Thomas Brooks on the difference between faith and assurance

[Reformed Covenanter]

... Remedy (2). The second remedy against this device of Satan is, solemnly to consider, That God in the Scripture doth define faith otherwise. God defines faith to be a receiving of Christ—’As many as received him, to them he gave this privilege, to be the sons of God,’ John i. 12. ‘To as many as believed on his name,’ Acts xi. 23 — to be a cleaving of the soul unto God, though no joy, but afflictions, attend the soul. Yea, the Lord defines faith to be a coming to God in Christ, and often to a resting and staying, rolling of the soul upon Christ. It is safest and sweetest to define as God defines, both vices and graces. This is the only way to settle the soul, and to secure it against the wiles of men and devils, who labour, by false definitions of grace, to keep precious souls in a doubting, staggering, and languishing condition, and so make their lives a burden, a hell, unto, them.

Remedy (3). The third remedy against this device of Satan is, seriously to consider this, That there may be true faith where there is much doublings. Witness those frequent sayings of Christ to his disciples, ‘Why are ye afraid, O ye of little faith?’ Persons may be truly believing who nevertheless are sometimes doubting. In the same persons that the fore-mentioned scriptures speak of, you may see their faith commended and their doubts condemned, which doth necessarily suppose a presence of both. ...

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Thomas Brooks on the difference between faith and assurance

Remedy (1). The first remedy against this device of Satan is, solemnly to consider, That there may be true faith, yea, great measures of faith, where there is no assurance. The Canaanite woman in t…

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