Luther was brought by the Holy Spirit, through the teaching of the scriptures, to be assured of his salvation through grace. He was delivered from the pit of depair to stand on the rock of Christ as his righteousness, justification and eternal salvation. J R Beeke starts with Luther and proceeds to analyse the teachings of successive church leaders on the doctrine of assurance of salvation. He refers to such men as Zwingle, Bullinger, Calvin, Beza, the early English Puritans such as Perkins, and the later preachers such as Owen, Comrie and Thomas Goodwin. He explains the teaching of the Westminister Confession of Faith and compares the views of the English and Dutch churches. The subject is certainly of great importance to individual believers and the churches.
