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A Doctrinal Cancer Within the Church
In his book, The Object and Acts of Justifying Faith, puritan Thomas Goodwin acknowledges that many who finally obtain assurance do so only after many years.
After many years? Really? After truly believing and trusting in Christ alone, we must wait and toil for something else in addition for real assurance other than knowing that God is true and what He has said and revealed in His Word is also true?
Look at this quote from Goodwin, and see if you can spot the error of puritan mysticism:
You that believe are to wait for this promise [of being sealed]…Serve your God day and night faithfully, walk humbly; there is a promise of the Holy Ghost to come and fill your hearts with joy unspeakable and glorious, to seal you up to the day of redemption. Sue this promise out, wait for it, rest not in believing only, rest not in assurance by graces only; there is a further assurance to be had.
Hint: Martyn Lloyd-Jones took up this same error and ran with it, and today’s new Calvinism is the resulting cancer eating the church from within.
Thoughts?
5 Pt. Salt 
A further assurance? Than what the Bible tells us is the assurance we have as beilievers? What?
Did you spot Goodwin’s mistake?
“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Assurance comes through full submission to the Holy Spirit.
I don’t see Goodwin’s mistake.
Here it is Vince: “rest not in believing only” To say this is to leave the vast majority of Christians seeking for something outside of faith alone for assurance. See it now?
Ka-ching. Well done, Joel!
If assurance is NOT had in resting in faith alone, then the gospel to Goodwin (wasn’t he a Marrow guy?!) was not the work of Christ alone, but that work plus something else, as if that work is insufficient!
You missed to understand Puritan Assurance properly. Infact you missed the “Heart” of what they really mean. Read them again…again…….again………and again….
Sam