The Poor Doubting Christian Drawn to Christ

Book excerpt: Thomas Hooker (1586-1647) was an English separatist Pilgrim who was a popular New England Reformed preacher and minister of the Gospel. William Ames spoke of him highly, saying he never met with Mr. Hooker’s equal, either for preaching or for disputing. Every Christian desires a full and unwavering assurance of salvation. It rests on a true conversion experience which is the work of God in a sinful soul brought to believe in Christ by the power of the Spirit (John 3:3). Without an initial spiritual birth into God’s covenant through the Holy Spirit there can never be a real assurance of faith, because assurance of salvation is directly connected to a genuine saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. True assurance is Christ-centered relying wholly on the Lord’s work and merit. Thomas Hooker looks to draw the Christian towards understanding that the foundation on which assurance for the believer must rest is the merits of Christ’s death and resurrection on their behalf. They must look to him. But how will they look to Christ when so many doubts and difficulties attack and weaken their faith? One of the greatest hindrances a Christian has walking with God comfortably, is their fickle nature. Christians have difficulty overcoming their fallen emotions. Hooker helps to overcome this by reasoning with the Christian through the word of God. He covers removing hindrances to coming to Christ, how the Christian is drawn to Christ using the word of God, what kind of interest the Christian should have in the promises of God, and how they might live by true biblical faith all the days of their life. This work is not a scan or facsimile, has been carefully transcribed by hand being made easy to read in modern English, and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.