Pithy gems from Charles Spurgeon!

 

If Christ has died for me—then I cannot trifle with the sin which killed my best Friend!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus is the chief among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely One! I could not live without Him. To enjoy His company is bliss to me—for Him to hide His face from me is my midnight of sorrow. Oh, for the power to live, to die, to labor, to suffer as unto Him, and unto Him alone!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I feel that, if I could live a thousand lives, I would like to live them all for Christ; and I should even then feel that they were all too little a return for His great love to me!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is better to preach five words of God's Word—than five million words of man's wisdom!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What sin is worth being damned for?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Be thankful for the thorns and thistles, which keep you from being in love with this world, and becoming an idolater.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us never think that we have learned a doctrine, until we have seen its fruit in our lives.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A large part of the professing church is nothing better than the world, wrongfully named with Christ's name.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Anything that makes us pray is a blessing!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who counts the stars and calls them by their names, is in no danger of forgetting His own children! He knows your case as thoroughly as if you were the only creature He ever made, or the only saint He ever loved!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The sympathy of Jesus, is the next most precious thing to His sin-atoning sacrifice!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To be almost saved—is to be altogether lost! There are many in Hell who once were almost saved—but who are now altogether damned! Think of that, you who are not far from the Kingdom. It is being in the Kingdom that saves the soul—not being near the Kingdom.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We cannot alter the disposals of Providence, therefore we must humbly submit and resign ourselves to them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The world does not read the Bible—the world reads Christians!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A golden coffin will be a poor compensation for a damned soul!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you have lived like the wicked—then you will die like the wicked, and be damned like the wicked!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are infidels on earth—but there are none in Heaven, and none in Hell.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

An ounce of heart knowledge—is worth more than a ton of head learning!
If knowledge were bliss, the devil would be in Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Look to the cross, and hate your sin—for sin nailed your Well-Beloved to the tree!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That is a good rule for all Christians which I saw in one of our Orphanage schoolrooms, "What would Jesus do?" There cannot be a better guide than that for believers.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Grace puts its hand on the boasting mouth, and shuts it once for all!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The marvel of Heaven and earth, of time and eternity, is the atoning death of Jesus Christ. This is the mystery that brings more glory to God than all creation!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are two kinds of tears which true Christians shed:
 the one is a tear of sorrow because of sin;
 the other is a tear of joy because of pardon.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Of all I would wish to say, this is the sum: My brethren, preach Christ, always and evermore! He is the whole gospel. His person, offices, and work must be our one great, all-comprehending theme.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Amusement should be used to do us good 'like a medicine." It must never be used as the food of the man. Many have had all holy thoughts and gracious resolutions stamped out by perpetual trifling. Pleasure, so called, is the murderer of thought. This is the age of excessive amusement—everybody craves for it, like a babe for its rattle!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin is self-damnation!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Long ago I ceased to count heads. Truth is usually in the minority in this evil world!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A holy life is in itself a wonderful power, and will make up for many deficiencies.
A holy life is the best sermon a man can ever preach!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The joys of Heaven—will surely compensate for the sorrows of earth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is enough dust on some of your Bibles, to write "Damnation!" with your fingers!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The devil does not care how many churches you build—if only you have lukewarm preachers and people in them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

An unholy church! It is useless to the world—and of no esteem among men. It is an abomination, Hell's laughter, and Heaven's abhorrence. The worst evils which have ever come upon the world—have been brought upon her by an unholy church.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

SIN, indeed, is Hell—Hell in embryo, Hell in essence, Hell kindling, Hell emerging from the shell.
HELL is but sin, when it has manifested and developed itself to the full.
Stand at the gates of Hell and understand how venomous is the disease for which Heaven's remedy is provided in the stripes of the Only Begotten.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Affliction is the best book in a minister's library!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As well might a gnat seek to drink in the ocean—as a finite creature to comprehend the Eternal God. A God whom we could fully understand—would be no God.
If we could grasp Him—He could not be infinite.
If we could fully understand Him—He could not be divine.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Parents! I beg you so to live, that when you stand over your child's dead body, you may never hear a voice coming up from that clay, "Father, your negligence was my destruction! Mother, your prayerlessness was the cause of my damnation!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no wolf or lion or serpent which is so brutish—as that beast, man!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christian! You have . . .
 God's infallible wisdom to direct you,
 His immutable love to comfort you,
 and His eternal power to defend you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As salt tinges every drop in the ocean—so does sin affect every atom of man's nature!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A hell of corruption, lies within the bosom of the best saint!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is the breath, the watchword, the comfort, the strength, and the honor of a Christian.
Prayerless souls are Christless souls.
Christless souls are Graceless souls.
Graceless souls shall soon be Damned souls.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If prayerless, then graceless.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no cure for the love of sin—like the blood of Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The devil is not afraid of a dust-covered Bible!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To tell about Jesus without the cross, is to betray Him with a kiss!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What a sad world man has made this earth!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The promises of God are inexhaustible!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Does the world satisfy you? Then you have your reward and portion in this life. Make much of it—for you shall know no other joy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God did not need not our love. He could have made a thousand races of nobler creatures than ourselves, all of whom would have loved Him with the deepest love!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Out of Christ, God is a consuming fire; but in Christ, God is a reconciled Father!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin is sovereign—until sovereign grace dethrones it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men will never value a Redeemer so well as when they have a very clear consciousness of the ruin from which He has redeemed them. The preciousness of mercy, is best known by those who discern the terror of justice.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If your creed and Scripture do not agree—cut your creed to pieces; but make it agree with this Book!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who has the key of prayer can open Heaven! Yes, he has access to the heart of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Whoever claims to live in Him, must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2:6
Hang that question up in your houses, "What would Jesus do?"
And then think of another, "How would Jesus do it?"
For what Jesus would do, and how He would do it—will always stand as the best guide to us.
"Leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps." 1 Peter 2:21

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would never have known the Savior's love half as much—if I had never been in the storms of affliction.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"I pray for them. I am not praying for the world—but for those You have given Me, for they are Yours!" John 17:9. The Lord Jesus cherishes a special affection for the church, which is set upon her above the rest of mankind. The elect church is . . .
 the favorite of Heaven,
 the treasure of Christ,
 the crown of His head,
 the bracelet of His arm,
 the breastplate of His heart,
 the very center and core of His love!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If your religion does not make you holy—it will damn you! It is simply painted pageantry to go to Hell in!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Morality may keep you out of jail—but it takes the blood of Jesus Christ to keep you out of Hell.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No life can surpass that of a man who quietly continues to serve God in the place where providence has placed him. "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you." 1 Thessalonians 4:11

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Word of God is like a lion. You don't have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is the duty of Christians to desire, and aim at, and press towards perfection in grace and holiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How can I live in sin—when Jesus has died to save me from it?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You will always know whether you are delivered from the guilt and condemnation of sin, by answering this question: Am I delivered from the love of sin?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Is it not a sad thing, that after all Christ's love to us—we should repay it with lukewarm love to Him?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Be sure, whatever you leave out, that you teach the children the three R's:
 Ruin,
 Redemption,
 and Regeneration.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never did water leap from the crystal fountain with half such freeness and generous liberality—as grace flows from the heart of God! He gives forth love, joy, peace and pardon—and He gives them as a king gives to a king! You cannot empty His treasury—for it is inexhaustible. He is not enriched by withholding—nor is He impoverished by bestowing!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Alas! Much has been done of late to promote the production of dwarfish Christians. Poor, sickly believers turn the church into an hospital—rather than an army. Oh, to have a church built up with the deep godliness of people who know the Lord in their very hearts, and will seek to follow the Lamb wherever He goes!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those who dive in the sea of affliction—bring up rare pearls!
There is a sweet joy that comes to us through sorrow.
Sickness has frequently been of more use to the saints of God, than health has.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O for grace to study the Bible with Jesus as both our teacher and our lesson!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I'm throwing all my good works overboard and lashing myself to the plank of free grace; for I hope to swim to glory on it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some men say that they want to be holy, but they keep some little pet sin in the backyard!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O blessed hurricane that drives the soul to God and God alone!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Most people have no concern about eternal things. They care more about their cats and dogs than about their souls!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Lord, paint upon the eyeballs of my soul, the image of your Son!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Trials are the wine-press out of which shall come the wine of consolation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Fiery trials make golden Christians!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A little sin, like a little pebble in the shoe, will make a traveler to Heaven walk very wearily.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That demon of pride was born with us, and it will not die one hour before us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Pride is a subtle sin; it creeps into our pious duties before we are aware.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Better to be sneered at as a Puritan, than to be despised as a hypocrite!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is a clean path to Hell as well as a dirty one. You will be lost if you trust your good works—as surely if you trusted your sins!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The most wicked book you will ever read is your own heart!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Growth should be rapid where Jesus is the gardener, and the Holy Spirit the dew from Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us not be astonished when we are called to tread the road which is marked by his pierced feet!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Communion with Christ is a certain cure for every ill.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Since I know that Jesus bled for little sins, I cannot wound His heart by indulging in them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Better a brief warfare and eternal rest, than false peace and everlasting torment!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are some people who would be excellent Christians, if Christianity consisted in having their own way.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are many sorts of broken hearts, and Christ is good at healing them all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am afraid that we are too much like the world for the world to hate us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Avoid a sugar-coated gospel. Seek the gospel that rips up, wounds and even kills—for that's the gospel that makes alive again!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Man loves his own ruin. The cup of pleasure is so sweet that though he knows it will poison him—yet he must drink it. And the harlot is so lovely, that though he understands that her ways lead down to Hell—yet like a bullock he follows to the slaughter until the dart goes through his liver! Man is fascinated and bewitched by sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenever God means to make a man great—He always breaks him in pieces first.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep—the church will have clowns entertaining the goats!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Think lightly of Hell—and you will think lightly of the cross!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God's rod flogs His child not from Him, but to Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christian, your surrender to God must be without reserve and without limit!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Among the wise concealments of God, is that which hides from open view the depravity of our heart and the corruption of our nature!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The worst thing you have to fear—is the treachery of your own heart!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We have all heard the story of the man who preached so well and lived so badly, that when he was in the pulpit—everybody said he ought never to come out again; and when he was out of it—they all declared he never ought to enter it again!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you love anything better than God—you are idolaters.
If there is anything you would not give up for God—it is your idol.
If there is anything that you seek with greater fervor than you seek the glory of God—that is your idol.
True conversion is a turning from every idol.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Remember, you can be laughed into Hell—but you can never be laughed out of it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not give way to little sins—and you will not give way to big ones!
Beware of little sins—and you will not commit great ones!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Too many think lightly of sin—and therefore think lightly of the Savior. He who has stood before his God, convicted and condemned, with the rope about his neck—is the man to weep for joy when he is pardoned, to hate the evil which has been forgiven him, and to live to the honor of the Redeemer by whose blood he has been cleansed.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best remedy for affliction, is submitting to God's providence.
What can't be cured, must be endured!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would bear any affliction—rather than be burdened with a guilty conscience.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men are in a restless pursuit after satisfaction and earthly things. They have no thought for their eternal state—as the present hour absorbs them. They turn to another and another of earth's broken cisterns—hoping to find water, where not a drop was ever discovered yet.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is an unfortunate thing for the Christian to be melancholy. If there is any man in the world who has a right to have a bright, clear face and a flashing eye—it is the man whose sins are forgiven, who is saved with God's salvation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may look down with contempt on some who do not know as much as you, and yet they may have twice your holiness and be doing more service to God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Holiness is the architectural plan upon which God builds up His living temple.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Give to a pig when it grunts, and to a child when it cries—and you will have a fine pig and a spoiled child!
"He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him." Proverbs 13:24
"Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death." Proverbs 19:18
"Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him." Proverbs 22:15
"Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die." Proverbs 23:13
"Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul." Proverbs 29:17

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."
Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die." 2 Samuel 12:13-14
David's experience is very instructive to us. While it teaches us that God can and will forgive us, if we repent of our great and gross sins—yet it also teaches us that sin is an evil and a bitter thing; and that, though the guilt of it may be removed, the evil consequences of it will cling to us and be a subject of sorrow to us—until God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The preacher's work is to throw sinners down into utter helplessness—that they may be compelled to look up to Him Who alone can help them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we do wrong and no harm comes of it—we are not thereby faultless. If we did evil and good came of it—the evil would be just as evil. It is not the result of the action, but the action itself—which God weighs.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I know nothing which can . . .
 so comfort the soul;
 so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief;
 so speak peace to the winds of trial—
as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord's mercy often rides to the door of our heart, upon the black horse of affliction!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the grace of the gospel there is a salve for every sore, and a remedy for every malady. There is no spiritual disease, but there is power in Christ for the cure of it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In Christ's love, you have begun a banquet that will never end! The richest, the most celestial, the most transporting joy that mortal mind can know—is a full assurance of the love of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let me revel in this one thought—before God made the heavens and the earth, He set His love upon me.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The pastures of the Great Shepherd are wide—but the sweetest grasses grow close to His pierced feet!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every truth of God's Word is a diamond of untold value!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Ten thousand pounds of suffering, are to be preferred to one ounce of sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Self-esteem naturally keeps Jesus out of the heart. The more our self-esteem increases—the more firmly do we fasten the door against Christ. Love of SELF—prevents love of the Savior!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe that before the foundation of the world, God chose all those whom He will eternally save.
I equally believe, that whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be eternally saved.
I believe that salvation is all of grace—and damnation is all of man's sin.
I believe that God will have the glory of every soul that is saved—and that every lost soul will be responsible for its own ruin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not know when I am more perfectly happy—than when I am weeping for sin at the foot of the cross.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In Heaven, we shall see that we had not one trial too many!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Far be it from us to seek a crown of honor—where our Lord found only a crown of thorns!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God is so great, that nothing is great to Him.
God is so approachable, that nothing is little to Him.
His infinite majesty thus naturally brings low the proud, and exalts the humble.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You will find all true theology summed up in these two short sentences:
  Salvation is all of the grace of God.
  Damnation is all of the will of man.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God is too good to be unkind—and He is too wise to be mistaken. When we cannot trace His hand—we must trust His heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Heart-ravishing dealings with the Lord Jesus Christ's sweet love—spoils a man for the sinful pleasures of this world!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no form of sinfulness to which you are addicted, which Christ cannot remove!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Hell that is the everlasting prison of all unbelievers!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A seat in Heaven shall one day be mine! But a chain in Hell would have been mine—if sovereign grace had not saved me!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Better to go to Heaven alone, than to Hell with a herd!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When sin is pardoned—our greatest sorrow is ended, and our truest pleasure begins!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This volume (the Holy Scriptures) is the writing of the living God! Each letter was penned with an Almighty finger, each word in it dropped from the everlasting lips, each sentence was dictated by the Holy Spirit!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Soon I shall see an open door in Heaven; the pearl gate will be my way of entrance—and then I shall go in unto my Lord and King and be eternally shut in with Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In countries where leprosy prevails, they shut up the lepers in a place by themselves, lest the terrible disease should infect the whole district. Hell is God's leper colony where sinners must be confined forever when they are incurable and past hope!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The main aim, end, and objective of God in salvation—is to glorify His own character!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The road of sorrow is the road to Heaven—but there are wells of refreshing water all along the route.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My heart—I charge you to hate sin.
My eyes—do not look upon sin.
My ears—do not listen to sin's siren charm.
My feet—do not run in sin's path.
My hands—refuse to handle sin.
My soul—loath, loath that which murdered Christ, and thrust a spear through the tenderest heart which ever beat!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Man is unwilling to give up sin—for he loves it too much. He is unwilling to be made holy for he has no desire for spiritual things. God, then, must come to man, for how can man, being naturally dead, and naturally unwilling, ever come to God? "Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed." John 3:19-20
No non-elect soul ever came to Jesus. "No one can come to Me—unless the Father who sent me draws him." John 6:44

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot have Christ as your Savior—unless you also have Him as your Lord!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin mingles even with our holy things. Our best repentance, faith, prayer and thanksgiving could not be received by God—were it not for the merit of Christ's atoning sacrifice.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble." Psalm 46:1
He is our refuge—let us hide in Him.
He is our strength—let us array ourselves with Him.
He is our help—let us lean upon Him.
He is our ever-present help—let us rest in Him now.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To be almost saved—is to be altogether lost! There are many in Hell who once were almost saved—but who are now altogether damned!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no sin that the worst of men have done, which the best of men would not do—if they were left by God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Meditation puts the telescope to the eye, and enables us to see Jesus more clearly and fully than we could have seen Him if we had lived in the days of His flesh. Would that our hearts were more in Heaven, and that we were more taken up with the person, the work, the beauty of our adorable Redeemer!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Stand at the foot of the cross, and count the purple drops by which you have been cleansed; see the thorn-crown; mark His scourged shoulders, still gushing with encrimsoned rills. And if you do not lie prostrate on the ground before that cross, you have never seen it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A faith which rests short of the Cross—is a faith which will land you short of Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are sadly unmindful of our God—but He is graciously mindful of us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Hell has many gates—though Heaven has but one. "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved." John 10:9

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian delights to be obedient—but it is the obedience of love, to which he is constrained by the example of his master.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, what wondrous love was that which impelled the Savior onward to Gethsemane—the olive press where He was to be pressed and crushed between the millstones of Jehovah's wrath—in order that He might suffer the penalty due to our transgressions!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The path of the Christian is not always bright with sunshine—he has his seasons of darkness and of storm as well.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, yes, the world is a heap of chaff! The only solid treasure is to be found in Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The same sun which melts the wax—hardens the clay. Just so, the same gospel which melts some people to repentance—hardens others in their sins.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A religion that cannot stand a little laughter and ridicule, must be a very rotten one.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus is the great teacher of humility. We need daily to learn of Him. "Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:29

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Where Scripture is silent—you be silent!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Self-righteousness arises partly from pride—but mainly from ignorance of God's holiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you are so weak that you cannot do much more than cry—you coin diamonds with both eyes. The sweetest prayers which God ever hears, are the groans and sighs of those who have no hope in anything but His love!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have all things and abound—not because I have a good store of money in the bank—but because the Lord is my Shepherd.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every page of Scripture is a sheet of gold! No, rather let me say that Heaven's banknotes are here, to be cashed by those who have faith enough to bring them to the God who issued them—that He may make their souls rich to all the intents of bliss!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is good to preach with your tongue—if God has called you to do so. But never forget that the best preaching in the world, is to preach with your feet—by your walk and conduct!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing puts life into men—like a dying Savior!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To be the Lord's beloved, is the highest possible honor!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Practical godliness is absolutely necessary to a true Christian character!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No sin, whatever it is, shall ruin any man if he shall come to Christ for mercy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no sleep in Hell. Oh, what a blessing it would be, if sleep could enter the habitation of the damned!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the Lord's bearing our sin for us is not the gospel—then I have no gospel to preach.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Come, broken hearts, come to the Physician who never fails to heal! Uncover your wounds to Him—who so tenderly binds them up.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Scripture is a never-failing treasury fill with boundless stores of grace!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the service of God, do not seek popularity or attempt to please the crowds. You must follow the Lord's will wherever it leads you—whether you go alone or not.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our Lord will not remember our sins so as to punish them—or so as to love us one atom less because of them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Although the Lord may not appear for us in the way we expect, or desire, or suppose—yet He will in some way or other provide for us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Grace is promised to us, by which we are . . .
 restored from our wanderings,
 cleansed from our impurities, and
 set free from the chains of sinful habits.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing brings such leanness into a man's soul—as lack of prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A bloodless, Christless gospel is fit only for the dunghill. It neither honors God—nor converts men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those of you who profess to be the Lord's people—take care that you maintain a broad wall of separation between yourselves and the world!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Genuine faith trusts a whole Christ, for the whole of salvation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many saints in dying, have looked up from amidst the stormy waters, and have see Jesus walking on the waves of the sea, and have heard His say, "It is I—do not be afraid!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Tongues are more terrible instruments than can be made with hammers and anvils—and the evil which they inflict cuts deeper and spreads wider! "The tongue is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by Hell." James 3:6

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are but two kinds of people on earth: the church—and the world. Those who are justified in Christ—and those who are condemned in their sins.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All things are ordained of God and are settled by Him, according to His wise and holy predestination. Whatever happens here on earth—happens not by chance, but according to the counsel of the Most High God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the Lord Jesus—as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Have your heart right with Christ—and he will visit you often. Fellowship with Christ will turn weekdays into Sundays, meals into sacraments, homes into temples, and earth into Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God helps those who cannot help themselves.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The groans of earth, shall be surpassed by the songs of Heaven!
The woes of time, shall be swallowed up in the hallelujahs of eternity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A Jesus who never wept—could never wipe away my tears.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A faithful preacher is a rare creature. And, like a diamond, as precious as he is rare!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You will never glory in God—until first of all God has killed your glorying in yourself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To rejoice in temporal comforts is dangerous,
to rejoice in self is foolish,
to rejoice in sin is fatal, but
to rejoice in God is heavenly.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When your will is God's will—then you will have your will.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As for His failing you, never dream of it—hate the thought of it! The God who has been sufficient until now—should be trusted to the end.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The greatest joy of a Christian, is to give joy to Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I bear my testimony that there is no joy to be found in all this world, like that of sweet communion with Christ. I would barter all else there is of Heaven for that. Indeed, that is Heaven! As for the harps of gold and the streets like clear glass and the songs of seraphs and the shouts of the redeemed—one could very well give all these up, counting them as a drop in a bucket, if we might forever live in fellowship and communion with Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not great talents God blesses, so much as likeness to Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We cannot help the birds flying over our heads—but we may keep them from building their nests in our hair! Just so with temptations!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

His mercy is so great, that it forgives great sins to great sinners after great lengths of time and then gives great favors and great privileges and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great Heaven of the great God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If Christ is not all to you, then He is nothing to you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Remember that the Lord Jesus came to take away sin in three ways. He came to remove . . .
the penalty of sin,
the power of sin, and,
at last, the presence of sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It was the mighty power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in Him by which Jesus overcame the world. That same quiet power, if it dwells in us, will make us win the same victory by faith.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot trust God too much—nor yourself too little!
"He who trusts in his own heart is a fool!" Proverbs 28:26

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He bequeaths us His manger, from which to learn how God came down to man—and His cross to teach us how man may go up to God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus! it is the name which moves the harps of Heaven to melody. Jesus! the life of all our joys. If there is one name more charming, more precious than another, it is this name. It is woven into the very warp and woof of our psalmody. Many of our hymns begin with it, and scarcely any, that are good for anything, end without it. It is the sum total of all delights. It is the music with which the bells of Heaven ring. It is a song in a word; an ocean for comprehension, although a drop for brevity. It is a matchless oratorio in two syllables; a gathering up of the hallelujahs of eternity in five letters!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I must take care above all that I cultivate communion with Christ; for though that can never be the basis of my peace with God—yet it will be the channel of it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God is so boundlessly pleased with Jesus—that in him, he is altogether well pleased with us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Have you no wish for others to be saved?
Then you are not saved yourself—be sure of that!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If sinners are damned—at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stop. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There never lived a man who was too holy—and there never will live a man who will imitate Christ too closely, or avoid sin too rigidly.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every Christian is either a missionary—or an imposter.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not attempt to touch yourself up and make yourself something other than you really are—but come as you are to Him who justifies the ungodly.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The law is for the self-righteous, to humble their pride.

The gospel is for the lost, to remove their despair.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The same sun which melts wax hardens clay. And the same Gospel which melts some persons to repentance—hardens others in their sins.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let eloquence be flung to the dogs, rather than souls be lost. What we want is to win souls. They are not won by flowery speeches.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have a great need for Christ.
I have a great Christ for my need.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Conversion is a turning onto the right road.
The next thing to do is to walk on it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you worship a God of gold, you will perish as much as if you worshiped a God of mud. "You cannot serve both God and Money!" Matthew 6:24

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are not responsible to God for the souls that are saved—but we are responsible for the Gospel that is preached, and for the way in which we preach it

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian should work as if all depended upon him—and pray as if it all depended upon God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"God made Him who had no sin, to be sin for us—so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21. Jesus has borne the penalty of sin on behalf of His people. Behold the wonder! There He hangs upon the cross! This is the greatest sight you will ever see! Son of God and Son of Man—there He hangs, bearing unutterable pains, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God. Oh, the glory of that sight! The innocent One, punished!

The Holy One, condemned! The ever-blessed One, made a curse! The infinitely glorious One, put to a shameful sin-atoning death!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Why is it that some Christians, although they hear many sermons, make but slow advances in the divine life? Because they neglect their prayer closets, and do not thoughtfully meditate on God's Word. They love the wheat—but they do not grind it. They would have the corn—but they will not go forth into the fields to gather it. The fruit hangs upon the tree—but they will not pluck it. The water flows at their feet, but they will not stoop to drink it. From such folly deliver us, O Lord.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Groanings which cannot be uttered, are often prayers which cannot be refused.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If God is near a church—it must be a praying church. And if he is not there—one of the first tokens of his absence, will be a slothfulness in prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A prayerless soul, is a Christless soul. Prayer is . . .
the lisping of the believing infant,
the shout of the fighting believer,
the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If God does not give His people what they ask for, it is because He knows they do not need it, and that it is not for their good.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let your cares drive you to God. I shall not mind if you have many of them-if each one leads you to prayer. If every fret makes you lean more on the Beloved—it will be a benefit.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer bends the omnipotence of Heaven, to your desire.
Prayer moves the hand, that moves the world.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We cannot all argue—but we can all pray.
We cannot all be leaders—but we can all be pleaders.
We cannot all be mighty in rhetoric—but we can all be prevalent in prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Scripture meditation is the strong meat on which holy men are nourished. Oh, to be bathed in a text of Scripture, and to let it be sucked up into your very soul, until it saturates your heart!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is the autograph of the Holy Spirit upon the renewed heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you feel disinclined to pray—let it be a sign to you that prayer is doubly necessary! Pray for prayer!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have now concentrated all my prayers into one—and that one prayer is this: that I may die to self, and live wholly to Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A child's cry touches a father's heart. Our King is the Father of his redeemed people. If we can do no more than cry—it will bring omnipotence to our aid. A cry is the native language of a spiritually needy soul. It is done with fine phrases and long orations, and it takes to sobs and moans—and so, indeed, it grasps the most potent of all weapons, for Heaven always yields to such artillery.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those who are passing with Christ over the ocean of this world, must expect storms.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you believe in prayer at all—then expect God to hear you. If you do not expect God to hear you—then you will not have. God will not hear you unless you believe He will hear you; but if you believe He will, He will be as good as your faith. He will never allow you to think better of Him than He is; He will come up to the mark of your thoughts, and according to your faith so shall it be done unto you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If any of you should ask me for an epitome of the Christian life, I would say that it is in one word—prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would rather teach one man to pray—than ten men to preach.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words—but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction!" 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5. The gospel is preached in the ears of all men—but it only comes with power to some. The power which is in the gospel, does not lie in the eloquence of the preacher—otherwise men would be converters of souls. Nor does it lie in the preacher's learning—otherwise it could consists of the wisdom of men. We might preach until our tongues rotted, until we should exhaust our lungs and die—but never a soul would be converted, unless there were mysterious power going with it—the Holy Spirit changing the will of man. O Sirs! We might as well preach to stone walls, as preach to men—unless the Holy Spirit is with the Word, to give it power to convert the soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Far better for a man that he had never been born—than that he should degrade a pulpit into a show box to exhibit himself in!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Ministers should be stars to give light—not clouds to obscure. In some cases the text is as clear as a mirror, until the preacher's breath bedims it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have not much patience with a certain class of Christians nowadays who will hear anybody preach, so long as they can say, "He is very clever, a fine preacher, a man of genius, a born orator." Is cleverness to make false doctrine palatable? Why, sirs, to me the ability of a man who preaches error is my sorrow, rather than my admiration.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you think you can never honor Christ until you enter a pulpit—it may be just possible that you will afterwards honor him best by getting out of it as quickly as you can!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The motto of all true servants of God must be, "We preach Christ; and him crucified!" A sermon without Christ in it is like a loaf of bread without any flour in it. No Christ in your sermon, sir? Then go home, and never preach again until you have something worth preaching!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A Bible that Is falling apart—usually belongs to someone who isn't.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nobody ever outgrows Scripture—the book widens and deepens with our years.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin and sorrow cannot be divorced.
Holiness and happiness cannot be separated.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would not give a penny for your love to the truth—if it is not accompanied with a hearty hatred of error!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To pursue union with lost religionists at the expense of truth, is treason to the Lord Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The doctrine of the atonement is to my mind one of the surest proofs of the divine inspiration of Holy Scripture. Who would or could have thought of the just Ruler, dying for the unjust rebel? This is no teaching of human mythology, or dream of poetic imagination. This method of expiation is only known among men because it is a fact—fiction could not have devised it. God himself ordained it—it is not a matter which could have been imagined.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Half our fears arise from neglect of the Bible!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every promise of Scripture is a writing of God, which may be pleaded before Him with this reasonable request: 'Lord, do as You have said.' The Heavenly Father will not break His Word to His own child.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The word of God is always most precious, to the man who most lives upon it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Word of God will be to you a bulwark and a high tower, a castle of defense against the foe. Oh, see to it that the Word of God is in you, in your very soul, permeating your thoughts, and so operating upon your outward life, that all may know you to be a true Bible-Christian, for they perceive it in your words and deeds.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We shall not adjust our Bible to the age. By God's grace, we shall adjust the age to the Bible.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The greatest argument against the Bible is an unholy life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God thinks of each of His redeemed children—as much as if He had only that one!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Within the Scripture there is a balm for every wound, and a salve for every sore!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The world does not read the Bible—the world reads Christians! You are the light of the world.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When the Spirit of God goes with the Word, then the Word becomes the instrument of the conversion of the souls of men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you hear a man rail at the Bible—you can usually conclude that he has never read it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best interpreter of a book is generally the man who wrote it. The Holy Spirit wrote the Scriptures. Go to Him to get their meaning—and you will not be misled.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We may make our prophetic charts if we like—but God will follow His own chart!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It was God's word that made us. Is it any wonder that His word should sustain us?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Study the Word, that your faith may not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O Christian—be holy, for Christ is holy. Do not pollute that holy Name with which you are named. Let your family life, your personal life, your business life—be as holy as Christ your Lord would have it to be. Shall saints be shams—when sinners are so real?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Repentance and desires after holiness never can be separated.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Stale godliness is ungodliness. Let our religion be as warm, and constant, and natural as the flow of the blood in our veins. A living God, must be served in a living way.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Perseverance is the badge of all true saints!
Perseverance is as necessary to a man's salvation, as conversion.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let me ask you—how many atheists are now in this church? Perhaps not a single one of you would accept the title. And yet, if you live from Monday morning to Saturday night in the same way as you would live if there were no God—then you are practical atheists.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Love for God is obedience; love for God is holiness. To love God and to love man is to be conformed to the image of Christ, and this is salvation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no repentance where a man can talk lightly of sin—much less where he can speak tenderly and accepting of it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The nearer a man lives to God—the more intensely he mourns over his own evil heart!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To a man who lives unto God, nothing is secular—everything is sacred!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Repentance grows as faith grows. Do not make any mistake about it—repentance is not a thing of days and weeks, a temporary penance to be gotten over as fast as possible! No—it is the grace of a lifetime, like faith itself. Repentance is the inseparable companion of faith.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not sit down and try to pump up repentance from the dry well of a corrupt nature. It is contrary to the laws of your mind to suppose that you can force your soul into that gracious state. Take your heart in prayer to Him who understands it and say, "Lord, cleanse it. Lord, renew it. Lord, work repentance in it!" The more you try to produce penitent emotions in yourself—the more you will be disappointed. However, if you believingly think of Jesus dying for you, repentance will burst forth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who grows in grace, remembers that he is but dust. He therefore does not expect his fellow Christians to be anything more than dust—he overlooks ten thousand of their faults, because he knows his God overlooks twenty thousand in his own case.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Hope itself is like a star—not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith goes up the stairs that love has built—and looks out the windows which hope has opened.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Is there nothing to sing about today? Then borrow a song from tomorrow—sing of what is yet to be. Is this world dreary? Then think of Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I am not today all that I hope to be—yet I see Jesus, and that assures me that I shall one day be like Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot slander human nature—it is worse than words can paint it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is as much love in the blows of God's hand, as in the kisses of His mouth!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As princes hold the model globe in their hands—so does the Lord in very deed hold the earth!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whatever the secondary agent may be, the direct hand of the Lord is in every national calamity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The floods of God's mercy, rise above the mountains of our sins!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no cordial of comfort, like that which is poured from the bottle of Scripture.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Pride lies at the root of all sin. If people were not arrogant, they would not be disobedient.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Justified people always long to be sanctified.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Hell itself is but sin fully developed!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The same lips which spoke us into existence, have spoken the laws by which we are to govern our existence.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those who fear God, need not fear anything else!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our desires and delights are a better test of our character than anything else.
The further a soul advances in grace, the more spiritual and divine are its longings.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The day we find the perfect church—it becomes imperfect the moment we join it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you give your soul up to anything earthly, whether it be the wealth, or the honors, or the pleasures of this world—then you might as well hunt after the mirage of the desert, or try to collect the mists of the morning, or to store up for yourself the clouds of the sky—for all these things are passing away.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a blessing for us that, as sin lives, and the flesh lives, and the devil lives—so Jesus lives. It is also a blessing that, whatever strength these may have to ruin us—Jesus has still greater power to save us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Remember Martin Luther's way of cutting the devil's head off with his own sword. "Oh," said the devil to Martin Luther, "you are a sinner." "Yes," said Luther, "Christ died to save sinners!" Thus he smote him with his own sword. Hide in this refuge, and stay there!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That very church which the world likes best—is sure to be the church which God abhors most!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you will tell me when Satan has left off temptation—then I will tell you when when God permits a Christian to lay aside his armor. Like the old knights in war time, we must sleep with helmet and breastplate buckled on, for the arch-deceiver will seize our first unguarded hour to make us his prey. May the Lord keep us watchful in all seasons, and give us a final escape from the jaw of the lion and the paw of the bear!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My soul, never laugh at sin's fooleries—lest you come to smile at sin itself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord gets His best soldiers, out of the highlands of affliction.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows—but only empties today of its strengths.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Great hearts can only be made by great troubles. The spade of trouble digs the reservoir of comfort deeper, and makes more room for consolation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I bear my witness that the worst days I have ever had, have turned out to be my best days. And when God has seemed most cruel to me, he has then been most kind. If there is anything in this world for which I would bless him more than for anything else—it is for pain and affliction. I am sure that in these things, the richest tenderest love has been manifested to me. Our Father's wagons rumble most heavily, when they are bringing us the richest freight of the bullion of His grace. Love letters from Heaven, are often sent in black-edged envelopes. The cloud that is black with horror, is big with mercy. Fear not the storm—it brings healing in its wings! When Jesus is with you in the vessel—the tempest only hastens the ship to its desired haven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Affliction hardens those whom it does not soften.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No stars gleam as brightly, as those which glisten in the polar sky. No water tastes so sweet, as that which springs amid the desert sand. And no faith is so precious, as that which lives and triumphs through adversity. Tested faith, brings experience. You would never have believed your own weakness, had you not needed to pass through trials. And you would never have known God's strength, had His strength not been needed to carry you through.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Conflicts bring experience, and experience brings that growth in grace which is not to be attained by any other means.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy—which makes happiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you—will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life. Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial—had they not found a friend.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You say, 'If I had a little more, I would be very satisfied.' You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have—then you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal—and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool—as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge, is to have wisdom.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A little faith will bring your soul to Heaven.
Great faith will bring Heaven to your soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian's position is unique—he is in two worlds at once.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Your emptiness, is but the preparation for your being filled.
Your casting down, is but the making ready for your lifting up.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

By a life I do not live, and by a death I do not die—I am saved!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A long stretch of health has a tendency to make us think that we are immortal.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Man was made in the image of God. Nothing will satisfy man but God, in whose image he was made.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That religion which costs a man nothing, is worth nothing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning—though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered." Psalm 90:5-6. Here is the history of the grass—sown, grown, blown, mown, gone! The history of man is not much more!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot be Christ's servant—if you are not willing to follow Him, cross and all. What do you crave? A crown? Then it must be a crown of thorns—if you are to be like Him. Do you want to be lifted up? So you shall, but it will be upon a cross!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are no crown-bearers in Heaven—who were not cross-bearers here below!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The more objects you set your heart upon—the more thorns there are to tear your peace of mind to shreds.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christians, you are to love one another—not because of the gain which you get from one another, but rather because of the good you can do one another.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who does not serve God where he is—would not serve God anywhere else!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The discerning of the hand of God in all our afflictions, is a sweet lesson in the school of experience.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy which brings happiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In Christ you have redemption. Out of Him, you are in bondage.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nearness to God—brings likeness to God.
The more you see God—the more of God will be seen in you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If left to ourselves, the road to Hell would be as naturally our choice as for round rock to roll downwards, instead of upwards.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What the sun is to the day,
what the moon is to the night,
what the dew is to the flower
— such is Jesus Christ to us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I comment to you the study of instructive books—but above all, I comment the study of Christ. Let Him be your library.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not your hold of Christ that saves—but His hold of you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God promises His people enough—and even that enough may not come to us in the way we would choose.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All that concerns the believer—is in the hands of Almighty God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Obedience to God is a flower which never grew on nature's dunghill! It only grows where the Spirit of God has tilled the soil and planted the root from which it springs.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When one who professes to be a Christian lives as worldlings live—there is grave reason to fear that he is a worldling, notwithstanding his profession! Inconsistency of life, casts a very serious doubt upon many who call themselves the children of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O you who wish to learn the way to comfort and how to tread the royal road to heavenly wisdom—come to the Cross and see the Savior suffer, and pour out His heart's blood for human sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing but a continuous miracle keeps any one of us from the sepulcher!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Well," says one, "I like to be my own master." Yes, and that involves two things:
 first, you have a very bad master;
 next, your master has a fool for his servant.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Brethren, praise is God's due when He takes—as well as when He gives; for there is as much love in His taking—as in His giving! The kindness of God is quite as great when He smites us with His rod—as when He kisses us with the kisses of His mouth. If we could see everything as He sees it, we would often perceive that the kindest possible thing He can do to us—is that which appears to us to be unkind. "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised!" Job 1:21

