“This doctrine is the main support for a soul in all trials; when all things fail, God’s grace and unfailing love will never fail. ‘I will not leave you nor forsake you, says the Lord’ (Heb. 13:5; Josh. 1:5).
Gold and silver may fail, yes, all earthly treasures make themselves wings and fly away, and the labor of the olive tree may fail (Hab. 3:17).
Our nearest and dearest friends may fail (Job 19:14; 2 Tim. 4:16).
Our eyes may fail. ‘My eyes fail for your salvation, and for the word of your righteousness’ (Ps. 119:123).
Our tongues may fail (Isa. 41:17).
Our strength may fail, ‘My strength failed because of mine iniquity’ (Ps. 31:10).
Our flesh and our heart may fail us, ‘My flesh and my heart failed, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever’ (Ps. 73:26).
Our spirits may fail us. ‘Hear me speedily; my spirit failed me, hide not your face from me’ (Ps. 143:7).
But now saith the Lord, although the labor of the olive may fail, and your dearest friends fail, and thine eyes fail, and your tongue fail, your strength fail, and flesh and heart fail, yet ‘I will be with you, I will never fail you’ (Josh. 1:5; 21:45; 23:14; 1 Kings 8:56; Heb. 13:5).
Yes, search the whole Scripture, and enquire of all the saints, whether I did ever fail any one soul who had put their trust in Christ. Thus, you may see that a believer is blessed only by some help outside of him, not within.
All his assurance, confidence, and comfort flows to him from the fountain of free grace, through the channel of faith, and not of works, believing himself happy for what another (even Christ) has done for him.
This comfort comes not from what he has done or can do. The joy of a believer would always be unspeakable; did he consistently apprehend his happiness in and by Christ alone?
In a word, the pure, glorious, matchless, and spotless righteousness of Christ is a soul’s righteousness and resting place when the soul finds that he wanders no more from mountain to hill as formerly he did.
Whoever you are who read these lines, search to see if you have fallen into this rest. If not, with all speed, get into this resting place, for Satan is walking about as a roaring lion.
Though he cannot rob a Christian of his crown, he will do what he can to rob him of his comfort and peace, to make his life a burden and a hell to him, to cause him to spend his days in sorrow and mourning, sighing and complaining, in doubting and questioning, saying in these or the like words, surely I have no interest in Christ, my graces are not true, my hope is but the hope of a hypocrite, my confidence is but presumption and my enjoyments are but delusions.
Then, when a soul is thus bewildered and troubled, the Lord many times discovers his free grace and love, expels his ignorance, and slays the soul’s enemies. By this love, the Lord draws the soul to Himself in love.
Again, God’s way of supporting a soul in trouble and trial is a way of love. Therefore, He says, ‘Behold I will allure her, and speak comfortably unto her’ (Hos. 2:14).
His love is free, full, and eternal. ‘I will,’ says He, ‘love them freely’ (Hos. 14:4). I will draw them with the cords of a man, with bands of love (Hos. 11:4).
And so, the soul comes to have great joy and pleasure (Ps. 16:11). No misery, as hunger, cold, nakedness, pain, grief, or weariness shall much disquiet the soul.
The soul will rest satisfied in God alone. In this rest, there is tranquility, in tranquility contentment, in contentment joy, in joy variety, in variety security, in security eternity.”
–Robert Purnell, A Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity from 1657; or A Little Cabinet (Greenbrier, AR: Free Grace Press, 1657/2026), 107-108.
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