Defensive Armor Against Four of Satans Most Fiery Darts, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
A Fourth Direction for the preventing of this Temptation. The Increaſe of Faith, and Mortifying Ʋnbelief. As to the Being of God, his Providence, his Promiſes. What Ʋnbelief advantageth this Temptation. What Faith prepareth the Soul against it. Three particulars inſtanced in. An Explication of them and of the Forces of this Direction.
4. FOurthly, Endeavour to promove the habit and work of Faith in your Souls, and to ſubdue Unbelief. It is the Apoſtles Exhortation, Heb. 3. 12. Take heed Brethren, leaſt there be in any of you an Evil Heart of Unbelief, in departing from the Living God. To depart from the Living God, is to depart from the Law of God; from the Rule which he hath ſet us to guide our Converſation: Thou ſhalt do no Murther, or Thou ſhalt not Kill, is a part of that Rule (you know.) Now it is Unbelief which gives a Man any Incouragement to a departure from God, in any thing, much more in this: Unbelief, ſignifies a not agreement to the Propoſitions of the Word Revealing the Will of God: Or a Diſtruſt in God for the fulfilling of his Promiſes, whether relating to ſpecial Providence, or ſpecial Grace, or Eternal Life. Study therfore to be Rooted and Grounded in the Faith; that you may firmly Believe theſe things:
1. That there is a God, whoſe Right it is to Rule and Govern us, to Order us and our Affairs and Conditions, and to diſpoſe of us; and who will one day Judg us, and deal with us according to what we have done. Whoſoever it is that liveth not under this Conviction, muſt needs think himſelf in his own Power, and that he may do with himſelf what he pleaſeth; his Tongue is his own and he may ſpeak, his Hands are his own and he may do what he liſt, and his Life is his own and he may deny himſelf in it, and throw it away as he pleaſeth; for to whom ſhould he be accountable for it? O therefore ſet God always before your Eyes, poſſeſs your ſelves that you are not your own, but Perſons under Authority, and upon whom a Superiour Being hath a Superintendancy; you will fay, Are we dead Doggs, that we ſhould think any thing contrary to this? Thus we think: But the Truth is, we profeſs an aſſent and agreement to many Propoſitions, which are not ſo faſtned upon our Hearts, ſo rivetted in our Souls, as they ought to be. For it muſt be a mighty inordinate Act, and contrary to the Dictate of all Reaſon, for a Man to undertake the diſpoſal of that over which he hath no Dominion, and for the diſpoſal of which he muſt be accountable unto a Superiour. Indeed there is ſomething of Atheiſm in every Sin, but there muſt be abundance of Atheiſm in this Sin: It is impoſſible that while a Man entertaineth Thoughts to deſtroy himſelf, he ſhould fixedly believe, that he is not at his own diſpoſal as to this Life; but at the diſpoſal of God, and he ſuch a God as is to be his Judge; and whom will one day call him to Account, as well for what he hath done with the Life which he gave him, as with the Eſtate, Parts, &c. which he gave him. I would therefore never have a man think that he ſufficiently believeth this firſt Principle of all Duty and Religion, but be ever whetting it upon his Heart: That God is, and what a God he is.
2. That every Man and Woman hath a Spiritual Part, an Immortal Soul, that can no more be extinguiſhed with the Body, then Eat, or Drink, or Sleep with it, but goeth to an Eternal Exiſtence when it is ſeperated from the Body: Where the Body raiſed up from the duſt, ſhall one day meet it and be united to it, and with it either ſuffer Eternal Torment, or enjoy Eternal Happineſs, according to what it hath done in this Life. Certainly no Rational Being, no Man could poſſibly entertain a Thought to Kill himſelf, if he were firmly perſwaded, That it is a thing impoſſible for him to determine his own Being. We cannot deſire nor attempt to go about what we are fully perſwaded is an impoſſible atchievement. A thing impoſſible to be obtained, our Reaſon will not ſuffer our Mind to run upon, or our Hearts to run out after things which we clearly apprehend are not poſſible in Nature. Now admitting theſe Principles, That Man is ſomething more then Fleſh and Blood animated, That he hath a Spiritual Part, that this it is Immortal, and cannot Periſh with the Body; but when it parteth from the Body goeth into Eternal Manſions, either in Happineſs or in Miſery: That the Body after Death ſhall revive again in the Reſurrection, and there both the Soul and Body of every Man and Woman ſhall be again united and make one Perſon; and ſhall both together enter an happy or miſerable Eternity. I ſay admitting this, it is impoſſible for a Man to determine his Being, all he can poſſibly do is to determine his Being in this World. He can neither by ſuch Act determine his Being nor yet his Miſery; he may determine indeed his Miſery as to this Life, but his Soul will then but enter into a ſtate of Ten thouſand times more Miſery in another World; and there will be a time after the revolution of a few years, when his Body ſhall return to Ten thouſand times more Miſery than it ever felt in this World. Now certainly no Perſon, under any command or conduct of Reaſon, can poſſibly be induced to attempt a thing impoſſible, to deliver himſelf from any Evil: Nor yet throw himſelf into an infinitly worſe ſtate, to deliver himſelf from a preſent bad eſtate. All the Entertainment therefore which ſuch Temptations have in our Hearts, muſt be advantaged from Unbelief of theſe great Principles; which indeed are the Foundations and Principles of all Religion. Labour therefore, for as much as in you lies to Root your ſelves in the belief of theſe things, that you may not have the leaſt doubt or haeſitation of, in your Hearts with relation to them: Live in the daily Meditation of them, ſuffer not your Souls to call them in Queſtion, be acquainted with thoſe Portions of Holy Writ, where the Revelation of theſe things is cleareſt to you. Take heed of Unbelief as to theſe things.
