Two of the books that have been in print, for a number of years, by the 17th century Minister Of The Gospel Richard Alleine are The World Conquered By The Faithful Christian (a very helpful book on one of the three great enemies of believers-the world)and Instruction About Heart work.In chapter 13 of that book 'Sinful Self Love' Alleine defines the title of that chapter-"It is a love of mistaken self, of carnal self, a love of the flesh... it is a love of that flesh which Christ would have us to hate and deny." Richard's brother Joseph authored one of the great 'Puritan Evangelistic' works An Alarm To The Unconverted. The effect this book had on me was to search my own heart and life to see if there was any spiritual decay and earnestly desiring and pursuing a closer walk with The Lord.Even if a believer is not backslidden, the initial signs of a backslidden condition may be present and one may be recovered before they lose more ground spiritually.Here is a searching question that this Puritan Pastor asks that can help to gage one's 'Spiritual Health'-"Have you panting hearts, longing hearts, can you say, my soul is athirst for God, my heart cries out for the living God, O for more of God... for more of the power of his grace? "
It is wise to search our hearts and to see if we are making spiritual progress.If we are not growing, moving forward, then we are either standing still or drawing back.According to Alleine our growth in grace can be measured by our conformity to our Savior, this can be discerned in two ways-conformity to His image and conformity to His will.This was what the Apostle Paul's great aim was-'That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering, being made conformable unto his death.' Philippians 3:10.This is one of the great struggles, in this life, for believers-they have a great desire to please their Lord in all things and are continuing to press on(to know Him better) but they find-another law in their members ... "carrying me out to a compliance with the law of sin." This is the constant warfare that believers are engaged in-seeking ,by God's grace ,to live by faith in their resurrected Lord.
Christians, saved by grace, living by faith not by sight, desire to be useful to their fellow travelers on 'The Narrow Road' to The Celestial City. What should always be kept in mind is that if I am going to be a help to others, this assumes that I am guarding and nourishing,God helping me, my own spiritual state.A question we can and should ask ourselves -"thou that teacheth, teacheth thou not thyself? thou that would instruct another, warn and awaken another, how canst thou do that, if thou dost not instruct and awaken thyself."
I believe we live in a day where many that profess to be 'Followers Of Christ' are dull and lethargic at best.There are many reasons for this but a searching spiritual book such as Richard Alleine's ' A rebuke To Backsliders' could be a great help to those who think they are rich(spiritually) and are in fact destitute and barren.
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- Joseph J.AdrianReviewed in the United States on 27 October 2024
An Antidote For Spiritual Lethargy
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