This book, James Smith, The Way of Salvation, set forth The fountain of divine truth is the Lord Jesus Christ, the repository of divine truth is the Holy Scriptures, the proper abode of divine truth is the sinner's heart, and the sacred revealer of truth is the Holy Spirit.

The Bible contains all necessary truth and nothing but truth. It was written expressly for sinners. It is freely given to them by God that they may learn the things which make for their everlasting peace and salvation. It was never designed to gratify the critic's pride or please the carnal imagination, but it was intended to inform the mind, to sanctify the heart, and to direct the feet. When we take it up, we should remember that it is a precious gift of God to poor sinners, designed to benefit them and glorify His holy name.

This book sets before us our true state before God as sinners, cursed, loathsome, vile, unworthy, base, heaven-daring, wrath-provoking, mercy-despising, hell-deserving sinners. It shows us that we have come short of the glory of God. Our hearts are depraved beyond description and vile beyond expression. The nature of Satan is not actually worse than ours. Instead of having anything to boast of or pride ourselves in, all that we have and are is calculated to fill us with shame, confusion, and self-abhorrence.

This book shows us plainly that salvation must be of grace, or not at all. It informs us that by faith in Jesus, we can rise from our dreadful state and escape our fearful doom. It sets before us the provision of divine mercy, the contrivance of infinite wisdom, and the promises of eternal love. It exhibits a perfect Savior suited to our miseries and woes. It presents to us a salvation, all of grace, to be enjoyed by faith and manifested by good works. A salvation that reaches to our present state, delivers us from all that we have reason to fear, introduces us to all that we can consistently desire, and gives us a right to all that God has promised and that Jesus has procured.

In a word, this blessed Bible tells the poor sinner what he is by nature, what he must be by grace, and then what he will be in glory. It shows him nature's desert, mercy's way of escape, and how God is glorified in his present salvation and future glory.

This book exhibits God's gracious purposes, merciful promises, and wise precepts. It sets forth the thoughts of God, the secrets of eternity, the designs of everlasting love, the method of salvation, the saints' privileges and glory, the impenitent sinner's state, condition, and awful doom.

This book contains the mind of God, reveals the way of salvation by Jesus Christ, teaches the genuine evidences of real Christianity, is a complete rule of life, is the charter of the Christian's privileges, is the casket that contains the jewels of God's promises, is the light that illumines our path in this dark world and marks out, as with a sunbeam, the blessed end of the righteous and the miserable doom of the impenitent sinner. All who live and die without the salvation it makes known will be cast into outer darkness where there is eternal weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

There is a majesty in the word of God which the believer sees, and an excellency and glory which the heaven-taught sinner discovers. He can no longer trifle with it, despise it, or pour contempt upon it. He views it as of infinite importance, inconceivable value, and exact, adapted to himself. He feels a deep interest in its contents and is concerned to become acquainted with the blessings it reveals, to enjoy the privileges it sets forth, and escape the threatenings it holds out.

The true Christian learns the doctrines with satisfaction, believes the promises with joy, accepts the invitations with gratitude, receives the cautions with fear, listens to the exhortations with pleasure, walks by the precepts with delight, reads it with reverence, searches it with diligence, and implores the promised teaching and guiding of the Holy Spirit to understand it.

Beware of slighting, despising, or neglecting the Bible. Read it daily, pray over it incessantly, and meditate on what it reveals continually.

His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 1, 2.