Knowledge of Salvation Precious in the Hour of Death

This sermon by William Romaine addresses the fundamental question of how believers can face death with confidence rather than terror. Preached in 1759 during his ministry at St. Dunstan-in-the-West, London, the work emerged from Romaine's pastoral encounters with dying parishioners and his conviction that many Christians lacked assurance of their salvation when confronting mortality. The sermon takes its text from Luke 1:77, focusing on the knowledge of salvation that Zechariah prophesied would come through his son John the Baptist.

Romaine argues that true knowledge of salvation differs fundamentally from mere intellectual understanding or wishful thinking. He distinguishes between head knowledge about salvation and heart knowledge of one's personal standing before God. The sermon's central move is to demonstrate that this saving knowledge comes not through good works, religious observance, or moral behavior, but through direct divine revelation of Christ's finished work. Romaine insists that believers must know with certainty that their sins are forgiven and that they possess eternal life, not as a future hope but as a present reality. He addresses common objections that such assurance breeds presumption, arguing instead that uncertainty about salvation dishonors Christ's sacrifice and leaves believers vulnerable to despair in their final hours.

The sermon became influential within evangelical Anglican circles and contributed to the broader eighteenth-century revival emphasis on personal assurance of salvation. Romaine's direct, pastoral approach to the question of dying well resonated with both clergy and laypeople seeking clarity about eternal security. His integration of doctrinal precision with practical comfort established a model for evangelical preaching on death and assurance.

Who should read this: Pastors counseling the dying or grieving will find Romaine's pastoral wisdom invaluable, as will Christians struggling with doubt about their eternal security. Those uncomfortable with strong claims about assurance of salvation may find his arguments challenging rather than comforting.