The Minister advises a young Christian on strengthening faith. He recommends exercising existing faith, praying for its increase, diligently hearing and reading the Bible, and receiving the sacrament regularly. He explains that while these means won’t independently generate or enhance faith, the Spirit of God works through them. The young Christian resolves to diligently use these means for greater faith.… Read More How To Strengthen Your Faith
The sovereignty of God is displayed in the diverse effects of the application of the gospel, showing His absolute freedom and control. The gospel’s impact varies, with some immediately responding, others taking longer, and still only hardening others. This demonstrates God’s dominion in guiding and determining the outcomes—highlighting the need for our humble acceptance, gratitude, and reliance on Christ for His sovereignty and grace.… Read More God’s Sovereignty & the Means of Grace
Man’s practical atheism is evidenced in our corrupt matter or ends of prayer and praise. When we are importunate for those things that we know not whether the righteousness, holiness, and wisdom of God can grant, because he hath not discovered his will in any promise to bestow them, we would then impose such conditions on God, which he never obliged himself to grant. When we pray for things not so much to glorify God, which ought to be the end of prayer, as to gratify ourselves.… Read More Practical Atheism: Corrupt Prayer & Praise
What is demon possession? What is exorcism? What methods does God give us in the Bible for delivering people from demonic attacks? The question is not whether praeternatural or miraculous things happen, neither is it whether people may be demonized today, nor that people may be delivered from demonization. The question is: Should Christians today seek to practice exorcism? Does God deliver demonized people through prayer, fasting, preaching the Word, and conversion. Or does he deliver them through a Christian directly confronting and rebuking demons?… Read More Demon Possession & Exorcism
In a pastoral letter by John Sprint from his 1623 publication “The Christian Sword & Buckler,” he addresses a man tormented for seven years by demonic oppression and spiritual affliction. He provides scriptural comfort, emphasizing God’s power and Christ’s victory over Satan, His ministers’ duties to reassure the afflicted, and His mercy toward sinners. The pastor also guides the man in overcoming demonic temptations and despair with faith, and teaches him to find the comfort of the Spirit, and solace in his spiritual trials as proof of God’s love.… Read More A Pastoral Letter To One Oppressed By Demons
Thy sins have deserved the pains of hell; therefore thou mayest with greater patience endure these fatherly corrections. These are the scourges of thy heavenly Father, and the rod is in his hand. If thou didst suffer with reverence, being a child, the corrections of thy earthly parents, how much rather shouldst thou now subject thyself, being the child of God, to the chastisement of thy heavenly Father, seeing it is for thy eternal good?… Read More Meditations In Times Of Sickness
It is found by continual experience, that near the time of death, when the children of God are weakest, then Satan makes the greatest nourish of his strength, and assails them with his strongest temptations. For he knows that either he must now or never prevail; for if their souls once go to heaven, he shall never vex nor trouble them any more. And therefore he will now bestir himself as much as he can, and labour to set before their eyes all the gross sins which ever they committed, and the judgments of God which are due unto them; thereby to drive them, if he can, into despair, which is a more grievous sin than all the sins that they committed, or he can accuse them of.… Read More The Christian’s Encounter With Satan
The sanctifying of the Sabbath consists in two things: First, in resting from all servile and common business pertaining to our natural life. Secondly, in consecrating that rest wholly to the service of God, and the use of those holy means which belong to our spiritual life. The servile and common works from which we are to cease are, generally, all civil works, from the least to the greatest (Ex. 31:12-15). The consecration of the Sabbath’s rest consists in performing three sorts of duties: before, at, and after the public exercises of the church.… Read More How To Keep The Lord’s Day Holy
As you sing behave yourselves in comely reverence as in the sight of God, singing to God in God’s own words; but be sure that the matter make more melody in your hearts (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16) than the music in your ear. For the singing with grace in our hearts is that which the Lord is delighted withal.… Read More The Manner of Psalm Singing
Hunger is like the sickness called a wolf; which, if thou dost not feed, will devour thee, and eat thee up; and that meat and drink are but as physic, or means which God hath ordained, to relieve and cure this natural infirmity and necessity of man. Use, therefore, to eat and to drink, rather to sustain and refresh the weakness of nature, than to satisfy the sensuality and delights of the flesh. Eat, therefore, to live, but live not to eat. There is no service so base, as for a man to be a slave to his belly; the apostle terms such, belly-gods (Phil. 3:19). And as no one action (God’s ordinances excepted) makes a man more to resemble a beast, than eating and drinking, so the abuse of eating and drinking to surfeiting and drunkenness, makes a man more vile than a beast.… Read More Practical Religion At Meals
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