in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God he that abideth in the Doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son 1 Joh. 2.23,24 Whosoever denyeth the Son the same hath not the Father Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning if that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father Are the Father and the Son so low in your esteem and is the world so high that you will forgo the Father and the Son and deprive your selves for ever of any part or portion of the blessed God by departing from the Truth to embrace this present world 4. It is a sin that will certainly bring damnation to depart from the Truth and to turn aside to corrupt doctrine 1 Tim. 5.12 Having damnation because they have cast of their first faith 2 Thess 2.11.12 God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie that they all might be damned who believed not the Truth but had pleasure in unrighteouss Will you damn your souls to get or keep a little pittance of this world It is not much that you can hope for by changing your Religion But suppose you could gain a Kingdom yea the whole world yet this will not countervail the loss of your soul Mar. 8.36 What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul 5. Consider how firmly our Lord Jesus Christ adhered to the Scriptures When he was offered all the Kingdoms of the world for one act of Idolatrous worship he refused it with disdain giving this reason it was against the written Word of God Matth. 4.8,9,10 The Devil taketh him up into an exceeding high Mountain and sheweth him all the Kingdoms of the world and the glory of them and said unto him All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me Then said Jesus unto him Get thee hence Satan for it is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve And as the Lord Jesus would not go against the Scriptures to gain the whole world so neither would he do any thing against the Scriptures to avoid the greatest sufferings that ever man met with When Christs Enemies had apprehended him in order to the putting of him to death he could have called for twelve Legions of Angels to have rescued him out of his Enemies hands but he would not because it was against the Scriptures Matth. 26.53,54 Thinkest thou that I cannot pray to my Father and he should presently give me more than twelve Legions of Angels But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be Now we ought to have as high a respect unto the Scriptures as Christ had for He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked 1 Joh. 2.6 6. It is a very rare thing to hear of Idolaters that change their Religion they shew great firmness to their idol gods though they are no gods but the work of mens hands Jer. 2.10,11 Pass over the Isles of Chittim and see and send unto Kedar and consider diligently and see if their be such a thing Hath a Nation changed their gods which are yet no gods but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit Is it not a shame for such as profess the true God to set lighter by the true God than Idolaters do by their Idols 7. It never went well with any persons that forsake the true Religion and turned to a false one out of worldly respects Ahaz thought to be much advantaged by sacrificing to the gods of Damascus but was he helped at all thereby No It was his ruine and the ruine of all Israel 2 Chron. 28.23 He sacrificed unto the Geds of Damascus that smote him and he said Because the gods of the Kings of Syria help them therefore will I sacrifice to them that they may help me but they were the ruine of him and of all Israel The Jews that burnt Incense to the Queen of Heaven hoping thereby to obtain both peace and plenty were consumed by the Sword and Famine Jer. 44.17,18,21,22,25,27 What did Francis Spira get by denying and departing from the reformed Religion but such horrour of Conscience as may make all that shall read his History tremble at any thoughts of denying or departing from the Truth 8. That mans Profession of Religion is worth nothing who will change his Religion for wordly advantages for he is not a servant to the great God that made all things but he makes the world his god and shall after his death have his part among Idolaters in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone Phil. 3.18,19 Rev. 21.8 4. It may be Satan will press hard upon some persons that have lived plentifully heretofore and in good respect among their neighbours and now are brought into apoor low condition by this fire to make away themselves It is usual with the Devil who is styled a Murderer to tempt distressed persons either to strangle or drown or stab or some other way to destroy themselves He assaulted Job with this temptation when he was in his troubles and to render the temptation the more successful he maketh use of his wife to carry on his design Job 2.9 Then said his wife unto him Dost thou still retain thine integrity curse God and die But Job abhors the motion and rebukes his wife for this counsel Vers 10. But he said unto her Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh c. If any of you are or should be hereafter assaulted with this temptation to prevent your yielding to it I would advise you to do these things 1. Be convinced that it is a damnable sin for any man upon any pretence whatsoever to murder himself If you doubt of this whether it be a sin for a man to take away his own life I shall endeavour to convince you that it is not only a sin but a very hainous and damnable sin for a man to destroy himself 1. It is a transgression of that Law Exod. 20.13 Thou shalt not kill which is one of the greatest Commandments of the Second Table That Law Thou shalt not kill doth as much oblige us not to kill our selves as it doth not to kill other men 2. The Word of God telleth us plainly that no murderer shall have eternal life but shall be cast into that lake that burns with fire and brimstone 1 Joh. 3.15 Ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him Rev. 21.8 The fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and Murderers and Whoremongers and Sorcerers and Idolaters and all Lyars shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone Now such as kill themselves are murderers as well as they that kill other men 3. It is an usurping upon Gods Prerogative for
