Dear fellow-sinners

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(The following letter was written by Pastor William Burns to the youth Sunday School class in Edinburgh, on March 10, 1840.)

Dear fellow-sinners, if you take refuge by faith in this sacrifice of Emmanuel, you are saved, and cannot come into condemnation. But if you despise and reject it, then sooner may heaven and earth pass away--than that you should escape being in hell to all eternity for your sins!

I rejoice to hear that some of you seem to have gotten a glimpse of the love of Jesus, and of the preciousness of His atoning blood. To such I would say--remain at Calvary, be there sleeping and waking, at work or at play, living and dying. Gaze upon that great sight--until your conscience enjoys perfect peace with God, until your heart is filled with Emmanuel's love, and your whole soul is transformed into His image, and becomes as a mirror, finely polished to reflect the rays of His grace and glory--to all eternity!

"Look unto Jesus!" is the whole of the gospel. Look and wonder, look and live, look and love, look and adore, look and admire, look and be blessed, look and be glorified, look eternally--and your hearts will be filled with everlasting love, and your mouth with an unending hallelujah!

But what can I say to those among you, who have heard of Jesus, and whose hearts are given to another--to the world, to themselves, to a lust, to a passion, to an idol, to sin, to Satan! Ah! to hell-fire you will go--if the Lord, in infinite mercy, does not interpose for you! Children, young people, who have not yet come to Jesus--realize that you are under the wrath of God--and that every moment it is coming nearer and nearer to your poor souls! Awake, arise, flee without a moment's delay to Jesus, and take refuge below His atoning cross--and enjoy now and to all eternity--His free, infinite, and unchangeable love to perishing sinners!

Shall I meet you in heaven--or see you going away in your impenitence and unbelief to hell?

Yours in Emmanuel,
William Burns

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We encourage all parents and Sunday School teachers to read the whole of this powerful three page letter by William Burns.