IN visiting one of the villages of Oxfordshire, calling from house to house, it happened that at one cottage a woman, full of earnestness, ran up to me saying, “Oh, sir, are you the gentleman that has come to register my baby?”
“No, I am not,” I replied.
“I thought you was, sir, for the gentleman said he would come today, so I were expecting him.”
“No, I am not he; but I have come to know if YOU, have been registered?”
“Me! me, sir! do you mean me?” she said, with great astonishment.
“Yes, truly! I do mean YOU.”
“Really, do you mean ME? me myself, sir?
“Yes, I really do mean you, your very self. I have called to ask you if YOUR name has been registered?”
“Yes, sir, it has,” said she, interrupting me.
“In heaven?” I added.
“Oh sir! I do not know that.”
“But how may I know that? We cannot see the book, and much less can we see our names therein.”
“That is true, we cannot with our natural eyes see our names written in the book of life. Indeed the natural man cannot know anything of the things of God, because they can be only spiritually discerned. Therefore we must have a spiritual nature; we must be born of God; we must have the Holy Spirit in order to see our names in God’s book of life. There is, however, no difficulty for anyone who has believed in Jesus, and been made a new creature in Christ, to know if he is going to heaven. Yea, it is the privilege of every child of God, not only to know, but to rejoice that his name is written in heaven. The Lord Jesus told His disciples not to rejoice that evil spirits had been made subject to them, but that their names were written in heaven (Luke 10). The Thessalonian Christians knew that they had been chosen of God, and, therefore, they were happy in Christ, and were able to endure very heavy afflictions for the sake of the truth; and they were continually waiting for the return of the Son of God from heaven” (1 Thess. 1:1010And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)).
The Holy Spirit of God writes to God’s children, saying to them, These things have I written unto you that ye might KNOW that ye have eternal life, (1 John 5:1313These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13)), and the true believer’s joy and privilege is to respond and say, “We know we are of God” (1 John 5:1919And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. (1 John 5:19)). The believer has a divine nature in him, that does ever by the Holy Ghost rise up to God, as made known to him in the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven.
Everyone knows what he likes. A boy knows if he likes play. And why does he like it? Because he has a nature in him that does so. Does one love dress, or money, or pleasure? Well, the reason is simply because one has a nature in him that does so. But a child of God has a nature that loves God, and that seeks after God, that loves His holy word, His doctrine, His ways, and will. Now, if I have real and holy desires after the Lord Jesus, then surely that is of God, and not of mere nature, and so “we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the wicked one.” Human nature never can love true, divine, spiritual worship. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh,” and is, and can be, nothing else; but “that which is born of the Spirit is spirit,” and loves the Lord Jesus Christ HIMSELF, the glorified Son of Man in heaven. “The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Rom. 8)
Thus it is quite clear that we may, and, indeed, we ought, to know whether our names are written in heaven, and we ought to be able to rejoice, and thank God that they are there. The Spirit of God would have all true believers to give thanks unto the Father. “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son; in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:12-1412Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: (Colossians 1:12‑14)).
But again it may be asked, How may I know that my name is written in the Lamb’s book of life?
Well, how did the Thessalonians know it? Was it by their frames and feelings; by their experiences? No, certainly not. Blessed as feelings may be, and doubtless are, in their proper place, their existence is no evidence that he who experiences them is saved. There may be abundance of warm and happy feelings apart from Christ. Many persons have been filled with joy at hearing the Gospel; but alas! time has proved that after all, they were but dead, while they seemed to live, mere stony-ground hearers.
The writer knows an aged woman in the country who for many years had passed for a very wonderful Christian. Ministers and other Christians of various denominations have been in the habit of visiting her to learn of her, and to hear her remarkable experiences. Alas! it was her experiences and not Christ that she ministered to those who visited her; and now she is on her death-bed, the Lord has (happily indeed) come in, and taken away all her experiences, frames, and feelings, and the like, and she finds that there is nothing whatever to rest upon but Christ.
But she is at present without hope, and miserable indeed. And what makes her case the more sad is, there seems to be no power to lay hold of the plain Gospel, and simply to believe on Jesus the Christ of God; because her efforts are to get back her experiences, and not to confess Christ. She is taken up with herself instead of her Lord and Saviour. She is saying to herself, “Oh, that I were as in months past!” instead of looking to Jesus now, as a present Saviour.
Thus it is seen that confidence in mere frames and feelings, apart from Christ are worthless; they are no grounds for peace whatever. They will never stand the test of a dying hour.
The early Christians knew they were elected of God, because the Gospel of God had come home with the power of the Holy Spirit. They believed that Christ Jesus is the Son of God, and that He laid down His life for lost sinners. They believed what God told them, that His only begotten Son had borne all their sins, and had received the full amount of wages due on account of their sins, even eternal judgment. And in thus believing what God had said, and confessing that Jesus was their Lord and Saviour, they had peace with God, and were delivered from the fear of death and eternal condemnation (Rom. 5:11Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1)).
Now the question is, Have you, my reader, really in your heart believed in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God? No doubt you do believe in your head; but the question is, Is it with the heart you believe and confess Jesus as your Lord? It is to be feared multitudes say, Sunday after Sunday, “I believe in the Lord Jesus,” and yet they are not saved, because the heart’s affections do not go out towards Him whom they profess to believe in. Christ is not really in their hearts; they do not mind going to a place of worship on Sundays to hear a sermon; but they do not like to have the question put home to them in a personal manner, “Do you love Jesus?” There is really no joy to them, no sweetness, in the name of Jesus. It makes them uncomfortable when it is pressed on them. He has no place in their hearts.
Now reader, do you care a bit for Christ? Do you delight to hear His name; and is it a joy to you to bless and praise Him? Do you go to a place of worship because it is respectable to do so? or because you love to meet with the children of God, and to offer up spiritual praises to Him who hath loved you, and given Himself for you? Well, then, is it asked, How may I know that my name is written in the Lamb’s book of life? The answer is, simply, Do I heartily believe in Christ as my Lord and Saviour? “He that believeth on the Son of God HATH everlasting life” (John 3:3636He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)). When we believe in truth, the Good Shepherd gives us eternal life, and He puts us safely in the Father’s hands, and says to us, You shall never perish, and none shall pluck you from my Father’s hands (John 10:3838But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. (John 10:38)).
The only real knowledge we can have of God is contained in the Scriptures; and hence, if we are deprived of them, we are deprived of God. The infidel may tell us that God is to be known in creation. Did anyone ever find Him out there? No doubt, creation does, prove the existence of a Creator, as we read in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans “The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and God-head; so they are without excuse.” Creation yields a testimony which the heathen were bound to receive; and, had they received it, a higher light would assuredly have shone upon them. But they did not receive it; nay, they actually worshipped the things that were made, instead of the One who made them. Philosophers talk of rising from nature up to nature’s God. But nature is a ruin and man himself is a ruin; and instead of rising up to nature’s God, he makes a god of nature, and degrades himself below the level of a beast (Rom. 1:20-3220For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1:20‑32)). The plain fact is, we cannot do without a divine revelation; and that revelation we possess in the Holy Scriptures.