The First Counsel

The First COUNSIL.

Renounce and forsake the service of those idols which you have heretofore been enslaved to. We must, as Joshua here assures us, we must put away other gods, if we would serve the Lord. Our Lord has admonished us, in Matthew 6:24, you cannot serve God and Mammon. Even so, you cannot serve God and Satan. And again, you cannot serve God and Sin. The Holy God may say of you as of them, long since, you have served strange gods. But, O do you now say to Him, as they in Isaiah 21:13, O Lord, other lords besides you have had dominion over us; but we will no more be for You alone. Become weary of your captivity under those task-masters which have heretofore been torturing your souls. There are two sorts of tyrants that every unregenerate man is a servant to; his tempers, and his tempters. Let the tempers within us, no more cause us to toil, and run, and sweat, for the gratifying of them. Let the tempters without us, no more hurry us to and fro that their humours may be pleased. Souls, I give you no bad counsel, when I propound this; and I do propound it, O, run away from your old masters. Come away poor souls, come away from the land of your captivity. Look upon the grim face of the patrons under which you groan; say to them all, Farewell, you malicious, you bloody, you forbid masters, Farewell; we hope you shall never have any of our service more. O look upon the calamities of your service under your invisible adversaries, and say, 'Tis enough! Say, the time past may suffice! Thus, take you the wings of a dove, and flee away.