Required reading
Twenty-One Sermons on Hebrews 10:20-24 in Volume III of the Works of Robert Traill (Available from Reformation Heritage Books or free here) - Read Sermon XII.
My summary
Today Traill continues exhorting us to answer the divine faithfulness by our faith.
Last week he told us we should firstly answer the divine faithfulness by believing the prize and hope of our calling, as the apostle calls it.
This week Traill speaks, secondly, about the difficulty of believing in this eternal life. He explains that it is difficult to believe in eternal life because:
(i) it is unknown;
(ii) of its vast greatness and goodness;
(iii) of the awfulness of the passage to it;
(iv) of the mystery of the title and right that a believer hath in it;
(v) of the many misgivings of heart;
(vi) of the special activity of Satan in tempting believers;
(vii) there is some wise deep contrivance of God in this matter.
Then Traill thirdly teaches us how these difficulties are to be overcome, including:
(i) muse often both on the promise and promiser;
(ii) pray to the promiser upon the promise;
(iii) build upon the promises;
(iv) learn to reason and argue upon the promises;
(v) take the promise and keep it in hand of your faith.
What grabbed me
I appreciated the encouragement to pray when we struggle to believe we have eternal life: 'Pray to the promiser upon the promise. He that prays much, believes well ; and no man that neglects prayer, can act faith. We pray upon the promise to the promiser : Remember the word unto thy servant, says David, upon which thou hast caused me to hope Psalm cxix. 49. The promises are given for our faith, and our faith is to be acted in praying upon them ; and when we pray upon the promises, we pray to him that made them, and he that made them can certainly perform them.'
If you neglect prayer, don't be surprised if your faith falters.
Next week's reading
Read Sermon XIII.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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