July 12

Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. - Psalms 35:3.

NOW, this supposes that a believer is not always in possession of the evidence he longs after. His interest in salvation is one thing, and his knowledge of it is another. A child may be heir to an estate, and not be conscious of it; but his ignorance of it in his infancy does not affect his title. Some say that the full assurance of faith is essential to a state of salvation. Indeed! The words “full assurance of faith” are used only once in Scripture, and are wrongly quoted. It occurs in the Epistle to the Hebrews, meaning thereby a firm belief that God will view us through the blood of the atonement, and will receive us graciously for the sake of Christ. The apostle does not there intend a participation of our actual interest in the great salvation.

Persons often use this expression who are full of self-confidence; but if we judge of them by their tempers and conduct, we shall not be likely to think they are justified in using it according to their interpretation. The apostle makes use of the expression, “full assurance of hope,” and this we may employ. “For we are saved by hope,” and we “rejoice in hope.” It is by this hope that the experience of believers is here characterized; only this “full assurance” may be viewed in two ways:-the “full assurance” of victory as having risen above doubts and fears, and while conflicting with them. This latter will serve to describe the experience of a very large portion of the Lord’s people. They frequently hesitate while attempting to draw conclusions in their own favour.

They therefore, with David, exclaim, “Show me a token for good;” and we find, upon examination, this anxiety arises from three things. First, From their great attachment to the object; for there is nothing they so much love and desire. Every thing else in comparison is less than nothing, and vanity. Now, no wonder such an attachment as this should make them alive to their danger of losing it.

Secondly, This anxiety arises from the danger of delusion; for this is possible. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is death.” We are exposed to an enemy of whose devices we ought not to be ignorant, with whose numberless wiles we should be better acquainted. We know that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” And a Christian, having been so frequently imposed upon by his own heart, is very suspicious of any thing encouraging coming from that old treacherous quarter, while he remembers the language of Solomon:-“He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool.” A mistake here is not only possible, but common. Solomon tells us there is a whole generation of those self-deceivers:-“There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness;” and our Saviour tells us of a whole church who said, “I am rich and increased in goods, and have need of nothing, and knew not that they were wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” We read of some who are far from being godly, yet have “no bands in their death, and their strength is firm;” and of others who carry their confidence to the very last,-yea, up to the throne of God itself, saying, “Lord, Lord, open unto us, and he shall answer and say, I know you not whence ye are. Then they shall begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets; but he shall say, I know ye not whence ye are. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.”

Then, Thirdly, It arises from the dreadfulness of delusion. There is something very gloomy in disappointment, especially where the object of hope is very great and lovely and the expectation very warm and strong. Oh, the wretchedness of disappointment here! How blessed, then, is this assurance! Oh to be able to say, with the sweet Psalmist in our Israel,-

“When I can say this God is mine,

When I can feel his glories shine,

I tread the world beneath my feet,

And all that earth calls good or great.”