3. A Third thing, as to which the Soul ſhould be fully perſwaded, that will avoid the dint of this Temptation, is as to the Truth of the Holy Scriptures in the general, ſo of thoſe Portions of them in particular; which reveals the Will of God as to the preſervation of our own Lives and the Lives of others, and the Wrath of God againſt ſuch as commit Sins of this Nature: Such as thoſe Gen. 9. 6. Num. 35. 32. Thou ſhalt not Kill, No Murtherer hath Eternal Life, and all ſuch as expreſs the greatneſs of the Sin of Murther; for it is but an eaſie Concluſion of Reaſon from theſe Principles, If I ought not to Kill another, I ought much leſs to Kill my ſelf: If I ought to preſerve the Life of my Neighbour, ſurely I ought to preſerve my own Life: If I ought to preſerve my Chaſtity, to preſerve my Veſſel in Honour, ſurely I ought not to daſh it in pieces: If I ought not to maime or diſmember my ſelf, ſurely I ought not to deſtroy my ſelf. The truth is, no Soul can poſſibly be guilty of this Sin, who either doth not in whole disbelieve the Scriptures, or in whoſe Heart the disbelief of them doth not prevail to a very high degree at that time when he is prevailed with by any Temptation to do ſuch a thing.
But there is alſo another Unbelief which muſt be predominant in the Soul at that time when it is prevailed upon by this Temptation, and that is a Diſtruſt in God for the fulfilling of his Promiſes; either with relation to ſpecial Providence, or ſpecial Grace, or Eternal Life. Thoſe who are in any Meaſure acquainted with the Holy Scriptures, know that they are full of many great and precious Promiſes, as to Eternal Life, and alſo as to this Life. As to Eternal Life, made under ſuch Conditions, and upon ſuch Terms as his infinite Wiſdom thought fit to Preſcribe and Limit. Thoſe, as to this Life, are of various ſorts, many of them relating to an afflicted ſtate; That he will put Strength into us: That he will lay no more upon us then he will inable us to bear: That he together with the Temptation, will alſo give an happy iſſue; and many more of like import: as to which, the Soul that Truſteth God, and in which the Exerciſes of ſuch Truſt and Confidence in God, are lively, and vigorous, can never be Guilty of this Sin; for how ſhall that Soul go about to deliver it out of a Miſery, which believeth that God will in his own time deliver it, and in the mean time Support, Uphold, and Comfort it, and make its Affliction iſſue in Good, and for its advantage; working for it a far more Eternal and exceeding Weight of Glory: Or how ſhall that Soul Truſt in God for Pardon of Sin, and Eternal Life, which knoweth that Repentance and Faith, are the ordinary means preſcribed by God for obtaining theſe things, and do the laſt Act of his Life of ſuch a Nature as leaveth no room to be renewed by Repentance; and is ſuch as God hath ſaid, None that doth it hath Eternal Life. So that as it is apparent that this Temptation is advantaged by nothing ſo much as Atheiſm and Unbelief, ſo there is no ſuch Antidote againſt it as vigorous Habits and Acts of Faith: Nor is it poſſible that a believing Soul ſhould be under the Power and Prevailings of it, while it keepeth under the Conduct and Command of Reaſon.