Solus Christus Reformed Baptist Church

Let us hate all suspicious thoughts, as those brought about and prized by that hell-bound spirit who tried to divide the Father and the Son by jealousy, saying, "If you are the Son of God" (Matt. 4:6). Even now, his daily ambition is to divide the Son and us by creating false ideas of Christ in us, as if Christ did not have that tender love for us in him. It was Satan's design from the beginning to discredit God to man by calling God's love into question with our first father Adam. His success then makes him ready to use that weapon still.

Now all the millions of mankind, of whatever country and nation, whether they expect this tremendous day or not, all feel a shock through their whole frames, while they are instantaneously metamorphosed in every limb, and the pulse of immortality begins to beat strong in every part! Now also the slumberers under ground begin to stir, to rouse, and spring to life! Now see graves opening, tombs bursting, charnel-houses rattling, the earth heaving, and all alive, while these subterranean armies are bursting their way through! See clouds of human dust and broken bones darkening the air, and flying from country to country over intervening continents and oceans—to meet their kindred fragments, and repair the shattered frame with pieces collected from a thousand different quarters, where they were blown away by winds, or washed away by seas

Follow the Prophet with your mind's eye. Hour after hour he plods along beneath the burning sun, his feet blistered by the scorching sands, alone in the dreary desert. At last fatigue and anguish overcame his sinewy strength and he "came and sat under a juniper tree: and requested for himself that he might die" (1 Kings 19:4). The first thing we would note in this connection is that disheartened and despondent as he was, Elijah made no attempt to lay violent hands on himself.

Others, though they lie ready to die, yet they are busying themselves about their outward affairs, as though they should certainly live here, even to live and enjoy the same for ever. Again, come to others, speak to them about the state of their souls, though they have no more experience of the new birth than a beast,

Some are haunted with the hideous nature of their imaginations and with wicked and unworthy thoughts of God, Christ, and the Word, which, as busy flies, disquiet and assault their peace. These are cast in a wildfire by Satan, which can be seen in the strangeness, the strength and violence, and the horrible nature of these imaginations, even to those who are corrupt. A virtuous soul is no guiltier of them than Benjamin was when Joseph's cup was put into his sack.

At the day of judgment, many men's conditions and behaviors will be so laid open that it will be evident that they have been very merciless toward the children of God, insomuch that when the providence of God fell out so as to cross their expectations, they have been very much offended thereat, as is very evidently seen in them who set themselves to study how to bring the saints into bondage, and to thrust them into corners, as in these late years (Psalm 31:13). And because God has, in His goodness, ordered things otherwise, they have gnashed their teeth at this.

We must beware of false reasoning, such as: because our fire does not blaze up as others, we therefore have no fire at all. By false conclusions we might break the commandment by bearing false witness against ourselves. The prodigal would not say that he was not a son, but that he was not worthy of being called a son (Luke 15:19). We must neither trust false evidence nor deny true evidence, for by doing so we would dishonor the work of God's Spirit in us.

Meetings are held every evening in the week, crowded, still, and solemn as eternity. Every Monday evening, we meet the anxious ones in a large ball-room. We have had from sixty to about three hundred assembled at these meetings, all solemn, and many in deep distress of soul. The cloud of divine influence, has gone rapidly over our heads, and covered us with awful solemnity. And there is the sound of abundance of rain. The fields have whitened every where, and we are in danger of losing much of the harvest, because we cannot reap every where at once.

When has it been so in times past, when there has been times of great outpourings of God's Spirit, but that many who for a while have inquired with others, what they should do to be saved, have failed, and afterwards grown hard and secure? All of you that are now awakened, have a mind to obtain salvation, and probably hope to get a title to heaven, in the time of this present moving of God's Spirit: but yet, (though it be awful to be spoken, and awful to be thought,) we have no reason to think any other, than that some of you will burn in hell to all eternity.

