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Sure Guide to Heaven (Puritan Paperbacks)

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This book should be required reading for all who call themselves Christians! Instead of the 4 Spiritual Laws, we should be reading this marvelous work be this great Puritan Evangel. In less than 150 pages Alleine walks us through what a true conversion consists of . Alleine tells us some of the mistakes about conversion, the nature of conversion. To me the best chapter is 4 where he gives us the Marks of the Unconverted. Upon reading this I found my soul deeply disturbed, as it was obvious that I was in an unconverted state, 25 years after praying to "receive Christ". I soon made a total surrender of my all to Christ, vowing to live a holy life before Him. He points out our lives, not our lips are the truest evidence of a saving faith. He closes by showing us how to be converted, that the gates of Heaven and Mercy are thrown open to us, and the Savior waits to embrace all who will accept as LORD of all they do. When I get to heaven after I first embrace the savior, I will search out Joseph Allenie.

Originally titled 'An Alarm To The Unconverted' Alleine's evangelistic treatise along with Richard Baxter's 'A Call To The Unconverted' are considered to be two of the greatest Puritan evangelistic works that God has been pleased to mightily use in the conversion of many.
A 'Sure Guide ...' is also an extraordinary work on conversion(distinguishing between true and false conversion).A common theme in Puritan books and a much needed emphasis in the present day.
The Puritans were master physicians when it came to diagnosing spiritual maladies.Chapters 1 and 4 'Mistakes About Conversion' and 'The Marks Of The Unconverted'attest to Joseph Alleine's thorough understanding of the Scriptures and of the deceitfulness of the human heart.He briefly but powerfully lays bare some of the common errors re-conversion:1.Trusting In Their Own Righteousness-certainly one of the pillars of deception that keep many from entering the Kingdom of God.2.The Predominant Love Of The World-Many profess to love Christ above all but there is an inordinate love of the world and nobody can serve two masters.3.Formality In Religion-Having a form of godliness(external only)but lacking the reality and power of true heart religion.
Some may ask,how can books written more than 300 years ago have any relevance for this generation of believers.On p.113 Alleine writes "Will you have Christ in all His relations to be yours,your king ,your priest,your prophet?Will you have Him and bear His cross?" The Lordship salvation debate has been raging for the last 25 years.The Puritans without exception would contend that if you would have Christ as your saviour,you must submit to His Lordship(His offices cannot be divided).
There is a high suicide rate in our generation(especially teen suicides).Men try to find the reasons for this and try and deal with the problem.In the chapter 'The Necessity Of Conversion' the author provides us with the root of the problem.Under the first heading'Without Conversion Your Being Is In Vain' he writes"It were better you had no being than not be for Him".Some who take their own lives do so because life has no meaning for them.Apart from being united to God through faith in Jesus Christ their reasoning is sound.There is no purpose to life if one lives as if God does not exist.
A Sure Guide... some 300 years after its first printing can still be used mightily of the Lord to bring many from darkness into the Kingdom Of Light.May the Lord be pleased to continue to so use it.

No group of people delivers the gospel with greater clarity, reality, forcefulness, offense and compassion than Puritan ministers. Don't expect them to give you a quick three-minute presentation of the gospel and ask you to pray the sinner's prayer to receive Christ and that's it; you're all set. Don't expect them to give you a three-page gospel tract with cartoon drawings consisting of an outline how to get saved. Don't be misled by the title of this book. I'm not sure why the Banner of Truth changed the original title of "An Alarm to the Uncoverted" to "A Sure Guide to Heaven." The former describes what this book is about better. Expect the Puritans, like what Pastor Joseph Alleine does here, to perform a Holy-Spirit-guided, Scripture-directed head and heart surgery to show what is in us; in the hidden and secret pockets and chambers of our hearts in a way that you've most likely never known before even in your wildest imagination. I can tell from my own experience it's not pretty. It is ghastly to be exposed to the depth and stench and fatality of one's depravity, but it is necessary for a true knowledge of oneself to be able to know rightly what the gospel is. Expect them to use the Law to awaken our conscience by exposing the multitudes and filth of our sins and how loathsome they are to God and how burdensome they are to ourselves and our fellow creatures (p.54) before they announce the cure and consolation of Christ and his cross.

