Christ's Love-Letter
The Scripture is a love-letter from Christ to His beloved spouse, a source of delight, comfort, and wisdom that brings us guidance, counseling, and salvation.
Thomas Brooks emphasizes that the entire Scripture is a profound love-letter from Christ to His beloved, urging believers to immerse themselves in its teachings. He illustrates the transformative power of the Word, describing it as a guide, comforter, and source of joy, and encourages diligent study and meditation on the Scriptures. Brooks highlights the necessity of Scripture for spiritual growth and protection against worldly temptations, asserting that neglecting it can lead to misery. He calls for a heartfelt commitment to reading, studying, and applying the Word in daily life to experience its full benefits.
Text
The whole of Scripture is but one entire love-letter,
dispatched from the Lord Christ to His beloved spouse.
Caecilia, a Roman maiden of noble parentage, always
carried the New Testament with her, that she might
still be a-reading in Christ's love-letter, and behold
the sweet workings of His love and heart towards His
dear and precious ones.
Augustine professes that the sacred Scriptures were
his whole delight.
Jerome tells us of one Nepotianus, who, by long and
assiduous meditation on the holy Scriptures, had
made his heart the library of Jesus Christ.
Oh! the mysteries, the excellencies, the glories which
are in the Word! Ah! no book to this book; none so useful,
none so needful, none so delightful, none so necessary to
make you happy and to keep you happy as this!
Ah! the Word of the Lord is . . .
a light to guide you,
a Counselor to counsel you,
a comforter to comfort you,
a staff to support you,
a sword to defend you, and
a physician to cure you.
The Word is . . .
a mine to enrich you,
a robe to clothe you,
a crown to crown you.
bread to strengthen you,
wine to cheer you,
a honeycomb to feast you,
music to delight you,
a paradise to entertain you!
Oh! therefore, before all and above all:
search the Scripture,
study the Scripture,
dwell on the Scripture,
delight in the Scripture,
treasure up the Scripture!
There is . . .
no wisdom like Scripture wisdom,
no knowledge like Scripture knowledge,
no experience like Scripture experience,
no comforts like Scripture comforts,
no delights like Scripture delights,
no convictions like Scripture convictions,
no conversion like Scripture conversion!
I exhort you to a speedy, serious, diligent,
and constant study of the Scripture.
Ah! you do not know how soon . . .
your blind minds may be enlightened,
your hard hearts softened,
your proud spirits humbled,
your sinful natures changed,
your defiled consciences purged,
your distempered affections regulated,
and your poor souls saved . . .
by searching into the Scriptures,
by reading the Scripture, and
by pondering upon the Scripture.
Ah! if you do not in good earnest give up yourselves
to the reading,
to the studying,
to the pondering,
to the believing,
to the practicing,
to the applying, and
to the living up to the Scripture--
Satan will be too hard for you,
the world will be too hard for you,
your lusts will be too hard for you,
temptations will be too hard for you,
deceivers will be too hard for you,
and in the end you will be miserable.
Sermon Outline
- The Scripture as Christ's Love-Letter
- The Benefits of Studying the Scripture
- The Importance of Delighting in the Scripture
- The Consequences of Neglecting the Scripture
- Satan will be too hard for us
- The world will be too hard for us
- Temptations will be too hard for us
Key Quotes
“The whole of Scripture is but one entire love-letter, dispatched from the Lord Christ to His beloved spouse.” — Thomas Brooks
“The Word of the Lord is a light to guide you, a counselor to counsel you, a comforter to comfort you, a staff to support you, a sword to defend you, and a physician to cure you.” — Thomas Brooks
“There is no wisdom like Scripture wisdom, no knowledge like Scripture knowledge, no experience like Scripture experience, no comforts like Scripture comforts, no delights like Scripture delights, no convictions like Scripture convictions, no conversion like Scripture conversion!” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- We should search, study, and dwell on the Scripture to understand God's love and heart towards us.
- We should treasure up the Scripture in our hearts and live up to its teachings to apply it to our lives.
- Neglecting the Scripture makes us vulnerable to Satan, the world, and temptations, leading to misery and hardship.