Oftentimes God allows questions to arise to test our love and exercise our abilities. Nothing is as certain as that which is certain after doubts. Shaking settles and roots. In a contentious age, it is a wise thing to be a Christian and to know what to rest our souls upon. It is an office of love in this life to take away the stones and to smooth the path to heaven. Therefore, we must take heed that, under the pretense of avoiding disputes, we do not allow an adversary to gain ground on the truth, for by such we might easily betray both the truth of God and the souls of men.

Take warning and stop thy journey before it be too late. Wilt thou be like the silly fly, that is not quiet unless she be either entangled in the spider's web, or burned in the candle? Wilt thou be like the bird that hasteth to the snare of the fowler? Wilt thou be like that simple one named in the seventh of Proverbs, that will be drawn to the slaughter by the cord of a silly lust? O sinner, sinner, there are better things than hell to be had, and at a cheaper rate by the thousandth part! O! there is no comparison, there is heaven, there is God, there is Christ, there is communion with an innumerable company of saints and angels. Hear the message then that God doth send.

It is not the best way, to assail young beginners with minor matters, but to show them a more excellent way and to train them in fundamental points. Then other things will not gain credence with them. It is not wrong to conceal their defects, to excuse some failings, to commend their performances, to encourage their progress, to remove all difficulties out of their way, to help them in every way to bear the yoke of religion with greater ease, to bring them to love God and his service, lest they acquire a distaste for it before they know it.

Pressing into the kingdom of God denotes an engagedness and earnestness, that is directly about that business of getting into the kingdom of God. Persons may be in very great exercise and distress of mind, and that about the condition of their souls; their thoughts and cares may be greatly engaged and taken up about things of a spiritual nature, and yet not be pressing into the kingdom of God, nor towards it. The exercise of their minds is not directly about the work of seeking salvation, in a diligent attendance on the means that God hath appointed in order to it, but something else that is beside their business; it may be God's decrees and secret purposes, prying into them, searching for signs whereby they may determine, or at least conjecture, what they are before God makes them known by their accomplishment. They distress their minds with fears that they be not elected, or that they have committed the unpardonable sin, or that their day is past, and that God has given them up to judicial and final hardness, and never intends to show them mercy; and therefore, that it is in vain for them to seek salvation. Or they entangle themselves about the doctrine of original sin, and other mysterious doctrines of religion that are above their comprehension.

Let us not be discouraged by the small beginnings of grace, but look on ourselves as elected to be "holy and blameless" (Eph. 1:4). Let us look on our imperfect beginning only to encourage us to strive more toward perfection and to maintain a low opinion of ourselves. Otherwise, in cases of discouragement, we must consider ourselves as Christ does, who looks on us as those he intends to fit for himself.

Thy fierce wrath goes over me. What an expression, "fierce wrath", and it is a man of God who feels it! Do we seek an explanation? It seemed so to him, but "tidings are not what they seem." No punitive anger ever falls upon the saved one, for Jesus shields him from it all; but a father's anger may fall upon his dearest child, none the less but all the more, because he loves it. Since Jesus bore my guilt as my substitute, my Judge cannot punish me, but my Father can and will correct me.

Let this support us when we feel ourselves bruised. Christ's way is first to wound, then to heal. No healthy, whole soul will ever enter into heaven. Think when in temptation: "Christ was tempted for me; according to my trials will be my graces and comforts. If Christ is so merciful as not to break me, I will not break myself by despair,

This bruising is required before conversion that the Spirit might make way for himself into the heart by leveling all proud, high thoughts and that we might understand ourselves to be what indeed we are by nature. We love to wander from ourselves and to be strangers at home until God bruises us by one cross or another, and then we "begin to think" and come home to ourselves with the prodigal son.

That Christ should be a man of prayer was required by the terms or conditions of the covenant between himself and the Father. That covenant, which imposed upon him certain obligations, made him the heir also of many promises. Yet the fulfilment of these promises was suspended on the condition that Jesus should solicit them in prayer. Whatsoever was needful for the preservation of his person, or the erection of his kingdom, the Father engaged to bestow, requiring only the Son to ask.

A discussion on Christian experience, self-examination and the subject of assurance of salvation.

