Divine Consolations

Samuel Richardson

Originally Printed In 1649

Posted On May 17, 2016

Divine Consolations or a Fountain of Life and Comfort. Declaring that the Elect were Justified from the Punishment Of Sin by Christ, When He Was Upon the Cross, And The Objections Against it are Answered; and that Christ Alone is Our Life, Happiness, Peace, Strength, Comfort, Joy, and All Perfection.

Samuel Richardson, 1602-1658, was a leader among the Early Particular Baptists. From his writings we can easily observe that Richardson was a Firm Advocate for the Cause of Religious Liberty; a Loyal Supporter of the Government of Oliver Cromwell, and the Parliamentary Cause; and above all an Exalter of Christ Alone & fervent Setter Forth of Christ’s Glory & Preeminence in Salvation. He most definitely was a formative leader of the early English Particular Baptists, and one of the twelve signers of the 1644; and slightly revised 1646 London Confession of Faith.

This work was printed in 1649. In his Preface, Richardson says, “Holy and beloved in the Lord; behold; I present to your view Christ crucified, which is the sum and substance of the Gospel: The Priesthood of Christ, and the sufficiency of his Sacrifice to save, is the main thing I contend for against the Papists, who say, Christ’s sacrifice is not sufficient without their sacrifice. Charity saves, says one. Without good works, no salvation, says another. A third says that Christ’s sacrifice is not sufficient for our Salvation without believing, that believing saves, and that without believing, we cannot be saved. Ye see, they all urge a necessity of something for salvation besides Christ’s Sacrifice, without which something, they say, we cannot be saved; so that they deny the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice to save, and so deny that Christ does save. For those he saves, he saves by his sacrifice. Also if Christ and something else saves us, Christ saves us not. For he is no Saviour if he be but a part of a Saviour; therefore, in adding something to Christ’s sacrifice, they deny the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice so that their opinions are dishonorable to Christ. Therefore, as we tender the honor of Jesus Christ, we are to hate and abhor them, being enemies to the Cross of Christ and therefore abominable. If we consider how generally these are received and scarcely contradicted by any, thus believing, and Christ and believing together saves us; sure it should greatly stir us up, and provoke us to contend for the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice, though our contending should cost us our lives. There is no truth more honorable to Christ, nor of greater concernment to his glory, and our salvation, than this is. Take away anything of the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice, and our salvation is destroyed. What a dishonor were it to God to send Christ to save us, and yet for him not to save, and not to be sufficient to save. There is no opinion in the world that my soul doth more abhor, nor against which I would more freely lay down my life for - than this! This Treatise tends to exalt Christ alone.”