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The murder of Christ at Calvary has brought the greatest possible benefit to us—yet it was a high crime against God, the greatest of all crimes, when man turned deicide and slew the Son of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All the works that we can ever do, be they what they may—can never bring such glory to God as a single act of trust in Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not believe that man's free will has ever saved a soul—but man's free will has been the ruin of multitudes!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You are hanging over the mouth of Hell by a single thread—and that thread is breaking! Only a stopping of the heart for a single moment—and you will be in the eternal world—without God, without hope, without forgiveness!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no shelter from an angry God, but in the pierced hand of His dear Son!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My longing is that the churches may be more holy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I grieve to see so much conformity to the world among Christians.
How many Christians follow the fashions of this wicked world.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Time is flying! Men are dying! Hell is filling!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I suppose if any man among us could see his own heart as it really is, he would be driven mad. The poet was right when he said, "God saves all beings but Himself, from that hideous sight—a human heart!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you profess to know Christ, have nothing to do with a sinful world.
Shake off the viper into the fire, for it will poison you and destroy you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you want to know what Heaven is, know what Christ is.
The way to spell Heaven is with those five letters that make up the word J E S U S.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men hate Hell, for the same reason that murderers hate the gallows!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Seek the gospel which rips up and tears and cuts and wounds and hacks and even kills—for that is the gospel that makes alive again!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no form of sinfulness to which you are addicted—which Christ cannot remove.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is human to err—it is divine to repent.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A faith which does not work for purification, will work for putrefaction. Unless our faith makes us pine after holiness, it is no better than the faith of devils, and perhaps it is not even so good as that. A holy man is the workmanship of the Holy Spirit!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If a man does not live differently from what he did before—both at home and abroad—his repentance needs to be repented of, and his conversion is a fiction!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you give your soul up to anything earthly—whether it is the wealth, or the honors, or the pleasures of this world—you might as well hunt after the mirage of the desert—or try to collect the mists of the morning—or attempt to store up for yourself the clouds of the sky—for all these things are passing away!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My Lord and Master will not be content with the shell of a man—He must have his heart and soul, his entire being. He who will not thus give himself up to Christ, cannot be His disciple.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I venture to say that the greatest earthly blessing that God can give to any of us is health—with the exception of sickness. Sickness has frequently been of more use to the saints of God than health has.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you are idle in Christ's work—then you are active in the devil's work.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All of our infirmities, whatever they are—are just opportunities for God to display His gracious work in us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The level of common Christianity at this day—far too closely resembles that of the church in Laodicea, which was so nauseous to the Lord.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ's death was the greatest possible display of God's love to sinful men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When your will is God's will—then you will have your will.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If sinners are damned—at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish—then let them perish with our arms around their knees. Let no one go the Hell unwarned and unprayed for.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The holier a man becomes—the more he mourns over the unholiness which remains in him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Eternity alone can reveal the value of Christ!
By the miseries of the Hell from which He saves us—let us measure Him!
By the bliss of the Heaven to which He lifts us—let us estimate His worth!
By the depths of ignominy and shame into which He dived—let us appraise Him!
By the glories He relinquished and by the agonies He bore—let us attempt to form some faint idea of His value!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No sin, whatever it is, shall ruin any man if he shall come to Christ for mercy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We may be called to traverse strange ways—but we shall always have our Lord's company, assistance, and provision.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The preacher's work is to throw sinners down in utter helplessness—that they may be compelled to look up to Him who alone can help them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We ought surely to be content with such things as we have—for he who has God, has more than all the world.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Absence from Christ is Hell—but the presence of Jesus is Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We go through the dark valley of death—and emerge into the light of eternity. We do not die—but only sleep, to wake in eternity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Beware of those who say that there is no Hell—and that there are new ways to Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Train up a child in the way he should go—but be sure you go that way yourself!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We all know what our own cross is. As our Heavenly Father has appointed it for us—we must take it up and follow Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A prayerless soul, is a Christless soul. Prayer is the indispensable mark of the true child of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All ministries must be subjected to this test—if they do not glorify Christ, they are not of the Holy Spirit.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord made the perfectly innocent One to be sin for us—that means more humiliation, darkness, agony, and death than you can possibly conceive.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you long to save men's souls—you must tell them a great deal of disagreeable truth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We must continue to drive at men's hearts until they are broken—and then we must keep on preaching Christ crucified until their hearts are bound up!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Teach gospel doctrines clearly, affectionately, simply, and plainly—and especially those truths which have a present and practical bearing upon man's condition and God's grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It very often happens that the converts that are born in excitement—die when the excitement is over. "The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature." Luke 8:14

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are as weak and foolish and as full of needs as sheep can be—but we have a Shepherd who perfectly understands us, who so loves us that He will preserve to the end, even the very least among us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When the Spirit of the Lord breathes on us, He withers all the glory of man, which is but as the flower of grass—and then He reveals a higher and abiding glory.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God's Providence not only extends to mankind in general, and to the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air, and the innumerable fish in the sea—but also to every atom of matter in the universe!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who is his own guide—is guided by a fool!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Time is short—and eternity is near!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We waste far too much of our time upon trifles!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The bleeding, dying, rising Savior, is the only star of hope to a sinner.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Better to go to Heaven alone, than go to Hell with a multitude!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing in the past, the present, or the future can cause Jehovah to be unkind to His redeemed children.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Home is the grandest of all institutions.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Word must be like a strong wind sweeping through the whole heart, and swaying the whole man, even as a field of ripening corn waves in the summer breeze.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Here stands a man all guilty. The moment he believes in Christ, his pardon at once he receives, and his sins are no longer his; they are cast into the depths of the sea!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing hardens like the gospel, when it is long trifled with.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To contend against Divine Omnipotence is insanity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This is how we live spiritually—we breathe in the air by prayer, and we breathe it out by praise!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Coming to Christ, though described by some people as being the very easiest thing in all the world—is utterly impossible to any man, unless the Father shall draw him to Christ. "No one can come to Me—unless the Father who sent Me draws him." John 6:44

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you have loved Christ as much as you can—you have not loved Him half as much as He deserves to be loved!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never let us doubt the universal benevolence of God. Let us hold it as a fundamental doctrine that "the Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works." Yet, we must never forget that inside this universal love—there is a private, secret, distinguishing, discriminating love which is set only upon those whom God chose before the foundation of the world, to be His own peculiar people.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are not to shape the gospel to the times in which we live—or suit it to the congregations to which we speak.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You Christians are sneered at. Let them sneer! If they can sneer you out of your religion—you have not got any worth having! Remember you can be laughed into Hell—but you can never be laughed out of it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Preachers, do not try to be original, but be content to take of the things of Christ and show them to the people—for that is what the Holy Spirit Himself does, and you will be wise to use His method and His sword.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You lose your strength, Christian—the moment you depart from your integrity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The holy Dove will never come to a foul nest!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you hear a real Gospel sermon, it directs you to look to Jesus Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Infinite wisdom dictates what absolute sovereignty decrees. God is never arbitrary or tyrannical. He does as He wills, but He always wills to do that which is most for His own glory. How dare we question anything which God does?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is God's Word that saves souls, not our comments upon it, however correct those comments may be! Let us, then, be scrupulously careful to honor the Holy Spirit by taking the weapon which He has prepared for us, believing in the full inspiration of the sacred Scriptures and expecting that God will prove their inspiration by their effect upon the minds and hearts of men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The idolatrous church of Rome calls itself the only true church, outside which none can find salvation—but it is the very center of apostasy and abomination!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is joy in Hell when a saint grows idle!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Few of us are perfectly sane. In fact, I do not think anybody is altogether so.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When the world pretends to love you—understand that it now hates you more than ever, and is carefully baiting its trap to catch you and ruin you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are some who read the Bible and try to systematize it according to rigid logical creeds. But I dare not follow their method, and I feel content to let people say, "How inconsistent Spurgeon is with himself!" The only thing that would grieve me, would be inconsistency with the Word of God! I have endeavored to preach to you the whole counsel of God. But I cannot harmonize it, nor am I anxious to do so.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The man who talks about his experience as a Christian, who never does anything for Christ, is, I am afraid, only an idle dreamer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sorrow ceases to be sorrow—when once there is in the heart a sweet sense of the infinite love of Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Humility is to make a right estimate of oneself. It is no humility for a man to think less of himself than he ought.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God is so inflexibly just, that He has never forgiven and will never forgive the sinner without having exacted the punishment for his sin! He is so strictly true to His threats, and so inexorably severe in His justice—that His holy Law never relaxes its hold upon the sinner until the penalty is paid to the utmost farthing!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let who will, be without trials—Christians will have their full share of them! "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows." John 16:33. But there shall come no difficulty of any kind, between here and Paradise, which shall necessitate the soul's going anywhere but to her gracious Lord for guidance, for consolation, for strength, or for anything besides!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Thank God for the comforts and blessings of this life—but do not let them become your idols.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is an easy matter to be a minister of the gospel—and a vile hypocrite at the same time.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Out of every difficulty Omnipotence can bring us—only let us in childlike confidence cast our burden upon the Lord.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is better to go weeping to Heaven—than to go laughing to Hell.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is only as you are conformed to the image of Christ, that you can expect to be a blessing to others!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What a mercy it is that it is not your hold of Christ that saves you—but His hold of you! What a sweet fact that it is not how you grasp His hand—but His grasp of yours that saves you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I shall never understand, even in Heaven—why the Lord Jesus should ever have loved me.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Hold everything earthly with a loose hand—but grasp eternal things with a death-like grip!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When God lays His afflicting hand upon us, He takes away much of our imagined beauty and lets us see the ugliness of our natural deformity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All the adulteries, murders, unnatural vices and accursed blasphemies that had ever defiled the race of mankind, have not so certainly proved it to be a desperately fallen thing—as the murder of the Son of God, the Savior and the friend of men! This appalling crime of Deicide stands out without a parallel in the history of the universe! There was no guilt in the Lord Jesus for which He deserved to die—yet, with wicked hands, they crucified and slew Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There they go, streams of them, hurrying impatiently, rushing down to death and Hell—yes, eagerly panting, hurrying, dashing against one another to descend to that awful gulf from which there is no return!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best service you can render to Christ, is to imitate Him. If you want to do what will please Him—do as He did!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Word of God is a lamp by night, a light by day, and a delight at all times!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we are, indeed, Christians—we have broken a great many idols. We have still some more to break—and we must keep the hammer going until they are all broken!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus! Infinite—and an infant.
Eternal—and yet born of a woman.
Almighty—and yet hanging on a woman's breast.
Supporting a universe—and yet needing to be carried in a mother's arms.
King of angels—and yet the reputed son of Joseph.
Heir of all things—and yet the carpenter's despised son.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men will allow God to be everywhere except on His Throne!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are a thousand paths that lead to Hell—but only one that leads to Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The line of truth is narrow as a razor's edge!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is as much divine providence in the creeping of an aphis upon a rose leaf—as in the marching of an army to ravage a continent!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The tears of affliction, are often needed to keep the eye of faith bright.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Lax doctrine and lax living are frequently associated.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who does not serve God where he is—would not serve God anywhere else.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The knowledge of Christ Crucified, is the most excellent of all the sciences!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing binds me to my Lord, like a strong belief in His changeless love to me.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You are to do good works as zealously—as if you were to be saved by your good works;
and you are to trust in the merits of Christ—as though you had done nothing at all!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A Christian's vigor, happiness, growth and usefulness—all depend upon prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who believes shall be saved, be his sins ever so many.
He who believes not shall be damned, be his sins ever so few.

There is no sin which can damn the man who believes.
There is nothing which can save the man who will not believe.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A creature remaining at enmity against God must expect to dwell forever with the devils in Hell. Where can it dwell but where other rebels are confined in chains?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We have not a true idea of the rights of God over us, or even of our own condition before Him—unless we feel that we are the sheep of His pasture, and that He may do with us exactly as He wills.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Take this Book and distill it into one word—and that one word will be Jesus!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I ask you brethren, to resolve by God's strength, that there is nothing you will not do and nothing you will not give—for Him who loved you so well that He gave all He had to save you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To be one of the Lord's saved ones—is joy enough to bear up the heart under every affliction!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sweet are the uses of adversity, and this among them—that it brings into proper estimation, mercies aforetime lightly esteemed.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, it is the happiest and most blessed condition—to lie passive in God's hands and know no will but His! "Father, may Your will be done."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us imitate Puritan theology in its soundness—and Puritan living in its holiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no greater mercy that I know of on earth than good health—unless it is sickness.
Sickness has often been a greater mercy to me than health!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not a transient faith—it is not saying, "I was converted so many years ago." But it is a living faith, an abiding faith, a constant vital union with Christ—which marks the true heir of Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have heard a great many free-will sermons—but I have never heard any free-will prayers. I have heard Arminianism in preaching and talking—but I have never heard any Arminian praying.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you are so weak that you cannot do much more than cry—you coin diamonds with both your eyes. The sweetest prayers which God ever hears—are the groans and sighs of those who have no hope in anything but His love.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Watch constantly against those things which are thought to be no temptations. The most poisonous serpents, are found where the sweetest flowers grow. Cleopatra was poisoned by an asp which was brought to her in a basket of fair flowers. Sharp-edged tools, long handled, wound at last!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin and Hell are forever married—unless repentance proclaims the divorce!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our Creator is infinitely good, and His will is love. To submit to One who is "to wise to err, and too good to be unkind" should not be hard!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us crush the eggs of our woes, while they lie in the nest of our unbelief. Our sorrows are mostly manufactured at home, beaten out upon the anvil of unbelief with the hammer of our foreboding!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Where faith is genuine, through the Holy Spirit's power, it works . . .
 a cleansing from sin,
 a hatred of evil,
 an anxious desire after holiness, and
 leads the soul to aspire after the image of God.
Faith and holiness are inseparable!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Brethren, we are never so weak, as when we feel strongest—and never so foolish, as when we dream that we are wise.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man cannot really believe that Jesus Christ has taken away his sin by such sufferings as those of the Cross—and yet trifle with sin! A man is a liar who says, "I believe that yonder bleeding Savior suffered on account of my sins," and yet persist in the very sins that put Christ to death! "No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him!" 1 John 3:6

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The very best of men have had to smart under the wounds caused by that cruel, accursed thing—slander! No quality of purity, no degree of piety—can screen a man from the tongue of slander. In fact, as the birds peck most at the ripest fruit—it is often the best of men who are most slandered!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer and praise make up the essentials of the Christian's life. Prayer and praise, like the two horses in Pharaoh's chariot—make our Christian life to run smoothly and swiftly to God's honor and glory.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The torments of the lost will be self-inflicted! They are suicides to their souls—the venom in their veins is self-created and self-injected!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is always a set of grumblers who think they can do everything better than anybody else. They are the people who generally do nothing at all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The joys of Heaven—will surely compensate for the sorrows of earth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The coin of inspiration, comes from the mint of infallibility!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I can never cease to be astonished that God has elected me!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are all proud. Pride can hide under a beggar's rags—as well as under a minister's robes. Pride is a weed that will grow on a dunghill—as well as in a palace garden; but it ought never to be allowed to grow in the heart of a Christian!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Time is short. Eternity is long.
It is only reasonable that this short life be lived in the light of eternity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Too many think lightly of sin—and therefore think lightly of the Savior.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every believer feels that he is a brand plucked from the fire!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have got more good out of my afflictions—than out of all my prosperity!
I would not be without a cross for all the world!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christian! You may fear that the Lord has passed you by—but it is not so. He who counts the stars, and calls them by their names, is in no danger of forgetting His own children. He knows your case as thoroughly as if you were the only creature He ever made—or the only saint He ever loved!
Child of God, you cost Christ too much for Him to forget you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The more holy a man becomes—the more conscious he is of unholiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God mostly blesses the Gospel as preached by humble and earnest believers, illustrated by gracious and holy lives, and supported by fervent and unceasing prayers!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing can happen but what God ordains.
Why then should we fear?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A form of idolatry that is on a par with the fetishism of ignorant Africans, is rampant in this land. The Catholics make a god out of a bit of bread—and after worshiping their idol, they eat it up! This is a cannibal notion which only needs to be mentioned, to be denounced. Instead of having anything sacred about it, such teaching is utterly detestable—it is inconceivably idiotic and blasphemous! Idiocy and blasphemy seem to be blended together in it in about equal proportions. It is strange that such blessed words from such blessed lips should have been so shamefully misunderstood and misrepresented.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whatever is your greatest joy and treasure—that is your god.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is most important for us to learn that the smallest trifles are as much arranged by the God of Providence—as the most momentous events! He who counts the stars—has also numbered the hairs of our heads. Our lives and deaths are predestined—but so, also, are our sitting down and our rising up.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The one person that troubles me most, is the one from whom I cannot get away!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let your thoughts be psalms, your prayers be incense, and your breath be praise!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You must either give up your sins—or give up all hope of Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The stool of repentance and the foot of the cross, are the favorite positions of mature Christians.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The cross rejected, is the clearest proof of the depravity of the heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sit down at the foot of the Cross, and study the wounds of Jesus!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Lord, paint the image of Your Son upon the eyeballs of my soul!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you are true believers—then Jesus will be precious to you beyond all comparison! "Unto you who believe—He is precious!" 1 Peter 2:7

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The power and love of God are manifested, when, like a sheep surrounded by wolves, or a spark in the midst of the sea—a believer is enabled to live on in the teeth of an ungodly world and maintain his integrity to the end! "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand!" John 10:28

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a blessed thing to have no liking for such fare as the world can set before you; for those who are satisfied with such food as that, will find that they have to digest it in Hell—and long enough will they be in doing so.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our cup of suffering can never be as deep or as bitter as His was. There were in His cup, some ingredients that never will be found in ours. The bitterness of sin was there—but He has taken that away for all who believe in Him. His Father's wrath was there—but He drank that all up and left not a single dreg for any one of His redeemed people!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is quite true that of all sights in the world, the sight of Christ crucified is the sweetest. Of all that can be seen in the world, there is nothing so delightful as a believing sight of Jesus Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

They are the greatest slaves, who are slaves to their own soul-destroying lusts!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If any man could see his own heart as it is by nature, he would be driven mad!
The sight of our sinfulness could not be borne—unless we also saw the remedy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A little thorn may cause much suffering.
A little cloud may hide the sun.
Little foxes may spoil the vines.
Just so, little sins do mischief to the tender heart! These little sins burrow in the soul, and make it so full of that which is hateful to Christ—that He will hold no comfortable fellowship with us. A great sin cannot destroy a Christian—but a little sin can make him miserable!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no university for a Christian—like that of sorrow and trial!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We cannot too often turn our thoughts heavenward, for this is one of the great cures for worldliness. The way to liberate our souls from the bonds that tie us to earth, is to strengthen the cords that bind us to Heaven. You will think less of this poor little globe, when you think more of the world to come! "Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things!" Colossians 3:1-2

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Groanings which cannot be uttered—are often prayers which cannot be refused. All good is born in prayer—and all good springs from it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenever there is a cross to be carried by any of Christ's followers—He always bears the heavy end on His own shoulders.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing can damn a man—but his own righteousness.
Nothing can save him—but the righteousness of Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Truth of necessity, is intolerant of error.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The demon of pride was born with us—and it will not die one hour before us!
We are never so much in danger of being proud—as when we think we are humble.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The world's one and only remedy is the cross!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Study is good, no doubt, for the acquisition of knowledge.
But praying is the best way to obtain true wisdom!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A full sight of sin, without a sight of the precious blood of Christ—would drive any man mad!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It ill befits a man who is on the brink of Hell—to be laughing and jesting!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The worldling's Bible is the Christian. He never reads the Book—but he reads the disciple of Christ, and he judges the Christian religion by the lives of its professors!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Final perseverance is the necessary evidence of genuine conversion.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I delight in the thought that I shall see Jesus on the Throne of God, but I sometimes wish that I could have seen Him on the Cross—for it was there that His love reached its climax as He bore my sins in His own body on the tree!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best cure for the cares of this life—is to care much to please God! If we loved Him better—we would love the world far less, and be less troubled about our portion in it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man's contentment is in his mind, not in the extent of his possessions. Alexander the Great, with all the world at his feet, cried for another world to conquer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A very beautiful motto is hung up in our classroom at the Stockwell Orphanage, "What would Jesus do?" Not only may children take it as their guide, but all of us may do the same, whatever our age. If you desire to know what you ought to do under any circumstances, imagine Jesus to be in that position and then think, "What would Jesus do? For what Jesus would do—that ought I to do." This principle unties the knot of all moral difficulty in the most practical way, and does it so simply that no great wit or wisdom will be needed. "Whoever claims to live in Him, must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2:6

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Hang up in your house the question, "What would Jesus do?" It answers most all difficulties of Christian practice. When you do not know what to do and the Scriptures do not seem very explicit upon it, ask yourself, "What would Jesus do?"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus Christ, the Seed of the woman—sets His foot upon the monster, sin, and breaks its head! If you believe in Jesus, that pierced foot of His shall crush the life out of your sin, and you shall be delivered from its power.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sweet above all other things is love—a mother's love, a father's love, a husband's love, a wife's love—but all these are only faint images of the love of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One of the most deplorable things that could ever happen to a man, would be for him to be allowed to dwell comfortably in a refuge of lies until the storm of divine Judgment should sweep both himself and his refuge away forever!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We suffer today; but blessed be God—we shall rejoice tomorrow. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning!" Psalm 30:5

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no learning sympathy, except by suffering. It cannot be studied from a book, it must be engraved on the heart by suffering.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our afflictions become the black velvet on which the diamond of God's love glitters all the more brightly!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam, does not move an atom more or less that God wishes. I believe that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its ordained orbit, as well as the sun in the heavens. I believe that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is as much steered by God, as the stars in their course. The creeping of an aphid over the rosebush, is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence. The fall of leaves from a poplar tree, is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never fear dying, beloved. Dying is the last, but the least matter that a Christian has to be anxious about. Fear living—that is . . .
a hard battle to fight,
a stern discipline to endure,
a rough voyage to undergo.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows—it only empties today of it strengths.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we were once to have a church fully awakened and zealous for Christ and His truth—we would soon have the persecuting times back again!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To a true believer in Jesus, the thought of departing from this world and going to be "forever with the Lord," has nothing of gloom associated with it! This earth is the place of our banishment and exile—Heaven is our home!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As long as you are forgiven—what does anything else matter?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are too insignificant to be of any importance in God's vast universe. He can do either with us or without us. Our presence or absence will not disarrange His plans.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles: Brothers, what shall we do?" Acts 2:37
A cut to the heart is very painful. To be cut anywhere is not a thing to be desired, but a cut to the heart would not merely be painful, but, in a natural and literal sense—it would be fatal. There are a great many different kinds of impressions made by preachers upon their hearers, but blessed is that preacher who makes a wound right in their hearts!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"In Your presence is fullness of joy! At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore!" Psalm 16:11
A million million—what must that be? The human mind cannot grasp the meaning of such vast numbers—yet, when millions of millions of millions of millions of years have passed over the heads of Christ's saints in glory, this text will not be exhausted!
No, more—not one jot or tittle of it will be exhausted—and throughout eternity it will still be, "pleasures forevermore!"
Ah, my brethren, this prize is worth winning! Eternal life is worth having! And it shall be the portion of every true believer!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the very best of men, there is an infernal and well-near infinite depth of depravity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing does more good for a Church, than for its members to live the Gospel in all their concerns at home and abroad. O beloved, I implore you to be holy men and women! Seek after close conformity to the likeness of Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

They are indeed fools who prefer the pleasures of sin, to the joys of eternity. For such pleasures will soon end—and then everlasting misery will be their portion!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That religion which costs nothing—is usually worth nothing!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Among the wonders in Heaven, shall be these three:
The first wonder is that we shall see so many there, whom we did not expect to see.
The second is that we shall miss so many there, whom we did expect to see there.
But the third wonder would be the greatest wonder of all—to see ourselves there!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Son of man, these men have set up idols in their heart!" Ezekiel 14:3
"Their hearts were devoted to their idols!" Ezekiel 20:16
Whatever a man depends upon,
whatever rules his mind,
whatever governs his affections,
whatever is the chief object of his delight
—is his god.
"Dear children, keep yourselves from idols!" 1 John 5:21

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The more holy a man is—the more humble he is.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Light thoughts of sin—breed light thoughts of the Savior.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I shall never understand, even in Heaven—why the Lord Jesus should ever have loved me!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him—for you are worse than he thinks you to be!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

True prayer is . . .
 an inventory of needs,
 a catalog of necessities,
 an exposure of secret wounds,
 a revelation of hidden poverty.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The worst evils of life, are those which do not exist except in our imagination. If we had no troubles but real troubles—we would not have a tenth part of our present sorrows. We feel a thousand deaths, in fearing one!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No matter how dear you are to God—if pride is harbored in your heart, He will whip it out of you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Free grace can go down into the gutter—and bring up a jewel!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no solid joy, no hallowed peace this side of Heaven—except by living close under the shadow of the Cross, and nestling in the wounds of Jesus!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Praising God is one of the best ways of keeping away murmuring!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Suffering is better than sinning. There is more evil in a drop of sin—than in an ocean of affliction!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you cannot preach at home because your practice runs counter to your preaching—then do not preach at all. A man has no right to instruct others—if he cannot, at least in some measure, live out what he teaches!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You say, "If I had a little more—I would be very satisfied."
You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have—you would not be satisfied if it were doubled. It is not how much you have, but how much you enjoy—which makes happiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am afraid we would have to present a very poor record, if we gave a true account of the time we spend in prayer. Yet we have no excuse to offer for being lax in this holy duty. It is not a bondage, a slavery—it is the highest privilege of the believer's soul to be engaged in prayer to our Heavenly Father! Yet we often prefer the disastrous ease of wasting our time, instead of drawing near to God in prayer!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All your needs His love has supplied. There are . . .
 shoes for your pilgrimage,
 armor for your warfare,
 strength for your labor,
 rest for your weariness,
 comfort for your sorrow!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You will never know the fullness of Christ—until you know the emptiness of everything but Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When a man sins outwardly—it is because he has first sinned inwardly.
If there were no sin in us—no sin would come out of us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

They are the strongest—who are the weakest in themselves.
They are the richest—who know how poor they are apart from God.
They have the most grace—who know how utterly empty they would be of grace if the Lord should ever withdraw His hand from giving it to them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let your cares drive you to God. I shall not mind if you have many of them—if each one leads you to prayer. If every fret makes you lean more on the Beloved—it will be a benefit!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Providence is but the wheel upon which God polishes and perfects His jewels!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Beware of the high places—they are very slippery!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Is there anything in the world that is worthy to be compared with the incalculable mercy of forgiven sin?
What if I am poor? Yet I am forgiven!
What if I am sickly? Yet I am forgiven!
What if I shall soon die? Yet I am forgiven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a common thing for a little child to be the idol of the family—and wherever that is the case, there is a rod laid up in store in that house! You cannot make idols of your children, without finding out, sooner or later, that God makes them into rods with which He will punish you for your idolatry!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God has fixed the hour of our death.
It can neither be postponed by skill of physician, nor hastened by malice of foe.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God has so made man's heart that nothing can ever fill it but God Himself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to Myself!" Jeremiah 31:3.
Remember, believer, that the Lord loved you long before the foundation of the world! Before the mountains were created, or He had kindled the morning star—He beheld you and even then He loved you. Dwell on that wondrous truth of God, that God has loved you with an everlasting love. Suck the honey of consolation out of that glorious fact! Surely you will find much sacred sweetness there.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You and your sins must separate—or you and your God will never come together.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"My meditation of Him shall be sweet." Psalm 104:34. "Of Him"—that is, of the Well-Beloved of the Father, of the Well-Beloved of my own soul—of Him Who loved me, in Whose blood I have washed my robes and made them white. It is meditation "of Him" that is sweet—not merely of doctrine about Him—but of Him, of Himself. Not merely of His offices, and His work, and all that concerns Him—but of His own dear Self! There lies the sweetness! The closer we come to His blessed Person, the more truly have we approached the very center of bliss!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

May we live here on earth like strangers, and make the world not a house—but an inn, in which we sup and lodge, expecting to be on our journey tomorrow.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The more holy a man becomes—the more conscious he is of unholiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayerless souls are Christless souls,
Christless souls are graceless souls, and
graceless souls shall soon be damned souls!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I can perfectly understand God's pitying me. I can perfectly understand God's having compassion on me. But I cannot comprehend God's loving me—nor can you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The very essence of practical Christianity, is for a man to deny himself!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Evil things are easy things—for they are natural to our fallen nature.
Holy things are rare flowers that need cultivation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As the volcano is but the evidence of a mighty seething ocean of devouring flame within the heart of the earth—so any one sin is an indicator of the seething ocean of sinfulness which boils within the cauldron of our nature!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no grief which the Holy Spirit cannot relieve! That divine Comforter knows so well how to get at the secret springs of our sorrow, and to put the comfort right into the spring, itself—that there can never be a grief which can elude Him, or which can baffle His skill.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The true way for a Christian to live, is to live entirely upon Christ. Christians have experiences and they have feelings—but, if they are wise, they never feed upon these things, but upon Christ, Himself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment!" Ecclesiastes 11:9
Can it be worthwhile to sin yourselves into Hell? Can there be any supposed pleasure which can ever compensate you for everlasting pain? If so, then choose the pleasures of sin for a season—but rest assured that for all these things, God will bring you into judgment!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Joseph ruled Egypt for the good of Israel—and, in like manner does Jesus rule the whole world for the good of His people. All the arrangements of Providence are under His control. Nothing is done in the entire universe—without His command or His permission.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We declare, upon Scriptural authority—that the human will is so desperately set on mischief, so depraved, and so inclined to everything that is evil, and so disinclined to everything that is good—that without the powerful, supernatural, irresistible influence of the Holy Spirit, no human will ever be constrained towards Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I must give up all for the Christ, who gave up all for me!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man shall go to Heaven while he lives in any one sin. A man may sin and be saved—but he cannot love sin and be saved.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Beloved, there is a cure for every spiritual disease in the cross!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

On earth He bleeds, in Heaven He pleads.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In truth, there is nothing due from God to you, but that He should let you perish in your sin. That is all He owes you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Ask the gardener which is the best apple tree in the garden—and he will tell you that it is not the one which has the best shape, but the one which yields the most fruit! In the same way, he is not the best Christian who occupies the highest position, or who talks the most about divine things—but it is he whose life is most fruitful in good works to the glory of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is very difficult for man to have much money running through his hands, without some of it sticking. Money is very sticky stuff—and when it once sticks to the hands, they are not clean in the sight off the Lord! Unless a man is able to use money without abusing it, accepting it as a talent lent to him, and not as a treasure given to him—it will very soon happen that the more money he has, the more troubles he will have!
"People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs!" 1 Timothy 6:9-10

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is when the last penny of creature merit is gone—that God comes to us with the boundless treasures of His grace! If you have one moldy crust of your own homemade bread left—you shall not have the Bread of Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God in the carpenter's shop! The Son of God driving nails and handling a hammer! How astounding!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Heaven will be a place of many surprises—but the vision of our glorified King will astonish us forever! We shall be amazed to all eternity that such a wondrous Being as God's eternal Son could ever have loved such worthless worms as we are—that so glorious a King could have stooped so low as to take up for Himself our nature—and then that He should have been willing to endure for our sakes the death of the Cross!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our duty is not to judge whether such-and-such a course will be profitable or beneficial—but to consider whether such-and-such a course is in accordance with the Word of the Lord!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No arrow will ever pierce the heart of sin—unless it is dipped in the blood of Jesus!
When I see sin punished on Christ—I see the evil of sin.
When I see Christ dying for my sin—I see the great motive for my dying for my sin.
When I behold His griefs and pangs on my behalf—I see a reason why I should make abundant sacrifices in order that I may glorify Him.
Beloved, the death of Christ is the great sin-killer—and he who truly knows it and understands it, will feel its sanctifying power!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never mind where you work—care more about how you work!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My faith rests not in what I am, or shall be, or feel, or know—but in what Christ is, in what He has done, and in what He is doing for me.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Certain people must always have sweets and comforts—but God's wise children do not wish for these in undue measure. Daily bread we ask for—not daily sugar!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do you think God would make us so dissatisfied with this world—if He did not mean to satisfy us with another and a better one? Surely not! The very fact that we are strangers and sojourners upon the earth, proves that we have a country of our own that is very different from this wilderness-world through which we are passing!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Believer, remember that your heart was, by nature, as black as the heart of Judas! Whatever sin there may have been in any other man—the germ of that sin was in your nature. There was no superiority about you, by nature, to the most depraved of the human race.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The greatest enemy to human souls is the self-righteous spirit which makes men look to themselves for salvation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you wait for a perfect church—you must wait until you get to Heaven. And even if you could find a perfect assembly on earth, I am sure they would not admit you to their fellowship, for you are not perfect yourself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The discerning of the hand of God in all of our afflictions, is a sweet lesson in the school of Christian experience.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Lord, send Your life throughout the entire church. Visit Your church; restore sound doctrine and holy, earnest living. Take away from professing Christians their love of frivolities, their attempts to meet the world on it's own ground—and give back the old love of the doctrines of the Cross and Christ. May free grace and dying love again be the music that refreshes the church and makes her heart exceeding glad.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Look to the cross, and hate your sin—for sin nailed your Well Beloved to the tree Look up to the cross, and you will kill sin—for the strength of Jesus' love will make you strong to put down your tendencies to sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Would it not be better to go to Heaven side by side with a poor old almshouse-woman, or a chimney-sweep, or a pauper from the workhouse—than to go to Hell with a duke, a king, or a millionaire?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Wherever Jesus may lead us—He goes before us. If we don't know where we are going—we know with Whom we go.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Yesterday I was born.
Today I live.
Tomorrow I must die.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A sense of our own ignorance, is the door to the palace of wisdom!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I dare say that we think that we magnify God, but in reality we belittle Him with our highest thoughts.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No matter what your wealth, if you have not Christ—you are miserably poor. But with Christ—you are rich to all eternity! "We have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in Heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay!" 1 Peter 1:4

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best of our good works are but a painted pageantry for your soul to go to Hell in! You may as surely go down to the bottomless pit by the religious road—as by the way of the wicked.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the wooings of Christ's wounds cannot make you love Christ—do you think the flames of Hell will?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have braved the sneer of men, because I feared the frown of my Lord!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nine times out of ten, spiritual declension from God begins in the neglect of private prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God has never meant this world to be a comfortable nest for us. If we try to make it such for ourselves—He will plant thorns in it so that we may be compelled to mount and find our soul's true home somewhere else, in a higher and nobler sphere than this poor world can give! "Arise and depart, for this is not your rest; because it is polluted!" Micah 2:10

