SALVATION IN ITS INDIVIDUAL RELATIONS.

BY THOMAS L. BOSWELL, D. D.,

OF THE MEMPHIS CONFERENCE.

"What must I do to be saved?"—Acts xvi, 30.

SALVATION is commonly understood as deliverance from danger, whether temporal or spiritual. It is therefore a subject of the greatest moment to one exposed to imminent danger. Its importance is to be estimated according to the magnitude of the interests involved. Hence, if a man's health, character, or life, is exposed to great danger, and likely to be lost or greatly damaged, and it is quite beyond his power to escape, and in his great extremity some kind friend interposes and effects his deliverance, he is gratefully appreciated as

a saviour.

But let us apply the idea of salvation in a spiritual sense to the interests of man's immortal soul, and the greatness of the danger (and consequently of the deliverance) is at once inconceivably augmented. Think of an immortal soul, all polluted with sin and iniquity, exposed to the wrath of God, "in danger of eternal damnation;" think of the inexorable law of God-the claims of infinite justice; think of the infinite love of God in the gift of his eternal Son, to be made flesh and dwell among us; think of his midnight prayers, his agonizing sweat of blood; think of his sufferings on the cross, and ignominious death!—and all to atone for sin, and to make the sinner's salvation possible; and then think of this salvation actually applied to a penitent believer, through the agency of the Eternal Spirit: How great, and good, and glorious! Well right the augels desire to look into these things, and rejoice more over one sinner that repenteth, than over ninety-and-nine just persons that need no repentance. And well may men upon earth rejoice and be exceeding glad at so gracious a display of omnipotent goodness in the salvation of perishing sinners.

"How then shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" How shall we escape the condemnation and pollution of sin, the wrath

of God, and the damnation of hell? There is no escape if we neglect the salvation of Christ. Sinners can only escape the fearful retributions of the future by seeking, finding, and perfecting the salvation in question. Hence the great importance of the question proposed in the text-" What must I do to be saved?"

It is now proposed to call attention to the subject of salvation in its individual relations.

I. Salvation is an individual concernment.

There must be a deep and abiding conviction of this truth in the sinner's heart before he will even consent to seek salvation. He must be made to feel and say, "Let others choose whom they will serve," wealth, honor, pleasure, &c.-" as for me, I will serve the Lord."

1. Acting under this personal resolution, the sincere penitent will not neglect his salvation on account of the adverse influence of others. He will give no heed to the doubts of the skeptic, the scoffs of the infidel, and false reason of the Deist. He is not discouraged at the fact that false professors of religion occasionally appear in the Church; that some 66 run well for a while" and then turn back to the world; that others are deceived and miss their way, &c. He judges no man-his concern is with himself.

One of the greatest hindrances to personal religion is the spirit and practice of judging others. Therefore the Great Teacher says, "Judge not, that ye be not judged; for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged." In opposition to this, a sinner, blind and ignorant in spiritual things, sets himself up to judge; and he very readily decides upon the character of the members of the Church-one is a hypocrite, another is a backslider, and the balance cold and formal. Therefore I shall not seek religion-not join the Church-I am as good as the best of them. And thus he excuses himself on the score of others. Now, what right or qualification has one short-sighted, fallible man, to judge another? And what has the hypocrisy, backsliding, &c., of others, to do with a man's own personal religion? "To his own master Let no man judge another in these things.

he standeth or falleth." "Every one shall give account of himself to God." So far from these considerations operating a discouragement to one seeking salvation, they should convince him that the circulation of counterfeits proves the existence of a genuine currency,