Required reading
The Christian's daily walk, in holy security and peace by Henry Scudder (Available from Amazon or free here) - Conclude Chapter 15 (Concerning false fears) by reading Section 12 and 13.
My summary
Today Scudder continues to instruct us about how false fears are impediments to peace.
Firstly Scudder removes doubts about falling from grace. In particular his advice is for those who doubt because:
(i) of fears that all their religion has been but in hypocrisy and in form only but not in power;
(ii) of the decay of grace and comfort;
(iii) of fears of backsliding and apostasy;
(iv) of fears of apostasy in times of persecution;
(v) of fears arising from the deceitfulness of the heart;
(vi) of present weakness;
(vii) of fears of not enjoying the promises for not sufficiently performing the conditions;
(viii) of fears of salvation for want of such graces as God has promised;
(ix) of fears arising from manifold temptations.
Secondly Scudder gives some quick advice on the Christian's ground of hope and confidence in God.
What grabbed me
I liked Scudder's advice for those who feel they are a greater sinner than ever: 'At the first a truly regenerate man does not see so much as afterwards he does. At first you had, indeed, the light of the Sun, but as at the first dawning of the day, whereby you saw your greater enormities, and reformed many things, yea, as you thought, all; but now since the Sun being risen higher towards the perfect day, shines more clearly, it comes to pass, that in these beams of the sun, as when it shines into a house, you may see more motes, and very many things amiss in your heart and life, which were not discovered nor discerned before; you must not say you had less sin then, because you saw it not, or more sin now, because you see more. For as the eye of your mind sees every day more clearly, and as your hearts grow every day more holy ; so will sin appear unto you every day more and more, for your constant humiliation and daily reformation. For a Christian, if he go not backward, sees in his advanced lifetime more clearly, what is yet before him to be done, and with what an high degree of affection he ought to serve God, and to what an height of perfection he ought to raise his thoughts in his holy aim, which in the infancy of his Christianity he could not see ; hence his error. Even as it is usual for a novice in the University, when he has read over a few systems of the arts, &c., to conceit better of himself for scholarship, than when he has more profound knowledge in those arts afterwards, for then he sees his difficulties, which his weak knowledge not being able to pry into, passed over with presumption of his knowing all. '
Just because you know more about your sin doesn't mean you are even more of a sinner than you were before you became a Christian.
Next week's reading
Read Chapter 16 (Showing the means to attain the peace of God).
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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