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some of you will not like it to be said—but I believe that it is anti-Christian to live with the objective of accumulating wealth!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus has come to save us:
 not from death alone;
 nor from Hell alone;
but from sin—the mother of death, the progenitor of Hell!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Without Christ you are an unpardoned sinner, a condemned sinner—and, before long you will be a sinner judged, sentenced and cast into Hell!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have seen some people very proudly humble—very boastful of their humility.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The first thing for our soul's health, the first thing for His glory, and the first thing for our own usefulness—is to keep ourselves in perpetual communion with the Lord Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If a man could eat gold, drink gold, sleep with gold, walk with gold and be robed in gold—yet, still, what is there in that metal which could satisfy the cravings of the highest part of man's nature—that mysterious spiritual thing which is called the soul? No, there is no solid satisfaction for the soul in all the wealth in the world!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I heard the other day of a man who was said to be a splendid Christian God-wards, but a wretched creature man-wards. There cannot be such a monstrosity as that! Such a man as that, was not a Christian at all. Our righteousness, if it is real and true, must be an all-round righteousness towards men as well as towards God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man can put on the robes of Christ's righteousness—until he has taken off his own filthy rags.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To enter into debate is never as profitable as to enter into devotion.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let me ask you, how many atheists are now in this church? Perhaps not a single one of you would accept the title—and yet, if you live from Monday morning to Saturday night in the same way as you would live if there were no God—you are practical atheists!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe that one reason why the church of God at this present moment has so little influence over the world—is because the world has so much influence over the church!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Time, how short!
Eternity, how long!
Death, how brief!
Immortality, how endless!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If your preaching is to go to the heart—it must come from the heart. It must first have moved our souls—before we can ever hope to move the souls of others!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The happiest condition of a Christian, is to live in the conscious enjoyment of the presence of the Lord Jesus. When the love of Christ is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit, the believer need not envy an angel his harp of gold!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Cling to Scripture. Scripture is not Christ, but it is the silken clue which will lead you to Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I am asked what is my creed, I must reply: It is Jesus Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you cannot say, 'Jesus is precious to me,' I do not care to what church you belong, or what creed you are ready to die for. You do not know the truth of God, unless the person of Christ is dear to you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not know, beloved, when I am more perfectly happy—than when I am weeping for sin at the foot of the cross!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot taste the sweetness of any doctrine, until you have remembered Christ's connection with it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We believe in the five great points commonly known as Calvinism; but we do not regard those five points as being barbed shafts which we are to thrust between the ribs of our fellow-Christians. We look upon them as being five great lamps which help to irradiate the cross; or, rather five great emanations springing from the glorious covenant of our Triune God, and illustrating the great doctrine of Jesus crucified.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sanctification is an essentially Christ-centered matter of turning away from other things, to Him who conforms us into His own glory!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ said, 'Feed My sheep . . . Feed My lambs.' Some preachers, however, put the food so high that neither lambs nor sheep can reach it. They seem to have read the text, 'Feed My giraffes!'
Aspire to be understood, rather than to be admired.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer with the heart, is the heart of prayer.
The cry of our soul, is the soul of our cry.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who does not prepare for death, is more than an ordinary fool—he is a madman!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You know, dear brothers and sisters, how a little act of kindness will cheer us when we are very low in spirit. If we are despised and rejected by men, if we are deserted and defamed by those who ought to have dealt differently with us, even a tender look from a child will help to remove our depression. In times of loneliness, it is something even to have a dog with you, to lick your hand, and show you such kindness as is possible from him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you could have chosen your own circumstances and condition in life—you could not have made so wise a choice as God has made for you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Calvinism simply means the placing of the eternal God at the head of all things. I look at everything through its relation to God's glory!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A day is surely coming when the Lord Jesus, who came once to save—will descend a second time to judge! Despised mercy has always been followed by deserved wrath—and so must it be in the end of all things.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man is really saved unless he is, in his heart, obedient to Christ. I do not say that he will be perfect—but he will desire to be so. I do not say that he will not be tempted to sin—but there will be no sin that he will love, there will be no sin from which he will not long to be delivered.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The shadow of God is not the occasional resort, but the constant abiding place of the saint. Here we find not only our consolation, but our habitation—not only a beloved haunt, but a home. We ought never to be out of the shadow of God. It is to dwellers, not to visitors, that the Lord promises His protection. "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty!" Psalm 91:1

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We shall only hate sin, by living more where the groans of Calvary can meet our ears, and the sight of the Savior's wounds can melt our hearts! Keep a deep sense of your indebtedness to God alive in your soul—and you will feel that you can never do enough for Him who has forgiven you so much!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some have staggered over the doctrine of eternal punishment, because they could not see how that could be consistent with God's goodness. I have only one question to ask concerning that or any other doctrine—Does God reveal it in the Scriptures? Then, I believe it, and leave to him the vindication of his own consistency.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not a matter of time—so much as a matter of heart.
If you have the heart to pray—you will find the time.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You need not be so much afraid of that which grieves you, as of that which charms you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We must dig into the mines of Scripture, to turn up those masses of gold which surface readers never discover!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God never intends that there shall be any sweet in this world—without something sour to go with it. There is nothing we have here below, which is not somewhat tainted with grief.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is sweet to believe that God understands our tears, even when words fail! Let us learn to think of tears as liquid prayers—and of weeping as a constant dropping of importunate intercession which will surely wear its way right into the very heart of mercy, despite the stony difficulties which obstruct the way.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A tear is enough water to float a desire to God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The meek are of a quiet and gentle spirit, and are satisfied with their lot. They are truly thankful for the little they have. They are of the mind of the godly woman who ate the crust of bread and drank a little water and said, "What? All this, and Jesus Christ, too!" There is a great charm about contentment—while envy and greed are ugly things in the eyes of those who have anything like spiritual perception. So meekness, through bringing contentment, beautifies us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Holiness excludes immorality—but morality does not amount to holiness. For morality may be but the cleaning of the outside of the cup and the platter, while the heart may be full of wickedness. Holiness deals with the thoughts and intents, the purposes, the aims, the objectives, the motives of men. Morality does but skim the surface—holiness goes into the very caverns of the great deep. Holiness requires that the heart shall be set on God and that it shall beat with love to Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Love is the Law of the Gospel! "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength; and your neighbor as yourself." This is the Law of the Christian, and this is the Law which is written on his heart! This is the sum and substance, the distilled essence of all the Ten Commandants. You may forget those Ten Commandments, O believer, if you will but remember this new Law which is written on your heart, "Love, love, love!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Come close to your Lord, beloved! To touch the hem of His garment is enough for lost sinners, but it is not enough for saved saints. We need to sit at His feet with Mary, and to lay our heads upon His bosom as John did.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Better to have a Christian's days of sorrow—than a worldling's days of mirth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When Satan cannot get a great sin in he will let a little one in. Like the thief who goes and finds shutters all coated with iron and bolted inside. At last he sees a little window in a chamber. He cannot get in, so he puts a little boy in, that he may go around and open the back door.
Just so, the devil always has his little sins to carry about with him to go and open back doors for him—and we let one in and say, 'O, it is only a little one.' Yes, but how that little one becomes the ruin of the entire man!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

By perseverance, the snail reached the ark!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Word of God is the anvil upon which the opinions of men are smashed!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To get the essence out of the Scriptures, you must meditate upon them and so digest them—just as you have seen the cattle lie down to chew the cud after eating. To get the nourishment out of a text, turn it over and over in your mind, ruminate upon it, pull it to pieces word by word!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every sinner is guilty of high treason against the majesty of Heaven—for he does, as far as he can, snatch from God's hand the scepter of Sovereignty and pluck from His brow the crown of universal dominion!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may hold all the creed and be orthodox—and still be no better than the devil, for the devil is a very sound theologian. It is imperative that you have a heart knowledge of Jesus! Christ cannot be learned in the head. It is by loving Him and communing with Him that you will get to understand Him. You must learn Him by heart!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the grace which we are supposed to have received, has not made us to differ both from our former self and from men of the world—then it is not the true grace of God. "For the grace of God . . . teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age." Titus 2:11-12

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We cannot rely on ourselves—for we have learned by bitter experience the folly of self-confidence. We are compelled to look to the Lord alone. Blessed is the wind which drives the ship into the harbor. Blessed is the distress, which forces us to rest in our God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is an essential difference between the death of the godly and the death of the ungodly. Death comes to the ungodly man as a penal infliction—but to the righteous as a summons to his Father's palace. To the sinner death is an execution—to the saint death is an undressing from his sins and infirmities. Death to the wicked is the King of terrors. Death to the saint is the end of terrors, and the commencement of eternal glory!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am not like those flatterers who tell you that there is a little Hell and a little God—from which you naturally infer that you may live as you like. Both you and they will perish everlastingly, if you believe them. There is a dreadful Hell—for there is an absolutely holy and righteous God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Atheism is a strange thing. Even the devils never fell into that vice!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That man is worthy of being called a Christian who dares to follow Scripture, whatever others may do or say.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The condition of the church may be very accurately gauged by its prayer meetings. The prayer meeting is a grace-ometer, and from it we may judge of the amount of divine working among a people. One of the first tokens of God's absence from a church, will be slothfulness in prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God helps those who cannot help themselves. God does not need your strength—He has more than enough power of his own. He asks your weakness—He has none of that Himself. He is longing, therefore, to take your weakness, and use it as the instrument in His own mighty hand. Will you not yield your weakness to Him—and receive His strength?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have a great need for Christ—and I have a great Christ for my need.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We cannot always trace God's hand—but we can always trust God's heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Death is no punishment to the believer—it is the gate of endless joy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you take the doctrine of the preservation of the saints away, you have robbed the Bible of one of its crowning attractions.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man leaves father and mother, and cleaves to his wife and they become one flesh. But what shall I say of the great mystery of this glorious Lover who left His Father's house and cleaved unto His Church—and became one flesh with her that He might lift her up and set her upon His own throne, that she might reign with Him as the Bride, the Lamb's Wife! "Christ loved the church, and gave Himself up for her!" Ephesians 5:25

  ~ ~ ~ ~

True religion is something more than correct opinions. A man may as well descend to Hell being orthodox, as being heterodox. Alas, I suppose that no one is more orthodox than the devil—yet no one is more surely lost than he is!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There must be a divorce between you and sin—or there can be no marriage between you and Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The hell of Hell, is that it is to be forever.
The damned shall look up to the throne of God, and it shall be written "Forever!"
When the damned jingle the burning irons of their torments—they shall jingle, "Forever!"
When they howl—the echo cries "Forever!"
"They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire." Jude 1:7

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are a thousand things which may be right in worldlings, which are wrong in Christians. There is a very high law for all men and I will not depreciate the true standard of common morality—but would set it as high as it can be set!
But over and above that, there is a law of consecration to God. There is a rule, not merely of morality, but of something more—of holiness.
"As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:14-16

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The more you read the Bible, and the more you meditate on it—the more you will be astonished with it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Right is right—though all condemn us.
Wrong is wrong—though all commend us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who really loves His Lord—will not trifle with the least jot or tittle of His Lord's Word!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Saving faith is not a mere cold, barren thing. It is a loving trust in Christ, which changes the heart and affects the entire life!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is the duty of every Christian to forsake every known sin, whatever it may be!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Church of God has often been preserved by persecution. She was never purer, she was never holier, she was never truer and she never lived nearer to God and more like her Savior—than when she was persecuted!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

More men are destroyed by prosperity and success—than by affliction and apparent failure.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we had no idols in children, friends, wealth, ourselves—we would not need half the trials we have! Foolish idols—make rods for foolish backs!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man says to me, "Can you explain the seven trumpets of the book of Revelation?" No, but I can blow one in your ear, and warn you to escape from the wrath to come!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God is our portion,
Christ is our companion,
the Spirit is our Comforter,
earth is our lodge, and
Heaven is our home!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God cannot dwell with us if sin is petted and loved.
Sin must be detested and loathed!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us always think of the Holy Spirit with holy awe and reverence, remembering that . . .
 it is the Spirit who quickens us,
 it is the Spirit who instructs us,
 it is the Spirit who sanctifies us,
 it is the Spirit who preserves us,
 it is the Spirit who makes us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light!
So unto the ever-blessed Spirit be glory and honor and praise, forever and ever!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As all the water outside a vessel can do it no harm until it enters the vessel itself—so outward persecutions cannot really injure the Church of God. But when the mischief oozes into the Church and the love of God's people grows cold—ah, then the boat is in sore distress!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man has anything of his own, except his sins!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is wealth enough to a believer to possess his God, honor enough to please his God, and happiness enough to enjoy his God. My heart's best treasure lies here: "This God is our God forever and ever! He will be our guide even unto death!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The affairs of this world are not under the control of men—however much they may imagine that they are. There is a Supreme Authority who rules, overrules and works all things according to His own beneficent will—whatever men may desire or determine to do.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Anything is a blessing which makes us pray. The Lord gets His best soldiers out of the highlands of affliction.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have heard of a godly old woman in a poor cottage, who had nothing but a piece of bread and a little water; and lifting up her hands, she said, "What! all this—and Christ too!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our present actions are not trifles, for they will decide our everlasting destiny. Everything we do is, to some extent, a sowing of which eternity will be the reaping. "Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." Galatians 6:7

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If there is a God—then He must punish men for sinning against Him. How can any moral government exist—if sin goes unpunished, and virtue and vice lead to the same end?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Unless the Lord renews the heart, men will always prefer the bird-in-the-hand of this life, to the bird-in-the-bush of the life to come.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I am not today all that I hope to be—yet I see Jesus, and that assures me that I shall one day be like Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Heartless hymns are insults to God!
Fine music without devotion, is but a splendid garment upon a corpse!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the agonies of Jesus, in the shame and spitting, in the woes and anguish that He endured—we read the sinfulness of sin written as in capital letters, that even the half-blind might see! Oh, Sin, murderer of Christ, you are "exceedingly sinful!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God had one Son without sin, but never a son without affliction. Let us not ask to be the first one without affliction—but be content to share the position of those whose inheritance is to be ours forever in the Paradise of our God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Food, clothing, health, breath, strength—everything, comes from Him, and we are constantly dependent upon Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When your will is God's will—you will have your will.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It needs a whole eternity to set forth, in Hell, all the justice of God in the punishment of sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you ever try to fight with sin in your own strength—you will be as weak as water! The way of victory is through the blood of the Lamb. There is no killing sin, except by throwing the blood of Christ upon it. When once the blood of Christ comes into contact with the besetting sin—that sin withers straight away!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A deep sense of sin is often a blessedly impelling power to drive us to the Savior. I desire never, in this world, to be free from a deep sense of the bitterness and guiltiness of sin. Even though freed from the guilt of sin by the precious blood of Jesus, I still desire to feel what an abominable thing sin is, that I may go, eagerly and passionately, to my dear Lord's wounds, and get the one only effectual remedy for all my soul diseases!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If Christ has died for me, as ungodly as I am, as without strength as I am—then I can no longer live in sin, but must arouse myself to love and serve Him who has redeemed me. I cannot trifle with the evil that killed my best Friend! I must be holy for His sake. How can I live in sin—when He has died to save me from it?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A child of God would sooner sorrow a thousand times, than sin once!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Be careful that your life is so consistent, that the unsaved cannot pick holes in it. And then you need not mind being a speckled bird among them, as Noah was in his generation!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you can sin and not weep over it—you are an heir of Hell. If you can go into sin, and afterwards feel satisfied to have done so—you are on the road to destruction! If there are no prickings of conscience, no inward torments, no bleeding wounds; if you have no throbs and heavings of a bosom that cannot rest; if your soul never feels filled with wormwood and gall when you know you have done evil—you are no child of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian works as if all depended upon him—and prays as if all depended upon God. We work for Him—because He works in us. It is astonishing how God works by our hands—and yet His own hand does it all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Visit many good books—but live in the Bible.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Where SELF is on the throne, it cannot be expected that Christ should meekly come and sit upon the footstool.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Living in sin is the root of living forever in Hell!
A holy life is the root of rejoicing forever in glorious immortality!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No doctrine in the whole Word of God has more excited the hatred of mankind, than the truth of the absolute Sovereignty of God! Some men cannot endure to hear the doctrine of election. I suppose they like to choose their own wives—but they are not willing that Christ should select His bride, the Church!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Free will carried many a soul to Hell—but never carried a soul to Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish—let them perish with our arms around their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is far easier to fight against sin in public—than to pray against it in private.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He does not love Christ at all, who does not love Him supremely—more than all things!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Begin early to teach God's Word—for children begin early to sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who has never sorrowed for sin—has never rejoiced in the Savior!
The more you rejoice in Christ—the more you will sorrow for sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a good rule never to look into the face of a man in the morning—until you have looked into the face of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

His eyes never slumber—and His hands never rest. His heart never ceases to beat with love—and His shoulders are never weary of carrying His people's burdens!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God's choice of us was not because we were holy—but to make us holy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The seasons change and you change—but the Lord abides evermore the same. The streams of His love are as deep, as broad and as full as ever!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We slander Christ when we think that we are to draw the people by something else but the preaching of Christ crucified. We know that the greatest crowd in London has been held together these thirty years by nothing but the preaching of Christ crucified. Where is our music? Where is our oratory? Where is anything of attractive architecture, or beauty of ritual? "A bare service," they call it. Yes, but Christ makes up for all the deficiencies!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you go through a trial—the sovereignty of God is the soft pillow upon which you lay your head.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The richest, the most celestial, the most transporting joy that mortal mind can know—is a full assurance of the love of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jonah went to a strange college to learn this masterpiece of sound theology—that "salvation is of the Lord!" Jonah 2:9

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The pure, truthful, holy God abhors hypocrisy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The cause of salvation lies in grace—but the effect of salvation appears in working.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I had a brother who had been murdered, what would you think of me if I daily consorted with the assassin who drove the dagger into my brother's heart? Surely I too must be an accomplice in the crime.
Sin murdered Christ—will you be a friend to it?
Sin pierced the heart of the Incarnate God—can you love it?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God gave me this great Book to preach from, and if He has put anything in it you think is not fit—go and complain to Him, not to me. I am simply his servant; and if His message that I am to tell is objectionable, I cannot help it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That very church which the world likes best—is sure to be that which God most abhors!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is the whole business of the whole church—to preach the whole gospel to the whole world.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Six feet of dirt make all men equal!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Character is always lost—when a high ideal is sacrificed on the altar of conformity and popularity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The day we find the perfect church—it becomes imperfect the moment we join it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I had my choice of all the blessings I can conceive of—I would choose perfect conformity to the Lord Jesus—or, in one word, holiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Discernment is not a matter of telling the difference between right and wrong. Rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Eminent usefulness usually necessitates eminent affliction.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One unrepented sin—one sin indulged and delighted in—will as effectually shut the gates of Heaven against your soul as if you were living in fornication, adultery, or murder! Your heart must hate all sin—and your heart must love all holiness!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When God places a burden upon you—He places His arms underneath you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The pauper who has Christ, has all things necessary for everlasting happiness.
He who possesses a thousand worlds, but has not Christ, possesses nothing of lasting happiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My friends, it is one thing to go to church—it is quite another thing to go to God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The sermon which does not lead to Christ, or of which Jesus Christ is not the top and the bottom—is a sort of sermon that will make the devils in Hell laugh, and the angels of God weep!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Of two evils—choose neither.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Grace is the mother and nurse of holiness—and not the apologist of sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One grain of saving faith is worth more than a diamond the size of the world! Yes, though you should thread such jewels together, as many as the stars of Heaven for number, they would be worth nothing compared with the smallest atom of faith in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God!" 2 Corinthians 5:21
What could be better than the divine plan of substitutionary atonement? God must punish sin—He could not be God unless He did—it is a necessity of His nature, that He should hate sin with an infinite hatred, and He must punish it! Yet, as He had loved His people with an everlasting love, how could He better show His love to them and His hatred of sin—than by giving up His well-beloved Son to die instead of them! This seems to me to be the most beautiful thing I ever heard of—and it delights my soul to preach it!
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us!" Galatians 3:13

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Would you sit quietly in your seat this morning, young man—if you really believed that in one instant you may be in Hell? Old man, old in years and old in sin, would you be as quiet in your soul today as you are—if you knew and believed that there is but a step between you and the eternal flames of Hell?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you profess to be a Christian, yet find full satisfaction in worldly pleasures and pursuits—your profession is false!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you were God's child, you would loathe the very thought of the world's evil joys—and your question would not be, "How far may I be like the world?" But your one cry would be, "How far can I get away from the world? How much can I come out from it?"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men sin and go astray from God by nature—but they only return to God through sovereign grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A Bible that is falling apart—usually belongs to someone who isn't.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Half the strength of the church goes in recovery service towards the weak and wounded.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God save us from living in comfort—while sinners are sinking into Hell!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To rejoice in temporal comforts is dangerous,
to rejoice in self is foolish,
to rejoice in sin is fatal, but
to rejoice in God is heavenly!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A thousand ages of whitewashing cannot make a vice a virtue!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would rather speak five words out of this Book—than fifty thousand words of the philosophers.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God's mercy is so great, that you may sooner drain the sea of its water, or deprive the sun of its light, or make space too narrow—than diminish the great mercy of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus Christ does not save the worthy—but the unworthy.
Your plea must not be your righteousness—but your guilt!
"Christ died for the ungodly!" Romans 5:6

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Dead fish float down the stream—but live fish swim against it. Do you swim against the stream? Have you learned to go against the current—or do you float along the stream of pleasure with the masses of the world?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them!" Luke 7:38
O that our eyes were as ready with tears of repentance as were hers! O that our hearts were as full of love as hers and our hands as ready to serve the forgiving Lord! If she has exceeded some of us in the heinousness of her sin—yet she has exceeded all of us in the fervency of her affection!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The groans of sick, yet submissive saints—are as musical to God's ear as the hallelujahs of archangels!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The uncertainty of the end of all things, is intended to keep us continually on the watch.
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour!" Matthew 25:13

  ~ ~ ~ ~

With lowly reverence at the foot of the Cross, bow down your soul and say, "My Lord, between me and the greatest reprobate, there is no difference—but what Your grace has made. Between me and lost souls in Hell, there is no difference—except what Your infinite compassion has been pleased to make!" "By the grace of God I am what I am!" 1 Corinthians 15:10

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not the merit of our prayers which secures the gracious answers to them—but the power of Christ's prevailing intercession!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I never met with anybody who ever thought that he deserved to be chosen unto salvation. The very fact of the choice, proves that it must have been all of grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, it would be indeed horrible if we could not die!
Who wants to be chained to this poor life for centuries?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How much of external religion is fiction, fluff, form, and foam!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we would always recollect that we live among men who are imperfect, we would not be in such a fever when we find out our friend's failings.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The sight of a funeral is a very healthful thing for the soul. "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart." Ecclesiastes 7:2

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Gospel is to be preached to every creature—in order that Christ's chosen ones may be gathered unto Him. We cast the net into the sea, for we do not know where the fish are. But God knows, and He guides into the net those He means us to catch for Him.
You know that a magnet will attract steel to itself—well, the Gospel attracts souls that have an affinity to itself—and thus Christ draws His chosen ones unto Himself with the cords of a man, and bands of love!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on Your Word." Psalm 119:148. Meditation is very much neglected nowadays. We read, perhaps, too much. We meditate, for certain, too little. Meditation is to reading—like digestion after eating. The cows in the pasture eat the grass and then they lie down and chew the cud and get all the good they can out of what they have eaten. Reading snips off the grass—but meditation chews the cud!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The true way for a Christian to live, is to live entirely upon Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may know if a teaching is true by these three things:
 it honors God,
 it glorifies Christ,
 it humbles man.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Satan can make men dance upon the brink of Hell—as though they were on the verge of Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Heaven and holiness are twin sisters!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"They will go away to eternal punishment—but the righteous to eternal life." Matthew 25:46
As long as Heaven shall shine—so long Hell shall burn! As long as saints are happy—so long shall those whose impenitence has made them castaways be wretched!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Have you no wish for others to be saved?
Then you are not saved yourself, be sure of that!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Serve God by doing common actions in a heavenly spirit. And then, if your daily calling only leaves you cracks and crevices of time—fill them up with holy service.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You will get at the soul of Scripture, when you can keep Jesus with you while you are reading. If the very soul of reading, is the understanding of what we read—then we must in prayer call upon the Holy Spirit to unlock the secret mysteries of the inspired Word.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God has not made this world to be a comfortable nest for us. If we try to make it such for ourselves—He will plant thorns in it, so that we will be compelled to mount and find our soul's true home in a higher and nobler sphere than this poor world can give!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God sees right through us at a glance—as if we were made of glass.
He sees all our past, present, and future.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Study and ponder the Word—be walking Bibles!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, to have "the Word of Christ" always dwelling inside of us:
 in the memory, never forgotten;
 in the heart, always loved;
 in the understanding, really grasped;
 with all the powers and passions of the mind fully submitted to its control!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who is never on his knees on earth—shall never stand upon his feet in Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is folly to think the Lord provides grace for every trouble—but the one you are in today!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He alone knows the music of mercy—who knows the misery of sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is one of the grandest things in all the world when a godly man, with the simplicity of a child, believes God and fully trusts Him for everything!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The heart of Christ became like a reservoir in the midst of the mountains. All the tributary streams of iniquity, and every drop of the sins of his people—ran down and gathered into one vast lake, as deep as Hell and as shoreless as eternity. All these met, as it were, in Christ's heart, and He endured them all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is idle to merely let the eyes glance over the Words of the Bible. But it is blessed to eat into the very soul of the Bible until, at last, you come to talk in Scriptural language and your very life is fashioned upon Scripture models, and flavored with the words of the Lord!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot be Christ's servant—if you are not willing to follow Him, cross and all. What do you crave—a crown? Then it must be a crown of thorns, if you are to be like Him. Do you want to be lifted up? So you shall—but it will be upon a cross!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would be surprised to see an atheist lay down his life for the defense of nothing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no attribute of God more comforting to His children than the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe troubles—they believe . . .
that Sovereignty has ordained their afflictions,
that Sovereignty overrules them, and
that Sovereignty will sanctify them all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have learned to kiss the waves which throw me up against the Rock of Ages!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus wept—but He never complained.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To bow down before God and say, "Not my will, but may Your will be done," is to render Him a homage equal to the hallelujahs of cherubim and seraphim. To feel not only resigned, but acquiescent—willing to be anything or nothing according as the Lord would have it—this is in truth to sing to our Well-Beloved a song!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian's life is a life of dependence upon God. He always has to go to Him. There is never an hour in which he could do without his God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are never so near to the condition of the glorified saints above—as when we are, with heart, and soul, and voice, glorifying God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We often talk of unbelief as if it were an affliction to be pitied, instead of a crime to be condemned!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Feebly as I may sometime preach—my unvarying theme is the Cross, the precious blood, the all-sufficient Sacrifice of Christ offered once for all on Calvary!
This is a theme which never palls upon the ear!
This is a subject which never grows stale.
"We preach Christ Crucified," for this is the magnet which draws sinners to Jesus!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A quiet, happy life is often the noblest witness that I can bear for Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I quarry out the truth when I read Scripture, but I smelt the ore and get the pure gold out of it when I meditate upon it! For lack of meditation, the truth of God runs by us and we miss and lose it. Our treacherous memory is like a sieve—and what we hear and what we read runs through it and leaves but little behind. I often find it very profitable to get a text as a sweet morsel under my tongue in the morning—and to keep the flavor of it, if I can, in my mouth all day!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What is there for a Christian to fear in death? It is not dying—it is living, about which we ought to be anxious, if anxious at all! But you say, "It is the thought of the pains of death that trouble me." But pains belong to life, so do not lay them upon poor death's back! Death is the physician that eases all pain! He does but lay his skeleton hand upon the patient and, immediately, the fever has departed and the sufferer is where the inhabitant shall no more say, "I am sick."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A prayerless church member is a hindrance. He is in the body, like a rotting bone or a decayed tooth. Before long, since he does not contribute to the benefit of his brethren—he will become a danger and a sorrow to them. Neglect of private prayer is the locust which devours the strength of the church!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Word of God will be to you a bulwark and a high tower, a castle of defense against the foe. Oh, see to it that the Word of God is in you, in your very soul, permeating your thoughts, and so operating upon your outward life, that all may know you to be a true Bible-Christian, for they perceive it in your words and deeds!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We wept when we were born—though all around us smiled.
So shall we smile when we die—while all around us weep.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you are instructed by affliction—you can become a comforter to the afflicted.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not give fair names to foul sins! Call them what you will—they will smell no sweeter!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Being sincere in believing a lie, does not transform the lie into a truth! If a man follows a wrong way, that wrong way will lead to a wrong end—however sincerely it may be followed!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am persuaded that men think there is no God—because they wish there were none. They find it hard to believe in God, and still to go on in sin—so they try to get an easy conscience by denying His existence.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our pilgrimage may be a tiresome one—but it is safe! We cannot trace the river upon which we are sailing—but we know it ends in floods of bliss at last! We cannot track the roads—but we know that they all meet in the great metropolis of Heaven! God help us to pursue the true pilgrimage of a pious life!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is better to go fearing to Heaven—than to go presuming to Hell!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The first step to apostasy, is a lack of faith in the divine inspiration and infallibility of the Sacred Scriptures.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The sin of doing nothing is a great sin, for it involves most of the other sins.
The great sin of idleness, is the mother of a huge family of sins.
Alas, the loiterers are many, but the laborers are few.
If you are idle in Christ's work—then you are probably active in the devil's work.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No faith is so precious, as that which lives and triumphs through adversity. You would never have believed your own weakness—had you not needed to pass through fiery trials. And you would never have known God's strength—had His strength not been needed to carry you through! As sure as God puts His children in the furnace of affliction—He will be with them in it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who knows how to weep his heart out at the foot of the Cross, shall not be long without finding mercy. Tears are diamonds that God loves to behold!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If your religion puffs you up—then puff your religion away, for it is not worth a puff!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sorrow for sin is a sweet sorrow—do not desire to escape it! True evangelical repentance is food to the saintly soul! I do not know, beloved, when I am more perfectly happy, than when I am weeping for sin at the foot of the Cross—for that is the safest place in which I can stand.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer moves the arm that moves the world!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The young may die—the old must die!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Ah, Lord Jesus! I never knew Your love—until I understood the meaning of Your death!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The grace that does not change my life—will not save my soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We make more real advance in the divine life in an hour of prayer—than we do in a month of sermon-hearing"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I know of nothing which can lift you up so much above the evil influences of an ungodly world—as constantly abiding in close fellowship with Christ, and telling Him all that you feel in your heart of hearts.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those silly butterflies of fashion who spend all their time in flitting about from flower to flower, are so heartless and thoughtless that I can, to some extent, comprehend how they can do without God. With empty heads and silly hearts—men and women can make idols out of anything! Their own pretty selves can be quite a sufficient object for their idiotic worship!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The discussion between Catholics and Christians has been far from what it ought to have been. We seem bent upon forcing them to submit at once to our views—but this is wrong of us. We may condemn wrong principles—but let us always speak gently of the men who hold them.
They are spiritually blind—so we should deal kindly with them, avoiding that bitterness of spirit which is so often manifested. Sick men will not take your medicine if you give them vinegar with it—give them something sweet with it, and they will take it. So be kind and loving to the spiritually blind—and they will be likely to give heed to you. "The Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him, he must gently instruct—in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." 2 Timothy 2:24-26

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you are to go to Christ, do not put on your good works—or you will get nothing.
Go in your sins—they are your livery.
Your ruin—is your argument for His mercy.
Your poverty—is your plea for heavenly alms.
Your need—is the motive for heavenly goodness.
Go as you are—and let your miseries plead for you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Within the Scripture there is a balm for every wound—and a salve for every sore!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A piece of news about a fire in another continent makes a sensation in all our homes—but the fire that never shall be quenched is heard of almost without emotion!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As long as a man is alive and out of Hell—he cannot have any cause to complain.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When joy and prayer are married—their first born child is gratitude.
We should shun ingratitude, and live daily in the heavenly atmosphere of thankful love. May gratitude to God permeate my entire life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There never was anyone else so kind in heart as Jesus was—yet He clearly taught the solemn truth that unrepentant sinners shall be punished in Hell forever! There never can be any question about the Savior's view of sin as being a very evil thing—and of the punishment of sin as being a very terrible thing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Train your child in the way in which you know you should have gone yourself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Show the world, that your God is worth ten thousand worlds to you. Show rich men, how rich you are in your poverty—when the Lord God is your helper. Show the strong man, how strong you are in your weakness—when underneath you are the everlasting arms.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Conversion is a turning onto the right road. The next thing to do is to walk on it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My entire theology can be condensed into four words: "JESUS DIED FOR ME!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

None ever passed from Hell to Heaven! "Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us!" Luke 16:26

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is an admirable plan to fix your thoughts upon some text of Scripture before you leave your bedroom in the morning—it will sweeten your meditation all the day.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Trials teach us what we are—they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God and mammon cannot abide in the same heart! Remember that you serve a jealous God, and be very careful not to provoke Him to jealousy. Every idol must be cast down, or His comfortable Presence cannot be enjoyed.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every time you prefer the pleasures of this world to the joys of Heaven—you spit in the face of Christ!
Every time when to gain in your business, you do an unrighteous thing—you are like Judas selling Him for thirty pieces of silver!
Every time you make a false profession of religion—you give Him a traitor's kiss!
Every word you have spoken against Him, every hard thought you have had of Him—has helped to complete your complicity with the great crowd which gathered around the Cross of Calvary, to mock and jeer the Lord of life and glory!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Word of God is always most precious—to the man who most lives upon it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To say with Job, "Though He slays me, yet will I trust in Him"—that is the very apex of faith!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long!" Psalm 25:5
Possession is not only nine points of the law—but it is all the points of the Gospel!
"Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior!" Psalm 38:22