After this she had a discovery of her approaching dissolution, which was no small comfort to her: "Anon," said she, (with a holy triumph,) "I shall be with Jesus. I am married to him: he is my husband: I am his bride: I have given myself to him, and he hath given himself to me, and I shall live with him for ever." This language struck the hearers with astonishment. She still continued in a kind of ecstasy of joy, admiring the excellence of Christ, rejoicing in her interest in him, and longing to be with him.

James Janeway's A Token for Children (full title: A Token for Children: Being an Exact Account of the Conversion, Holy and Exemplary Lives, and Joyful Deaths of Several Young Children) was originally published in two parts: Part 1: Published in 1671. Part 2: Published in 1672.

Some find themselves, on account of the things mentioned, perhaps to be the darlings and "ingentia decora," or glory of their party. If thoughts of this secretly insinuate themselves into their hearts, and influence them into more than ordinary diligence and activity in their way and profession, they are entangled. And instead of aiming at more glory, they need to lie in the dust, in a sense of their own vileness.

It is a woeful thing to consider what slight thoughts most have about this thing. So men are content that they can keep themselves from sin itself in open action; they scarcely aim at more; all sorts of men will risk any temptation in the world, at any time. How young men will put themselves into any company, any society; at first, being delighted with evil company, and they are then with the evil of the company!

There is a hardness, an insensible lack of spiritual sense, that is gathered in prosperity, that if not watched against, will expose the heart to the deceits of sin66 and baits of Satan. "Watch and pray" in this season. Many men's negligence in this area has cost them dearly; their woeful experience cries out to take heed. Blessed is he that always fears, but especially in a time of prosperity.

Attending plays and other such pleasures greatly unfits us for the discharge of spiritual duties, and leads us to neglect them. If the diversions of the stage could be used only as a relaxation of the mind, to unbend our thoughts for the present, so that we may be better fit for engaging in religious duties, and go to them with greater eagerness and delight, then there would be some show of an argument for pursuing them. But do these diversions meet this purpose? You who have been there, I leave your consciences to answer these questions: Is it an easy transition from the playhouse to the duties of the family or closet? Can you then read the word of God, and seek him by prayer, with as much composure of mind, and freedom and regularity of thought?

Our entering into temptation is required,— (1.) That by some advantage, or on some occasion, Satan be more earnest than ordinary in his solicitations to sin, by affrightments or allurements, by persecutions or seductions, by himself or others; or that some lust or corruption, by his instigation and advantages of outward objects, provoking, as in prosperity, or terrifying, as in trouble, do tumultuate more than ordinary within us.

The efficacy of an antidote is found when poison hath been taken; and the preciousness of medicines is made known by diseases. We shall never know what strength there is in grace if we know not what strength there is in temptation. We must be tried, that we may be made sensible of being preserved. And many other good and gracious ends he hath, which he accomplishes towards his saints by his trials and temptations, not now to be insisted on.

The case of a soul that as yet belongs to the world, or to the class of unbelieving men, and consider the way in which, through the agency of the Spirit of God, he is translated into the other class, and made a living member of His Church. This transition occurs at the time of his conversion. And the process by which it is effected may differ in different cases, in respect to some of its concomitant circumstances.

Introduction to William Benn's Soul Prosperity, published in 1683

Our religion, as to the rules and principles of it, was before Luther, where it has been ever since, in the Scriptures: And as to the profession of it, it has been owned and maintained by the faithful in all ages, namely, such as have been kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, against whom the gates of Hell and Rome have not been able to prevail. The Protestant religion we contend for is nothing else but Christianity uncorrupted, which was in its greatest purity before ever the Pope was heard of in the world.

An exposition of the Westminster Larger Catechism.

"I have, through a great multiplicity of worldly affairs, and a deep engagement in them, lost that savour and relish for divine things I once experienced, and have become a sad stranger to that real communion with God, which was previously my chief joy. And I have so greatly declined in the Christian life, that I can sometimes omit the duties of private prayer and meditation; and at other times, I perform them with formality and coldness, and I am in no way suitably affected with my sad defections.

I have heard you, you have spoken. After many hours of prayer and seeking direction, I have determined the direction to prioritize going forward. Give it a listen.