Heaven on earth by Thomas Brooks (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 4 (Containing several motives to provoke Christians to be restless till they have obtained a well-grounded assurance of their eternal happiness and blessedness).
This week Brooks outlines motives to provoke Christians to get a well-grounded assurance:
(i) that many are now dropped into hell that have formerly presumed of their going to heaven;
(ii) that there be a great many soul-flatterers, soul-deceivers, and soul-cheaters in the world;
(iii) that a well-grounded assurance of your happiness and blessedness will ease you and free you of a threefold burden (cares, fears and doubts);
(iv) that Satan will labour with all his art and craft, with all his power and might, to keep you from attaining a well-grounded assurance of your happiness and blessedness;
(v) that a well-grounded assurance is a jewel of that incomparable value, it is such a pearl of great price as will abundantly recompense the soul for all the cost and charge it shall be at to enjoy it;
(vi) what labour and pains worldlings take to make sure the things of this life to them and theirs;
(vii) that assurance will enable you to bear a burden without a burden;
(viii) those particular commands of God, whereby he engages Christians to get assurance;
(ix) you cannot gratify Satan more, nor injure yourselves more than by living without assurance;
(x) the sweet profit and glorious advantage that will redound to you by gaining assurance.
Good chapter.
Particularly like the tenth point about all the sweet profits of assurance, including this one: 'Assurance will sweeten sickness and health, weakness and strength, wants and abundance, disgrace and honour, 2 Cor. iv. 16-18, &c. While a man lives in the sense of unchangeable loves, no outward changes can make any considerable change in his spirit. Let times change, let men change, let powers change, let nations change, yet a man under the power of assurance will not change his countenance, nor change his master, nor change his work, nor change his hopes. Though others under changes turn, like the chameleon, into all colours to save their little all, yet the assured soul under all changes is semper idem, always the same.'
Nothing moves an assured man!
Next week's reading
Commence Chapter 5 (Shewing the several ways and means of gaining a well-grounded assurance) by reading up to the paragraph beginning 'I shall begin with the first, and shew you what that knowledge is that accompanies salvation, that comprehends salvation, that touches upon salvation; and that I shall open in these following particulars: (1.) The first property. That knowledge that accompanies salvation is a working knowledge, an operative knowledge...'
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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