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot see the stars in the daytime, but I am told that if you went down a well, even in the daytime, you could see them from there. Just so, God often takes His people down the well of affliction—and then they can see the stars of the promises. Some of the promises are written in invisible ink—if you hold the parchment up to the fire of affliction, they will become visible—but until then, the page will be as if they were never written there at all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would not live here always! I have a strong appetite for Heaven and I think many of God's saints, as they grow in age, find it so. They care less and less for this world—because they recognize that there is nothing here worth caring for!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Meditation on God's Word is that which makes the soul rich towards God. Put the spice into the mortar by reading, beat it with the pestle of meditation—so shall the sweet perfume be exhaled.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who worships little round images of the Queen (coins, or money), is as gross an idolater as the man who bows down before Juggernaut or Baal! The sin of idolatry is still abundant everywhere and it is always, in its nature and essence, a degrading thing to man and an insult to God! Therefore, He continues to say to all idolaters, "Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you do not die to sin—you shall die in sin.
If you do not slay sin—sin will slay you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are no crown-wearers in Heaven—who were not cross-bearers here below!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Had God left to ourselves—we would have rotted in our sins! Had it not been for sovereign grace—we would have gone from depth to depth in the way of crime!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not be proud of race, face, place, or grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin is worse than the devil—since it made the devil what he is.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith of itself could not contribute a penny to salvation, but it is the purse which holds a precious Christ within itself. It holds all the treasures of divine love!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The quickest road to spiritual wealth is prayer! Every prayer is like a ship sent to the Tarshish of spiritual riches—to bring us back treasures better than gold or silver, or precious stones!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If any of you should ask me for an epitome of the Christian religion, I would say that it is in one word—prayer. Live and die without prayer—and you will pray long enough when you get to Hell.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Humility makes us ready to be blessed by the God of all grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let those who play at repentance remember that those who repent in mimicry—shall go to Hell in reality.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is well for us that, amidst all the variableness of life—there is One whom change cannot affect—One whose heart can never alter, and on whose brow mutability can make no furrows.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Great hearts can only be made by great troubles. The spade of trouble digs the reservoir of comfort deeper—and makes more room for consolation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Only the prayer which comes from our heart—can get to God's heart!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts—not on marble.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We need not to know much about Heaven.
It is where Christ is—and that is Heaven enough for us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What a man is at home, that he is. Though he is a saint abroad, if he is a devil at home—you may depend upon it that the last is his real character.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who affirms that Christianity makes men miserable—is himself an utter stranger to it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If Christ were only a cistern, we might soon exhaust His fullness—but who can drain a fountain?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I may sometimes run with Martha to do what Christ needs of me—but I think I ought more frequently to sit with Mary to receive from Christ what I need from Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Because God is the living God, He can hear.
Because He is a loving God, He will hear.
Because He is our covenant God, He has bound Himself to hear.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You must be divorced from your sin—or you cannot be married to Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you meet with a system of theology which magnifies man—flee from it as far as you can!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God knows, to an ounce, just what His children and His servants can carry—and He never overloads them. It is true that He sometimes sends them more trouble than they could have carried by themselves, but then, as He increases the weight of their burden—He also increases the strength of the back upon which He places it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You are not mature if you have a high esteem of yourself. He who boasts in himself is but a babe in Christ, if indeed he be in Christ at all.
Young Christians may think much of themselves.
Growing Christians think themselves nothing.
Mature Christians know that they are less than nothing.
The more holy we are—the more we mourn our infirmities, and the humbler is our estimate of ourselves.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I know of nothing which I would choose to have as the subject of my ambition for life, than to be kept faithful to my God until death.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man who does nothing—never has time to do anything!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nearness to God—brings likeness to God.
The more you see God—the more of God will be seen in you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are some sins which men are ashamed to mention—but there is no sin which the blood of Christ cannot wash away.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot slander human nature—it is worse than words can paint it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You must know the bitterness of sin—before you can know the blessedness of forgiveness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If Christ is not all to you—He is nothing to you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Praying without fervency—is like hunting with a dead dog!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our temptations, if not yielded to, are not sins, they are afflictions only.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One of the greatest mercies God bestows upon us, is His not permitting our temptations and opportunities to meet.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Without the Spirit of God—we can do nothing.
We are as ships without wind. We are useless.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin is the sickness, disease, and torment of the soul! Christ came to take away sin, and so to heal the soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian's life should be one of thankfulness to God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Anger does a man more hurt—than that which made him angry.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A little faith will bring your soul to Heaven.
A great faith will bring Heaven to your soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Evil things are easy things—for they are natural to our fallen nature. Right things are rare flowers that need careful cultivation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are three effects of nearness to Jesus—humility, happiness, and holiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our trials and troubles, afflictions and adversities—are among the best medicines of our Great Physician.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who notices God's mercies—will never be without a mercy to notice.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We talk of God's providence when we have hairbreadth escapes. But are they not quite as much divine providences, when we are preserved from danger?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To be born twice, is to escape the second death—but to be born only once, is to fall into the second death forever.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I have preached without the aid of the Holy Spirit—then I have preached in vain!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When the vulture of dissatisfaction has once fixed its talons in the breast—it will not cease to tear at your vitals!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some have all that heart can wish. They have everything, except contentment.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Godly poverty, is better than unhallowed riches.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If religion does not make you richer, which it may not do—it will make you more contented with what you have!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The common sin of God's people is slackness in prayer. If there is one sin that needs to be preached about more than another just now, it is the sin of the omission of secret dealings with God. This is the secret of . . .
 our spiritual leanness,
 many of our trials,
 our lack of spiritual joy,
 our loss of confidence in God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If that which men see of you is foul—then how foul must you be where only God can see you! None of us are better than we seem—but all of us are far worse than we think. May God tear away every veil which hides us from ourselves, that we may see ourselves just as we are in His sight!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Beware of superficial religion! If I might only say two things before I die, one out of the two would be—beware of surface godliness! Beware of the external paint, tinsel, and varnish of religion! There must be in us a hungering and a thirsting after righteousness! There must be in us the broken heart and the contrite spirit.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I fear that some men would sooner be damned, than be laughed at.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the eloquence of our prayers mattered to God, then rhetoric would be more valuable than grace—but it is not so. Some of us may be able to express ourselves very fluently from the force of natural abilities—but it should always be an anxious question to us, whether our prayer is a prayer which God will receive.
We often pray best when we stammer and stutter—and we pray worst when words flow articulately one after another! God is not moved by eloquent prayers—they are but a noise to Him. He is only moved by the deep thought and the heaving emotion which dwell in the innermost spirit.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A rejoicing heart—soon makes a praising tongue. Praise is the beauty of a Christian. What wings are to a bird, what fruit is to the tree, what the rose is to the thorn—that is praise to a child of God. Praise is the rehearsal for our eternal song!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Come, you who are in trouble—and remember that God ordains your sorrow, ruling it to its desired end and checking it that it should go no further than according to His will! You neither have suffered, nor in the future will suffer—any more than He in infinite love permits!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The greatest joy of a Christian, is to give joy to Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I know of no better thermometer to your spiritual temperature than this—the measure of the intensity of your prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no greater mercy that I know of on earth than good health—unless it is sickness. Sickness has often been a greater mercy to me than health.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Good works are not the root of faith—but they are its fruit.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No cross—no crown!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Ah, Lord, it is better for us to lie passive in Your hands—than to be attempting to sit upon Your Throne, holding the balance and judging Your work!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ saves sinners, but He does not save them in their sins, but from their sins! When Christ once gets His hand upon a man—He casts out the devils that once dwelt in him and makes him a new creature in Christ Jesus. That saved man henceforth seeks to do God's will and to walk according to God's Word!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christian! There is gunpowder enough in your heart to blow your character to pieces—if God does not keep the devil's sparks away, or quench them in a mighty stream of grace before they can do you harm! You are utter weakness—and many and mighty foes are seeking your destruction! You need an infinite Friend to keep you in safety against all the machinations of your adversaries!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Any man who lives solely for himself—is no more a Christian than the devil is!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have heard of some holy old woman in a cottage, who had nothing but a piece of bread and a little water; and lifting up her hands in thanks, she said, "What! all this, and Christ too?"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You moral people without Christ—you are as surely lost as the despicable reprobate! You rich and respectable people without Christ—you will be as surely damned as the vile prostitute that walks the streets at midnight!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights." James 1:17. Good and perfect gifts are flowers too rich and rare to spring up of themselves upon the dunghill of human nature.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, I do not wonder at Manasseh's sin, one half as much as I wonder at God's mercy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Electing love has selected some of the worst people, and made them into the best!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You can never kill any sin, if you turn your eyes away from the Cross. There is no stream that can cleanse from inward lusts, but the precious blood of Jesus that flowed on Calvary. Whoever has been victorious over any temptation, it may truly be said of him, "He overcame through the blood of the Lamb!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"My times are in Your hand!" Psalm 31:15. Not only are we, ourselves, in the hand of the Lord—but all that surrounds us is in His hand! Our times make up a kind of atmosphere of existence—and all this is under His divine arrangement. We dwell within the palm of God's hand! We are absolutely at His disposal—and all our circumstances are arranged by Him in all their details. We are comforted to have it so! When one knows that his times are in God's hands, he would not change places with a king! No, nor even with an angel!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Ignorance is the mother of devotion," according to the Church of Rome.
"Ignorance is the mother of error," according to the Word of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To me the greatest privilege in all the world would be perfect holiness. If I had my choice of all the blessings I can conceive of, I would choose perfect conformity to the Lord Jesus—or, in one word, holiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A whole-hearted consecration, a child-like confidence, a deep-toned submission—these will make us ready for suffering, whatever it may be.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our giving is not to be measured by the amount we contribute, but by the surplus kept in our own hand.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ's atonement gives such an exhibition of the guilt of sin as is not to be seen anywhere else—no, not even in the flames of Hell!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When the believer gets near to God, tastes the unseen joys and eats the bread that was made in Heaven—then all the entertainments of earth, all its amusements and all its glories—seem very flat, stale and unprofitable!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I truly believe that the saints in Heaven, albeit they have received the crown of salvation, are not more truly saved, than the lowest and weakest believer in Christ who is struggling through floods of temptation here upon earth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ on the Cross saves us—when He becomes to us Christ in the heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a sad thing, that after all of Christ's love to us—we should repay it with lukewarm love to Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not the nature of sin to remain in a fixed state. Like decaying fruit, it grows more rotten—the corruption is sure to increase and spread.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is true that God regards each believer as one of His jewels—but you are not to regard yourself as a jewel. Think of yourself as a brand plucked from the burning—and let this humble you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is an idea that overwhelms me—that God decrees all that happens! The sins of man, the wickedness of our race, the crimes of nations, the iniquities of kings, the cruelties of wars, the terrific scourge of pestilence—all these things are, in some mysterious way, working the will of God! I cannot explain God's Sovereignty and His unfailing decrees.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God would not even for mercy's sake, issue an unjust pardon to the souls He loved.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The God of the past has blotted out your sin,
the God of the present makes all things work for your good,
the God of the future will never leave you nor ever forsake you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is nothing in the world that more deeply deserves to be despised, abhorred, condemned, than sin! If we look at it aright, we shall see that it is the most abominable thing—the most shameful thing in the whole universe. Of all the things that ever were—sin is the thing which most of all deserves to be loathed and spurned. Sin . . .
 plucked a host of angels from their thrones in Heaven,
 drove our first parents out of Paradise,
 and brought upon us unnumbered miseries!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As mysterious and profound as the doctrine of divine sovereignty is—yet it certainly must be acknowledged that He who is God has an absolute and inherent right to do as He wills with all those whom He has, Himself, created.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Surely a God whom we could fully understand—would be no God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Beloved, there is no difference in the affection of God towards His children!
They are all loved alike!
They are all written in the same book of eternal love and life.
They were all purchased with the same precious blood of the Savior.
They are all . . .
 saved by the same grace,
 loved by the same love,
 heirs of the same inheritance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Calvary preaching, Calvary theology, Calvary books, Calvary sermons! These are the things we want. In proportion as we have Calvary exalted and Christ magnified—the gospel is preached. No scene in sacred history ever gladdens the soul like the scene on Calvary.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not the strength of your faith that saves you—but the strength of Him upon whom you rely! Christ is able to save you if you come to Him—be your faith weak or be it strong.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Beware of a Christless Christianity! Beware of trying to be Christians—without living daily upon Christ! The branch may just as well try to bear fruit apart from the vine—as for you to hope to maintain the reality of Christian life, without continual fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We need to be more like Mary—sitting at the feet of Jesus, looking up into His dear face and listening to His gracious words. The active life will have little power in it—if it is not accompanied by much of the contemplative and the prayerful. There must be retirement for private prayer—if there is to be true growth in grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Repentance makes us see the evil of sin, not merely as a theory, but experimentally—as a burnt child dreads fire.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sincere repentance is continual. Believers repent until their dying day.
A Christian must never leave off repenting, for he never leaves off sinning.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is what you are within—that you really are before the living God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"You will not come to me, that you might have life!" John 5:40
"All whom the Father gives Me will come to Me—and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out!" John 6:37
"No one can come to me—unless the Father who sent Me draws him." John 6:44
I am quite certain that God has an elect people—for He tells me so in His Word. And I am equally certain that everyone who comes to Christ shall be saved—for that also is His own declaration in the Scriptures!
When people ask me how I reconcile these two truths of God, I usually say that there is no need to reconcile them, for they have never yet quarreled with one another! Both are true and both relate to the same people—for those who come to Christ, are those who were from eternity given to Christ by His Father!
"No one can come to Me—unless it has been granted to him by the Father." John 6:65

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To know Christ, to trust Christ, to love Christ—these are among the elementary principles of piety. Without all of these graces—there is no true religion.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Popery is one of the vilest forms of idolatry that ever came from the polluted heart of man!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If ever you want to know what Christ means by His teaching—then look at His life. You may rest assured that He never gave us a command which He was not, Himself, prepared to obey.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A saved soul longs to consecrate itself and all it has to God's glory!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There can be no such thing as perfect happiness, until there is perfect holiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many, nowadays, say that we ought to blend the Church with the world. A great many good people are outside the Church—therefore try to make the Church as much like the world as you can! That is a silly trick of the devil, which the wise servants of God will answer by saying, "We did not give into them for a moment!" There must always be a broad line of demarcation between the Church of Christ and the world—it will be an evil day when that line is abolished!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Providence may be seen as the finger of God, not merely in those events which shake nations and are duly emblazoned on the page of history—but in little incidents of common life. Yes, in the motion of a grain of dust, the trembling of a dew-drop, the flight of a swallow or the movements of a fish!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a grand thing to be able to bury every unkind word or act that has ever caused us pain, in eternal forgetfulness. "Forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:32

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The climax of Heaven is to be with Christ forever. I believe in our recognition and love of one another. I believe in all those heavenly employments which shall occupy our eternal life. I believe in a thousand sources of joy in that blessed land, for there are pleasures at God's right hand forevermore! But the summit of my expectation of Heaven, is to be where Christ is, to behold Him, to see His face and to share His glory!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I never look into my own heart without first, feeling shame—and, afterwards, feeling greater love to Him who has eternally loved such a sinner as I am.
O Christian, go again to the Cross—because you have again felt the burden of the sin that nailed your Savior there!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever" is the only worthy end of mortal man!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Certainly, he who knows God best—fears Him most, and also hopes in Him most!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is an orthodox as well as a heterodox road to Hell.
The devil knows how to handle Calvinists, quite as well as Arminians.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A dear sister who was buried today said, when they told her that she could not live another day, "Does it not seem wonderful? Is it not a grand thing to know that I am going to see the Lord Jesus Christ today?"
And she lay on her bed saying this to all who came, "It seems too good to be true—that I should be so near that for which I have longed these many years! Today I am going to see the King in His beauty!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O Master, You are such a glorious Lord—that serving You is perfect freedom and sweetest rest!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Learn, then, all of you who would have Christ as your Savior—that you must be willing to serve Him. We are not saved by service—but we are saved to service.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We need not to know much about Heaven—it is where Christ is, and that is Heaven enough for us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When God means to save a man, He usually begins by making him sorrow on account of his evil ways. It is the sharp steel needle of the Law of God which goes through the convicted heart—and draws the silken thread of comfort and salvation after it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is impossible for a self-righteous man to be saved—until he is brought down from his fatal pride.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Believe this Book of God, every letter of it—or else reject it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Divine Providence is a downy pillow for an aching head—and a blessed salve for the sharpest pain. He who can feel that his times are in the hand of God—need not tremble at anything that is in the hand of man!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The way to do a great deal—is to keep on doing a little.
The way to do nothing at all—is to be continually resolving that you will do everything!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Of all the preachers who ever lived, none ever preached on the wrath of God in such terrible terms as Jesus Himself! Though He was full of tenderness and full of love—yet you hear Him speak of the worm which never dies, and of the fire which never shall be quenched! He loved men's souls too well to make them think that sin was a trifle!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When the worldling dreads sin—it is because he is afraid of Hell. But the Christian is delivered from all fear of Hell—and he hates sin, itself, because he fears to grieve the God he loves.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, the world is scarred with death! This earth is but a great Aceldama—a field of blood, a vast cemetery! Death has worm-eaten the world through and through. All its surface bears relics of the human race. Who slew all these? Who, indeed, but sin! Sin, when it is finished, brings forth death!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is idle to talk of God's ways—if there is no doing at the back of the talking.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Drunkenness is one of the most debasing of sins—it lowers the whole tone of the person who is held in bondage by it. We sometimes talk of a man being "as drunk as a beast," but whoever heard of a beast being drunk? Why, it is more beastly than anything a beast ever does! I do not believe that the devil himself is ever guilty of anything like that. I never heard even him charged with being drunk!
It is a sin which has no sort of excuse. Those who fall into it, generally fall into other deadly vices. It is the devil's backdoor to Hell, and everything that is hellish—for he who once gives away his brains to drink is ready to be caught by Satan for anything.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nowhere in the whole compass of Scripture Revelation, is there a promise of forgiveness to the man who continues in his iniquity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God's electing love has, in many cases, selected great fools and great sinners—at least I know that God's people think themselves such. "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world—to put to shame the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world—to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen . . . that no flesh should glory in His presence!" 1 Corinthians 1:27-29

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man may go to Seminary, he may learn all about the letter of Scripture—but he is no minister of God if he has not sat at Jesus' feet and learned of Him. And when he has learned of Him, and the truth of God has come home to his heart as his own personal possession given to Him by Christ—then shall he speak with more than mortal power, but not until then!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let your tears fall because of sin—but, at the same time, let the eye of faith steadily behold the Son of man lifted up, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, that those who are bitten by the old serpent may look unto Jesus and live. Our sinnership is that emptiness into which the Lord pours His mercy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I had never joined a church until I had found one that was perfect—I would never have joined one at all. And the moment I did join it, if I had found one—I would have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect church after I had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A world where everything was easy, would be a nursery for babies—but not at all a fit place for men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every Christian has a choice between being humble—or being humbled.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our best duties are so stained with sin—that it is hard to know whether they are good works or bad works.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A tear is enough water to float a prayer to God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some temptations come to the industrious—but all temptations attack the idle!
Idle men tempt the devil to tempt them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The way to do a great deal—is to keep on doing a little. The way to do nothing at all—is to be continually resolving that you will do everything.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is fabled that a doctor once healed a dog's broken leg, and the grateful animal brought other dogs to have their broken legs healed. That was a good dog. Some of you are not half as good as that dog! You believe that Christ is blessing you, yet you never try to bring others to Him to be saved! That must not be the case any longer. We must excel that dog in our love for our species. It must be our intense desire that if Christ has healed us—He should heal our wife, our children, our friends, our neighbors; and we should never rest until others are brought to Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God is so boundlessly pleased with Jesus—that in Him, He is altogether well pleased with us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Mighty prayer has often been produced by mighty trial.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whatever "call" a man may pretend to have—if he has not been called to holiness, he certainly has not been called to the Christian ministry.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I thought I could have leaped from earth to Heaven at one spring—when I first saw my sins drowned in the Redeemer's blood.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The moment we glorify ourselves—since there is room for one glory only in the universe—we set ourselves up as rivals to the Most High God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There will be little else we shall want in Heaven besides Jesus Christ. He will be our bread, our food, our beauty, and our glorious dress. The atmosphere of Heaven will be Christ—everything will be Christ-like. Christ is the Heaven of His people.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no fatigue so wearisome—as that which comes from not working.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you think you can walk in holiness without keeping up perpetual fellowship with Christ—you have made a great mistake. If you would be holy—you must live close to Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

None of us can come to the highest Christian maturity—without enduring the summer heat of trials.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would sooner pluck one single brand from the burning—than explain all mysteries.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our Lord Jesus is ever giving—and does not for a solitary instant withdraw His hand. As long as there is a vessel of grace not yet full to the brim—the oil shall not be stayed.
He is a sun ever-shining.
He is manna always falling round the camp.
He is a rock in the desert, ever sending out streams of life from His smitten side.
The rain of His grace is always dropping.
The river of His bounty is ever-flowing.
The well-spring of His love is constantly overflowing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The most credulous people in the world are unbelievers. He who refuses to swallow the gnat of Scriptural difficulty—usually swallows camels in large quantities of other difficulties of all sorts!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When God accepts a sinner—He is, in fact, only accepting Christ. He looks into the sinner's eyes—and He sees His own dear Son's image there, and He takes him in.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We have heard men say that children are not born in sin, nor shaped in iniquity, but that they have inherent grace—but we have never yet met with the man who has found so wonderful a child!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord Jesus is a deep sea of joy! My soul shall dive therein, and shall be swallowed up in the delights of His love.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Hope sees a crown in reserve, mansions in readiness, and Jesus Himself preparing a place for us—and by the rapturous sight, she sustains the soul under the sorrows of the hour!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best worship that we ever render to God, is far from perfect.
Our praises—how faint and feeble they are!
Our prayers—how wandering, how wavering they are!
When we get nearest to God—how far off we are!
When we are most like Him—how greatly unlike Him we are!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The furnace of affliction is a good place for you, Christian. It benefits you—it helps you to become more like Christ, and it is fitting you for Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would rather teach one man to pray, than ten men to preach.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we complained less, and praised more—we would be happier, and God would be more glorified.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every Christian is either a missionary—or an imposter.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The way to become like Christ—is to think about Christ. He who looks away from himself, entirely to Christ, shall be transformed into the image of his Master.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not go on His errands—until first you have sat at His feet.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Yes, we sound it forth as with a trumpet, that wherever there is an iniquity—there must be a penalty, for sin must be punished! The good order of the universe requires it! The justice of God demands it! The Book of God threatens it! The hand of God continually executes it! The supposition that because God is merciful, He will, therefore, overlook sin, is as delusive as it is dangerous! It is one of Satan's lies!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The motto of all true servants of God must be, "We preach Christ—and Him crucified." A sermon without Christ in it, is like a loaf of bread without any flour in it. No Christ in your sermon, sir? Then go home, and never preach again until you have something worth preaching!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A Jesus who never wept—could never wipe away my tears.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The existence of hypocrites, does not prove the non-existence of true believers.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you were now in Hell, you would have no cause to complain against the justice of God, for you deserve to be there.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ will be master of the heart—and sin must be mortified. If your life is unholy—then your heart is unchanged, and you are an unsaved person. The Savior will sanctify His people, renew them, give them a hatred of sin, and a love of holiness. The grace that does not make a man better than others—is a worthless counterfeit. Christ saves His people, not in their sins, but from their sins. Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man can do me a truer kindness in this world, than to pray for me.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Soar back through all your own experiences. Think of how the Lord has led you in the wilderness, and has fed and clothed you every day. Think how God has borne with your ill manners, and put up with all your murmurings and all your longings after the 'sensual pleasures of Egypt!' Think of how the Lord's grace has been sufficient for you in all your troubles. "Oh to grace how great a debtor!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer plumes the wings of God's young eaglets so that they may learn to mount above the clouds. Prayer brings inner strength to God's warriors and sends them forth to spiritual battle with their muscles firm and their armor in place.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In prosperity God is heard, and that is a blessing; but in adversity God is seen, and that is a greater blessing. "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear—but now my eye sees

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never be afraid of the world's censure—it's praise is much more to be dreaded.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we never have headaches through rebuking our children—we shall have plenty of heartaches when they grow up!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you give your soul up to anything earthly for happiness, whether it be the wealth, or the honors, or the pleasures of this world—you might as well hunt after the mirage of the desert, or try to collect the mists of the morning, or to store up for yourself the clouds of the sky—for all these things are passing away.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One proof of true conversion, will be found in a real change of life. If the man does not live differently from what he did before, both at home and abroad—then his repentance needs to be repented of and his conversion is a fiction!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You are saved—seek to be like your Savior!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is nothing in Scripture that will rob you of happiness—it only denies you that which would bring you sorrow.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A sinner can no more repent and believe without the Holy Spirit's aid—than he can create a world. All the hope of our ministry, lies in the Spirit of God operating on the spirits of men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Obedience to the will of God—is the pathway to perpetual honor and everlasting joy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith is the silver thread upon which the pearls of the graces are to be hung. Break that, and you have broken the string—the pearls lie scattered on the ground.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is not a sparrow or a worm that continues to live, apart from God's decrees.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not know what your particular trouble is, but I do believe that He who appointed it, He who measured it, He who has set its bounds and will bring you to the end of it—has a gracious design in it all! Do not think that God deals roughly with His children and gives them needless pain. It grieves Him to grieve you! "He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." Lamentations 3:33

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O that saints would cling to Christ half as earnestly as sinners cling to the devil. If we were as willing to suffer for God, as some are to suffer for their lusts—then what perseverance and zeal would be seen on all sides!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am certain that I never did grow in grace one-half so much anywhere, as I have upon the bed of pain.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ will not blot out your sins in the past—unless you are willing to be cured of the love of sin in the present, and the pursuit of sin in the future.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Inconsistent professing Christians injure the Gospel more than the sneering critic or the heretic.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Winners of souls—must first be weepers for souls. I believe that much of the secret of soul-winning lies in sincere compassion, in having hearts which can be touched with the feeling of human infirmities.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have often heard of free-will—but I have never seen it. I have always met with will, and plenty of it—but it has either been led captive by sin, or held in the blessed bonds of grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian life is very much like climbing a hill of ice. You cannot slide up. You have to cut every step with an ice axe. Only with incessant labor in cutting and chipping, can you make any progress. If you want to know how to backslide—simply stop going forward. Cease going upward—and you will go downward. You can never stand still in the Christian life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe that nothing happens apart from divine determination and decree. We shall never be able to escape from the doctrine of divine predestination—the doctrine that God has foreordained certain people unto eternal life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man is really saved—unless he is in his heart obedient to Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

By nature you are spiritually dead—and only the Spirit of God can give you spiritual life. By nature you are spiritually blind—and only the Spirit of God can give you spiritual sight. Even the work of Christ on the Cross does not avail for you—until the Holy Spirit takes of the things of Christ and reveals them to you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The heart of the gospel is redemption—and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. Those who preach this truth—preach the gospel in whatever else they may be mistaken. But they who those who do not preach the atonement, whatever else they declare—have missed the soul and substance of the divine message.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus! It is the name which moves the harps of Heaven to melody.
Jesus! It is the life of all our joys. If there be one name more charming, more precious than another—it is this name.
Jesus! It is the sum total of all delights.
Jesus! It is . . .
 the music with which the bells of Heaven ring;
 an ocean for comprehension, although a drop for brevity;
 a matchless oratorio in two syllables;
 a gathering up of the hallelujahs of eternity in five letters!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would not give much for your religion—unless it can be seen. Lamps do not talk—but they do shine.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If Christ is anything to us—He must be everything to us! O, do not rest until love for Jesus is the master passion of your soul!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not flatter yourselves! If you go to places of worship merely to look about you or to hear music—you are not worshiping God. Fine music without a heart of devotion—is but a splendid garment upon a corpse!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin has been pardoned at such a price—that we cannot henceforth trifle with it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who is unmerciful to his animal, is worse than a beast himself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

So long as we are receivers of divine mercy—we must be givers of thanks.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That man is truly happy who can say of all his substance, be it little or be it much: "The Lord gave it to me."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Silence to man, and prayer to God—are the best cures for the evil of slander. It is of little use to appeal to our fellows on the matter of slander—for the more we stir it, the more it spreads. The most piteous demands for justice, will only increase the slanderer's malignity and encourage them to fresh insult!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Master those books you have. Read them thoroughly. Bathe in them until they saturate you. Read and reread them—digest them. Let them go into your very self. Peruse a good book several times and make notes and analyses of it. A student will find that his mental constitution is more affected by one book thoroughly mastered—than by twenty books he has merely skimmed. Little learning and much pride comes from hasty reading. Some men are disabled from thinking by their putting meditation away for the sake of much reading. In reading let your motto be "much—not many."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The only model for Christians is Christ Himself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Depend upon it, there is no way of bringing future afflictions upon ourselves—like refusing to bear present afflictions.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

None are more unjust in their judgments of others—than those who have a high opinion of themselves.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many men owe the grandeur of their lives, to their tremendous difficulties.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We cannot all preach for God—but we can all pray to God.
We cannot all be leaders—but we can all be pleaders.
We cannot all be mighty in rhetoric—but we can all be prevalent in prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To wash and dress a corpse—is a far different thing from making it alive. Man can do the one—God alone can do the other.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A godly man often grows best when his worldly circumstances decay.
He who follows Christ for the money-bag, is a Judas.
Those who follow Him for loaves and fishes, are children of the devil.
Those who follow Him out of love to Himself, are His own beloved children. Lord, let me find my life in You—and not in the mire of this world's favor or gain.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do what you may, strive as earnestly as you can, live as excellently as you please, make what sacrifices you choose, be as eminent as you can for everything that is lovely and of good repute—yet none of these things can be pleasing to God, unless they are mixed with faith.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Take but small account of human applause. Do not heed the world's frowns—nor court its smiles. When you are flattered by its approbation, or calumniated by its persecution—remember that men's disposition changes like the weather!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Intermittent godliness—is perpetual hypocrisy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not great faith, but true faith, which saves. The salvation lies not in the faith—but in the Christ in whom faith trusts. It is not the measure of faith—but the sincerity of faith, which is the point to be considered.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When sovereign grace has renewed and changed them—you may easily distinguish the Lord's sheep, from the world's goats.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we cannot believe God when circumstances seem be against us—then we do not believe Him at all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Though you have changed a thousand times—Jesus has not changed once.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who reads his Bible to find fault with it—will soon discover that the Bible finds fault with him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Dying is the last, but the least matter—that a Christian has to be anxious about.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In proportion as a church is holy—in that proportion will its testimony for Christ be powerful.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Unbelief will destroy the best of us!
Faith will save the worst of us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Great hearts can only be made by great troubles.
Great faith must have great trials.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in His Word—He intended to be conspicuous in our lives.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Remember that our thoughts are speech before God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man cannot have an erroneous belief—without by-and-by having an erroneous life. The one thing naturally begets the other.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would sooner bring one sinner to Jesus Christ—than unravel all the mysteries of the divine Word!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If there is any verse that you would like left out of the Bible, that is the verse that ought to stick to you, like a blister—until you really attend to its teaching.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian should take no one short of Christ for his model.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As for any affliction that you ever can have to endure on earth, it is not merely light, it is absolutely unworthy of mention in comparison with the eternal woe that is the portion of the lost!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are not dragged to holiness, nor driven to duty. No, our piety is our pleasure, our hope is our happiness, our duty is our delight!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Satan does not care whether he drags you down to Hell as a Calvinist or as an Arminian—so long as he can get you there.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We ought to muse and meditate upon the things of God—because that is the only way to get the real nutriment out of them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When we bless God for mercies—we usually prolong them.
When we bless God for miseries—we usually end them.
Praise is the honey of life, which a devout heart extracts from every bloom of providence and grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A religion that cannot stand a little ridicule—must be a very rotten one!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no form of sinfulness to which you are addicted—which Christ cannot remove.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I intend to grasp tightly with one hand the truths I have already learned—and to keep the other hand wide open to take in the things I do not yet know.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you are renewed by grace, and were to meet your old self—I am sure you would be very anxious to get out of his company!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not become self-sufficient. Self-sufficiency is Satan's net where he catches men, like poor silly fish, and destroys them.

The way to grow strong in Christ—is to become weak in yourself. God pours no power into man's heart—until man's power is all poured out. Live, then, a life of daily dependence on the grace of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I will go as far as Martin Luther, where he says, "If any man ascribes anything of salvation, even the very least thing, to the free will of man—he knows nothing of grace, and he has not learned Jesus Christ rightly!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those who think that a woman detained at home by her little family is doing nothing—think the reverse of what is true. Do not dream not that she is lost to the work of the church—far from it, she is doing the best possible service for her Lord. Mothers, the godly training of your offspring is your first and most pressing duty!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To know, is not to be wise.
To know how to use knowledge—is to have wisdom.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The repetition of small efforts—will accomplish more than the occasional use of great talents.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No one is so miserable as the poor person who maintains the appearance of wealth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Saints of the early church reaped great harvests in the field of prayer—and found the mercy-seat to be a mine of untold treasures.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This is the doctrine that we preach:
If a man is saved—all the honor is to be given to Christ.
But if a man is lost—all the blame is to be laid upon himself.
You will find all true theology summed up in these two short sentences:
 Salvation is all of the grace of God!
 Damnation is all of the will of man!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It used to be more common than it is now, for godly men and women to spend hour after hour in solemn meditation upon the agonies of Christ upon the Cross. I tried, one day when I was alone, to get a vivid realization of that awful tragedy—and I succeeded to the breaking of my own heart—but I cannot describe the scene to you. That is a matter for private meditation, rather than for public speech.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No scene in sacred history ever gladdens the soul, like the scene on Calvary. Nowhere does the soul find such consolation as on that very spot . . .
where misery reigned,
where woe triumphed, and
where agony reached its climax.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the oven of affliction—grace will prepare the bread of delight.
Someday you will thank God for all your afflictions.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not great talents God blesses—so much as likeness to Jesus!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You and your sins must separate—or you and your God will never come together! Every sin must all be given up—they must be brought out like Canaanite kings from the cave, and be hanged up in the sun.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every promise of Scripture is a writing of God, which may be pleaded before Him with this reasonable request, "Do as You have said!" The Heavenly Father will not break His Word to His own child!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is the natural out gushing of a soul in communion with Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenever God determines to do a great work—He first sets His people to pray.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified—unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism. Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are many locks in my house and all with different keys, but I have one master-key which opens them all. Just so, the Lord has many treasures and secrets all shut up from carnal minds, with locks which they cannot open. But he who walks in fellowship with Jesus possesses the master-key which will open to him all the blessings of the covenant, and even the very heart of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Take up your own daily cross—it is the burden best suited for your shoulder, and will prove most effective to make you perfect in every good word and work to the glory of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The flimsy doctrines which some now preach, could not build a mouse-trap!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those things which we allow to take the chief place in our affections, have the most power to give us grief.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Don't just throw the gospel seed at the people! Grind it into flour, bake it into bread, and slice it for them. And it wouldn't hurt to put a little honey on it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do you find it difficult to forgive one who has wronged you?
Then you will find it difficult to get to Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you feel yourself to be utterly unworthy of God's grace, you have hit the truth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God would have us to be like children who believe what their father tells them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When the Spirit of God opens and tutors the eyes—we see in Christ what we never saw before—all of His matchless beauty!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Far better for a minister that he had never been born—than that he should degrade a pulpit into a show box to exhibit himself in!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You will never know God's strength—until He has supported you in deep waters.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The gospel is not a reward for health—but a medicine for sickness!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A new convert once said, "Either the world is totally altered—or else I am!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a grand thing to see a man thoroughly possessed with one master-passion. Such a man is sure to be strong; and if the master-principle is excellent—he is sure to be excellent, too.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Losses and crosses are heavy to bear. But when our hearts are right with God—it is astonishing how easy the yoke becomes.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You have put me in this world for something, Lord. Show me what that is, and help me to work out my life-purpose. I cannot do much, but as the widow put in her two mites, which were all her living—so, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into your treasury. I am all Yours—take me, and enable me to glorify you now, in all that I say, in all that I do, and with all that I have.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The safest way to defend your character—is never to say a word about it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Patience, believer! Eternity will right the wrongs of time!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The black devil of licentiousness destroys his hundreds!
The white devil of self-righteousness destroys his thousands!
Beware of self-righteousness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When people say when they know their duty, "We will make it a matter of prayer"—they generally mean that they will try to find some excuse for not doing it.
You need not pray about any matter when you know what you ought to do—go and do it!
"I delight to do Your will, O my God—Your law is within my heart." Psalm 40:8

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sufficient for the day, is all that we can enjoy. We cannot eat or drink or wear more than the day's supply of food and clothing—the surplus gives us the care of storing it, and the anxiety of watching against a thief.
One staff aids a traveler, but a bundle of staffs is a heavy burden.
Enough is not only as good as a feast—but is all that the greatest glutton can truly enjoy. This is all that we should expect—a craving for more than this is ungrateful. When our Father does not give us more—we should be content with His daily allowance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Habits, soft and pliant at first—are like some coral stones, which are easily cut when first quarried, but soon become hard as adamant!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The worst thing that can happen to a man who gambles, is to win.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord, who cannot endure vain repetitions—is equally weary of vain variations.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

People will not receive the balm of the gospel—unless they know something of the wounds that sin has made.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are too prone to engrave our trials in marble—and write our blessings in sand.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is nothing that will keep a person from Christ—like a good opinion of himself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We know of no cure for the love of the world—like daily communion with the Lord Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a great and solemn truth that every true child of God will persevere until the end. But it is an equally solemn truth, that many who profess to be the Lord's, are self-deceivers and will turn out apostates, after all!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let gratitude be awakened; let humility be deepened; let love be quickened.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every threatening of God, as well as every promise—shall be fulfilled.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We must show sympathy with sinners—but not with their sins.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The saved man is not a perfect man—but his heart's desire is to become perfect.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

So live that all may say of you, "He has been with Jesus!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To this day, men cannot bear the doctrine of unconditional election. Free will suits them very well—but free grace does not. I say it with the utmost reverence—they would not let Christ choose His own wife!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Trust in God alone—and do not lean on human help.
Do not be surprised when friends fail you—it is a failing world.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Abide close to the cross, and search the mystery of His wounds.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe a very large majority of church goers, are merely unthinking, slumbering worshipers of an unknown God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sorrow for sin should be the keenest sorrow.
Joy in the Lord should be the loftiest joy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Proud prayers may knock their heads on mercy's lintel, but they can never pass through the portal! You cannot expect anything of God unless you put yourself in the right place, that is, as a beggar at His footstool—then will He hear you, but not until then.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe the most hard-hearted, most cross-grained and most unloving Christians in all the world— are those who have not had much trouble in their life. And those that are the most sympathizing, loving and Christlike are generally those who have the most affliction. The worse thing that can happen to any of us is to have a path made too smooth. One of the greatest blessings the Lord ever gave us was a cross.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many a text of Scripture is written in a secret ink which must be held to the fire of adversity to make it visible.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Unbelief is . . .
 the mother of vice,
 the parent of sin,
 a pestilent evil,
 and a master sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is nothing in the Gospel that will rob you of happiness; it only denies you that which would cost you sorrow.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All the preaching in the world cannot make a man see the truth so long as his eyes are blinded.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It would be a very sharp and trying experience to me—to think . . .
that I have an affliction which God never sent me,
that the bitter cup was never filled by His hand,
that my trials were never measured out by Him, nor
sent to me by His arrangement of their weight and quantity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The first link between my soul and Christ is . . .
 not my goodness—but my badness,
 not my merit—but my misery,
 not my riches—but my need.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is the thermometer of grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You shall find books and sermons everywhere—in the land and in the sea, in the earth and in the skies—and you shall learn from every living beast, and bird, and fish, and insect, and from every useful or useless plant that springs from the ground.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One might better try to sail the Atlantic in a paper boat—than try to get to Heaven on good works.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The great reason why we have so little good preaching—is that we have so little piety. To be eloquent, one must be in earnest; he must not only act as if he were in earnest, or try to be in earnest, but be earnest.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The kind of sermon which is likely to break the hearer's heart—is that which first has broken the preacher's heart. The sermon which is likely to reach the heart of the hearer—is the one which has come straight from the heart of the preacher.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not begin to teach others—until the Lord has taught you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Thankfulness makes much of little.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Backsliders begin with dusty Bibles—and end with filthy garments!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin to a believer is horrible, because it crucified his Savior! He sees the nails and spear in every iniquity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The heart of Christ became like a reservoir in the midst of the mountains. All the tributary streams of iniquity, and every drop of the sins of his people—ran down and gathered into one vast lake—as deep as Hell and shoreless as eternity. All these met, as it were, in Christ's heart—and He endured them all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am persuaded that the doctrine of predestination is one of the "softest pillows" upon which the Christian can lay his head—and one of the "strongest staffs" upon which he may lean, in his pilgrimage along this rough road.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The higher a man is in grace—the lower he will be in his own esteem!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Providence is wonderfully intricate. Ah! You want always to see through Providence, do you not? You never will, I assure you. You do not have good enough eyes! You want to see what good that affliction was to you—you must believe it. You want to see how it can bring good to the soul—you may be enabled in a little time. But you cannot see it now—you must believe it. Honor God by trusting Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not desire to be the principal man in the church. Be lowly. Be humble. The best man in the church is the man who is willing to be a doormat for all to wipe their boots on, the brother who does not mind what happens to him at all, so long as God is glorified.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The man who is all aglow with love to Jesus, finds little need for amusement. He has no time for trifling!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Divine mercies should be gratefully remembered. It is a great wrong to God when we bury His mercies in the grave of unthankfulness. Especially is this the case with distinguishing mercies of salvation, wherein the Lord makes us to differ from others. Spiritual light, when the rest of the land is in darkness! Spiritual life, when others are smitten with the sword of death! Spiritual liberty from an iron bondage! O Christians, these are not things to be forgotten! Abundantly utter the memory of distinguishing mercies! Discriminating saving grace deserves unceasing memorials of praise!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When a man is saved by divine grace—he is not wholly cleansed from the corruption of his heart. When we believe in Jesus Christ, then all our sins are pardoned. Yet the power of sin, albeit that it is weakened and kept under by the dominion of the new-born nature which God infuses into our souls—does not cease, but still remains in us, and will do so to our dying day.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our Lord's great object in sacrificing His life upon the cross, was the father's glory.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whatever may be said about the doctrine of election—it is written in the Word of God as with an iron pen, and there is no getting rid of it. To me, it is one of the sweetest and most blessed truths in the whole of revelation. Those who are afraid of it are so, because they do not understand it. If they could but know that the Lord had chosen them, it would make their hearts dance for joy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That alone is worth my having, which I can have forever.
That alone is worth my grasping, which death cannot tear out of my hand.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, what a Heaven will Heaven be to some of God's people who spend the most of their time on a hard bed, made harder by their lying long upon it, and who have none of the comforts of this life. One hour with our God will make up for everything!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The hell of Hell will be the fact that is forever. The lost soul sees written over its head, "You are damned forever!" It hears howlings that are to be perpetual. It sees flames which are unquenchable. It knows pains that are unmitigated.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man's life is always more forcible than his speech. When men take stock of him—they reckon his deeds as dollars, and his words as pennies. If his life and doctrine disagree—then the mass of onlookers accept his practice, and reject his preaching.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We believe, that the work of regeneration, conversion, sanctification and faith—is not an act of man's free will and power—but of the mighty, efficacious and irresistible grace of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We must keep from sin. If Christ has indeed saved us from sin—we cannot bear the thought of falling into it. Those who take delight in sin, are not the children of God. If you are a child of God, you hate it with a perfect hatred, and your very soul loathes it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If it were Christ's intention to save all men—then how deplorably He has been disappointed!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If grace does not make us differ from other men—then is not the grace which God gives His elect.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Few preachers of religion do believe thoroughly the doctrine of the Fall—or else they think that when Adam fell down he broke his little finger, and did not break his neck and ruin his race!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Repentance is as much a mark of a Christian—as faith is. A very little sin, as the world calls it—is a very great sin to a true Christian!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The man who is not willing to submit to the electing love and sovereign grace of God, has great reason to question whether he is a Christian at all—for the attitude which kicks against electing love is the spirit of the unhumbled, unrenewed heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus prayed much more than we do—though He was infinitely better able to do without prayer than we are.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God in His infinite mercy has devised a way by which justice can be satisfied—and yet mercy can be triumphant. Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father, took upon Himself the form of man, and offered unto Divine Justice that which was accepted as an equivalent for the punishment due to all His people.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You must keep all earthy treasures out of your heart—and let Christ be your treasure, and let Him have your heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Saving faith is an immediate relation to Christ—accepting, receiving, resting upon Him alone—for justification, sanctification, and eternal life by virtue of God's grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know—is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal—and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool—as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge, is to have wisdom.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Saints are described as fearing the name of God; they are reverent worshipers; they stand in awe of the Lord's authority; they are afraid of offending Him; they feel their own nothingness in the sight of the Infinite One.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I did not believe the doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints—I think I would be of all men the most miserable, because I would lack any ground for comfort.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our prayers have stains in them.