Alleine begins with an in-depth definition of conversion; what it is and what it is not. This is most necessary considering a common misunderstanding of conversion that consists in the exercise of faith only without repentance, or too much emphasis on the former while neglecting the latter. The heart surgery happens primarily in the chapter where he lists the marks and the miseries of the unconverted. Two groups bearing the marks are considered here; the first being those displaying their state blatantly and the other invisibly, or as Alleine puts it, "some of the unconverted carry their marks in their forehead more openly, and some in the hands more covertly" (p. 69). He then lists what these "marks on the forehead" are (p.70-72) and what the hidden marks of the unregenerate are (p. 73-77). This section is perhaps the most important part of the book, equally important to the gospel call (p.100-129) which he does so compassionately. It is natural to think that just because one considers himself or herself a Christian, there is no need to go through all this, which I believe is a dangerous mistake. 2 Pet 1:10 urges diligence to make our calling and election sure. There is a danger in carnal security and formality every believer is liable to and this is why books like this are timelessly valuable. Don't get offended when reading a gospel presentation by Puritan ministers. They tell us how bad we are for our good. Receive their warning with meekness, pay attention to it, pray and do something about it. They are in the business of saving souls. Though it is not they who save, but they do a marvelous job on this greatest task ever given to men, to warn them and direct them for their soul to be saved. Don't accuse them of being obnoxious when they urge us to examine ourselves whether we are in the faith and that without delay (2 Cor 13:5).

"...I find by sad experience that such a spirit of sloth and slumber possesses the unsanctified that, though they are convinced that they are unconverted, often they are carelessly sit still. Through the love of sensual pleasure, or the hurry of worldly business, or the noise and clamor of earthly cares and lusts and affections, the voice of conscience is drowned, and men go no further than some cold wishes and general purposes of repenting and amending" (p. 80).

Thank God for Puritan ministers. They are highly-disciplined godly men. I wish one of them, people like Joseph Alleine were my pastor and mentor. I would talk often to them, let them probe me and get as much counsel from them as possible. I cherish dearly their books and sermons and commend them unreservedly to the readers.

A Sure Guide to Heaven by Joseph Alleine


This book, which is a part of the well known Puritan Paperback series from Banner of Truth is very short (160 pages), but a very good read. It was first recommended to me by my buddy Joe.


The original title of the book was "Alarm to the Unconverted," and I can easily say that that title is much more fitting. When looking at the title "A Sure Guide to Heaven," one could easily assume that Joseph Alleine wrote a book about assurance of salvation. Such an assumption couldn't be further from the truth.


While reading "A Sure Guide to Heaven," the alarms were definitely going off. I could feel the urgings of the author to every reader to make sure they are truly saved. The basic dumbed down flow of the book could be said to be the following.


1) If these qualities are true of you, then you are probably a believer.

2) If these qualities are true of you, then you are probably not a believer.

3) This is how you become a believer.


I love this book because of the fact that the author would have never acknowledged the simple idea of praying a prayer and asking Jesus into your heart. To him, the signs of obvious change in one's life have to be clear, evident, and visible. This thinking is shown in his chapter titled "The Marks of the Unconverted." He lists such qualities as "formality in religion," "the prevalence of wrong motives in holy duties," "trusting in their own righteousness," "the predominant love of the world," "unmortified pride," "the prevailing love of pleasure," and "carnal security" as distinguishing marks of a person who may think that he or she is saved, but may truly be a non-believer. At the same time though, he tends to put a very strong emphasis on grace. It is really unique.


Later on in the book, he gives directions for conversion. His directions are a far cry to what we mostly hear in the Church today. For instance he says "Set it down with yourself as an undoubted truth, that it is impossible for you ever to get to heaven in this your unconverted state," "make a solemn choice of God for your portion and blessedness," "resign all your powers and faculties, and your whole interest to be His," and "choose the laws of Christ as the rule of your words, thoughts, and actions" among many other directions.


Basically, this is a very long Gospel tract. Along those lines though, it is clear that this book would surely edify anybody who can truly call him or herself a believer in Christ. Therefore, I highly recommend Joseph Alleine's classic "A Sure Guide to Heaven." Be prepared to be challenged though, because it is not for the faint of heart.

Although I would not give this book to all my non-Christian friends, it could well be useful for those who are seeking Christ and are yet to make a commitment.

For ministers, Alleine's book is an excellent example of someone who has poured out their heart to win souls for Christ. Alleine has used argument after argument coupled with impassioned pleas for the sinner to come to Christ.

If only more of us were as alarmed as Alleine about the souls of the unconverted.