Heaven on earth by Thomas Brooks (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 6 (Shewing the difference between a true and a counterfeit assurance, between sound assurance and presumption).
Firstly we are taught that a sound and well-grounded assurance:
(i) is attended with a deep admiration of God's transcendent love and favour to the soul in the Lord Jesus;
(ii) doth always beget in the soul an earnest and an impatient longing after a further, a clearer, and fuller enjoyment of God and Christ;
(iii) is usually strongly assaulted by Satan on all sides;
(iv) makes a man as bold as a lion;
(v) makes a Christian very studious and laborious to make others happy;
(vi) will exceedingly arm and strengthen the Christian against all wickedness and baseness;
(vii) is always attended with three fair handmaids (love, humility, joy);
(viii) sometimes springs from the testimony and witness of the Spirit of God.
Then Brooks gives us further differences, particularly concerning the witness of God to the believer:
(i) the Spirit of Christ doth not witness by any outward voice but by an inward, secret, glorious and unspeakable way;
(ii) the testimony and witness of the Spirit of Christ is only gained and enjoyed in holy and heavenly ways;
(iii) the testimony and witness of the Spirit of Christ is a clear, a full, a satisfying testimony and witness;
(iv) though the Spirit be a witnessing Spirit, yet he doth not always witness to believers their adoption, their interest in Christ;
(v) the testimony and witness of the Spirit is a sure testimony;
(vi) the testimony of God is always accompanied with the testimony of our own;
(vii) the witness of the Spirit is ever according to the word;
(viii) it is a holy witness;
(ix) assurance is a jewel, a pearl of that price, that God only bestows it upon renewed hearts.
Brooks gave us a good picture of how Satan reacts to the assured Christian: 'Assurance makes a paradise in believers' souls, and this makes Satan to roar and rage. Assurance fits a man to do God the greatest service and Satan the greatest disservice, and this makes him mad against the soul. Assurance makes a saint to be too hard for Satan at all weapons, yea, to lead that ' son of the morning ' captive, to spoil him of all his hurting power, to bind him in chains, and to triumph over him ; and this makes his hell a great deal hotter, Rom. viii. 32-39. And therefore never wonder at Satan's assaulting your assurance, but expect it and look for it. The jailor is quiet when his prisoner is in bolts, but if he be escaped then he pursues him with hue and cry. So long as the soul is in bolts and bondage under Satan, Satan is quiet and is not so apt to molest and vex it ; but when once a soul is made free, and assured of his freedom by Christ, John viii. 36, then says Satan, as once Pharaoh did, ' I will arise, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil ; my lust shall be satisfied upon them ; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them,' Exodus xv. 9. The experience of all assured saints doth abundantly confirm this. Israel going into Egypt had no enemies, no opposition, but travelling into Canaan they were never free.'
If you are assured of your salvation, then expect Satan to be unhappy with you!
Next week's reading
Read Chapter 7 (Containing answers to several special questions about assurance).
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
No comments:
Post a Comment