Our faith is mixed with unbelief.

Our repentance is not so tender as it should be.

Our communion is distant and interrupted.

We cannot pray without sinning.

There is filth, even in our tears.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You are nothing better than deceitful hypocrites, if you harbor in your minds a single unforgiving thought. There are some sins which may be in the heart, and yet you may be saved. But you cannot be saved unless you are forgiving. If we do not choose to forgive, we choose to be damned.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The treatment of our Lord Jesus Christ by men—is the clearest proof of total depravity. Those must be stony hearts indeed—which can laugh at a dying Savior and mock even his faith in God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Most of the grand truths of God have to be learned by trouble. They must be burned into us with the hot iron of affliction—otherwise we shall not truly receive them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When men talk of a little Hell—it is because they think they have only a little sin, and believe in a little Savior; it is all little together. But when you get a great sense of sin—then you want a great Savior, and feel that, if you do not have Him, you will fall into a great destruction, and suffer a great punishment at the hands of the great God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Rebellion against the Scriptural teaching divine election, is often founded on the idea that the sinner has a sort of right to be saved. This is to deny the full desert of sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As the salt flavors every drop in the Atlantic—so does sin affect every atom of our nature. Sin is so sadly there, so abundantly there—that if you cannot detect it, you are deceived!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We say that Christ so died that He infallibly secured the salvation of a multitude that no man can number, who through Christ's death not only may be saved—but are saved, must be saved, and cannot by any possibility run the hazard of being anything but saved!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Remember that if you are a child of God, you will never be happy in sin. You are spoiled for the world, the flesh, and the devil. When you were regenerated there was put into you a vital principle, which can never be content to dwell in the dead world. You will have to come back, if indeed you belong to the family.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith and works are bound up in the same bundle.
He who obeys God, trusts God; and he who trusts God, obeys God.
He who is without faith is without works; and he who is without works is without faith.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That which costs us most, we value most.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the great enemy, Sin, has been conquered,
we shall not fear the little enemy, Death.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We cannot bear sin. When it is near us, we feel like a wretch chained to a rotting carcass; we groan to be free from the hateful thing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Avoid a sugared Gospel as you would shun poisoned food. Seek that Gospel which rips up and tears and cuts and wounds and hacks and even kills—for that is the Gospel that makes alive again. And when you have found it, give good heed to it. Let it enter into your inmost being. As the rain soaks into the ground—so pray the Lord to let his Gospel soak into your soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As surely as the stars are fashioned by His hands, and their orbits fixed by Him—so surely are our trials allotted to us. He has ordained their season and their place, their intensity and the effect they shall have upon us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We took our sins and drove them like nails through His hands and feet. We lifted Him high up on the cross of our transgressions—and then we pierced His heart through with the spear of our unbelief!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

From the Word of God I gather that damnation is all of man, from top to bottom—and that salvation is all of grace, from first to last. He who perishes chooses to perish; but he who is saved is saved because God has chosen to save him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin is a deliberate treason against the majesty of God, an assault upon His crown, an insult offered to His throne.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing puts life into men like a dying Savior.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A sacred regard to the authority of God ought to lead us to reject an error, however old, sanctioned by whatever authority, or however generally practiced.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may readily judge whether you are a child of God or a hypocrite—by seeing in what direction your soul turns in seasons of severe trial. The hypocrite flies to the world—and finds a sort of comfort there. But the child of God runs to his Father—and expects consolation only from the Lord's hand.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God has determined the end from the beginning. He has left no screw loose in the machine—He has left nothing to chance or accident! Everything that has moved or shall move in Heaven, and earth, and Hell—has been, is, and shall be according to the counsel and foreknowledge of God—fulfilling a holy, just, wise and unalterable purpose!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

From the Word of God I gather that damnation is all of man, from top to bottom—and salvation is all of grace, from first to last. He who perishes—chooses to perish; but he who is saved—is saved because God has chosen to save him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No music is more sweet to a gospel preacher, than the rustle of Bible pages in the congregation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no sin into which the heart of man so easily falls as pride—and yet there is no more vice which is more frequently, more emphatically, and more eloquently condemned in Scripture. Pride is a thing which should be unnatural to us—for we have nothing to be proud of. In almost every other sin, we gather us ashes when the fire is gone. But with pride—what is left? The covetous man has his shining gold—but what does the proud man have? He has less than he would have had without pride, and is no gainer whatever. Pride wins no crown!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is not a hard requirement—it is the natural duty of a creature to its creator, the simplest homage that human need can pay to divine liberality.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We should pray when we are in a praying mood—for it would be sinful to neglect so fair an opportunity. We should pray when we are not in a proper mood—for it would be dangerous to remain in so unhealthy a condition.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Does not all nature around me praise God? If I were silent—I would be an exception to the universe. Does not the thunder praise Him as it rolls like drums in the march of the God of armies? Do not the mountains praise Him when the woods upon their summits wave in adoration? Does not the lightning write His name in letters of fire? Has not the whole earth a voice? And shall I, can I, silent be?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Believing right doctrine will no more save you—than doing good works will save you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our gifts are not to be measured by the amount we contribute—but by the surplus kept in our own hands. The two mites of the widow were in Christ's eyes, worth more than all the other money cast into the treasury!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Morality is a neat cover for foul venom—but it does not alter the fact that the heart is vile, and the man himself is under damnation. Men will be damned with good works as well as without them, if they make them their confidence.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Be dogmatically true, obstinately holy, immovably honest, desperately kind, fixed upright.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Fits of depression come over the most of us. Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The condition of the church may be very accurately gauged by its prayer meetings. So is the prayer meeting a grace-o-meter, and from it we may judge of the amount of divine working among a people. If God is near a church—it must pray. And if He is not there—then one of the first tokens of His absence will be slothfulness in prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not your hold on Christ that saves you—it is Christ. It is not your joy in Christ that saves you—it is Christ. It is not even your faith in Christ, though that be the instrument—it is Christ's blood and merit.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ's scholars must study upon their knees!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Grace puts its hand on the boasting mouth, and shuts it once for all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe that the happiest of all Christians and the truest of Christians—are those who never dare to doubt God, but take His Word simply as it stands, and believe it, and ask no questions, just feeling assured that if God has said it, it will be so.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best way to deal with slander is to pray about it. God will either remove it—or remove the sting from it. Our own attempts at clearing ourselves. are usually failures. We are like the boy who wished to remove the blot from his copy, and by his bungling made it ten times worse.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

True prayer is measured by weight, not by length. A single groan before God may have more fullness of prayer in it than a fine oration of great length.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a study of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast—that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity. It is a subject so deep—that our pride is drowned in its infinity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If there were no Hell—the loss of Heaven would be Hell.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Drunkenness is the devil's back door to Hell, and everything that is hellish. For he who once gives away his brains to drink—is ready to be caught by Satan for anything.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Born, as all of us are by nature, an Arminian, I still believed the old things I had heard continually from the pulpit, and did not see the grace of God. When I was coming to Christ—I thought I was doing it all myself; and though I sought the Lord earnestly—I had no idea that the Lord was seeking me.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I feel that if God should smite me now, without hope or offer of mercy, to the lowest Hell—I would only have what I justly deserve.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All originality and no plagiarism—makes for dull preaching.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I sometimes wonder that you do not get tired of my preaching, because I do nothing but hammer away on this one nail. With me it is, year after year, "None but Jesus!"

Oh, you great saints, if you have outgrown the need of a sinner's trust in the Lord Jesus, you have outgrown your sins, but you have also outgrown your grace, and your saintship has ruined you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Pride may be set down as "the sin" of human nature.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We shall never see much change for the better in our churches in general—until the prayer meeting occupies a higher place in the esteem of Christians.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You might as well expect to raise the dead by whispering in their ears—as hope to save souls by preaching to them, if it were not for the agency of the Spirit.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Consider what you owe to God's immutability. Though you have changed a thousand times—He has not changed once.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The preaching of Christ crucified—is the whip that flogs the devil. The preaching of Christ crucified—is the thunderbolt, the sound of which makes all Hell shake!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not for me to rise up and go in rebellion against His wishes. If He be a father, let me note His commands, and let me reverentially obey. If He has said "Do this," let me do it, not because I dread Him, but because I love Him. And if He forbids me to do anything, let me avoid it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some whom I greatly love and esteem, who are, in my judgment, among the very choicest of God's people—nevertheless, travel most of the way to Heaven by night.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Believe me, if a church does not pray, it is dead!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am glad there is no such thing as "chance," that nothing is left to itself, but that Christ everywhere has sway.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Puritans were accustomed to explain faith by the word 'recumbency.' It meant leaning upon a thing. Lean with all your weight upon Christ. It would be a better illustration still if I said, fall at full length, and lie on the Rock of Ages!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We must teach plainly that the faith which saves the soul is not a dead faith, but a faith which operates with purifying effect upon our entire nature, and produces in us fruits of righteousness to the praise and glory of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The work of God's Holy Spirit begins with bruising. In order to be saved, the fallow ground must be plowed up, the hard heart must be broken, the rock must be split apart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us go to Calvary to learn how we may be forgiven.
And then let us linger there to learn how to forgive.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When we cannot see the sunshine of God's face—it is blessed to cower down beneath the shadow of His wings.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Blessed are the peacemakers, and one sure way of peacemaking is to let the fire of contention alone. Neither fan it, nor stir it, nor add fuel to it—but let it go out by itself. Begin your ministry with one blind eye—and one deaf ear.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ is the great central fact in the world's history. To Him everything looks forward or backward. All the lines of history converge upon Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Physical light is said by Solomon to be sweet—but gospel light is infinitely more precious, for it reveals eternal things, and ministers to our immortal natures.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That man alone is rich towards God—who knows his emptiness and feels that he is less than nothing, and vanity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Of all afflictions, an unkind heart is the worst!
It is a plague to its possessor—and a torment to those around him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What is needed is not the removal of the trouble—but the conquest of self.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not the nature of sin to remain in a fixed state. Like decaying fruit, it grows more rotten. the man who is bad today—will be worse tomorrow!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Devil has seldom done a cleverer thing that hinting to the Church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them. Providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the Church. The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt that is sets men afire.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A church should be a camp of soldiers, not an hospital of invalids. But there is exceedingly much difference between what ought be and what is, and consequently many of God's people are in so sad a state that the very fittest prayer for them is for revival.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a reading age, a preaching age, a working age—but it is not a praying age.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Not even in this world, does sin pay its servants good wages.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are in a wrong state of mind—if we are not in a thankful state of mind.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is the best response to hatred.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No one knows who is listening—so say nothing you would not wish put in the newspapers!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Give yourself unto reading! The man who never reads—will never be read; he who never quotes—will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men's brains—proves that he has no brains of his own. You need to read!
We are quite persuaded that the very best way for you to be spending your leisure time, is to be either reading or praying. You may get much instruction from books which afterwards you may use as a true weapon in your Lord and Master's service. Paul cries, "Bring the books!" Join in the cry.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The egg is white—though the hen is as black as coal. Just so, out of evil comes good—through the great goodness of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Economy is half the battle of life. It is not so hard to earn money—as to spend it well.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As for the harps of gold, and the streets like clear glass, and the songs of seraphs, and the shouts of the redeemed in Heaven—one could very well give all these up, counting them as a drop in a bucket, if we might forever live in fellowship and communion with Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never go to meet with man—until you have first met with God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A sheep in the midst of wolves is safe—compared with the Christian in the midst of ungodly men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My soul, never laugh at sin's fooleries—lest you come to smile at sin itself!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It has been often said that there are but two steps to Heaven, and that those two are but one—out of self and into Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Newspapers are the Bibles of worldlings! How diligently they read them! Here they find their law and profits, their judges and chronicles, their epistles and revelations.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot have a half of Christ. You cannot have Him as your Redeemer—but not as your Ruler! You must take Him as He is. He is a Savior—but He saves His people from their sins. Now, if you have ever seen Christ as your Savior, you have seen beauty in Him. He is lovely in your eyes, for the loveliest sight in the world to a sinner is His Savior!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no repentance where a man can talk lightly of sin—much less where he can speak tenderly and lovingly of it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Holiness is essential to power in prayer—the life must knock while the lips ask and the heart seeks.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Love for God is obedience—love for God is holiness. To love God and to love man is to be conformed to the image of Christ—and this is salvation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The act of prayer is blessed,
the habit of prayer is more blessed,
but the spirit of prayer is the most blessed of all!
It is possible to continue in the spirit of prayer for months and years.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You will never know God's strength until He has supported you in deep waters.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best of saints, are sinners still.
Our best tears need to be wept over.
The strongest faith is mixed with unbelief.
Our most flaming love is cold compared with what Jesus deserves.
Our most intense zeal still lacks the full fervor which the bleeding wounds and pierced heart of the crucified might claim at our hands.
Our best things need a sin offering, or they would condemn us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I cannot conceive of a greater wounding of the heart of Christ—than to pay reverence to anything in the shape of a cross, or to bow before a crucifix!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man who worships his belly is a worse idolater than the one who worships a God of wood! A man who worships gold and silver, if that gold and silver should take the shape of sovereigns and shillings, is not a bit more justified in his idolatry than if he had made it into the shape of a calf and had bowed before it in idolatrous homage and reverence.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We venture to assert, that if there be any day in the year, of which we may be pretty sure that it was not the day on which the Savior was born, it is the 25th of December. Regarding not the day—let us, nevertheless, give thanks to God for the gift of His dear Son.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God never punishes his children in the sense of avenging justice. He chastens as a father does his child—but He never punishes his redeemed as a judge does a criminal. It is unjust to exact punishment from redeemed souls—since Christ has been punished in their place. How shall the Lord punish twice for one offense?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Next to the Bible, the book I value most is John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. I believe I have read it through at least a hundred times. It is a volume of which I never seem to tire—and the secret of its freshness, is that it is so largely compiled from the Scriptures.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Cross was the place of your spiritual birth—and it must ever be the spot for renewing your health, for it is the sanatorium of every sin-sick soul. The blood is the true balm of Gilead—it is the only universal remedy which heals every spiritual disease!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every sinner must be . . .
quickened by the same life,
made obedient to the same gospel,
washed in the same blood,
clothed in the same righteousness,
filled with the same divine energy, and
eventually taken up to the same Heaven.
Yet in the conversion of no two sinners, will you find matters precisely the same.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many ask, "When will that great and final day come?" to which I would answer: it is better for us to be prepared for it, come when it may—than to be anxious to fix its date! We can give you no information, because "of that day and of that hour knows no man—no, not even the angels of Heaven."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God is more honored by the world having sinned, and having been restored by Christ—than He could have been if there had never been sin upon this planet and if a perfectly sinless race had tenanted its bounds!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You hear much about the free will of man. I would like you to hear a little about the free will of God! You would think, from the talk of some, that God was man's debtor and must do everything according to the will of man. But it is not so. He is a Sovereign, and gives His grace to whom He chooses—and He would have us know that it is according to His good pleasure and will.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Delayed answers to prayer are not only trials of faith—they also give us opportunities to honor God through our steadfast confidence in Him, even when facing the apparent denial of our request.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The greater our present trials—the louder will our future songs be, and the more intense our joyful gratitude.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men will never be great in theology—until they are great in suffering.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who is not angry at sin—becomes a partaker in it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A sense of our own folly is a great step towards being wise—when it leads us to rely on the wisdom of the Lord.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

An unholy life, will effectually drown the voice of the most eloquent ministry.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe certain doctrines—because God says they are true. The only authority I have for their truth, is the Word of God. I receive such and such doctrines, not because I can prove them to be compatible with reason, not because my judgment accepts them—but because God says they are true. Now this is one of the best services we can render to God—-to submit ourselves to Him in our belief of what He has revealed, and ask Him to fix His truths in our hearts, and make us obey them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no reward from God—to those who seek it from men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those of us who cannot preach with our mouths, would do well to preach with our lives—which is the very best kind of preaching.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are all men—feeble, frail, and apt to faint.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some of you would not be without a Bible in your house—and yet you never read it! Do you treat this Book as a fetish? Is there some kind of witchcraft about paper and binding in a certain form? Do you think it a very pious thing to put a big Bible under your arm and march to a place of worship with it—and yet never read it?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Law shows the distance that exists between God and man. The Gospel bridges that awful chasm, and brings the sinner across it. The Law, like a candle, shows me my blackness—but the Gospel shows me the precious blood of Jesus which takes all my blackness away and makes me whiter than snow!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ . . .
 makes those just, who are unjust,
 forgives those, who deserve to be punished,
 and favors those, who deserve no favor.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"One thing is necessary." This one thing, according to this passage, is the sitting down at the Master's feet, and the drinking in of His Word.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We pray best, when we are fallen on our faces in conscious helplessness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To receive the Word in the ear is one thing—and to receive Jesus into your very soul is quite another.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A day hemmed in prayer—is less likely to unravel.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The sum and substance of Christ's teaching is, "Follow Me." Watch, then, His every footstep, and ask for grace to put your foot down where He put His. Whatever you see to be His temper under any circumstances—cultivate that temper when you are in similar circumstances. If you want to know what you should do at any special time—think what He would have done if He had been in your place, for what He would have done is what you should do.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith is the fountain, the foundation and the fosterer of obedience.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Man's will cannot be neutral or 'free' to act contrary to his nature—which is a sinful nature. I do not come into this pulpit hoping that perhaps somebody will of his own free will return to Christ. My hope lies in another quarter. I hope that my Master will lay hold of some of them and say, "You are Mine—and you shall be Mine! I claim you for Myself." My hope arises from the freeness of God's grace—and not from the freedom of man's will.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Having made Jesus your all—you shall find your all in Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenever there is a cross to be carried by any of Christ's followers—He always bears the heavy end on His own shoulders.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I live in Jesus, on Jesus, with Jesus—and soon hope to be perfectly conformed to His likeness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We have fixed the standard of what a Christian should be, a great deal too low.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A child of God should be a visible beatitude for joy and happiness—and a living doxology for gratitude and adoration.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them." Matthew 9:36
I pray the Lord to open our eyes to see what it is to be a lost soul—that we may sigh and cry over souls that are being lost by millions!
May the Lord open our eyes to see the true character of sin and the desperate condition of those who are steeped in it—to see the terrors of the wrath to come, that final judgment of God which shall overwhelm the wicked!
Then may the Lord open our eyes to see the reality of His eternal love, the cleansing power of the precious blood of Jesus, and the almighty efficacy of the ever blessed Spirit.
And may He open our eyes in such a way that, seeing these things, we may be startled into earnestness, amazed in devotion, constrained unto consecration and may give ourselves up, from this time forth—spirit, soul and body—to serve the Lord!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is blessed to eat into the very soul of the Bible until, at last, you come to talk in Scriptural language, and your spirit is flavored with the words of the Lord, so that your blood is Bibline and the very essence of the Bible flows from you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not despair, dear heart, but come to the Lord with all your jagged wounds, black bruises, and running sores. He alone can heal, and He delights to do it. It is our Lord's office to bind up the broken-hearted, and He is gloriously at home at it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, to have "the Word of Christ" always dwelling inside of us:
in the memory, never forgotten;
in the heart, always loved;
in the understanding, really grasped—with all the powers and passions of the mind fully submitted to its control!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our heavy troubles are heralds of weighty mercies.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer bends omnipotence of Heaven to your desire.
Prayer moves the hand that moves the world!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When one is saved . . .
the lion of anger—gives place to the lamb of meekness;
the raven of impurity—flies before the dove of holiness;
the vile serpent of deceit—is trodden under the heel of truth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is not a believer in the world who knows what a miracle it is to be kept a believer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is . . .
the lisping of the believing infant,
the shout of the fighting believer,
the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus.
A prayerless soul—is a Christless soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He is truly great—who has power over himself. "It is better to have self-control—than to conquer a city!" Proverbs 16:32

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is, perhaps, the great fault of this age that so many preach—yet preach with so little earnestness, for they do not realize the value of immortal souls! "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction!" 2 Timothy 4:1-2

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To preach the wrath of God with a hard heart, a cold lip, a tearless eye, and an unfeeling spirit—is to harden men, not benefit them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To acknowledge you were wrong yesterday—is to manifest that you are wiser today.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is never wise to create doubts—in order to show how cleverly we can quiet them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is nothing little in God. His mercy is like Himself—it is infinite. You cannot measure it. His mercy is so great, that it forgives great sins to great sinners, after great lengths of time—and then gives great favors and great privileges, and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great Heaven of the great God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Repentance is necessary. There must be this radical change which shall make you loathe what you once loved—and love what you once loathed.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My trust is not that I am holy—but that being unholy, Jesus is my righteousness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To think that before the hills were formed, or the channels of the sea were scooped out—God loved me. To think that from everlasting to everlasting-His mercy is upon His people. Is not that a consolation?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us measure ourselves by our Master, and not by our fellow-servants—then pride will be impossible.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who never felt the burden of sin—never felt the sweetness of being delivered from it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, it is a crying sin that men will not only go to Hell alone—but they must drag their children with them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The sovereign electing grace of God chooses us to repentance, to faith—and afterwards to holiness of living, to Christian service, to zeal, and to devotion.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Not all the devils in Hell, could quench the feeblest spark of grace that ever dropped into the heart of man! If God has given you faith as a grain of mustard seed—it will defy all earth and Hell, all time and eternity ever to destroy it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

True belief and true repentance are twins—it would be idle to attempt to say which is born first. As all the spokes of a wheel move at once when the wheel moves—so all the graces commence action when regeneration is wrought by the Holy Spirit. Repentance, however, there must be.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How gentle and tender ought we to be with others who are foolish—when we remember how foolish we are ourselves.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The more grace we have, the less we shall think of ourselves—for grace, like light, reveals our impurity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is one of the necessary wheels of the machinery of providence.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God measures our prayers by weight—not by length!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ must be everything! O do not rest until love and faith in Jesus are the master-passions of your soul!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If any man will preach as he should preach—his work will take more out of him than any other labor under Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Huber, the great naturalist, tells us that if a wasp discovers a deposit of honey or food—he will return to his nest and impart the good news to his comrades, who will sally forth in great numbers to partake of the fare which has been discovered for them.
Shall we who have found honey in the rock Christ Jesus, be less considerate of our fellow-men than wasps are of their fellow-insects?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What a mistake to imagine that, by hearing first one preacher and then another, we can derive benefit to our souls! More is needed than such hearing. A raven may fly from cage to cage, but it is not thereby changed into a dove. Go from room to room of the royal feast, and the sight of the tables will never stay the hunger.
The main thing is to have and hold the truth personally and inwardly. If this be not the case, the hearer will die in his sins, albeit ten thousand voices should direct him to the way of salvation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Beware, I beg you, of presuming that you are saved. If your heart is renewed; if you shall hate the things that you did once love—and love the things that you did once hate; if you have really repented; if there is a thorough change of mind in you; if you are born again—then have you reason to rejoice. But if there is no vital change, no inward godliness; if there is no love to God, no prayer, no work of the Holy Spirit—then your saying "I am saved" is but your own assertion, and it may delude you—but it will not deliver you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is an essential difference between the decease of the godly and the death of the ungodly. Death comes to the ungodly man as a penal infliction—but to the righteous as a summons to his Father's palace. To the lost sinner death is an execution—to the saint death is an undressing from his sins and infirmities. Death to the wicked is the King of terrors. Death to the saint is the end of terrors—and the commencement of glory!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ will be master of the heart, and sin must be mortified. If your life is unholy—then your heart is unchanged, and you are an unsaved person! The Savior will sanctify His people, renew them, give them a hatred of sin, and a love of holiness. The grace that does not make a man better than others—is a worthless counterfeit. Christ saves His people, not IN their sins, but FROM their sins. Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The boundless stores of Providence are engaged for the support of the believer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The axle of the wheels of the chariot of Providence is Infinite Love—and Gracious Wisdom is the perpetual charioteer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Watch constantly against those things which are thought to be no temptations. The most poisonous serpents are found where the sweetest flowers grow. Cleopatra was poisoned by an asp that was brought to her in a basket of fair flowers. Sharp-edged tools, long handled, wound at last.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let none of us be content to tarry down below in the marshland of the poor poverty-stricken religion of this present day—but let us climb the high mountains where the sun of God's grace is shining brightest—and stand there enjoying communion with Him, leaving the world.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenever you get one inch above the ground in your own esteem—you are that inch too high!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the greatness of our troubles—there is often space for the greater display of the goodness of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sanctification is the great open separator of Christians from the world!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are many prayers that it would not be right to pray in public—but they are very dear to God's ear in private.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is well to preach as I do, with my lips. But you can all preach with your feet and by your lives—and that is the most effective preaching! The preaching of holy lives is living preaching! The most effective ministry from a pulpit—is that which is supported by godliness from the pew! God help you to do this!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is the longing of the soul to hold communion with the Most High God—the desire of the heart to obtain blessings at His hands.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If Christ has saved you, obey Him! Obey Him at once, obey Him exactly, obey Him in everything—be it little, or be it great! Detailed obedience is the surest evidence that the Lord has forgiven your sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If all the thoughts of the most chaste and holy man would be unveiled to all—a life-enduring blush would crimson his cheeks!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It was a peculiarity of our Lord Jesus Christ, that His teaching was continually aimed at the hearts of men. Other teachers had been content with outward moral reformation—but He sought the source of all the evil, that He might cleanse the spring from which all sinful thoughts, words and actions come!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not think of the sinner, or of the greatness of his sin—but think of the greatness of the Savior!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some people imagine that if they read so many chapters of the Bible every day, it will be much to their profit. But it is not so, if the reading is a mere mechanical exercise. It will be far better to read a tenth as much and ponder it, and let it take possession of brain and heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All ministries must be subjected to this test—if they do not glorify Christ, they are not of the Holy Spirit.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer should be the natural outflow of the soul. You should pray because you must pray, not because the set time for praying has arrived—but because your heart must cry unto your Lord.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our afflictions may come distinctly from man, as the result of persecution or malice—and yet they come with even greater certainty from the Lord, and are the necessary outcome of His special love to us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Praise is the beauty of a Christian.
What wings are to a bird,
what fruit is to the tree,
what the rose is to the thorn—
that is praise to a child of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The greatest argument for the Bible, is a holy life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some of the rarest pearls have been found in the deepest waters. In the same way, some of the choicest utterances of believers have come from them, when God's waves and billows have been made to roll over them. The fire consumes nothing but the dross—and leaves the gold all the purer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The man who talks about his experience as a Christian, who never does anything for Christ—is, I am afraid, only an idle dreamer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men are either going to Heaven or to Hell—and it is time that we came to close grips with them about this all-important matter!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is not a more profitable instrument in all God's house, than the rod of correction!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us ask for wisdom and discretion in doing that which is right. Firmness of purpose, should be adorned with gentleness of manner in carrying it out.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You will find all true theology summed up in these two short sentences:
  Salvation is all of the Grace of God!
  Damnation is all of the will of man!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Though you are black as Hell's midnight through iniquity—yet if you will come to Christ, He is ready to cleanse you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus Christ saves sinners from the guilt, the power, the defilement and the punishment of sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That experience which a man boasts of—is an experience he ought to be ashamed of!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One hour with our God will make up for the trials of life!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The cardinal error against which the gospel of Christ has to contend, is the tendency of the human heart to rely on salvation by its works, or morality or virtues.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The poor sinner trying to be saved by his good works is like a blind horse going round and round a mill, and never getting a step further, but only being whipped continually. The faster he goes, the more work he does, the more he is tired.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There was never yet a bitter in the cup of life—but what a meditation upon Christ would overcome that bitterness and turn it into sweetness!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is disobedience which prompts us to select from the commands of Christ, which ones we care to obey.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith is not the trifle that some think it to be. This holy trust in God is the heart and soul of all true experimental godliness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God has a heavy hand for His sinning children. Other fathers may spoil their children with indulgence—but the Lord will not spoil His children. If we sin—we shall feel the weight of God's hand. We ought to thank Him for this, for though it brings great sorrow—yet it brings great safety to us.
The worst thing that can happen to a man—is to be allowed to sin and yet to be happy in it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young—let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance!" Proverbs 1:1-5
It is worthwhile to listen to what Solomon has to say—but I must remind you that a greater than Solomon is here, for the Spirit of God inspired the Proverbs! They are not merely jewels from earthly mines, but they are precious treasures from the heavenly hills! The advice we have here, is not only the counsel of a wise man, but the advice of that Incarnate Wisdom who speaks to us out of the Word of God!
Would you have heavenly wisdom? Come and sit at the feet of Solomon! Would you become spiritually wise? Come and hear what the Spirit of God has to say by the mouth of this wise man!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no school for a Christian—like that of sorrow and trial.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let me give you a little piece of advice—do not think of yourself, but think of your Lord! Or, if you must think of yourself, for every time you give an eye to self—give twice that time to Christ! Then shall your meditation of Him be sweet.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You will have sorrow enough in the ordinary way to Heaven—do not make an extra rod for your own back!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is a holy familiarity with God which cannot be too much enjoyed; but there is a flippant familiarity with God which cannot be too much abhorred!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a good fall—when a man falls on his knees.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The more a man loves God, and the more he becomes like Jesus—the more delight he takes in prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are many more flies caught with honey than with vinegar. In the same way, there are many more sinners brought to Christ by happy Christians—than by doleful Christians!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no preparation for the work of God—like being with God! Go up into the solitude with Christ and then when He calls you—you will be fit to go forth for Him and tell what you have seen with Him in the Holy Mount.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is joy in Hell—when a saint grows idle! There is gladness among devils—when we cease to pray, when we become slack in faith and feeble in communion with God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Submit your heart, like a tablet, for Him to write upon it all His instructions—and then do as He has said!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the service of God, things cannot go by the counting of heads. You must follow the Lord's will wherever it leads you—whether you go alone or not!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:14. We cannot reason with you who are dead in sin and have not received, as yet, spiritual senses. What can you know? Why should we dispute with the blind concerning colors? How can we discuss music with the deaf?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A dead thing must not be brought to the altar of God! Remember, that under the Jewish law, they never offered fish upon the altar because they could not bring it there alive. Everything brought to God as a sacrifice must be alive. Its blood must be poured out warm at the altar's foot! "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship!" Romans 12:1

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I think that the common use of the word, "Hallelujah," or, "Praise the Lord," is simply profane. Surely, this is not a word to be dragged in the mire—it should be pronounced with solemn awe and sacred joy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have heard all the news I need—when I have heard of eternal salvation by Jesus Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We long to see the people saved—but this we cannot ourselves accomplish. Change a stone into flesh? Try that at home with a piece of stone on your table—before you attempt it with the hard hearts of men! "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone—and give you a heart of flesh!" Ezekiel 36:26

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A little religion is a very dangerous thing—drink deep if you would come to the sweetness of it. It is bitter at the top—but when you drink it to the very depths, the lees thereof are the choicest cordial for a fainting spirit!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, my brethren, you will not do better, after all, than to quote Scripture, especially in prayer! There are no prayers so good as those that are full of the Word of God! May all our speech be flavored with texts!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you!" John 15:18-19
Of all the devils in the world—I hate a roaring devil least. But a flattering devil is the worst devil that ever a man meets! When the world pretends to love you—understand that it now hates you more cordially than ever and is carefully baiting its trap to catch you and ruin you!
Beware of the Judas kiss with which Christ was betrayed, and with which you will be betrayed—unless you are well upon your guard. In the world and from the world—you will have tribulation! "Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you." 1 John 3:13

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ and His Gospel will always be spoken against. If you know a gospel which is approved by the age and patronized by the learned—that gospel is a lie!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you think that your prayers are only broken words, hideous moans and wretched desires—then you begin to form a right estimate of them, and thus you are on true ground where the Lord of truth can meet you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord is King. His will is not to be questioned! His every Word is Law. Let us never question His Sovereign right to decree whatever He pleases, and to fulfill the decree.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A politician is often one who has learned the art of concealing his thoughts—or who expresses opinions which he trusts will be in accordance with those of his constituency!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Read the New Testament impartially—and you will always find that those who were baptized were believers.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I wish we had more Marys who would break the alabaster box of precious ointment upon His dear head! Oh, for a little extravagance of love, a little fanaticism of affection for Him—for He deserves ten thousand times more than the most ardent Christian ever dream of rendering!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Try to cheer another heart—and you will find this to be the best way to cheer your own.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A church is a soul-saving company—or it is nothing!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are, in truth, but two denominations upon this earth: the Church—and the world; those who are justified in Christ Jesus—and those who are condemned in their sins.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows—this he will also reap!" Galatians 6:7. Sin and sorrow are wedded in the very nature of things—and there is no dividing them. Those who sow iniquity—shall reap the same. Turn as it may, the river of wickedness at last falls into the sea of wrath!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters." Psalm 23:2. There are green meadows and there are still waters, but I believe they are mostly to be found in the places where trials most abound!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All things are ordained of God and are settled by Him, according to His wise and holy predestination. Whatever happens here on earth—happens not by chance, but according to the counsel of the Most High! The acts and deeds of men below, though left wholly to their own wills, are the counterpart of that which is written in the purpose of Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Blessed is that man who is done with chance, who never speaks of luck—but believes that from the least, even to the greatest, all things are ordained by the Lord. We dare not leave out the least event! The creeping of an aphid upon a rosebud is as surely arranged by the decree of Providence—as the march of a pestilence through a nation! Believe this, for if the least is omitted from the supreme government, so may the next be, and the next, until nothing is left in the divine hands. There is no place for chance, since God fills all things.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One sin is the decoy or magnet for another sin, and draws it on. One cannot tell, when he begins to descend this slippery slide, how quickly and how far he may go!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many get good from the minister—and yet they never let him know of it! This is not doing unto others—as you would have them do unto you. It is rather like cheating us of the reward of our ministry. To know that God is blessing us, is a great comfort and stimulus. Do not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the corn!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I bear my witness that some of the best things I have ever learned from mortal lips—I have learned from bedridden saints!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the devil would come in the shape of a devil—he would do little mischief. But he assumes the character of an angel of light-and that is why he causes us so much sin and sorrow!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Inconsistent professors are the greatest stumbling blocks to the spread of the cause of Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every child of God is born-again with a tear in his eyes. Dry-eyed faith is not the faith of God's elect. He who rejoices in Christ—at the same time mourns for sin! Repentance is joined to faith by loving bonds, as the Siamese twins are united in one.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some young converts imagine that as soon as they believe in Christ and find peace with God, they will be perfect and have no more sin within them. Such an erroneous idea will only prepare them for a great disappointment, for conversion is not the end of the battle with sin—it is only the beginning of that battle. From the moment that a man is saved—he begins his life-long struggle against his inbred sins.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Mere professors are very pleased if they can get some minister to say that some of Christ's commands are non-essential and unimportant! Ah, dear friends, he is a traitor to his Master if he dares to teach that anything that Christ says is unimportant!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Obedience to the will of God is the pathway to perpetual honor and everlasting joy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"It is better to take refuge in the LORD, than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD, than to trust in princes." Psalm 118:8-9. Man is a mere shadow! We have scarcely time to say that we are—before we are not! Are we not foolish if we place our reliance upon such a feeble creature, so weak that his breath, his unsubstantial breath, is essential to his life? Who are you, O man, that trusts in man? If you have half a grain of wisdom left, how can you leave the ever-living God and put your reliance upon a poor creature who is as the grass—who today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven? Go, rest on a broken reed, or ride on a moth, or build on a bubble; but do not rely on man!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Ah, who can tell the difference between the skull of the learned and the skull of the ignorant—when the worm has emptied them both?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Death will come, even to the Christian—but all that death can do is open the door to admit him into still fuller enjoyment of that which was already his!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God does not need your strength—He has more than enough power of His own! He asks for your weakness—He has none of that, Himself, and He is longing, therefore, to take your weakness and use it as the instrument in His own mighty hand! Will you not yield your weakness to Him—and receive His strength?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

