Tried With Fire

Believing the gospel and absolute despair of salvation are plainly incompatible states of mind. A man may believe what men falsely call the gospel and what he mistakenly thinks the gospel, and yet remain a stranger to the hope of eternal life. A man may think that he believes what is really the gospel, while he only speculates about it, and remain a stranger to the hope of eternal life. But the real gospel cannot be really believed without, in the degree in which it is believed, producing hope. Dr. John Brown (1785-1858), Words Old and New ~ Horatius Bonar, Banner of Truth, page 330.

Another quote by Dr. John Brown: The ground of the sinner's hope is in God alone. That ground is sometimes represented to be the sovereign self-moved benignity of God; at other times the obedience to death of His incarnate only-begotten Son; and, at other times, the untrammelled revelation of mercy in 'the word of the truth of the gospel.' From Words Old and New ~ Horatius Bonar, Banner of Truth Trust, page 330.

I did not ring in the New Year. I was tired after a long day of tackling the last room in the house. It was good to be in bed by 11:30 PM. If there were fireworks, I slept through them. I am behind one session in school, so I could have started the next unit. However, reading about the gastrointestinal system didn't seem like a very festive thing for New Year's eve. I ended up reading theology with the bunny and playing some Brahms on the piano which was quite relaxing. I have decided to pare down the number of books I am trying to read at the same time. Due to life, my reading time is reduced. I try to squeeze it in whenever I can, but it's hard to pick up a book and get back into the flow of the author's thoughts. Therefore, I am going to finish the book on Calvin and Holiness by J.C. Ryle. I am eager to start Spiritual Depression by Lloyd-Jones. After reading reviews from other bloggers (Thank you, Kim & John ), I think this will be a very helpful book. The...