A Sure Guide to Heaven. By Joseph Alleine. Carlisle: Banner of Truth. Reprint, 2007.

A Sure Guide to Heaven has enjoyed one the largest distributions of books in the English language and has served as a sure guide for such men as George Whitefield and Charles Spurgeon. Written in the great Puritan tradition, Sure Guide is basically an evangelistic tract.

The purpose is to provide a thorough explanation of Christian conversion, but in so doing, Alleine is pleading for his readers to be converted! The subjects are: (1) what conversion is, (2) the necessity of conversion, (3) the marks of the unconverted, (4) the misery of the unconverted, (5) the means of conversion, and (6) the motives to conversion.

The following are some lessons on conversion. These are Alleine’s own words and thoughts. Conversion is not taking up the religion of Christianity, being baptized, moral righteousness, conforming to rules of piety, or chaining up corruption by human will or means.

The author of conversion is the Spirit of God. The efficient cause of conversion is free grace and the merit of Jesus. The instrument of conversion is the ministry and the Word. The end of conversion is the glory of God. The subject of conversion is the elect sinner.

Conversion turns the balance of judgment so that God and his glory outweigh all carnal and worldly interests. Conversion turns the bias of the will. Conversion turns the bent of the affections. In conversion we turn from sin, Satan, the world, and our own righteousness. In conversion we turn to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Without conversion, the infinite God is engaged against you, Satan has his full power over you, the guilt of your sins is upon you, your lusts enslave you, the furnace of eternal vengeance is ready for you, the law curses you, and the gospel condemns you.

In the final chapter, Alleine extends the Gospel call to his readers by convincingly sharing with them that the doors of heaven are thrown open to them by the work of Christ and that all the grace needed for faith and repentance are given by God.