These are days when we need men of principle—men who can put their foot down and keep it down—men who cannot be turned aside. They call this firmness, "bigotry." It is, however, only another name for Christian manliness! If you dare to do right and face a frowning world—you shall have God's commendation, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It happens to the persecuted Church, as to Israel in Egypt, "The more they afflicted them—the more they multiplied." Probably the Church of God has never had better times, certainly she has never had happier times—than during periods of persecution. Those were the days of her purity and, consequently, her glory. When she has been in the dark—God has been her light. When she has been driven to and fro by the cruelties of men—then has she most effectually rested under the shadow of the Almighty!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

May we never dare to tone down the more severe parts of the Gospel and flatter men in their sins—for if we do this, God will mete out to us a portion with the condemned! If we have rocked their cradles by our smooth speech—then their eternal ruin shall lie at our door!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you imagine that you are out of gunshot—there is an enemy close at hand.
When you dream that the road is safe—there is a pitfall just before you.
When you say, "I am perfectly holy," the very pride that makes you say so is an indication of a deadly cancer of self-righteousness that is eating into your very soul!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we add to our Churches by becoming worldly, or by taking in people who have never been born again—then our increase is worth nothing at all—it is a loss rather than a gain! If we add to our Churches otherwise than by the power of the Spirit of God making men new creatures in Christ Jesus—the increase is of no worth whatever!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no limit to the malice and impudence of the human heart!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Believe in prayer—and you will pray believingly.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no whisper of hope for a dying sinful man—in the hard and stony doctrine of salvation by works!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The wealth of the Church, lies in the power of prayer!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a dangerous thing for some people to be made much of in this world—for their heads soon get turned and they begin to think too much of themselves. He who thinks that he is somebody—is nobody. He whose head swims because of his elevation—will soon have it broken because of his tumbling down from his lofty position.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A bloodless, Christless Gospel is only fit for the dunghill—for it neither honors God nor converts men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you!" Such praise is not for good soldiers of Jesus Christ! If the enemy begins to love one of the king's generals—then the king may half suspect that his general is turning traitor. God save us from such treachery!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All our infirmities, whatever they are—are just opportunities for God to display His gracious work in us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sorrow ceases to be sorrow—when once there is in the heart a sweet sense of the infinite love of Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you have read the Bible through a score of times, you may have only walked over the surface—or plowed, at most, the upper soil. If you take one passage and dig deep for the treasure that couches beneath—you will find it inexhaustible! This Book has in it a matchless fullness. It were as possible to measure space, or to grasp the infinite in the hollow of your hands—as to comprehend the entire compass of Holy Scripture.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It has been well said that the angels excel in strength—but the saints excel in their weakness. When we are most weak, and Christ strengthens us—then are the most excellent virtues produced. "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak—then I am strong!" 2 Corinthians 12:10

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a mark of wonderful transformation in the character of some men—when their heart begins to go a little outside their own ribs, and they can feel for the sorrow of other men!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The friendship of the world, is not helpful to a holy heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin is the mother of unnumbered griefs!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Be merciful unto me a sinner," is the prayer you must learn to pray—if you hope to enter the Kingdom of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not imagine that God will give you a life without difficulties! Tell me, if you can, of any child of His who ever had such a portion? He had one Son without sin—but no son without sorrow. No, that Son who had no sin, was the Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief. Just so, you must expect the Lord to deal with you as He does with the rest of His household.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Leave your character with God—it is safe there. Men may throw mud at it, but it will never stick long on a true believer. It shall soon come off—and you shall be the more glorious for men's slander.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O Sir, I do not know what your trial is. But your heavenly Father does; and if He loved you when you were ungodly, will He cast you away now that He has shed His love abroad in your heart?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Even in a godly household where the atmosphere of piety abounds—sin will grow up in the child as naturally as weeds grow in a garden that is left to itself!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We must always remember that most of the miracles of Christ, are symbols and emblems of the spiritual and moral miracles that He works in the the hearts of men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith in Christ is not the reception of a dry, dead orthodoxy. Saving faith is not the mere reception of a creed or form of any kind.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a horrible thing for any man to be content—while he is under God's wrath and in danger of eternal destruction!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We do not repent in order to be saved—but we repent because we are saved. We do not loathe sin and, therefore, hope to be saved—but, because we are saved, we therefore loathe sin and turn altogether from it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Give your heart so fully up to Jesus, my beloved brethren, that you are altogether separated from this world! Be not, I beg you, conformed to this world!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am sure our Lord Jesus Christ does not want His ministers to deliver magnificent orations, with long and elaborate sentences in them. He wants them to just come and talk as He talked, in all simplicity—so that the very poorest and most illiterate of their hearers may understand their meaning, embrace the truths of God they proclaim and find everlasting life in Him of whom they speak.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing but your sin and misery, can ever stir His mercy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"But," says one, "are we not to have amusements?" Yes, you many have such amusements as you can partake of in the fear of God. You may do whatever Jesus would have done.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Ah, take Jesus for your theme, sit down and consider Him. Think of His relation to your own soul—and you will never get through that one subject!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our blessed Lord is to be imitated by us in that He frequently sought and enjoyed retirement with God. His was a very busy life. He had much more to do than you and I have—yet He found abundant time for private prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The queen of Sheba, in coming to Solomon—did not have anything like the inducements which are put before you in coming to Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We have heard of cases of insanity in which persons have swallowed ashes, eaten earth, devoured pins and needles and all sorts of strange things. That is only a feeble emblem of the absolute insanity of the unregenerate heart!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ did not come merely to be an example. When we are dead in trespasses and sins—of what use can His example be to us?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That there are two ways in which men shall be made to bow the knee before God. Some of them will bow shall bow joyfully before Him—when they shall feel the power of His grace. Others will bow unwillingly-when they shall feel the weight of His iron rod.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If Moses had his cleft in the rock where he could see the back parts of his God—then we also have had our clefts in the rock where we have seen the full splendors of the Godhead in the Person of Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not think that God's people often go astray in the most difficult cases—for they do take them to the Lord in prayer. It is in simple matters that we make our greatest blunders—because we think we know what to do and, therefore, we do not wait upon the Lord for guidance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In prayer, God does not care so much about the accuracy of your terms—as the earnestness of your soul. There is no other place where the heart should be so free, as before the Mercy Seat. There, you may talk out your very soul, for that is the best prayer that you can present. That which the Holy Spirit has made you to hunger and to thirst for—ask you for that.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Why must we have a severe sickness or affliction in order to drive us to God and bring us to our knees? We must go to God in every time of peril and trouble—even in the minor trials and difficulties of life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Great Lord and Master, show me what You would have me do—and give me grace and strength to do it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Well, my brethren, whenever you put your hand to your brow and say, concerning anything revealed in the Scriptures, "I cannot comprehend it"—then lay your other hand upon your heart and say, "Nevertheless I believe it. It is clearly taught in the Bible, and though my reason may find it difficult to explain it—yet I lay my reason down at my Infallible Master's feet, and trust where I cannot see."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand!" Psalm 16:11
I find that words are but poor things to describe such a theme as this. I wish that I could more worthily speak of this "fullness of joy" in God's presence.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"You are my portion, O Lord!" Psalm 119:57. The Lord Himself is the portion of His people! The Lord is our portion and He is such a portion as excels everything else that we might have! "God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!" Psalm 73:26

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If this grandest of all possessions—the possession of God Himself—does not seem to you to be pre-eminently desirable, it is because your eyes are blinded and your heart is dead to the things of God and you are in "the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God's promises are often so little studied by His people, that they are like a great bunch of rusty keys until we really need them! And then we turn them over and we say, of some particular promise, "That just meets my case! Blessed be the name of the Lord, it must have been made on purpose for me!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O disciples of Jesus, watch and pray, and seek to be like your Master! Pray to be kept from the evil which is in the world. If men despise you, count that as part of the bargain upon which you have entered—a bargain which shall, in due season, fill you with eternal bliss!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is a wondrous unity of plan and design in all that God does—but there is also an equally marvelous variety.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The living child of God is as powerless as the dead sinner—apart from the constant indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the constant inflowing of the divine Life into his soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God is altogether above our comprehension—and none of us can speak of Him as He deserves to be spoken of!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is a royalty in a Christian . . .
 which persecution cannot burn out,
 which shame cannot crush,
 which poverty cannot root up!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There may be an evil spirit in yonder bottle, but nobody will get drunk upon it if you keep the cork in! In the same way, there may be evil thoughts in your hearts, but they will not injure other people if you do not, as it were, draw the cork by uttering them! It is always well to think twice before you speak once! "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry!" James 1:19

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Mohammed may conquer by the sword—but Christ conquers by the sword which comes out of His mouth, that is, the Word of the Lord! His empire is one of love—not of force and oppression. He subdues men, but He does it by His own gentleness and kindness, never by breaking them in pieces and destroying them upon a gory battlefield.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus cannot love His redeemed people more. "Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end!" John 13:1

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus is . . .
Hell's terror,
Heaven's delight
and earth's hope!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We consider the heathen to be very foolish for worshiping their hideous idols. Yet to be an idolater, a man need not make an image of wood, or stone, or gold—for he can worship his own thoughts, his own ideas, his own notions.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are no set times for prayer—one hour is as good as any other for coming to the Throne of grace. Whenever the Spirit of God inclines the heart to pray, the ear of God is open to hear our supplications.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As for religious forms and ceremonies, musical performances, ornate rituals, masses and the like—they are sheer deceptions through and through! Trust not the weight of a feather to them—much less your souls.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is idle to talk of praying about things which are clearly according to the will of God. Cease praying about them, and practice them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I hate oratory from my very soul! To speak His truth clearly and simply, is all I aim at. So, if you want the beauties of rhetoric, you must seek them elsewhere.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A prayer without Christ in it, will never reach Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is toleration for everybody who conforms to the fashion of the day—but no toleration for anyone who believes that the laws of Heaven should regulate life on earth. In a free country like this, you may be almost anything that you like—except a Christian. There is no liberty for you and you will find that the dogs of Hell will bark at you because you are a stranger and a foreigner in this world!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God may be as much glorified by a weeping Jeremiah—as by an eagle-winged Ezekiel!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Be satisfied that God is infinitely above you and that you can no more comprehend Him—than your hand can hold the ocean, or your fingers grip the sun! If there were no mysteries in our holy faith, we might well believe that it was devised by men like ourselves—for, if men could fully understand it, men might have invented it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have heard of ministers who can preach a sermon without mentioning the name of Jesus from beginning to end. If you ever hear such a sermon as that—mind that you never hear another from that man!
If a baker once made me a loaf of bread without any flour in it, I would take good care that he would never do so again. And I say the same of the man who can preach a Christless Gospel!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There will always be a marked distinction between the children of God—and the seed of the serpent!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you read one of the promises, you say, "Ah, this is indeed precious!" Yet, remember that what our Lord has revealed in His Word—is but a fraction of what He has not said! He has said many rich things—but there are still richer things. He has not said them, He cannot say them—because they are not sayable, they are unutterable, they cannot be declared—at least, not at present. When you get to Heaven, you will hear them—but you cannot hear them here.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is often a wonderful relief to be able to tell out your grief, to pull up the sluices and let the waters of sorrow run away. If no one but God shall hear it—if no human ear should listen to your complaining—yet it is a very sweet thing to unburden your heart. You are sure to be heard, Beloved, if you pour out your heart before the God that hears prayer! "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I can never understand how a so-called "priest" can ask people to confess their sins to him. I would not make my ear into a common sewer for all the wealth in the world! What foulness there must be on the soul of him who has heard what others have done, and who knows what sin he has himself committed! Sin, when we see what it really is, whether in ourselves or in others, horrifies us!
There is an old proverb about a thing being "as filthy as a priest's ear." I cannot imagine anything dirtier than that, and I have no wish to be a partaker in the filthiness. Go to God and confess your sin to Him—pour out your heart's sad story in the ear of Him against whom you have offended! Say with David, "Against You, You only, have I sinned—and done this evil in Your sight!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You will not pray in Heaven—there it will be all praise!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The greater my necessities—the deeper is my sense of Christ's fullness! The more I become dependent upon Him for everything—the more I see of His all-sufficiency!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No one by faith plunges into the crystal Fountain of perfect cleansing—without first lamenting the filthiness which needs to be removed!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a fine thing, when you are slandered, not to hear it. And it is a better thing to never reply to it. I have always tried to have one deaf ear and one blind eye. I believe that the deaf ear is the better ear, and the blind eye is by far the more useful of the two. Do not remember the injury that is done to you—try to forget it and pass it over. Do not go about the world determined to grasp every red-hot iron that any fool holds out before you. Let it alone! It will be for your own good and for God's glory to be very patient under the slander of the wicked.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would choose my Heaven to be a Heaven of everlasting weeping for sin, sooner than have a Heaven—if such a Heaven could be—consisting of perpetual laughing at the mirth of fools!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My Lord Mayor is not more proud of his badge and gold chain—than many a crossing sweeper is of his ragged trousers! Pride can live upon a dunghill—as well as upon a throne!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you cannot save men—you can weep over them. If you cannot give them a drop of cold water in Hell, you can give them your heart's tears while they are still on earth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The principal business of any minister of Christ, is to bear testimony to the sufferings of Christ. If the atoning sufferings of Christ are left out of a ministry—that ministry is worthless!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is no new thing that we should be made a laughing-stock to the enemies of the Cross of Christ—because we cannot live as we have formerly done. "They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you!" 1 Peter 4:4

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Get down to spiritual poverty and beggary—for that is the only way to attain to spiritual riches.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It has been said long ago, that it is the highest wisdom for a man to know himself—but I disagree. The first, the highest, the best of all wisdom—is for a man to know his God. As for himself, he is but a speck, an atom, a nothing. If he truly attains a knowledge of God, he will afterwards know himself in the best possible way.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am not so blindly wedded to any denomination whatever, that I would cling to the denomination if it did not cleave to Christ! "Follow the Lamb wherever He goes."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The devil himself has orthodox beliefs. He believes—and trembles. He is as orthodox as many very learned divines. As far as the mere statement of theology is concerned, I could trust the devil to draw up a creed. I believe he is thoroughly sound, and that he knows a great deal more about God's Word than most of us do. He can quote it correctly when he pleases, although he is also an adept at misquoting it for his own ends.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A conscience void of offense toward God and men—is a fountain of courage and the source of great strength.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The very dust which flies down our streets, was, much of it, once alive as part of the body of one of our forefathers! This earth is, indeed, a huge morgue! What was it that slew all these people and dug all these graves? It was SIN, for, "sin, when it is finished, brings forth death." It is no small thing that has worked all this mischief among mankind!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a good thing when the Christian, even though he has but little, can say, "I have not only enough—but I have a little to spare for others who have less than I have."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" is the verdict of humanity even upon the perfections of the Incarnate God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To be a true Christian, is something higher and nobler than simply sitting in our pews twice on Sunday, or even teaching in a Sunday school or giving away tracts. It is the laying of one's whole self upon the altar—offering your body, soul and spirit as a living sacrifice unto God, which is our reasonable service—so that, whether we live or whether we die, we live or die for Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Live unto God in everything!
Let your common utterances be a part of a great life-Psalm!
Let your whole being be as a burnt-offering ascending unto the Most High, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ! Oh, for the power of the Spirit of God to help you to do this!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If it had not been for His eternal plan whereby He purposed to give grace to the guilty—the whole race of mankind would have been left, like the fallen angels, without hope and without mercy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you do not hate every sin—you do not, with all your heart, hate any sin. They must all go. Sin, as sin, is to be abhorred, repented of and practically abandoned in your life. Oh, may God help you to make sure work of your repentance! Make no profession of faith if you have not real faith—and have no repentance at all rather than sham repentance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best messengers to find Christ, are the penitent tears of His saints. Tears act on divine mercy, like the magnet on the needle. The tears of the Christian, find the heart of God. Go after your Master with wet eyes—and He will soon come to you. There is a sacred connection between Christ and weeping eyes, for it is Christ's office to wipe the mourner's eyes. Whenever He sees you weeping, His fingers are eager to be wiping them. He must wipe them. He cannot bear to see the tears and, if He wipes them, He must come to you. So, the surest way to find Him—is to seek Him sorrowing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have studied the Psalms, not only by the hour, and by the day—but sometimes by the month, together. Some of these Psalms have been the pillow for my head at night. Others of them, like wafers made of honey, have lain in my mouth until I have sucked their divine sweetness out of them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We can never imagine all the depths of Hell. Shut out from us by a black veil of darkness—we cannot fathom the horrors of that dismal dungeon of lost souls. Happily, the wailings of the damned have never startled us, for a thousand tempests were but a maiden's whisper—compared with one wail of a damned spirit. It is not possible for us to see the tortures of those souls who dwell eternally within an anguish that knows no alleviation. Our eyes would become sightless balls of darkness, if they were permitted for an instant to look into that ghastly shrine of torment. Hell is horrible, for we may say of it, eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man to conceive the horrors which God has prepared for them that hate him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As a man lives and dies—so will he be throughout eternity. The drunkard here will have all a drunkard's thirst there without the means of gratifying it. The swearer here will become a yet more ripe and proficient blasphemer. Death does not change, but fixes character—it petrifies it. "He who is holy—let him be holy still; he who is filthy—let him be filthy still." The lost man remains a sinner and a growing sinner, and continues to rebel against God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We know that when impenitent sinners are gathered at the last, their characters will be the same. They were filthy here—they will be filthy still. Here on earth their sin was in the bud—in Hell it will be full-blown. If they were bad here—they will be worse there. Here they were restrained by providence, by company, by custom—there, there will be no restraints, and Hell will be a world of sinners at large, a land of outlaws, a place where every man shall follow out his own heart's most horrible inclinations. Who would wish to be with them?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Scripture does not speak of the fire of Hell as chastening and purifying—but as punishment which men shall receive for deeds done in the body. They are to be visited with many stripes, and receive just recompense for transgressions. What can there be about Hell-fire to change a man's heart? Surely the more the lost will suffer—the more will they hate God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I cannot fathom what will be the development of an unregenerate character in Hell, but I am certain it will be something which my imagination dares not now attempt to depict, for all the restraints of this life which have kept men decent and moral will be gone when they come into the next world of sin; and as Heaven is to be the perfection of the saint's holiness—so Hell will be the perfection of the sinner's loathsomeness, and there will he discover, and others will discover, what sin is when it comes to its worst.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O you impenitent, in Hell there shall come to your eyes a tear which shall drip forever—a scalding drop which no mercy shall ever wipe away;
a thirst that shall never be abated;
a worm that shall never die; and
a fire that shall never be quenched!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are two flaming jewels of Jehovah's crown which shall be terribly seen in Hell; His wrath and His power. "What if God, willing to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering, the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction?"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you do not really pray—do not pretend to pray. If you have no experience of the things of God—do not talk as if you had. To be a liar anywhere is hateful—but to lie in religion is the most abominable form of lying that can be!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I suggest to you this prayer, "Lord, show me the worst of my case. Put me in the place where I ought to be. Make me to feel and know what I really am—and then, my Lord, break my heart if it never was broken, and heal it if it is broken. Empty me of myself and bring me to Yourself. Turn me upside down until the last drop of my self-sufficiency runs out even to the dregs—and then pour in the fullness of Your grace in Christ Jesus until I am filled even to the brim."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ laid down His life, His glorious life—for sinful worms! He stripped Himself of all His splendors, then of all His happiness, then of His own righteousness, then of His own robes until He was naked to His own shame! And then He laid down His life—that was all He had left—for our Savior had not kept anything back.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When a man who professes to be converted says that he goes into the world, and into sin, for pleasure—it is as if an angel went to Hell for enjoyment!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The people of God are a pilgrim race—strangers and sojourners in the world. If you are a true believer in Christ, you will be sure to be noticed, questioned, quizzed, criticized, caricatured, misrepresented. Never mind all that—it is the lot of all the holy seed, and the citizens of Zion must expect such treatment until the Lord Himself shall come.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All our sins were drowned in the Red Sea of our Savior's blood!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If God were to make it an absolute rule that He would grant all our requests—it might be a curse rather than a blessing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We shall best bear our own sufferings—when we find fellowship with Christ in them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Yes, brethren, God hears our sighs even if we cannot hear them ourselves! When we think we have not prayed at all—we have often prayed the best! When we imagine that our groans have been empty—they have often been the fullest! He hears the grief—when the grief has no voice. He hears the sorrow—when the sorrow cannot find a tongue.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ is never rightly valued—until we see ourselves to be utterly valueless! Low thoughts of self—make high thoughts of Christ. Lord, awake us to know what we are—for then shall we begin to see the glories of Your Son!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Aaron remained silent when his two sons died. He got as far as that in submission to the will of the Lord. But it will be better still if, instead of simply remaining silent—you can bless and praise and magnify the Lord even in your sharpest trouble! Oh, may you be divinely helped to do so!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are none so fit to comfort others—as those who have once needed comfort themselves.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I can scarcely conceive it possible for any man to be a true saint, a holy man, one who is set apart unto God and sanctified in Christ Jesus—unless he is reproached while on earth for being too strict, too Puritan, or perhaps sometimes too melancholy.
There must be a grave distinction between a Christian—and a man of the world; and where there is no such distinction, or only a slight one—there is most solemn cause for suspicion that all is not right!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayers and praises alike—must ascend to God through the merit of Christ's atoning Sacrifice.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Beloved, it is only in proportion as we hold fellowship with Christ and commune with Him—that either ordinances, or doctrines, or promises can profit us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let there be no mistake concerning this matter—you cannot be children of God and live in filthy sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Great gifts require great graces to go with them—or else they become a temptation and a snare.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who would be able to spell perfection in mortal language, must read the Bible through, for he will find it perfect in all its parts—perfectly true, perfectly free from all error, perfect in everything that is necessary for man to know, perfect in all that can guide us to bliss, perfect in all that can warn us of dangers along the road.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our Lord Jesus, in whom was no sin, was slandered when He was upon the earth—and His Apostles and followers in all ages have had the same treatment!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Half-hearted prayers ask for a denial—and usually get it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Thoughts are the eggs of sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The true saint is so completely satisfied with the all-sufficiency of Jesus that he thirsts no more, except it be for deeper draughts of the living fountain!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a great mistake to make a division between what is "sacred" and what is "secular" in a Christian's life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The greatest joy of a Christian—is to give joy to Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ came to save His people from their sins—not in them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I see God in everything—from the creeping of an aphid upon a rosebud—to the fall of a dynasty! I believe that God is in the earthquake and the whirlwind—but I believe Him to be equally in the gentlest zephyr and in the fall of the dried-up leaf from the oak of the forest. Blessed is that man to whom there exists nothing in which he cannot see the presence of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Submission is not enough—we must go on to joyful acquiescence in the will of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The gate of Heaven, though it is so wide that the greatest sinner may enter—is, nevertheless, so low that pride can never pass through it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is nothing but wickedness, whatever form it assumes—when we attempt to resist the will of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The precepts of the Lord are so broad—that they touch the secret imaginations of the heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are to take care not to do what appears wrong in the sight of others, so as to lead them astray. We are not to be judged by other men's consciences—but, at the same time, we are not to lead others to offend. As far as we can possibly do it, we must seek to cut off those things that are likely to do injury to others.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not be ashamed of confessing your past folly. I think a man who says, "I was wrong," really says, in effect, "I am a little wiser, today, than I was yesterday." But he who never admits that he has made a mistake and who claims that he has always been in the right, has evidently never made much growth in knowledge of himself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In prayer, your mouth is in the best position, when it is in the dust—and your heart is nearest to prevailing with God, when it is bowed even to the ground. "Out of the depths have I cried unto You, O Lord," should be the language with which we humbly approach His Throne of grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have heard it said that there are certain truths in God's Word which it is better for us not to preach. It is admitted that they are true, but it is alleged that they are not edifying. I will not agree to any such plan! This is just going back to old Rome's method. Whatever it has seemed good to God's wisdom to reveal—it is wise for God's servants to proclaim.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Human words of description, at best, are such poor things—that they stagger under the mighty burden of the perfections of Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." John 15:19
Remember, my brethren, whoever you may be, that if there is no distinction between you and the world around you—then you may be certain that you are of the world. For, there must always be some marks in the children of God to distinguish them from the rest of mankind—so that we can contrast them with the ungodly. There is a something in them which is not to be found in the best worldling. Something which is not to be discovered in the most admirable carnal man. A something in their character which can be readily perceived and which marks them as belonging to another and higher race, the twice-born, the elect of God, eternally chosen by Him—and, therefore, made to be choice ones through the effectual working of His grace.
"I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world." John 17:14

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Ah, dear friends, our complaints of God are generally groundless! A child who is feeling the strokes of the rod is very foolish to say, "My father has forgotten me." No, those very blows, under which he is smarting, are reminders that his father does not forget him. In the same way, child of God, your trials and your troubles, your depressions and your sorrows are tokens that you are not forgotten by God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God never violates the human will—though He sweetly constantly and effectually influences it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Gospel is very precious to those of us who know its power—but, beyond all question, Christ Himself is even more precious than His Gospel. It is delightful to read any promise of the Scriptures—but it is more delightful to come into communion with the faithful Promiser.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have heard of the "christening" of babies—that is an idle superstition and a perversion of Christ's ordinance of believer's baptism. But I do believe in the Christening of everything a Christian touches! Make it all Christ-like by doing everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, as the Apostle Paul says, "Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Thus engrave His name upon the palms of your hands.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When I see our young men and young women full of zeal for God's glory, I say, "God bless them! Let them go ahead." Some of the old folk want to put a bit in the mouths of these fiery young steeds and to hold them in—but I trust that I shall always be on their side and say, "No, let them go as fast as they like. If they have zeal without knowledge—it is a deal better than having knowledge without zeal! Only wait a bit and they will get all the knowledge they need."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This is the very essence of true religion—personally living with a personal Savior, personally trusting a personal Redeemer, personally crying out to a personal Intercessor and receiving personal answers from a Person who loves us and who manifests Himself to us as He does not unto the world.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not be anxious preserving your reputation. Be content to let your name and fame be blown away by the same wind that blew it to you. What does your reputation matter, after all? It is nothing but the opinion or the breath of men—and that is of little or no value to the child of God. Serve God faithfully—and then leave your name and fame in His keeping. There is a day coming when the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, for a burst of sunlight from the face of Christ! Then would the shadows of today soon fly away! Those who have never seen Him, may love modern novelties and falsehoods—but if they have beheld His face and have been won by His charms, they will hold that He is infinitely to be preferred to all the trinkets and inventions of men!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There would be much more persecution than there is—if there were more real Christians. But we have become so like the world, that the world does not hate us as it once did. If we would be more holy, more true, more Christ-like, more godly—we would soon hear all the dogs of Hell baying with all their might against us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is well to praise the Lord for His mercy when you are in health—but make sure that you do it when you are sick, for then your praise is more likely to be genuine. There is no music sweeter than the nightingale's—and she praises God by night.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God's holy ones should be happy ones! No man has so much right to be happy—as he who is holy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What are men's thoughts, after all—but vanity educed from vanity? But the Word of the Lord endures forever—it shall abide when even Heaven and earth shall pass away!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Overcome the world by patiently enduring all the persecution that falls to your lot. Jests break no bones, and if you had any bone broken for Christ's sake—it would be the most honored one in your whole body!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Remember, brethren, that when we have once repented, we do not leave off repenting—for penitence is a grace that is as long-lived as faith! And as long as we are capable of believing, we shall also necessarily need to repent—for we shall always be sinning.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We would be much more peaceful—if we did but do our God the justice of trusting Him at all times, for He can never fail us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There can never be any reasonableness in our dreaming that there is in us any cause for pride.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

True religion is sanctified common sense. Attention to the things of Heaven, does not necessitate the neglect of the affairs of earth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I cannot tell how God's Spirit so influences our mind, that the sin which once seemed to fascinate and charm us—loses all its attractions and delights.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Free thinking and free living—these are the desires of ungodly men. But when the grace of God has renewed the heart, the soul finds its true freedom in obedience to Christ's commands, and its best thinking while sitting at the feet of Jesus to observe His gracious Words. "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers!" Psalm 1:1

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We cannot remember His death, without sorrowing over our sin which made that death necessary.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God made the world without any suffering—but He could not redeem even one soul, without agonies unknown.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Mirth and merriment may do you untold harm—unless they are sanctified by the Word of God and prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe, my brothers, that if we preach Christ Crucified with crucified hearts—if we set forth Christ with earnest longing that men may see Him, they will see Him. "Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no sin which you have committed which the blood of Christ cannot wash out—if you believe in Him! Though you were even red with murder, black with blasphemy and covered from head to foot with the filthiness of impurity—yet, on your believing in Jesus, you will be made, then and there, as white as snow! There is no sinner too guilty for the Lord to forgive—when he trusts the Savior's Sacrifice on Calvary.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is only a pure heart that loves the pure Word of the Lord! So, if you love the Word of God because of its purity—it is an argument that your heart has been renewed by grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I grow angry, I confess it, when I hear some men speak of Christ. I love my Lord so well, that I must boil over with indignation when His name is taken in vain.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The first thing to do, when the throat is clear after an illness—is to sing praises to God! The first thing to do, when the eyes are brightened again—is to look up to the Lord with thankfulness and gratitude.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What is the present world, after all—but a fleeting show, an empty dream? But the future world is eternal and incorruptible, reserved in Heaven, where there are pleasures forevermore!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I think that one of the worst enemies of the Gospel of Christ, at the present time, is to be found in the fiction books of the day. People get these worthless books and sit, and sit—forgetful of the duties of this world, and of all that relates to the world to come—just losing themselves in the story of the hero or heroine.
I have seen them shedding tears over things that never happened, as if there were not enough real sorrows in the world for us to grieve over!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It needs a holy man, to give thanks at the remembrance of a holy God. Lost sinners hate holiness because they dread holiness—but the saints love holiness because they have no cause to dread it and because, on the other hand, it has become a fountain of comfort and joy to them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin hardens the heart. Every sin makes room for another sin. It is always easier to sin again, after you have sinned once.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who counts the brilliant stars—also numbers the very hairs of our head!
He never fails to hear the heart-lispings of His redeemed people.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is always best for us, if there is anything to be said in our praise—not to say it ourselves, but to let somebody else say it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly!" Romans 5:6. Fellow believers, it not an astonishing thing that God so loved us that He gave His only-begotten Son to die for our sins! He gave His Son for you! It is as though one bartered a diamond—to buy a common pebble from the street; or gave away an empire—to purchase some foul thing not worthy of being picked off a dunghill! Yet we are persuaded that He did it, and that the love of God is most clearly to be seen in the fact that He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die instead of us! "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us!" Romans 5:8

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we regard salvation as a means of only lifting up our race from its fall and putting it among the princes, we have made a mistake. We must remember that God's glory is a greater object even than man's salvation. Not so much to save us, did God give His Son—as to honor Himself and to glorify His Son! And we must always remember that the Gospel has for its chief aim, the display and glory of all the attributes of the divine Being.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I must confess that I am more afraid of life than of death.
"Oh," says one, "but dying is such hard work."
Do you think so? Why, dying is the end of work—it is living that is hard work!
I am not so much afraid of dying, as I am of sinning—that is ten times worse than death!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ's Cross is our crown! We have fallen in love with it and we gladly bear it for His sake. The very hardships that we endure in connection with Christ's Kingdom, have become a joy to us! While, as for His glory—that is now our honor; and, as for Himself—He is our Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When I look upon this great assembly of people, I think to myself: there will be many here to whom these chapters that we have read out of Solomon's Song will seem very strange. Of course they will, for they are meant for the inner circle of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ! This sacred Canticle is almost the central Book of the Bible. It seems to stand like the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden of Eden, in the very center of the Paradise of God. You must know Christ and love Christ—or else many of the expressions in this Book will seem to you but as an idle tale!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward." Matthew 6:2
It is always best for us, if there is anything to be said in our praise, not to say it ourselves—but to let somebody else say it. Brother, if your trumpeter is dead—put the trumpet away! When that trumpet needs to be blown, there will be a trumpeter found to use it—but you need never blow it yourself!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is an awful thing to contemplate what it would be if there were no Savior—but what difference is it if there is a Savior, but men never hear of Him?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Substitutionary atonement is the brain and spinal cord of Christianity! If our Lord's bearing our sin in our place is not the gospel, I have no gospel to preach. Brethren, I have befooled you these thirty-five years—if this is not the gospel. I am a lost man—if this is not the gospel, for I have no hope beneath the canopy of Heaven, neither in time nor in eternity, save only in this belief—that Jesus Christ, in my place, bore both my punishment and sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The same sun which melts wax, hardens clay. And the same Gospel which melts some people to repentance, hardens others in their sins.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Ask, and you shall receive," is the message that shines out with heavenly radiance over the Mercy Seat. Read it, and obey it—open your mouth wide, for God will fill it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In theology, there is nothing new, that is true—and nothing true, that is new! The truth of God is as old as the everlasting hills. You may depend upon it, that there will never be any improvement upon the teaching of Christ! There have been some people who have tried to improve upon it, but they have made a signal failure of all their attempts.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If your portion is in Heaven—then it shall not be shaken when the earth rocks and reels to its very foundations. If your treasure is in Heaven—then your treasure shall not be lost.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What cause has a Christian for fear? What is there that can harm the man whom God loves? Will He allow anyone to trample on His child, or else to hurt him? No, for "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." The sun and moon and stars; the earth and the seas; wars and pestilences—all work together for good to God's dear children. Let us, therefore, cast out all fear!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are some who can talk loudly concerning the things of God, but who never seem to have had enough religion for it to have much effect upon their pockets! I will give but little for your love to Christ—if you bring Him no offering as a token of your affection.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All other miracles put together, are not equal to the miracle of the Cross! This one rises above them all and out-miracles all miracles—that God, Himself, having espoused our cause and assumed our Nature, should deign to stoop to such a depth of scorn as this!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our farmers know that earthly harvests are sometimes late—and it is the same in spiritual husbandry! Divine grace ensures the crop, but even the grace of God does not guarantee that the crop shall come up tomorrow, nor just whenever we please. So, dear friend, keep on sowing the good seed of the Kingdom of God, water it with your tears and your prayers—and then leave with God the question whether you shall see the harvest or not.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you must make an image, make it, if you will, of a serpent, or of an ox—but not of the Son of God who came on purpose to redeem us from this, among other sins! Let us not degrade His sacred Personage, by making even it to be an image before which we prostrate ourselves!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All the education in the world, all the natural talent that any possess, all the acquired practice of oratory, all the powers which are the result of long experience—can never make a good minister of Jesus Christ! Ministers are not made by men—but by the Lord, Himself, if they are worthy to be called ministers at all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Mockery is the unintentional homage which falsehood pays to truth.
Scorn is the unconscious praise which sin gives to holiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The disease of lust breeds a hunger which increases as you feed it! It engenders a thirst which becomes the more intense the more you try to satisfy it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The right way to spend the next hour—is so to spend it as if it were your last hour! May the Lord bring us into that happy condition that it shall not matter to us one single farthing, whether we live or whether we die!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man scarcely needs to be reminded that he must breathe. It is essential to his very life that he should breathe—and it is essential to our spiritual life that we should pray. I never thought it necessary to prepare a discourse to exhort you to eat—neither ought it to be necessary to exhort Christians to pray. It should be to you an instinct of your new nature, as natural to your spiritual being as a good appetite is to a man in health. There should be a holy hunger and thirst to pray.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not enough to have a Bible on the shelf—it is infinitely better to have its truths stored up within your soul. It is a good thing to carry your Testament in your pocket—it is far better to carry its message in your heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is the duty of all Christians to test the various sections of the professing church by the Word of God—and then to cast in their lot with that part which holds the truth of God most fully and clearly.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As the spokes of a wheel all meet in the axle—so all the promises of God meet in the great center of the Covenant of grace made with Christ Jesus on behalf of all His people.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Heaven is being filled with people who have believed in Jesus—and Hell is being filled with people who meant to believe in Jesus, but did not!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"I can do nothing," says one. That is true. Learn that lesson well!
But there is another lesson—remember to follow it, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Trouble, like a sharp spade, digs up the earth that is about our roots—and then we bring forth more fruit. Were it not for the thorns in our nest—we would be so content with its soft lining, that we would sit in it until we died. But the sharp thorns prick us, and then we turn our eyes aloft and learn to try our wings, ready for the time when they shall have fully grown and we shall mount to joys above!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A true prayer is the echo of the eternal purpose of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Everything of good that we enjoy, however little it may be—comes from God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When our comforts become our idols—they work our ruin. But when they make us bless God for them—then they become messengers from God which help toward our growth in divine grace. Our comforts are always safest—when they are enveloped in gratitude.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When a man once gives himself up to sin, it is like getting into a current which bears him onward where, at first, he had no thought of going. If you wade into the waters of sin—then it will not be long that you will be able to retain a foothold, and the rapid current will bear you away to your everlasting destruction!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

