An Alarm to the Unconverted [Paperback]

Joseph Alleine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 20, 2007

The fire of God was in the bones of young Joseph Alleine. His preaching and his prayers dripped with the anointing of the Holy Spirit. ''O Lord,'' he prayed, ''choose my words; choose my weapons for me; and when I put my hand into the bag and take out a stone and sling, do Thou carry it to the mark and make it stick, not into the forehead, but into the heart of the unconverted sinner, and smite him to the ground as You did to Saul of Tarsus.'' Alleine's words in this book mirror his message to the unconverted. Chapter 1 shows what Conversion is, what it is not. Chapter 2 opens up the necessity of conversion. Chapter 3 exposes the marks of the unconverted. Chapter 4 proves the misery of the unconverted. Chapter 5 describes the means of conversion. Chapter 6 then closes with the motives of conversion. All of these explain why this book is named An Alarm to the Unconverted. Sinners who have read, and who now will read, this classic of classics have squirmed, excused, pleaded falsely, yet have been unable to escape the message straight from Heaven: ''Study your own hearts. Do not rest till God has made thorough work with you. For you must be other men, or else you are lost men''( p. 8) Tens of thousands, yea more, have accredited this book with having opened their eyes to their unconverted state. Among these, perhaps even half of these, were church members sailing under Christ's colors. These fervent words have burned their way into the hearts of both the small and the great. George Whitefield told how it affected him. C. H. Spurgeon ''when brought under conviction'' turned to this book. Like Pilgrim's Progress, this book has been through hundreds of printings. Many of these have been private printings of ten thousand or more copies. Why is this? It speaks the message of God so plainly that it brings conviction such as attended the apostle Peter's preaching when he cried out, ''Therefore, repent and be converted, unto the blotting out of your sins,'' and thousands of so

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Joseph Alleine (1634-1668) was a burning light in the Puritan sky during his short life. He preached up to 14 sermons a week at the times when he was not in jail for preaching. He would preach! So they killed him by ill health from his jailing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 126 pages
• Publisher: Sovereign Grace Publishers, Inc. (June 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 187844221X
• ISBN-13: 978-1878442215
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #744,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic revisited, January 11, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: An Alarm to the Unconverted (Paperback)

First, a little history with respect to this book: I operated a small Christian bookstore in the early 80's, and I was careful about what books I stocked. I earned some scorn from those who thought that I had no right to exercise this "censorship" even within my own business. Nevertheless, I looked with a reasonably cautious eye on those items that filled the shelves. Baker Book House a few years earlier had published a paperback entitled "An Alarm to Unconverted Sinners." I had trusted their standards and ordered a few copies. That edition reflected the English of the mid 1600's, and so in places it was a little difficult to read--but it was so very powerful. The plight of the unconverted and the absolute necessity of conversion were preached with power and conviction from a man who knew truth and who knew God. This wasn't a pointy cold finger jabbing at you from a cruel and aloof man bent on scolding you, but rather the desperate and earnest plea from a friend for the souls of those still content in their godlessness.

Joseph Alleine conveys a powerful message. I was so convinced of the necessity of the message getting out that I ordered 100 copies (I seldom sold more than 20 copies of any book except the Bible itself). And, I provided these copies without charge. It took several weeks (months?) for the stack to disappear, and to be honest I did not receive the feedback that I thought would follow. I continued to stock the book for selling after the initial free distribution, yet sales were minimal. But I offer no apologies for Alleine's writing--it needs none.

Now, Sovereign Grace Publishers (Indiana) has put out more of a contemporary version, so the language barriers aren't quite as significant. I am a little concerned that "An Alarm to Unconverted Sinners" has been shortened to "An Alarm to the Unconverted" (perhaps to not offend), but as a former bookseller I can tell you that a cover and title can (unfortunately) make or break a book as far as sales go. However, it would not be possible to effectively water down the message inside unless the original intent and manuscript were both fully abandoned-and they have not been. I suspect that God Himself has had a hand in this volume never disappearing in 350 years. How many of the latest bestsellers of today will be around in another 350 years?

And so I now find myself some 20 years later re-reading my yellowed copy and ordering again a few for sharing with others. Conviction of sin is only properly accomplished by the Holy Spirit, and it is no one's calling to be self-righteous and judgmental. Alleine is tough, but he is simply reaffirming Biblical truth.

I could offer countless quotes, but a quick glance in my dated copy has left me with two: "Poor sinner, thou hast fallen off from God, and hast engaged His power and wrath against thee; yet know, that of His abundant grace He doth offer to be thy God again in Christ." And the dreadful alternative: "Wilt thou make light of all the terrors of the law, of all its curses and thunders, as if they were but the threatenings of a child? Dost thou laugh at hell and destruction, or canst thou drink the envenomed cup of the Almighty's fury, as if it were but a common potion?"

Joseph Alleine died at the age of thirty-four, after much persecution for the cause of Christ. You would do well to learn what drove and empowered this man.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mighty exposition on the doctrine of Conversion, June 23, 2008

By 

J. M. Urban - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Alarm to the Unconverted (Paperback)

Christian, do yourself a favor and read this book. And when you do, give it to one of your friends. The author is an old Puritan who had mighty revivals in his own ministry, being blessed to see many conversions under his own preaching. In this book, he takes some of those convicting truths that he preached and in this printed form, commends them to do their work to lead souls to repentance and eternal life. If you are a saint of the Living God, this book will edify you and help to equip you with words and spur you to zeal to reach the lost. If you are yet unconverted, or do not know whether you are converted or not, this book can be a mighty blessing in laying down in the most clear and simple terms what it means to be converted, and help you on the road to Heaven. This book has been reprinted and renamed, "A Sure Guide to Heaven".

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolutely superb book!, April 24, 2010

By 

M. Kolbo "histreeladee" (Grand Island) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: An Alarm to the Unconverted (Paperback)

I so enjoyed reading this book that I found it hard to put down. If you aren't a believer, you should be prepared to be converted. Joseph Alleine did a superb job.