Daniel Herbert
Free & Sovereign Grace in Christ to Sinners
Dear Reader, If you feel desirous to know what induced me to send forth another Edition of my little unadorned Pieces into the world; I answer, because they are still called for by the very characters for whom they were primarily intended. And if you ask me who they are; I tell you, they are the poor, the helpless, the needy, the self-emptied, sin-perplexed, law-condemned sinner; who groan and mourn daily under nature’s depravity, and feeling their own plague sore, are made experimentally to know what Paul meant, and what Paul felt, when he cried out, “O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of sin,” this dead body, that hangs like a load about my living soul? Now, dear Reader, 'tis such poor, dear, tried souls as these, I have in view, in sending this Fifth Edition abroad; and, blessed be God, I have had many soul-animating testimonies of its being blessed to those who are led to rejoice in salvation as entirely free and complete through atoning blood; to all whom God the Father chose, God the Son redeemed, and God the Holy Ghost has quickened by his Almighty life-creative influence. Such characters as these, I know, will find something congenial to their own experience herein. I know that God worketh all things after the counsel of his own will, and my prayer to God is, that I may be a means in his hand of communicating a consolatory word to the poor weaklings of God’s chosen; and as the Eternal Jehovah frequently makes use of means contemptible in the estimation of men to accomplish his own glorious and wonderful designs, may God make this little book to be a word of comfort to the distressed, miserable, sin burdened soul, who is labouring under legal bondage, struggling hard to get free from the law as a covenant of works, whose chains are riveted by so many of the preachers of the day. But as the dear Lord has been pleased to open to my view the glorious plan of salvation, so complete and so suitable to the ruined state of a poor sinner, in which Jehovah’s love is so wonderfully displayed, I must speak of that little I do know, and testify of what I have tasted and handled of the word of God; knowing that spiritual and covenant blessings flow freely to every elect sinner from the atoning blood of the God Man Mediator, conveyed to the soul by the Eternal Spirit, according to God's eternal decree; and the price of man’s redemption agreed upon before all worlds, was paid down by the Son of God, as man’s Surety, on Calvary's cross. In him was salvation finished, ransomed sinners saved, the law of God magnified, justice satisfied, man’s salvation secured, and Christ exalted. Therefore, my dear reader, can I be wrong in publishing what I conceive will be good tidings and welcome news to the poor outcasts, whom no man seeks after nor cares about? That the work monger and self-saving Pharisee will despise this little book, I have no doubt; and brand me with that odium, that invidious characteristic attached to almost everyone who is made willing to be saved in God’s way, I mean Antinomian; but those who are taught by the Spirit, and know the truth experimentally, such are satisfied to be saved as sinners, chosen in the appointed Mediator before the foundation of the world, and know and believe they were loved with an everlasting love, loved before time, called in time, and loved through time, and will be loved to all eternity; all flowing through Jehovah’s eternal love to our adorable Surety Jesus, as God Man, the chosen Head of all the Church. O what a blessed thought, what a soul comforting consideration to a poor, guilty, hell deserving sinner, that the beloved coequal Son of God should undertake the work of our redemption, and that he became our Surety, lived as such, and died as such, and so finished transgression, made an end of sin, brought in everlasting righteousness, and sealed our pardon with his blood! Ah! my dear Reader, here is comfort for the comfortless, hope for the hopeless, salvation for the lost; and you who know it feelingly and experimentally, will now and then begin to lisp out a note of praise to him who will be the subject of that glorious anthem above, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, who hath redeemed us to God by his blood!” But I am aware that should the self-righteous, self-sufficient, self-important, self-saving Pharisee read this book, they will despise both the author and his book; I am satisfied it should be so; I would bless God who has disposed me to exalt a precious Christ as all in all in a poor sinner’s salvation, from first to last, as Jesus, Immanuel, God in our nature; to him I would wish to direct the poor, distressed, doubting, sin-worried soul, {as far as my little abilities will admit;} and to the soul animating promises of a covenant making, covenant performing God; as they are all verity itself, and yea and amen in Christ Jesus. Ah! 'tis upon this ground the few faithful heralds go forth with a “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, my chosen, my beloved, my called ones;” tell them that their warfare is accomplished, their iniquities are pardoned, hell subdued, and salvation secure, as a righteousness is wrought out to cover their naked souls. Happy those who are enabled to attend to the precious promises of God, and credit the blessed report. “Look unto me, {says our loving God,} and be ye saved;” not try and merit my salvation; not try and get an interest in my love; but, “Look unto me,” your ever living, ever loving God, who hath loved you with an everlasting love; therefore look unto me, your sin-bearing, sin atoning, curse-suffering, law-fulfilling Surety Head, Jesus, according to covenant contract, agreed upon between the undivided Three-one Jehovah, Father, Word, and Spirit, before the Foundation of the world. If you, my dear Reader, have an interest in this matchless and eternal love, I then commend you as one who is led to see yourself a sinner saved in the purpose of Jehovah from eternity, and that it was everlasting love decreed thy everlasting salvation; being sanctified or set apart by God the Father, preserved in God the Son, and called by God the Holy Ghost. It was love that provided a Ransom, it was love that moved the co-equal Son of God to assume our nature, and live for sinners and die for sin, that God might save his chosen people in a way honorable to the attributes and perfections of Jehovah. And if my Reader is convinced of the real necessity of the life, death, sacrifice, and resurrection of the Son of God, then I am persuaded you will read with pleasure and profit what is ridiculed by the nominal professor of the day. From the ungodly world who make no profession, and from the professing world who know not Christ, I can say from my heart, Good Lord deliver me; but to all the lovers of Christ, who rejoice in an unconditional salvation, and know that they have neither money nor price, to such I subscribe myself, Their willing Servant, For Christ's sake, Daniel Herbert, Sudbury, Nov.1818. Daniel Herbert {Preface to Hymns & Poems – Doctrinal & Experimental, 1818 Edition}