People would never have been saved—if the Holy Spirit had not broken down their refuges of lies.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When God writes His Law in our hearts, He writes that which will never be blotted out! Once let Him take the pen in His hand and begin to write, "Holiness unto the Lord" right across a man's heart—and the devil, himself, can never remove that sacred line!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Lukewarmness in religion is to be loathed and abandoned—for it is a gross and glaring inconsistency!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is nothing that is so soul-strengthening—as taking another look at the bronze serpent—or having another plunge in the fountain filled with blood—or feeding, once again, on the inexhaustible provision that is stored up for us in the Person of our Lord!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Go through the world, beloved, blindfolded to all but Christ—and you shall do well!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would not have you go with a lukewarm heart—even to distribute tracts! I would not have you dare to visit the sick—unless your heart is filled with love to Christ! Either put your heart into the work—or let someone else do it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O friends, if you are in trouble and do not know how to bear it, divert your thoughts by praising God! Get away from the present trial, by blessing and magnifying His holy name!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those who truly love God—greatly love His holy Word.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Lukewarmness in a church, is the devil's delight.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never be ashamed to speak up for your Lord, beloved. Never blush to acknowledge that you belong to Him. No, if you blush at all—blush with shame that you do not love Him more and serve Him better.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is God's usual way to save men by their using the means of grace—by their constantly, attentively, intensely, earnestly hearing the Word of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God has only to give you what you want, to make you feel the emptiness of it! You will generally notice that when the believer gets near to God, tastes the unseen joys and eats the Heavenly manna—all the feasts of earth, all its amusements, and all its glories seem very flat, stale, and unprofitable!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What a blessed kind of hearing that is, when a man hears with longing, wishing, hungering all the way through the sermon! When the fish are hungry—then is the time for fishing; and when souls hunger and thirst after righteousness—then is the time for preaching!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are no good works except those that spring from a living, loving, lasting faith in God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are no good works except those that spring from a living, loving, lasting faith in God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We need not wonder if those who have no knowledge of God, no Savior, no Father in Heaven—should try to get all they can out of this world, for they have no other! Well may they make gold their god—for they have no true God who can give them any pleasure or delight.
Christian, you should not be fretting and stewing about what you shall eat, or what you shall drink and how you shall be clothed! Endowed with such a noble nature, called to higher things than the heathen have ever dreamed of—do not descend to the trifles which content them, but let your spirit rise above these paltry earthly things!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The first link between my soul and Christ is . . .
 not my goodness—but my badness;
 not my merit—but my misery;
 not my standing—but my falling;
 not my riches—but my need.
He comes to visit His people, yet . . .
 not to admire their beauties—but to remove their deformities;
 not to reward their virtues—but to forgive their sins.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Remember what David said, long ago, "Cast your burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain you." But if you cast your burden upon the Lord, do not go looking after it—leave it altogether!
The fault with many of us is that when we have cast our burden upon the Lord, we beg Him to let us have it back! And if He grants our foolish request, it comes back twice as heavy as it was before. Oh, that we were wise enough to leave our troubles with our Father who is in Heaven—as little children leave things with their father! Then we shall find that He comforts us in all our tribulation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let all your care go in this direction—to serve God, to live for God, to glorify God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may cut the evil weed, self-righteousness, up—but when you think you have got to the last root of it, it will be shooting up again before you can sharpen your knife to cut it up once more! This evil thing is bred in man's nature. When you preach against it, see how men will roar at you—they cannot bear that teaching.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, to have a cheerful spirit . . .
 not the levity of the thoughtless,
 nor the gaiety of the foolish,
 nor even the mirth of the healthy.
There is a cheerful spirit which is the gift of grace—that can and does rejoice evermore. Then, when troubles come, we bear them cheerfully! Let fortune smile—we receive it with equanimity. Or let losses befall us—we endure them with resignation, being willing, so long as God is glorified, to accept anything at His hands.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let all the infidels in the world assuredly know that the Gospel will win its way—whatever they may do. Poor creatures! Their efforts to oppose it are not worthy of our notice—and we need not fear that they can stop the truth of God! As well might a gnat think to quench the sun! Go, tiny insect, and do it, if you can! You will only burn your wings and die. As well might a fly think it could drink the ocean dry. Drink the ocean, if you can—more likely you will sink in it and so it will drink you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The man who knows that his eternal future is secured by the unfailing grace of God—may forever praise the Lord who has given him life!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Ah, a religion that does not begin with secret prayer is not worth the label you put on it! A religion that is not sustained by secret prayer is a lie!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The most effective sermons are those which make opposers of the Gospel bite their lips and gnash their teeth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no going to Heaven—by following the road to Hell! There is no finding pardon—while continuing in sin. Depend upon it, Mr. Drunkard, you will not be forgiven for your drunkenness if you still go on with your drinking. Let not the immoral man imagine that he can go on with his sin and yet be forgiven. Let not the thief dream that there is any pardon for him—unless he quits his evil course and tries to make such restitution as he can to those whom he has wronged.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord knows how to put our prayers together and take all the contradictions out of them—He understands the meaning of our sighs and our groans!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You will be as surely damned by your righteousness, if you trust in it—as you will by your sins!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Dear friends, do not gaze upon any sin—for looking breeds longing, and longing begets lusting, and lusting brings sinning! Keep your eyes right—and you may keep your heart right. If that first woman had not looked upon the forbidden tree and seen "that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise," she would not have plucked and eaten of the fruit—and we would not have been the children of sorrow.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I used to think that if I once told this wondrous story of "Free grace and dying love," everybody would believe it. But I have long since learned that the heart of man is so hardened by sin—that he will sooner be damned than be saved by Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin will ruin any man. If it is not forsaken—it will eternally ruin him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I invite each one of you personally to offer this prayer, "Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity—and quicken me in Your way."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

They say when a man is sick, that it is a good thing to take him to his native place. In the same way, when a true believer's soul gets faint and unbelieving—let him breathe the air of Calvary over again!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot be a blessing to others—unless God has first blessed you. We do not encourage selfishness in anything, but we do say that you must fill your own pitcher—before another man can drink out of it. You must have bread in your own hands—before you can break it for the multitudes. It is no use for you to attempt to sow out of an empty basket—for that would be sowing nothing but wind!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When we know that our sins are forgiven—it is then that we, most of all, realize their guilt and abhor and hate them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you, dear friends, have a faith that never works for Christ, I beg you to get rid of it at once—for it will turn out to be a bastard faith! The faith that never kisses His feet—is a faith that He will tread under His feet!
We are not saved by works and faith combined, much less by works alone—but, nevertheless, the faith which saves is not a barren faith—it produces the good fruit of love and service for Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are no men who are in such danger—as the men who think they are not in any danger!
There are none so likely to sin—as those who say they cannot sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, who can describe the raptures of the dying saint—the glories of that moment when God is pleased to cut the fetters that bind us to our clay, and allows us to soar into His Presence!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Your difficulties and trials are of God's making. They are all still in the hands of the All-Powerful One to restrain, or mitigate, or increase, or direct according to His own will.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A minister is one who is diligent in his Master's business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord by endeavoring to warn men of the terrible nature and consequences of sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As for the pure and holy angels who behold the Father's face in glory—I think that their flaming swords must often be ready to start from their scabbards as they hear God's holy name profaned and see how mortal men, puny creatures as they are, dare to provoke the majesty of Heaven! If angels are capable of experiencing horror—I think they must often be horrified into burning indignation at the transgressions which they behold among men!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Without faith, it is impossible to please God." Is it not astonishing that the eternal God can ever be "pleased" with us? It is a wonderful thing, certainly, that we poor creatures should, by any means, be able to give pleasure to the infinitely-happy God—yet so we do when we trust Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If a man is oppressed, if he is slandered, if he is evil spoken of, let him just say to himself, "God will see to this. He is the Judge of all the earth, and He will certainly do right."
Do not meddle with the case yourself. Leave it in the Lord's hands.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We always learn much more by our griefs and woes, than by anything else. God has often produced in us much richer and sweeter fruit by pruning—than by any other process of His divine husbandry.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the fullness of time Jesus came, leaping over the mountains, skipping over the hills—that He might save His people! It is no unwilling Savior who has come to save you and me, beloved. Feed on that sweet truth of God. Think of the love He had to His people, which moved Him to lay aside all His glory and take upon Himself all our shame—to surrender the ineffable splendor of His Throne—to be nailed up to the shameful Cross! O brethren, there is a great feast for the soul in the love of Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not imagine that any amount of prayer will have the effect of staving off all trouble, for surely never did anyone else pray like our Lord Jesus Christ did! His agony in Gethsemane was a time of the mightiest prayer that was ever heard in Heaven—yet it was followed very closely by His death upon the Cross! You may abound in prayer, in thanksgiving, in patience and yet, for all that—all God's waves and billows may roll over you and you may be brought into the depths of soul-trouble!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I shall never be a sacrifice to God—unless my soul is nourished upon the true and living Sacrifice, Christ Jesus my Lord! To attempt sanctification apart from justification—is to attempt an impossibility! And to endeavor to lead a holy life apart from the work of Christ, is an idle dream!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe that every true Christian is ordained by God to his particular work.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is, perhaps, nothing more amazing in this century than the ignorance of professing Christians about the things of God. It is certain that the knowledge of Scripture does not keep pace with the growth of knowledge of other things—such as politics, or science, or other matters which are of temporary importance for this present life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The service of God is happiness below—as it is eternal bliss above! His service is perfect freedom—and to honor Him is our supreme delight.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Father, Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit." That is a sweet way of living every day—committing everything to our Heavenly Father's hands, for those hands can do His child no unkindness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man can long know anything of himself, without discovering that he has a bias toward evil! He finds that he needs to school himself to be upright, kind and loving—but that he needs no effort to be proud, domineering, and revengeful! He finds that sin is indigenous to the soil of his heart—while everything that is good needs cultivation, watching and tender care. He finds, in fact, that his heart is "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer and praise make up the best life of the Christian. He is the really healthy Christian, who has these two things rightly balanced.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When we are in love, we need no one to urge us to give tokens and pledges of love—it is a joy to us to do anything that will give pleasure to our beloved.
It is no misery to the tree to produce its luscious fruit—and it is no severe task to a Christian to perform deeds of love to Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you have not believed in Christ, you may well be afraid even to rest on the seat where you are sitting! I wonder that the earth itself does not say, "O God, I will not hold this wretched sinner up any longer! Let me open my mouth and swallow him!" All nature must hate the man who hates God! Surely, all things must loathe to serve the man who does not live unto God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God's circumference is nowhere, but His center is everywhere!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man must realize his danger, before he will desire to escape from it. It is a mistaken kindness which refuses to set before a lost man, the dreadful peril which he is in.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The prayer of faith is not always literally answered! God, sometimes, instead of taking away the sickness or the death—gives us grace that we may profit by the sickness, or that we may triumph in the hour of death.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some people make out faith to be a marvelously easy thing—and so it is, in theory. But it is the hardest thing in the world, in practice.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

They who are born twice, have a life which cannot be understood by those who are only born once! Those who have received the Spirit of God, have a new spirit within them which is so amazing that the carnal mind cannot perceive what it is! Spiritual things must be spiritually discerned.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Restoration from sickness should always be ascribed to God. Whatever part the physician may play—and he often plays a very important part—yet to God, who gives the physician wisdom and skill, must the gracious result be ascribed.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The world was wisely ordered by God before we were born.
It will be equally well ordered by Him after we are dead.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is a vital evidence of Christianity, but prophecy is not. Preaching a thousand sermons would not prove a man to be a Christian—but one genuine prayer would. It is easy enough to speak to men—but quite another thing, from our inmost soul, to speak to God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved."
Well, suppose that a man does not believe—what then?
"He who believes not, shall be damned."
Thus, you see that the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ is intolerant of all compromise!
It will not admit that there may be other ways to Heaven and other methods of salvation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our unobserved mercies are probably ten times as numerous as those which we perceive! Throughout each day, God has been shielding us from all harm, guiding us in His own good way, and providing most generously for all our needs!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Because He first loved us, and that love of His has been shed abroad in our hearts—we have loved Him in return as a matter of course—we cannot help doing so. The mighty deeps of His immeasurable love, high up on the eternal hills, flow down into the inmost recesses of our empty hearts—and when, afterwards, a fountain of love is seen springing up out of them, the secret of its action is to be traced to that great reservoir away up on the everlasting hills!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Because He first loved us, and that love of His has been shed abroad in our hearts—we have loved Him in return as a matter of course—we cannot help doing so.
The mighty deeps of His immeasurable love, high up on the eternal hills, flow down into the inmost recesses of our empty hearts—and when, afterwards, a fountain of love is seen springing up out of them, the secret of its action is to be traced to that great reservoir away up on the everlasting hills!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is the thermometer of divine grace in the soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The very soul of Christianity lies in the sanctifying of what is called secular—the bringing of all things under the cognizance of our God by intense, constant, importunate, believing prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If Jesus trod the winepress of God's wrath, and trod it alone—then you shall never have to tread it. What mistakes Christians often make in this matter! You will hear one say that such-and-such a good man was punished for his transgressions. I have known believers think that their afflictions were punishments sent from God on account of their sins. The thing is impossible! God has punished us, who are His people, once and for all in Christ—and He will never punish us again! He cannot do it, seeing He is a just God. Afflictions are chastisements from a Father's hand—but they are not judicial punishments!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no pleasure in the world which exceeds that of devotion to Jesus. As we sing praises unto Him—we shake off the cares of the world, and rise above its smoke and mists.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That faith which lives only on Jesus, rests solely on Jesus, builds wholly on Jesus and shows itself in earnest prayer—will give you a consistency and decision of character that will make you like Daniel all your days!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not expect to fully understand my Lord's will—I only ask to be informed what His will is.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Errors of doctrine—are almost always attended with errors of practice.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" Luke 18:13
The prayer of the publican is, after all, my everyday prayer. I have what I may call a Sunday prayer—but my everyday prayer, the one that I can use all through the week, the one that I can pick up when I cannot pick up anything else, is the publican's prayer, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is such a thing as divine Sovereignty with regard to the choice of people who are to be saved. If one man is saved and not another—God has made the difference, and God has the right to make the difference. If my brother shall enter Heaven, and I shall be sent to Hell—God has a right to save my brother, and He would be righteous in my damnation, for I deserve it. And if my brother does not deserve to be saved—as he does not—yet God has a right to give salvation to him and to withhold it from me, if so it pleases Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you are a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ—yet are slack in serving God, you shall get to Heaven but you shall have very little Heaven on the way there.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may judge a man by what he strongly desires.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The believer's path is strewn with wonders, and thick with marvelous displays of his Lord's love.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When God's will and our will are contrary to one another—we may be sure that there is something amiss with us. We are never right until God's will becomes our will, and we can honestly say, "May the will of the Lord be done!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am sure that in looking back upon all the way that the Lord has led you, those of you who are His children will be bound to say that goodness and mercy have followed you all the days of your life! There has not been a single mistake or one unkind act on God's part. He has sometimes cut you with the very sharpest knife He had—and it was necessary for Him to cut deeply with it, so as to get out the very roots of the cancer that was destroying you. You would have been lost, if it had not been that you lost your all—but that loss was your greatest gain!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Here is a man who is living in some secret sin. I dare not say what it is, but he knows. Yet he says that he is trying to find peace with God. Ah, Sir, you will never obtain it while you cling to that iniquity! You must cut off the evil thing—even if it is your right arm! You must pluck it out—even if it is your right eye!
God will not save you and let you save your pet sin—that cannot be!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If religion does not sweeten your tongue—it has done nothing for you. If the doctor wants to know the state of your health, he says, "Let me see your tongue."
There is no better test of the health of the soul, than to see what is on the tongue! When it gets cankered with unkind words—when it turns black with blasphemy—when it is spotted with impurity—there is something very bad inside the heart, you may be quite sure of that!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To be silent concerning the loving-kindness of the Lord is a robbery of the worst kind—it is taking from our God the glory due unto His holy name.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, I never imagined how strong Christ was—until I saw His love hold back His deity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It were not worth while living—if we could not die! It is the very joy of this earthly life—to think that it will come to an end! What would a sailor say who was on a voyage that would never bring him to a port? What would a traveler say if he was toiling along a road which would never bring him home? Blessed be God, we shall come to the Celestial City, by-and-by!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Catholics talk about presenting the perpetual sacrifice of the "mass." There is perhaps, no grosser blasphemy under Heaven, than the idea that we can offer up the body and blood of Christ again and again!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would not give a penny for your love to the truth of God—if it is not accompanied with a hearty hatred of error!

  ~ ~ ~ ~
"Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—I cannot bear your evil assemblies! Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts, My soul hates. They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them!" Isaiah 1:13-14
Perhaps Christ is wearied with your religion. If you pray insincerely, He is tired of hearing your mockery of prayer! If you come to public worship, you mock Him with the solemn sound upon a thoughtless tongue—for it is all a sham! There is a shell, but there is no kernel. You sit as His people sit and your minds are far away on the mountains of vanity. You hear, you join in the hymns and listen to the prayers—but there is no true worship, praise, or supplication. I tell you, sirs, my Lord is getting weary of you—He is sick and tired of your dead religion!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Where there is no family prayer, we cannot expect the children to grow up in the fear of the Lord—neither can the household expect domestic happiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Acts 2:42
The prayer meeting is the gauge of the Church's spiritual condition.
You may always test your church's prosperity—by the number who assemble to pray!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is less care in having no wealth—than in having much of it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What new worlds may yet be created, how many orders of creatures there may yet be in the universe, and how great and comprehensive the vast dominions of Jehovah may be—we do not, at present, know. If God has made one world—He can make another. If He has made one universe—He can make fifty universes!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are many people who think that they are good and pleasing to God. Yet if they could but look within, they would discover that the evil person not only lives in their house, but that his head is under their hat!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not the place which makes the true worship—it is the heart. It is not even the day—it is the state of a man's mind. Every place is equally holy—where holy men worship God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Unbelief a terrible offense to God—for it makes Him out to be a liar.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When God looks upon Christ's shed and sprinkled blood—it is then that He looks on you with pity and compassion! Look where God looks—and then your eyes will meet His! If you look to Christ, and God looks to Christ—then you shall see eye to eye, and you shall find joy and peace in believing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Glory be to God!" should always be the Christian's motto.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A grain of divine grace—is worth more than a ton of knowledge! If you have but a spark of true faith in Jesus Christ—it is better than a whole volcano full of worldly wisdom!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The yoke of Christ is His Word, His precepts, His commands, the following of His example, the bearing of suffering which He appoints, the persecution which comes to us for His sake.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The man who rejects Christ, damns himself as surely as he who gives himself body and soul to the devil. He who will not have pardon through the precious blood, dashes himself upon the bosses of Jehovah's buckler and fixes himself upon the point of the javelin of divine Justice!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Be assured that where your pleasure is—there your heart is. If you find your pleasure in the world—then your heart is in the world and you are to be reckoned among the worldly. But if Christ is your joy, your pleasure, your delight, your very Heaven—then there is a marked difference between you and worldlings!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Flimsy views of human depravity—lead to very indistinct ideas of the grace of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Joy in the creature may be harmful—for the creature may beguile you and allure you away from the Creator.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Perhaps God allows wicked men to come in our way—to make us see the evil of sin, that we may turn from it, pass by it, abhor it and not indulge in it. I have no doubt that the wickedness of men may be employed under the divine wisdom and the overruling hand of God—for the sanctification of His own people.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As far as spiritual things are concerned, man's understanding is dead. He can comprehend the highest and most wonderful of sciences, but he cannot—or, what is tantamount to it, he will not—understand the things of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No matter what sorrow falls to your lot—if you can pray, you will rise out of it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Meditation and prayer are twin sisters—and both of them are equally necessary to Christian life. Meditation must exist where there is prayer—and prayer is sure to exist where there is meditation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the professed followers of Christ happen to meet in some fine building and worship God with grand music and gorgeous rituals, then the people of the world put up with them! They may go even so far as to patronize them, though, even then, their respect is chiefly called forth, not on behalf of the people, but because of the building, the fine music, and the carriages. The carriages are especially important, for without a certain number of them at the door, it is deemed impossible to have a proper display of cultured Christianity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The man who habitually lives in sin is not a free man, for he is still a slave to sin. His chains are rattling on his wrists—what can he know about freedom?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christian, God has put you into the very midst of a sinful world—to make His grace the more conspicuous.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you find in any book, teaching which makes you think less of Christ than you did before—burn the book! It will do you no good—and it may do you a great deal of mischief.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is not, in unrenewed human nature—a place where you could put the point of a pin where it is not defiled with sin! It is in our entire system—we have been lying in it until we are steeped through and through with it. Sin, in human nature, is like those colors that are ingrained—the more you wash the material, the more clearly are they revealed! You can never wash them out—only the precious blood of Jesus can wash out man's sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Bad habits begin like cobwebs—but they end like chains of iron! A man might more readily have swept away the temptation when it was new to him, than he will be able to do when, having yielded to it many a time—the devil has learned the way to master him. May God help you to flee from sin as soon as you perceive it, lest you be caught in its net of steel and be held in it to your eternal destruction!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God never sent a man into the world to be idle—but there are some who make a profession of being Christians, who do nothing to serve the Lord from one year's end to the other.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have preached the Gospel, now, these 30 years and more, and some of you will scarcely believe it, but in my vestry behind that door, before I come to address the congregation in this Tabernacle, I tremble like an aspen leaf! And often, in coming down to this pulpit, have I felt my knees knock together! Not that I am afraid of any of my hearers—but I am thinking of that account which I must render to God, whether I speak His Word faithfully or not. On this service may hang the eternal destinies of many. O God, grant that we may all realize that this is a matter of the most solemn concern!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a sweet thing to be sorrowful for sin, to be sorrowful for impurity, to be sorrowful for anything that made Jesus sorrow. The godly sorrow of a believer lasts throughout his life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

True religion is always a matter of desire. Desire must be at the back of every religious act, or else there is nothing at all in it. It is so in the case of almsgiving. Always take heed that you do not give to the poor, or to any charity, or to the funds of the Church—simply because you are asked to do so; for, unless you really desire to give what you appear to present—you have not, in God's sight, given it at all! If, in your heart of hearts you feel, "I wish I had dodged round the pillar, or gone down the other aisle, and so escaped having to give," you have not truly offered anything to God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

None but the God of infinite patience could bear with such a family as He has! Any one of us might exhaust the patience of a hundred Jobs rolled into one! Yet, shout it out and let even the angels hear it—we have not exhausted the patience of God! "The God of patience." Romans 15:5

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Restoration from sickness should always be ascribed to God. Whatever part the physician may play—and he often plays a very important part—yet to God, who gives the physician wisdom and skill, must the gracious result be ascribed.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The love of God for His people it is a thing to think over, rather than to talk of. I like to get away quietly in a corner and just try to roll this sweet morsel under my tongue, to suck on it until I draw the very essence out of it—God loves me!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We may pray until our knees grow as hard as iron, and weep our eyes away until their sockets are empty—but we shall never obtain the great blessing of salvation while we link our arm with sin and go on delighting in iniquity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whether sin is open or covert, whether it is less or more than that of other men—it needs the atoning sacrifice of Christ to remove it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Difficulty is not a word to be found in the dictionary of Heaven. Nothing can be impossible with God. The swearing reprobate, whose mouth is blackened with profanity, whose heart is a very Hell, and his life like the reeking flames of the bottomless pit—such a man, if the Lord but looks on him and makes bare His arm of irresistible grace, shall yet praise God and bless His name and live to His honor.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best way to make a man sober, is to bring him to the foot of the cross.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I abstain myself from alcoholic drink in every form, and I think others would be wise to do the same; but of this each one must be a guide unto himself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I truly believe that some people think more of their fingernails—than they do of their souls. There is many a man who spends more on the blackening of his boots—than he does on the cleansing of his soul from sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It often happens that there is very little power in those prayers that leap out of our lips without premeditation—born in a minute, like gnats, and dying just as soon. But the prayer that lies in the soul, like eggs in a nest, and that has to be sat upon, as it were, and hatched, and brought forth—there is life in such supplication as that, and that is the kind of prayer which prevails with God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is infinitely better to dread the wrath of God, than to fear the anger of man!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When your heart is wholly submitted unto God and your will is entirely subdued to Him—the bitter becomes sweet, pain is changed to pleasure, and suffering is turned into joy. It is not possible for that man's mind to be disturbed, whose will is wholly resigned to the will of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord has an eternal knowledge of our sins. He will never forget them. If they are not washed away by the blood of Christ—He can never forget or cease to be angry because of them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may go to Hell heedlessly—but you cannot so go to Heaven. Many stumble into the bottomless pit with their eyes shut—but no man ever yet entered into Heaven by a leap in the dark.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I truly believe that the great sweetness of giving to God begins when we feel the pinch—when we have to deny ourselves in order that we may give. Then it is that there is the true spirit of Christian liberality!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As long as you have God—you have the essence of all good. As long as God lives—the goodness on which your soul is to feed has an independent existence.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How graciously God is preserving many of us from the tongue of slander! It is an astonishing thing for any man to live much in public, without being accused of some vile crime. Even the woman who lives in the most retired position, the housewife who does nothing but look after her own children—will find somebody or other slandering her. You cannot always escape from the envenomed tongue of slander, be you what you will and where you will. For God to keep the reputation of any Christian man unstained year after year, is a subject for the greatest thankfulness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Flowers are not more frail,
moths are not more fragile,
bubbles are not more unsubstantial,
meteors are not more fleeting
—than man's life! What transient things we are!
It is God alone who can say, "I AM!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When the Spirit goes with the Word—then the Word becomes the instrument of the conversion of the souls of men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many people think a great deal about the adorning of the body—but do not think anything about the ornaments of the soul. The feeding of the physical frame engrosses much care—but the supply of spiritual food is often neglected.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you really are a servant of Christ—your first duty is to obey Him. Your character should be blameless and harmless, your conduct should be so devoted and so full of self-sacrifice—that it shall be a constant memorial of that Redeemer whose name you profess.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The true teacher should not seek to soar on the gaudy wings of brilliant oratory, pouring forth sonorous polished sentences in rhythmic harmony—but should endeavor to speak pointed truths of God—things that will strike and stick—thoughts that will be remembered and recalled, again and again, when the hearer is far away from the place of worship where he listened to the preacher's words.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If any of you doubt whether there is forgiveness with God—I ask you to stand on Calvary, in imagination, and to look into the wounds of Jesus. Gaze upon His nail-pierced hands and feet, His thorn-crowned brow, and look right into His heart where the soldier's spear was thrust—and blood and water flowed out for the double cleansing of all who trust Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you give yourself up to what is erroneously called the pursuit of pleasure—it is quite certain that you will not find rest for your soul in that direction! You have taken a dose of poison that will make your blood hot and feverish and that will cause true rest to flee from your pillow.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is a dreadful disease which has attacked the whole human race! You scarcely need that I should tell you that it is the disease of sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O brethren, it is a blessed proof that divine grace has been largely given to us—when even the smallest word uttered by Jesus Christ is more precious to us than all the diamonds in the world, and we feel that we only want to know what He has said, and to love whatever He has spoken!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To savingly believe in Christ includes much more than a religious profession.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That faith which is not accompanied by repentance, will have to be repented of!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The ship of Christ's Church never sails so well as when she is tossed from side to side by the winds of persecution! Nothing has helped God's Church so much as persecution—she has been increased and strengthened by it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"He who is holy, let him be holy still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still." Such as you are when death comes to you, such will judgment find you—and such will the eternal reward or the eternal punishment leave you, world without end!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best of men are, all too often, trodden down as the very mire of the street—while the worst are sitting proudly in the high places of the earth! If there is a God at all—then there must be a time and a way of rectifying all this in another state! And so there is, as David says, "Truly there is a reward for the righteous—truly He is a God who judges in the earth." And, therefore, truly there must be a time of judgment for the ungodly—even common reason teaches us that!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Cross that was meant to be the death of the Savior, was the death of sin! The Crucifixion of Jesus, which was supposed to be the victory of Satan—was the consummation of His victory over Satan!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The gospel is offensive to human nature and revolting to the pride of the creature. It was never intended to please man. God intended to save men—but He never intended to gratify their depraved tastes.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We say that we belong to Christ and that we are not our own, but bought with a price. Do we live as if it were true?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A pious fraud, is a most impious blasphemy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There have been times with some of us when the temptation was very strong—but the opportunity was not near. And at other times the opportunity has been before our eyes—but there was no temptation. God help the man that has the temptation and the opportunity at the same time!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Just sit still at Jesus' feet, and let nothing else occupy the next hour but sitting still and loving and being loved by Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In these busy times, when men have so much to do in order to live—it may be of much service to them, to think how certainly they must die.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

True godliness is manifested as we bring forth the fruit of the Spirit—by being and doing that which we feel we ought to be and to do.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whatever anyone else may think or say—I know that I must be saved by the grace of God, or else that I shall never be saved at all! I have not done a single good work in which I cannot see any faults—not one solitary thing which I cannot perceive to be marred and stained and unfit to be presented before God at all!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The music of joy and Heaven should often be upon our lips—in the form of Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Happy day, happy day—when Jesus comes into the heart! Except for the day when we shall be with Him where He is—I suppose there is no day that is comparable to the first one when we behold Christ and see Him as our Savior and our King!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

An unrenewed heart may become so darkened that, while he is going posthaste to Hell—he may imagine that he is making good headway towards Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We may find a temporary pleasure in sin—but it must end in eternal loss to us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I feel that much evil comes of a mode of address which is adopted by some of my ministerial brothers, in which they speak to the entire congregation as though all who were present were Christians. That is a false theory to go upon, because it is not at all likely that any congregation ever gathered together will consist wholly of Christians.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we would come to Christ—we must leave our sin. Repentance must make us turn from sin—and faith must make us turn to Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Cold prayers court refusal. Heaven is not to be obtained by lukewarm supplications. Heat your prayers red-hot, brethren! Plead the blood of Jesus! Plead like one who means to prevail—and then you shall prevail!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The 8th chapter of Romans is like the Garden of Eden—full of all manner of delights. Here you have all necessary doctrines to feed upon and luxurious truths of God with which to satisfy your soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Cast out the idols from your hearts! Let them all go! Love no one else and nothing else—as you love Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I question whether any man ever attained to the eminence in piety that he once marked out for himself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let no Christian imagine that he will ever have immunity from trouble, so long as he continues in the body.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Rowland Hill once compared most men to hogs under an oak tree. "They eat the acorns," he said, "but they never look up and thank the oak." They live in this world and feed upon the bounties which God has provided for them—yet they have no thought of Him! It is His air that they breathe—yet He is not in any of their thoughts!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never arraign the wisdom of that which happens to us—or imagine that we could order our affairs in better style.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many say that they will never believe what they cannot understand. If they adhere to that determination, they will never believe in their own existence, for they certainly cannot understand that!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have read that a spider will extract poison from the same flower from which the bee extracts honey. In the same way, from that very truth of God from which a renewed heart extracts reasons for holiness—unregenerate men have been known to extract excuses for sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." Luke 22:42
Beloved, let us view with holy wonder the strictness of the Savior's obedience to His Father's will! And let us endeavor to follow in His steps in all things, seeking to be obedient to the Lord's Word in the little matters as well as in the great ones.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Brethren, faith is an exotic in any heart where it is made to flourish—it does not grow there by nature—it must be planted by grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Only God's Infinite mind can reckon the iniquity that issues forth from the polluted soil, and wells up from the deep spring of depravity that is hidden in the very core of our corrupt nature! Count your sins if you can, O children of God, and then fall on your knees, bow your heads, cover your faces and say, "Pardon my iniquity, for it is great!" Psalm 25:11

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is nothing at all in sorrow that can burn out sin—there is no power in human suffering to remove the wrath of God. Many who endure afflictions on earth—afterwards endure eternal damnation in Hell. Sinners may go from beds of languishing—to beds of flame; from toil and poverty here—to torment and all despair hereafter!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man infected with a deadly disease is never at ease. Whatever garments he may put on, or at whatever tables he may feast—he is still unhappy because he has the arrows of death sticking in him! Such is a man conscious of sin. Nothing can please him. Nothing can ease him until his sin is removed. But when sin is gone—when he knows that he is pardoned, he is as a bird set free from its cage!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

May God grant us a simple childlike faith which takes God's Word as it stands in His blessed Book—believes it, receives it, lives upon it, and asks no questions concerning it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All that a sinner can need between here and Heaven, is provided in the Gospel of Christ—all for pardon, all for the new nature, all for preservation, all for perfecting and all for glorifying is treasured up in Christ Jesus, in whom it pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As we look back upon our past lives, for we can scarcely tell how often we would have dishonored our character and our profession—if it had not been that God came to our rescue and kept us back from presumptuous sins.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When Omnipotence and Omniscience unite to sift the chaff from the wheat—we may be sure that the sifting wall be thoroughly done!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Have you never felt, when you have seen the faults of your own children—that you ought to lay the rod on your own back because, in some way or other, you were an accomplice in your children's sins? How much of the ruin of many children's souls lies at their parents' door!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We live in vain, if we do not live unto God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who is convinced that he knows nothing as he ought to know, gives up steering his ship and lets God put His hand on the rudder. He lays aside his own wisdom and cries, "O God, my little wisdom is cast at Your feet. Such as it is, I surrender it to You."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not the preacher's business to seek to please his congregation. If he labors for that end, he will in all probability not attain it. But if he should succeed in gaining it, what a miserable success it would be! He must lose the favor of his Master—if he would once aim at securing the favor of his fellow men. We therefore ought to preach many truths of God which will irritate our hearers!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

At the commencement of spiritual life, we believe that we are nothing. As we advance, we find that we are less than nothing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our sins would drag us down to Hell—were it not for the Atoning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
It is an unspeakable blessing to have sin forgiven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would not give a penny for your religion if you are a tradesman, and not fair in your dealings! I do not care if you can sing like David, or preach like Paul—if you cannot measure a yard of material with the proper number of inches, or if your scales do not weigh rightly, or your general mode of business is not straight and true—you had better make no profession of religion!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The gospel is the world's only hope!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The separation at what, is called, "religious," from the "secular," is one of the greatest possible mistakes. The religion of Christ is a religion for seven days in the week—a religion for every place and for every act! It teaches men, whether they eat, or drink, or whatever they do—to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and to the glory of God! I pray that you may attend diligently to the little commonplace matters of daily life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not imagine that you can live for twenty, thirty, or forty years in sin—and yet be just as likely to be converted as anybody else is! I know that God can, if He pleases to do so, call you at the 11th hour as easily as at the first. But, as far as you are concerned, if you harden your neck, you have no right to expect that He will do so—but rather to expect that you shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ never meant Christians to be stoics. There is a wide and grave distinction between a gracious acquiescence in the divine will—and a callous steeling of your heart to bear anything that happens without any feeling whatever. "You shall be sorrowful," says our Lord to His disciples, and "you shall weep and lament." It is through the weeping and the lamenting, oftentimes, that the very kernel of the blessing comes to us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Great sinners are glorious raw material for grace to work upon. When God saves them, they will shake the very gates of Hell!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Well may the Lord say to each one of us, "Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some people say, "We belong to such-and-such a church, but we don't approve of its teaching or its practice." What? You belong to it and yet you do not approve of its principles? Out of your own mouth you are condemned!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not at all like the boastful talk about "the higher life" in which some people seem to revel. We cannot have too high a life, but, "God be merciful to me a sinner," is about as big a prayer as I can manage at present!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The death of Christ gloriously set forth divine Justice, because it taught manifestly this truth of God—that sin can never go without punishment.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That faith which has a dry eye and never wept for sin—is not the faith of God's elect! There must be repentance! It is an essential grace—no man is truly saved who has not a hatred of the sin he loved before and who has not made a confession of it before God with an earnest prayer for pardon.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we know that church members are living in gross sin and do not deal with them in accordance with the teaching of Christ and His Apostles—we become accomplices in their sin. We never wink at sin, either in ourselves or in others!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not loving an orthodox creed, but it is loving Jesus that proves you a Christian.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Shall a man talk of freedom—while he is manacled by his lusts and sinful appetites?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You pray against your spiritual health, when you pray against affliction.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The judge who winks at sin, is the abettor of sin. If the Supreme Ruler does not punish sin, He becomes Himself the patron of all guilt! But God knows what a vile thing sin, and "He will by no means spare the guilty."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is very wise to talk about our death. The shroud, the grave, the shovel may teach us more of true wisdom than all the learned heads that ever pondered vain philosophy, or all the lips that ever uttered earth-born science! "The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning—but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure." Ecclesiastes 7:4

