first take notice of this character of it,” he says, “that it is written much in the strain of some of the best of our English sermons in the last age, when the pulpits did not affect politeness and indolence, but spoke thunder to the secure conscience, and made the hearers feel the terrors of the Lord; when the preachers applied the grace of the Gospel to souls that were wounded by the law, in a more skillful and successful manner than has been generally practised in later years. This treatise seems to be written in the power and spirit of that day, when stupid souls were convinced in multitudes, and sinners were led by troops into the paths of salvation, by faith in the Son of God; when conversions were numerous, and the power of godliness was almost as common as the stricter forms of it are now-a-days.” The work is divided into three parts. The first deals with a “discovery of man’s natural state, or the guilty sinner convicted.” The author quotes from the Epistle to the Romans, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” and proceeds in a masterly and powerful way to bring home this humbling truth to the consciences of his hearers. As it is by the law that there is the knowledge of sin, Halyburton, as a wise master-builder, shows the relationship in which sinners stand to a broken law, and brings in all guilty before God. In the course of his argument he shows what sin is, not by a mere morbid analysis but by an appeal to the Word of God, and substantiates his doctrine by proofs from Holy Scripture. The enormity of sin and the fearful excesses to which a sinner may go, are all brought before the reader, that he may learn what is meant by sinning against God and coming short of His glory. That God is not without witnesses to bring home guilt to a sinner, in the most vivid and at times most alarming way possible, is a truth that every awakened conscience will be ready to acknowledge. And Halyburton, from the depths of his own spiritual experience, speaks of many of these witnesses which God will bring against the sinner to convince him that the charge preferred against him is easily proved. “Take heed,” he says, “therefore, we beseech you, to their testimony. The gravity and consequence of the matter, the quality of the witnesses, being the greatest in heaven or earth, and your concernment in the whole, do join in pleading for your attention. O, criminals! as your crimes are great, so is the evidence we bring against you great.” Then he enumerates these witnesses—the Lord Himself, Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, the Spirit of truth, the conscience, the Scriptures, the ministers of the Gospel, the whole creation, the judgments of God, and death. He concludes by bringing the matter home directly to each conscience, reminding his hearers of the dread penalties that are attached to final rejection of the way of salvation provided in Christ Jesus. Having thus shown that all are under sin and have come short of the glory of God, he proceeds, in the second part, to deal with “man’s recovery by faith in Christ, or the convicted sinner’s case and cure.” This part of the Great Concern is prefaced with a quotation from the Acts of the Apostles: “Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” The nature of the conviction of sin comes first under discussion, and having shown what this conviction is, Halyburton next deals with the salvation that the awakened sinner seeks after; in other words, he proceeds to explain the answer given by Paul and Silas to the Philippian gaoler: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” With a skill that leaves very little loophole for the hypocrite, he warns of the dangers of a false security—of professing to believe in Jesus Christ while the work of grace was never begun in the soul. His work may not be quite so searching as that of the New England divines, Jonathan Edwards and Thomas Shepard, but it is well suited to guard against the state of having a name to live while dead. But if his doctrine is searching, he points the sinner to a crucified Saviour, and tells him of a salvation full and free—of a God that is waiting to be gracious. He gives marks of true faith that may encourage and confirm the faith of those who have truly believed in Christ. He then beseeches his readers to be reconciled to Christ. “We beseech you,” he says, “in the name of all the glorious Trinity, to grant our demands. We are ambassadors for Christ, and God doth beseech you by us. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost do all join in the supplication. Never were there such three names at a supplication; never such three names at a petition. O, sinners, what hearts have ye if ye can refuse the desire, the supplication, the entreaties of a whole Trinity? All the love of the Father, all the grace of the Son, and all the blessings that are enjoyed by communion with the Holy Ghost, all plead with you for your compliance. Can ye refuse us then, O sinners, O rocks, O hearts harder than rocks? Once more we beseech you: be ye reconciled to God; accept of and believe on our Lord Jesus Christ; for we assure you in our great Master’s name, He is no ordinary supplicant.”
The concluding part of the Great Concern deals with the “Christian’s duty, with respect to both personal and family religion.” Halyburton opens his remarks by referring to the words of Joshua: “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose ye this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” As we might expect from one who had such an exalted sense of the calling with which he had been called, the subject of this part is treated with a noble dignity and in an impressive style, conveying to the reader a high sense of the honour of being one of the called according to God’s purpose.
This brief sketch of Halyburton’s Great Concern of Salvation may fitly be concluded with the words of Dr. Isaac Watts, when he says: “I would take the freedom particularly to recommend this discourse to be distributed by Christians who have a tender concern for the souls of their children or any other dear relatives or friends. If the work of grace be already begun upon their hearts by the blessing of God, this may help to promote and advance it with power and glory; but if they are yet in ignorance and darkness, unawakened and thoughtless of their eternal concerns, I would more especially propose this book to be given them.”
COLONEL GARDINER, having received a challenge to fight a duel, made this reply: “I fear sinning, though you know, sir, I do not fear fighting.”