our troubles Psal 55.23 Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee Mat. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest 8. We must take up our dwelling in God He must needs dwell at ease who dwells in God Cant. 2.3 I sate down under his shadow with great delight Setting implieth continuance When we do not only come to Christs shadow but sit down under it that will bring great delight to our souls What is said of Gods dwelling in Zion Psal 132.13,14 The Lord hath chosen Zion he hath desired it for his habitation This is my rest for ever here will I dwell The like may be said of the people of God when they have chosen God for their habitation and taken up their dwelling in God he will be their rest for ever If any say when may we be said to take up our dwelling in God I answer 1. When we live and walk and dwell in love then we dwell in God 1 John 4.16 God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and he in him 2. When we believe in Jesus Christ and confess Christ before men then God dwelleth in us and we in him Eph. 3.17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith 1 John 4.15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God God dwelleth in him and he in God Understand this of such a confession of Christ as is accompanied with a hearty belief in him Rom. 10.9,10 And of such as are not afraid to confess Christ in the face of dangers for it did expose a man to great dangers and sufferings to confess the Lord Jesus to be the Christ in the first breaking forth of the Gospel as we may see John 9.22 3. We take up our dwelling in God when we maintain an obediential frame of heart and have respect to his Commandments 1 John 3.24 He that keepeth his Commandments dwelleth in him and he in him The Commandments which the Apostle doth chiefly hiâ—… at in this place are faith and love as appears from ver 23. 9. When we feel our souls wandering from the Lord and seeking their rest in other things besides God we should say to them as the Prophet said to the Jews Micha 2.10 Arise ye and depart for this is not your rest And we should call upon them to return unto God and seek their rest in him only Psal 116.7 Return unto thy rest O my soul Psal 37.7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him 10. We must labour after Gods Image and likeness to be holy as God is holy and merciful as God is mercifull and pure as God is pure for the more like we are to God the more satisfaction we shall finde in God Psal 17.15 I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness 11. Let us urge God with his promises where he hath promised to cause us to take up our satisfaction in himself Jer. 31.14 My people shall be satisfied with my goodness saith the Lord which promise implyeth that when we have the good things of this world we shall not take up our rest in them and when we want them we shall not be disquieted for the want of them but our souls shall rest satisfied with the goodness of the Lord whether we want or enjoy the good things of this world Isa 65.16 He who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth which implyeth that God will give his people such a spirit that they shall not count themselves happy and blessed because of their prosperity or any outward enjoyments but in their enjoying the true God for their portion and if they shall account themselves blessed in the enjoyment of God then they may bless themselves in all estates and conditions for God is their portion for ever Psal 73.26 I might quote more promises to this purpose that God will cause his people to take up their satisfaction not in any creature comforts or enjoyments but in himself as Psal 36.8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with what with corn and wine and oyl with riches and preferments no but with the fatness of thy house thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasures Isa 58.14 Thou shalt delight thy self in the Lord But these may suffice SECT 7. 7. Give your selves unto Prayer When ever you feel any troubles or burdens upon your mindes repair to the Throne of Grace and lay open your hearts and all your maladies and grievances before the Lord and crave his assistance that will bring speedy relief to your souls and keep them in a quiet peaceable contented frame in all conditions Phil. 4.6,7 Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God And what shall we get by so doing A settled abiding peace as the following words hold forth And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and mindes through Christ Jesus When we are compassed about with many sorrows by Prayer we shall have all our sorrows dispelled and our hearts shall be filled with joy John 16.24 Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full In the 21. verse Christ faith to his Disciples Ye shall weep and lament ye shall be sorrowful and then tells them ver 24. how they should get their sorrows turned into joy Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full Much of the disquietment of our miâ—… ariseth from troubled thoughts Dan. 5.6 His thoughts troubled him Now committing of our selves and our affairs to God by Prayer is a great means of establishing our mindes and quieting all troubled thoughts Prov. 16.3 Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established SECT 8. 8. When we finde any discontent or disquietness arising in our mindes we must search into the grounds and reasons thereof and endeavour the removal of those things which are the causes of our discontent David took this course to quiet his spirit when it was in a disturbed condition he enquireth into the cause and reason of that dejection which was upon his soul Psal 42.11 Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me hope thou in God I might here instance in several things which do cause murmurings under affliction I will mention two or three 1. Pride of Spirit Our contendings with God and quarrelling at his Providences as well as our contention with our fellow creatures come from the pride of our hearts Prov. 13.10 Only by pride cometh contention If our discontent when God taketh away any mercy or layeth any affliction upon us do arise from the pride of our hearts the way to remove it is to look upon our selves to be unworthy of the least of all Gods Mercies and to judge our selves to have deserved the greatest and severest of all Gods Judgements We