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not care to what church you belong, or what creed you are ready to die for—you do not know the truth of God unless Christ is precious to you! "To you who believe, He is precious!" 1 Peter 2:7

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No child of God, although God has blotted out his sin—can ever blot it out of his own memory as long as he is here on earth!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved!" Acts 16:31
Are you such a fool as to be damned, because the way to be saved is too simple?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe that if we could brighten the faces of all the saints and anoint them with the oil of gladness—we would do more than anything else could do to spread Christianity. I mean if we could make the children of the King rejoice, we would cause worldlings to ask, "Where does this joy come from?" And as they asked this question, we would give them the answer and so the Gospel would be sure to spread.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus could not have taken away our sins, unless He had died. The Savior's life is the robe of righteousness with which His people are covered—but that is not the bath in which they are washed.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To repent of sin is one of the hallmarks of a Christian—but to have a hardened, untrembling heart is one of the sure marks of the reprobate who is far off from God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We would pray better than we do if we meditated more, before prayer—upon the God whom we address in our supplications.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Thoughtfulness for our souls is the best cure of thoughtfulness for the world.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When we cannot be sure of God's will, we may be sure of His wisdom and mercy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some who were the vilest of the vile have come to Christ and have penitently received His righteousness—while others robed in their own righteousness have gone down to Hell and perished with a double destruction with the rags of their righteousness around them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No guilt is so great, but there is a remedy in Christ's blood which atones for it.
No corruption is so strong, but there is a remedy in His grace which can subdue it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never dream that you can be pardoned—and then be allowed to live in sin as you did before. The very wish to do so, would show that you were still under condemnation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The wrath of the Lamb is the worst thing a sinner can ever feel. "The wrath of the Lamb!" Think of that! When love turns to anger—it is as cruel as the grave. To despise Incarnate Love is to entail upon yourself infinite misery! Those who perish without the knowledge of Christ—perish happily compared with you! It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment—than for those who have despised Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you go to the grave of a Christian friend—bless God because you will meet that friend again!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I know that soon I must die, but the River of Death is mine to wash me, that I may leave the dust of earth behind. It is a glorious river though its waters may be tinged with blackness, for it takes its rise in the mountains of love, nearby the Throne of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christian! Though you become ever so holy and destroy sin after sin and lust after lust—you will have the great dog of Hell still barking at you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us!" Galatians 3:13
Christ a curse!
"The Lord our Righteousness" a curse!
Jesus, the darling of the Father, made a curse!
O angels, you may well marvel at this mystery, for its astounding depths you cannot fathom! Yet so it is. "He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no character which is worth having, which is not fashioned according to the character of Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A Christian knows that he should not go to such places of amusement as worldlings frequent—they may go without any very great mischief, but he may not. He could not feed on the fare that is provided there, for it is not to his taste and, moreover, he would not go there because he could not expect to have communion with Christ there. And he could not ask God's blessing upon his going there.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Death has no sting to a believer. Once death was the penalty of sin. Now sin being forgiven, the penalty ceases and Christians do not die, now, as a punishment for their sin—but they die that they may live forever with their Savior!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, how great your sin has been! But Jesus Christ is greater still! You have gone deeply into sin—but the arm of Mercy can reach you! You have wandered far—but the eyes of Love can see you and the voice of Love calls to you now, "Come, come, come and welcome, come and welcome!" If you come to the Throne of grace and cry in real earnest for mercy—Jesus will stretch out His silver scepter toward you and you shall touch it and find grace in His sight!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We ought to come to the Communion with a sense of self-abasement—and shrink to nothing—yes, to less than nothing! So, let us sink, and sink, and sink, and sink, and sink, and sink, and sink—until we are lost in wonder, love and praise that we should ever be permitted to come to this sacred feast!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Arminians call it unjust, that God should choose one man and not another. By what reasoning can this be unjust, when they will admit that it was righteous enough in God to choose one sinful race—the race of fallen men, and leave another sinful race—the race of fallen angels, to be sunk into misery on account of sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I could never find any reason in myself, why God should have looked upon me with sovereign love.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is easy to get black by sin—but remember that it is so hard to get clean, that only God's Omnipotence, in the Person of Christ, could provide a Cleanser for your sins!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ keeps nothing back from His chosen ones. Between the heart of a Christian and Christ—there are no secrets! We pour our hearts into His heart—and He pours back His heart into ours.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"All spoke well of Him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from His lips!" Luke 4:22
Imagination's utmost stretch cannot conceive of any words . . .
 more majestic in goodness,
 more tender in sympathy,
 more full of honey and
 more luscious in their sweetness
—than the gracious words that proceeded out of the lips of Jesus Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Having done all that we can do by honest labor and earnest prayer—let us leave the rest with God, for He would not have His children vexed with earthly cares.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who gave you breath, may take it back—but you may not give it up yourself! To die by your own hand is not to escape from suffering, but to plunge yourself into it forever—for we know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Therefore he who murders himself, if he knows what he is doing, gives sure evidence that eternal life is not in him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some professors will go into worldly amusements and all sorts of frivolities and say, "Oh, we can be Christians—and still go there!" Can you? It may be that you are hypocrites and go there!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who does not labor and pray for the salvation of his own offspring—has good reason to doubt whether he knows the grace of God, himself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I beg you Christians—do not touch anything upon which you cannot ask God's blessing! The moment you perceive that God cannot be consulted about a thing—turn your back upon it and say, "Let those who mean to damn their souls do the devil's work! But a Christian must not and will not touch it."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our motto must be, "Anywhere with Jesus—nowhere without Jesus!" Anywhere with Jesus! Yes, even in Nebuchadnezzar's furnace! When we have the Son of God with us, the glowing coals cannot hurt us, they become a bed of roses to us when He is there! Where Jesus is, our sorrow is turned into joy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

While it is, in some senses, a high privilege to have wealth—yet it involves such solemn responsibilities that a man should never have it without inquiring of God how he can rightly use it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the hours of darkness, Jesus bore infinitely more than we can conceive.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus gave more than anyone else—when He gave Himself that He might redeem His people!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The blood of all the bullocks, and rams, and lambs offered in sacrifice, had possessed no real efficacy in putting away sin. They had no virtue except as types, symbols and prophecies of the one great Sacrifice that was to come!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How can we be quiet while Hell is being filled and souls are perishing day and night? How can we be at ease while God is blasphemed, while Christ is unknown in a great part of the world, and where He is known, He is not loved?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The salvation which Jesus gives, is . . .
 salvation from unbelief,
 salvation from a seared conscience,
 salvation from pride,
 salvation from lust,
 salvation from malice,
 salvation from envy,
 salvation from evil of every kind!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When the feeble cling to Christ, He feels such joy as mothers feel when their little ones cling to them. Christ is glad when poor sin-sick souls come and trust Him. It was for this very purpose that He came into the world—to meet the needs of guilty sinners.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We have no right to go, voluntarily, where we are surrounded by temptation! "But you, man of God, flee from all this—and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness." 1 Timothy 6:11

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ has vanquished death, by dying!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best preparation that young people can have for the highest honor and service in your future life—is to bathe frequently in the Word of God, and to perfume your whole life by a familiar and accurate acquaintance with Scripture truths. Nothing else can make you so pure, or so prepared for all service which God may yet have for you to perform. "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your Word." Psalm 119:9

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The objective of parents, preachers and teachers—should be that children should be saved while they are children!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You need to know whether you shall move to such-and-such a town. Well, is there a good Evangelical minister there? Can you hear the Word to profit in that town? If not, unless there are some very strong reasons why you should go there—you ought to remain where your soul can be best profited. A man would often be better off with less earnings where he could hear a faithful minister—than with more money in a place where the Gospel is not preached. Ask the question, too, "Can I serve God there?" If you cannot, what right have you to go there? "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works—not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:24-25

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God is Sovereign, and may therefore save whom He wills. And He may also save them how He wills. Yet when He is about to save a man, He does not depart from His usual method of working—but saves him according to the way in which He is accustomed to save. "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Romans 10:17

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Returning to God, includes turning from sin. Do you think that the prodigal, when he came back to his father, brought his dice in one hand and some other implement of sin in the other? He may come wretched through hunger and famine. But he must leave his riotous living, his wine-cup, his debauchery in the far country—these cannot be tolerated in his father's house!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The praise of gratitude for the past is sweet—but that praise is sweeter which adores God for the future in full confidence that it shall be well. Bless the Lord whose mighty Providence cannot fail and shall not fail—as long as there is one of His children to be provided for!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That man is like Christ who lives, not for himself, but for others. It has been all too truly said that there are some people whose first care is for themselves, and whose second care is for themselves, and whose third care is for themselves, and whose fourth care is for themselves, and so on as many times as you like to repeat it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The only experience that is a real standard of the Christian life, is the experience of a change of heart and of simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Only God Himself can break sin-hardened hearts; and when they are broken—only the same hand that broke them can bind them up.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If there are any graces in us—they are the virtues which Christ has given to us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I charge all of you in these evil days, to keep close to Jesus! Follow Him with the utmost care, reverence and love. Follow Him with intense ardor and with all your heart, soul and strength—and make Him the one thing for which you live! Do not let anything divert you from the straight path of obedience to your Lord, for to that you are called above everything else!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is the eternal purpose of God that we shall be saved through faith in Jesus Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"He who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all—how shall He not, with Him, also freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32
What? Will He deny you bread for your body—after He has given you Christ, the Bread of Heaven, for your soul?
Will He deny you clothes for your body—after He has clothed your soul with the robe of Christ's perfect righteousness?
Will He deny you a sufficient store of earthly goods that you may get through this world—when He has already given you a mansion in the skies and an unfading crown of life?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is much talk about the poor body which must soon become food for worms. Yet little or nothing is said about the soul which is so vastly more precious. The soul of an emperor or the soul of a beggar—is of the same value in God's sight. O blessed Spirit of God, teach us the solemnity of the concerns the soul which must live forever in raptures—or in woe!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ's work is good, His wages are good—and He, Himself, is best of all!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If there is anything about the Lord's will that you do not like—that is a point in which you are wrong!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord thinks as much of one of His people—as if there were nobody else for Him to think upon! Poor needy one, the Lord thinks upon you as intensely as if you were the only being now existing! The Lord has such an infinite capacity that each one of us may be the center of God's thoughts—and yet He will not be forgetting any other beloved one!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The results of good or evil deeds will abide forever and ever! So let us beware what we do—since it can never be undone. "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap!" Galatians 6:7

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You must not expect at this time, to have grace to die with—when, perhaps, God intends you to live another 50 years. What would you do with such grace? Where would you put it? You shall have it when you come to die. Only trust in Christ, today, and do His bidding—and when the dying time shall come—the dying grace shall be given you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord will chasten those whom He loves—you can be sure of that. It is as sure as any other thing in the world, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows." John 16:33

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every good thought you have ever had,
every right word you have ever spoken,
every holy action you have ever done—
has been a mercy from God to you! He gave these blessings to you, or else you would never have had them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When I hear a Christian man finding fault with his minister—I always wish that the devil had found somebody else to do his dirty work.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A promise in the Bible, is often a promise which falls on a deaf ear. But the same promise, applied by the Spirit of God, goes right through the outer organ and penetrates to the ear of the soul!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin is an everlasting thing—unless it is put away by God, Himself, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake. No grave in the world can hide it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I think it is well, dear friends, to remember the Lord's past goodness. But we must not live on that—we must go and get fresh supplies from Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ intensely loves His people—not because He had redeemed them; but He redeemed them, because He loved them them! "I have loved you, My people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to Myself!" Jeremiah 31:3. "Christ loved the church—and gave Himself up for her!" Ephesians 5:25

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We can never understand how Father, Son and Holy Spirit can be Three and yet One. For my part, I have long ago given up any desire to understand this great mystery—for if I could understand it, it would not be true—because God, from the very nature of things, must be incomprehensible!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we are tempted to boast, God soon lays us low. Those whom He most honors in public—He always whips behind the door at home.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whether you are great sinners or little sinners outwardly—you are all vile in your hearts and inner nature. "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" Jeremiah 17:9

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is annoying to hear people talk flippantly of their sins before conversion as though they were proud of them. Such things are only to be mentioned with blushes and tears. Say as little as you can about those things of which you are now ashamed—and let what you say be spoken in lowliest penitence.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whatever God keeps away from His servants—He never keeps away the chastening rod from them! He had one Son without sin—but He never had one son without chastisement. The Lord's children need not ask to be whipped, but I would advise them to reckon that somewhere between here and Heaven, they will have to realize the truth of that saying of the Apostle, "If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chastens not?"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You must die in your sins—if you continue to live in them! You cannot escape from the consequence of sin—if you keep following in the pursuit of sin. "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows—that he will also reap." Galatians 6:7

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best defense for the gospel is to preach it. The Lion of the tribe of Judah will soon drive away all His adversaries.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would not take all the joys that earth can ever afford in a hundred years—for one half-hour of what my soul has known in fellowship with Christ! We who believe in Him have our sorrows—but, blessed be God, we have our joys. And they are such joys—oh, such joys with such substance in them and such reality and certainty—that we could not and would not exchange them for anything except Heaven in its fruition!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The preaching of Christ's truth must be backed up by the consistent living of Christ's followers—if it is to have its due effect upon the hearts and lives of the ungodly.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How it is that we can be so stolidly ungrateful—when we ought to be so devoutly thankful to God for all His goodness to us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Be holy," for only so shall you serve God, and serve the Church—and, in the highest sense, serve your generation and serve the world!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Ah, it is a solemn thing to remember that so many people hear the Gospel—and yet perish under the sound of it! Alas, the Gospel becomes to them a savor of death unto death! There is no lot so terrible, as perishing under a pulpit from which the Gospel is preached!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not stagger at the truth of electing love—it is one of the highest notes of heavenly music! Do not be afraid of such a verse as this, "I have loved you with an everlasting love—therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you." Here is marrow and fatness such as saints fed upon in days long since gone!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have heard many strange things in the course of my life, but I have never heard one of the Lord's servants, when he came to die, regret that he had taken Him for a Master. Nor have I ever heard one of them rail at Him even because of the heaviest blows of His hand—but, like Job, they have said, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Yes, as much blessed when He takes away—as when He gives!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Growing Christians think nothing of themselves—but full-grown Christians know themselves to be less than nothing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Brethren, if we had more sense of our needs—prayer would be more of an instinct with us. We would pray, because we could not help praying!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never judge men by the clothes they wear—but by what they are in themselves! It the grace of God which dwells within the man's heart—that you and I are to prize and love.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Value the Holy Spirit above all things. Realize your entire dependence upon Him. Pray for fresh grace. Do not venture into the world, without a fresh store of His hallowed influence.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O sinner, the day may come when God will say of you, "Let him have his own way!" If He should give you up—then your doom will be sealed forever, and your fate will be more desperate than words can describe! May God help you and keep you from yourself—or else you will soon destroy yourself and go posthaste to eternal destruction!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As for the future, a large part of Scripture is as yet unfulfilled. Many people try to interpret it—but the man is not born, who can rightly explain the book of Revelation. Yet, whatever God has there declared, will be explained by the working out of His Providence.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The 23rd Psalm is, among the other Psalms, what the lark is among the other birds—it soars and sings until it is lost in the heights to which it ascends!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Trials are absolutely necessary in order to reveal to us some of the attributes of our gracious God! We cannot, ordinarily, see the stars in the daytime—but if we go down a mine or a well, we can. Just so, often in the deep mines or wells of trouble, as we go down, down, down—we see the brightness of our Lord Jesus Christ as we never saw it before!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Where sin abounded—grace did much more abound." There is no unconquerable sin! There is no Dagon, that shall not be broken in the presence of the Ark of God! There is no temple of the Philistines, which shall not fall beneath the might of our greater Samson!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One backsliding Christian does more harm to the Church, than one minister can ever undo! The dear children who are living near to God are often exposed to scorn, through those of you who are settled upon your lees.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In our courts of law, we do not require men to answer questions which would incriminate them—but God does. And at the Last Great Day, the ungodly will be condemned on their own confession of guilt! "So that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world held accountable to God!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we are really God's people, it is a great consolation for us to know that, notwithstanding our many infirmities and iniquities, our many anxieties and doubts and fears—God will never forsake us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christians, you are to love one another—not only because of the good you can do for one another—but for the gain which you get from one another.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When a soul sees it's sinfulness—it then has eyes with which to see Jesus. He who can see his own deformities—shall not be long before he sees the Lord's unspeakable perfections!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The coming of Christ into any soul—is the death of sin, and the birth of holiness!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O Son of God, how could You stoop so low as to take upon Yourself our nature, and in that nature to bleed and die—when between us and You there was a distance infinitely greater than that between an ant and a cherub, or a moth and an archangel? Yet You yielded Yourself to die—because of Your amazing love to us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God alone is the Christian's Master. The rule of his conduct, should be the will of the Lord as revealed in the teaching of this blessed Book.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the richer you get—the more often you go to the Cross—then it will be safe for you to be trusted with wealth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You would be cut off from Christ, you would be more depraved than you were before your conversion, you would be more corrupt than you were previous to your being regenerated—if the Holy Spirit were to withdraw from you! You must live in His life, trust in His power to sustain you, and seek of Him fresh supplies when the tide of your spiritual life is running low.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The moon cannot shine as brightly as the sun does—and you cannot love as much as Christ does. But you can be like the moon and shine with borrowed light—you can reflect upon others, the light of the love which Christ has shed upon your own soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Alas! Alas! If we had to deal with sane men, our preaching would be easy! But sin is a madness—and such a madness that when men are bitten by it, they cannot be persuaded even though one should rise from the dead!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Humble Christians are like a photographer's sensitive plates—as the Word of God passes before them, they desire to have its image imprinted upon their hearts. Their hearts are the fleshy tablets on which the mind of God is recorded. God is the Writer, and they become living Epistles—written not with ink, but with the finger of the living God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As our first blessings came in answer to prayers—all future blessings must come in the same way!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whatever you learn from man—you can unlearn. But whatever you learn of the Spirit—is fixed indelibly in your heart and conscience—not even Satan himself can steal it from you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am always afraid lest, when I hear God's name blasphemed—my guilty silence should make me an accomplice of the blasphemer. A rebuke need not be and should not be discourteous or disrespectful or unduly severe—but I am afraid that nowadays we are not so likely to err by our harshness, as by failing to be faithful to our conscience and our God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All the water in the sea will not hurt your vessel, as long as you keep it outside—the danger begins when it gets inside the ship. So it matters little what is outside you—if all is right within. Have that little bird in your bosom, that sings sweetly of the love of God! Wear the flower called heart's-ease in your buttonhole, and you may go merrily through a wilderness of trouble, and a desert of care!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we prayed more for our ministers—they would be more blessed to us. There is many a man who cannot hear his minister—and the reason may be that God never hears him pray for his minister.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Worldlings more often judge Christianity by fruitless trees—than by fruit-bearing trees.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are not what we might be,
we are not what we should be,
we are not what we wish to be,
we are not what we shall be!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would be nothing, but what He makes me,
I would have nothing, but what He gives me,
I would ask nothing, but what He promises me,
I would trust in nothing, but what He has done for me,
I would desire nothing, but what He has prepared for me.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All of us are remarkably good-tempered, while we have our own way. But the true meekness which is a work of grace will stand the fire of persecution and will endure the test of enmity, cruelty and wrong—even as the meekness of Christ did upon the Cross of Calvary.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot direct your own steps—for you are a cripple. You cannot take even one step, unless strength is given you from above! You are like a ship upon the sea—you can make no progress, unless the breath of the divine Spirit fills the sails of your boat.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Remember that without holiness no man shall see the Lord—because without holiness no man has the evidence that he is, indeed, a child of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may prove your love to Christ by suffering for Him. The ruby crown of martyrdom is not within your reach today—but be thankful if some jewels of suffering may be yours. Count it all joy, when you can endure the cross for the name of Jesus Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Word of God would be of no use to us—unless it was applied to us by the Holy Spirit!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A certain amount of sleep is necessary for the body—and prayer is just as necessary for the soul. The bed will give rest to the tired limbs—but the Mercy Seat will give refreshment to the powers and passions of the spirit.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Repentance is faith's twin brother, and is born at the same time.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When a man is poor, unless he has brought his poverty upon himself by extravagance, or idleness, or his own wrongdoing—the man is a man for all that, and none the worse man for being poor! Indeed, some of the best of men have been as poor as their Lord was.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, how hard it is to make any man believe himself to be as wicked as the Word of God says he is!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If all the biographies of all the holy men and holy angels that have ever existed could be blotted out of existence—they might all be written again with the material from the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, for in Him dwells all excellence and all goodness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How certain is the salvation of every elect soul! He shall be effectually called at the set time, and his heart shall be effectually changed—that he may become a trophy of the Redeemer's power. Thus, every heir of Heaven must be saved, because the Spirit is put within him and thereby his disposition and affections are molded according to the will of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Doctors judge their patients' health by looking at their tongues—and we might judge of our moral and spiritual health in a similar way. Oh, what tongues some people would have—if their words could blister their tongues as they ought to do! How common it is to hear scandalous words and slanderous words—and how many hearts are made to bleed by the cruel things that are said!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you pray in one way with your lips, and in another way with your lives—then your lives will win the day and your children will rather be like what you are—than what you ask for them to be.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The sweetest letters which God ever sends to His children—are sent in black envelopes.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How can there be any wrath treasured up against God's redeemed people—when it was all poured out upon the Lord Jesus Christ, their Surety and Substitute?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin—everyone who believes in Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Rutherford did not exaggerate, when he talked of swimming through seven Hells to get to Christ—if he could not get to Him any other way.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us live as in the light of the coming Day of Judgment!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I cannot hope that there is a work of grace in you—until I know that you pray. Ananias would not have believed that Paul was converted had it not been said, "Behold, he is praying!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How can we so degrade ourselves, as to worship that which God has given to us? Many make idols of their gold, their lands, their husbands, their wives, their children, or their friends!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Instead of arguing and reasoning, "It is written" or "God has said it"—is sufficient to settle any question that concerns a Christian!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the list of your sins should be long enough to go right around the world—and just one drop of the atoning blood of Jesus should be put upon it—all that is written there would at once disappear and be gone forever! And the sinner would be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If this life were all and there were no hereafter—I would prefer to be a Christian for the joy and peace which, in this present life, godliness will afford.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, the glory of the sunrise of the Savior—on the darkness of the human soul!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Blessed be those weak ones whom the Lord elects to suffer—yet who still seek to serve Him! And blessed are those who actively serve Him—yet sit humbly at His feet and feel that they are less than nothing, and who weep tears of joy to think that God should so honor such poor worms as they are, as to permit them to do anything for His dear name's sake!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I earnestly admonish you never to be negligent of your own souls—while you are vigilant for the souls of others! If you do not get nourished with the Bread of Life yourselves—you cannot grow in grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Mere words strung together, are of no avail before God! It is the utterance of the heart that He hears—and you must never imagine that there is any excellence in a certain arrangement of letters and sounds; or that certain men, by the use of these words, can bring down blessings from above!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Regeneration by the Holy Spirit entirely changes the nature of the person concerned, and bestows upon him a new heart and a right spirit. To have this high privilege, is to have one of the choicest gifts of Heaven—indeed, it is that which is essential to the enjoyment of all other blessings!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There have been many remedies recommended by various quacks. Some have come with their so-called sacraments. Some with their ceremonies—and some with their philosophies. But they are all quacks—and their medicines have no healing power! The only cure for the wounds of sin—is to be found in the stripes of Jesus!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

None but the Spirit of God can make a man call himself a lost sinner, and mean it. Nothing but the irresistible influence of the Holy Spirit can ever bring a man as low as the Word of God would have him lie. If you can feel, in your soul, tonight, that your iniquity is great, that it deserves God's wrath, displeasure and punishment—if you can pray from your very heart, "O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great"—then I have hope that the first sparks of the divine Light have fallen into your soul, never to be quenched, but to blaze out in the brightness of salvation forever!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God does not save an unwilling man—but He makes him willing in the day of His power.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When we plead our emptiness and sin—we plead the truth. But when we talk about our goodness and meritorious doings—we plead a lie!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is not a true minister of Christ, but would willingly lay himself down to die—if he could thereby see multitudes saved from eternal wrath! "I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh." Romans 9:1-3

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is room in Christ's heart for all who come to Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We go down to our graves, as Esther went to her bath of spices—to be prepared for the embrace of the great King! In the morning of the Resurrection, this poor body of ours, all fair and lustrous, shall be reunited with our glorified spirit and we shall behold the face of the King in His beauty and be with Him forever and ever!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Though you are poor and ignorant, and perhaps can scarcely read a word in the Bible—for all that, you may be better instructed in the things of God than doctors of divinity—if you go to the Holy Spirit and are taught of Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The way of sense is to get everything now—the way of faith is to get everything in God's time. The worldly man lives on the present—the Christian lives on the future.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Who can calculate the influence for evil, that the Church of Rome exercises in the world today?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, that God would teach us, by His grace, to estimate the true value of our actions—not by their outward appearance, but by the desire of our heart that prompts us to them. For if we are kept back from sin merely by motives of respectability, or because our fellows are looking upon us—we are as guilty before God as if we had actually committed the sin, because our heart still goes after its filthy idols!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The greatest freedom of thought—is to think only God's thoughts. The highest freedom of living—is to live according to the Scripture rule of holiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Papacy is the most pagan of all the paganisms that have ever existed on the face of the earth!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Growing Christians reckon themselves to be nothing—but full-grown Christians count themselves less than nothing! And when we feel ourselves to be "less than the least of all saints"—then we are indeed making good progress in the divine life. To grow less and less in your own esteem—is the right kind of growth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christians cannot be happy in the insipid frivolities of the world, or in the sinful enjoyments of it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The great and mighty angels who fell, were passed by—and we, who are but worms of the dust, were looked upon with eyes of love and grace!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christians die, but it is not any longer as a punishment. It is the fruit of sin—but it is not the curse of sin that makes the believer die. To other men, death is a curse—but to the believer, death is among his Covenant blessings, for to sleep in Jesus is one of the greatest mercies that the Lord can give to His believing people!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Soon the devil shall receive his final sentence and be forever banished to Hell! There he will be bound, no more to dress out his antichrists and to work with his puppets, the Pope of Rome and the false prophet, Mohammed. He will be kept in prison, forever bound in chains, to continue as an eternal and dreadful monument of the wrath of God against transgression!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The way to be really great—is to be little. He who is greatest of all—is the one who has learned to be least of all. He who is chief in the Church of Christ—is he who serves the Church most and who is willing to go lowest for Christ's sake!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is when the Christian gets away from God, and gets half-starved and begins to feed on vanities, that the devil says, "Now I will have him!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Not one, however high in station, however excellent in morality, however profound in learning, however lofty in fame—has ever been able to pass the threshold of Heaven—except through the blood and merit of the Lord Jesus Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ teaches us that if we have more than others, we simply hold it in trust for those who have less than we have. Some of the Lord's children are poor—in order that there may be an opportunity for their fellow Christians to minister to them out of their abundance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I sometimes hear people say, as an excuse for professors going to doubtful places of amusement, "You know, they must have some recreation." Yes, I know, but the re-creation which the Christian experienced when he was born-again, has so completely made all things new to him, that the vile rubbish called recreation by the world is so dull to him that he might as well try to fill himself with fog—as to satisfy his soul with such utter vanity! No, the Christian finds happiness in Christ Jesus—and when he needs pleasure, he does not depart from Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Make no idol of your child, or your wife, or your husband—for by putting them into Christ's place, you really provoke Him to take them from you! Love them as much as you please—I wish that some loved their children, their husbands, or their wives more than they do—but always love them in such a fashion that Christ shall have the first place in your hearts.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I prize my Bible infinitely above all creeds, and above all the volumes of decrees of popes, councils and conferences put together!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The most powerful enemy of the Church can do nothing without God's permission!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A great many people go to the Bible to find texts in it to endorse a system of divinity which they have already embraced. The right course, is to get your system of divinity out of the Bible under the unerring teaching of the Holy Spirit.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you can see a step at a time, that is about as far as you need to see. Do not begin prying into the future—but just go straight on from day to day, depending on God for the mercy and grace and strength for the day. That is the way to live, and the way to die!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us admire the wondrous tenderness of divine grace, in saving the very worst of sinners!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

With pardon of sin, will come heartfelt gratitude to Him who gives you the pardon! And with that gratitude, will come intense hatred of everything that He hates, and fervent love of everything that He loves. And then you will do good works with the view of pleasing God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never is sin as sinful—as when it is committed by one who is greatly loved by the Lord and is the subject of peculiar favor.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If your head is beaten upon by the fierce sunlight of God's wrath—you may come and find a shelter in the great rock of Christ's atoning Sacrifice!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith in the storm, is true faith! Faith in a calm may be, or may not be, genuine faith.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

True prayer is pleading with the Most High God, spreading our case before Him, and then pressing our suit with all the arguments we can muster!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Gospel blessings are a long chain of which every link is more precious than the most valuable diamond in the world!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O beloved brethren, Christ's love without beginning is indeed sweet—but there is a still more luscious sweetness in His love without end!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The path of obedience is always the path of happiness. Remember the wise words of the mother of Jesus to the servants at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, "Whatever He says unto you, do it!"—and do it conscientiously, gladly, promptly, because He commanded it, even though you cannot see any other reason for doing it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord has a people whom He regards with a special love. These people He set apart for Himself from eternity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus Christ lifted up upon the Cross has such mighty power that if a man had all the sins of mankind resting upon him—yet, if he did but look to Christ by faith, his sins would be all gone in a moment!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I was told once, "When you sow seeds in your garden, put them in a little water—they will grow all the better for it." So, if you have been sowing your seed, put it into tears and it will make your seed germinate better. Those who sow in tears, shall reap in joy. Steep your seed in tears—and then put it into the ground—and you shall reap in joy. No bird can devour that seed! No worm can eat it, for worms never eat seeds that are sown in tears.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Unbelief is a shameful sin and a disgraceful crime against Infinite Love!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who understands the mystery of Christ's substitutionary atonement, is a master in Scriptural theology!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I utterly abhor your "holy" places, and your "holy" dates, and your "holy" water, and so on. They are all alike anti-Christian and Popish! To the Christian, every day is alike holy, every place is alike holy and every thing is alike holy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our converts are worth nothing. If our converts are converted by man—they can be unconverted by man! True conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit and of the Holy Spirit alone!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus never forgets the price He paid for the redemption of even one soul! I think I hear Him say, my brethren, "By My agony and bloody sweat, by My Cross and passion, by My death and burial—I will have him as My own, for I cannot have suffered all these things in vain!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Providential care extends not only to the righteous, but also to the wicked—yes, and not only to the wicked among men, but to the very beasts of the field. It is the same great Provider who feeds the young ravens when they cry, and the hungry lions when they roar for their food.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you plead with men, you cannot hope to prevail unless you first plead with God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Who among us would not rather be the Christian martyr that was burned at the stake—than the Catholic Cardinal who was the means of getting him burned?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You have never had half as many trials from God—as you have manufactured for yourself. Death, which you so much dread, is nothing compared with the thousand deaths that you have died through the fear of death!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a great work, a divine work, to bring people to confess that they are not yet saved—for the most of mankind have the notion that, somehow or other, all is well with them in the sight of God. It is only God's gracious Spirit who can convict a man who thought all was well with him, that he is hopelessly lost.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is a sin which is unto death, and those who commit it never ask for mercy, or desire it. They are dead even while they live, their conscience is seared as with a hot iron, and they rush to Hell willingly.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Afflictions also are often to the benefit of believers in leading them to search for sin. Our trials should be search warrants, sent to us from God that we may search and find out the secret evil that is within us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I charge you, sons and daughters of Adam, to remember that since your father, Adam, even in his state of innocence, could not direct his own way aright, but lost Paradise for us all—there is no hope that, in your fallen state, you can find your way back to Paradise! No, but you will keep on wandering further and further and further from the way of peace and holiness, for, "it is not in man who walks to direct his steps!" Jeremiah 10:23

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is such a clatter of worldliness or pride, or some other noise in the soul of some Christians—that the still small voice of the Holy Spirit has been drowned out—to the serious detriment of the disciple.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Brethren, there is no teaching, no ministry, even of the best-taught servant of God—which can do you such good as sanctified experience will! You must learn for yourselves—under that blessed schoolmaster, Mr. Affliction—you must study the sacred science of Divinity! It is good to go to his school, for the lessons to be learned there are so beneficial. One of his scholars wrote, "Before I was afflicted I went astray—but now have I kept Your Word."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Morality is a sweet, fair corpse—well washed, robed and even embalmed with spices—but holiness is the living man, as fair and as lovely as the other, but having life! Morality lies there, of the earth, earthy—soon to be food for corruption and worms. Holiness waits and pants with heavenly aspirations, prepared to mount and dwell in immortality beyond the stars!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a sure sign that we are in love with the Master—when we are in love with His servants and when we find delight in the company of His people. It is surely because there is a secret drawing of our hearts towards Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The same sun which melts wax, hardens clay. In the same way, the same Gospel which melts some persons to repentance—hardens others in their sins.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A way is none the less right, because it is rough. Indeed, often it is all the more sure to be the right way, because it is so displeasing to flesh and blood. "He led them forth by the right way—that they might go to a city of habitation." Psalm 107:7

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no temptation—like the temptation of not being tempted!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We fell, federally, in Adam—and we fell, actually, by our own sin.
In Christ, we are nearer to God than Adam was before he fell!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ is superlatively sweet to us—and the next sweetest thing in all the world is Christ's dear Cross. He is, Himself, most precious—but next to the kisses of His lips, are the love pats of His pierced hands.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were! But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
God will find His jewels in the dens, alleys and slums. He will take those who were harlots and thieves, up to His Eternal Throne—that they may sing forever of His amazing grace!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Though your faith is no bigger than a mustard seed, so that you can hardly see it—it will bring salvation to you! Even if you cannot see it—God can. If you do but touch the hem of Christ's garment—virtue will flow out of Him to the saving of your soul!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God's blessing is the richest gift which His creatures can receive. To be deprived of it, is their greatest calamity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every wreck ought to be a beacon. One man's fall, should be another's warning. Do you see your brother's foot trip against a stone? Then take care how you go along that way. Do you see him yield to temptation? Then mind that your ears are closed against that which fascinated him and turned him aside from the right path. Wherein you see that he failed in anything, set a double guard upon yourself just there—and ask God to give you grace to keep you with special keeping in that particular point which was his weakness—and which may, unknown to yourself, be also your own!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Ignorance," say the papists, "is the mother of devotion." But we say that ignorance is the mother of misery. If we had more knowledge, we would find it a tower of strength against many fears and alarms which beget sadness and sorrows in dark untutored minds.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian martyrs at Smithfield went joyfully to to be burnt for the sake of Christ—rather than worship the beast, or receive his mark in their foreheads!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are no unowned men. We are, every one of us, either ranked under the banner of Prince Immanuel, to serve Him and fight His battles; or else beneath the Black Prince, Satan—enrolled to do evil and to perish in our sins! "You are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death—or to obedience, which leads to righteousness." Romans 6:16

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we are so faint that we can only lie still and breathe, let every breath be a prayer!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would rather that lost people intelligently hate the gospel—than that they were stolidly indifferent to it. A man who has enough thought about him to oppose the truth of God—is a more hopeful subject than the man who does not think at all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The invitations of the Gospel are invitations to happiness. In delivering God's message, we do not ask men to come to a funeral, but to a wedding feast!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He became a spectacle of scorn and shame—because our shameful sin had been laid upon Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Out of all our Savior's names—and they are all precious to us, and, at certain times each one has its own peculiar charm—there is not one which rings with such sweet music as this blessed name, "Jesus." I suppose the reason of this is that it answers to our own name, the name of sinner.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are some people who cannot comfort others—because they never had any troubles themselves. It is a difficult thing for a man who has had a life of uninterrupted prosperity—to sympathize with another whose path has been exceedingly rough.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Believers are so perfect, in the righteousness of Christ, that He sees no spot of sin in them! "You are altogether beautiful, My darling—there is no flaw in you!" Song of Songs 4:7

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The man who is not often lifted up with joy, nor often depressed in spirit—who walks through the world in a calm and quiet atmosphere, bearing about with him a holy complacency, a calm serenity and an almost uniformity—that man is a happy man! He who journeys along without mounting up as an eagle, or without diving down into the depths of the sea—he who keeps along the even tenor of his way to his death, is entitled to the name of a happy man.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Be much in secret prayer!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Often, when a believer groans in prayer and cannot pray—he has offered the best prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus wept, and by that act He sanctified our tears. It is not wrong, it is not unmanly—much less is it sinful for us to drop the tear of sorrow over the departed. Yet let us help to wipe those tears away with the handkerchief of sacred consolations.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian finds life in Christ's death—and healing in His wounds.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The greatest enemy to human souls is a self-righteous spirit, which makes men look to themselves for salvation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

See that crown upon His head. It has rubies in it, but the rubies are composed of His own blood, forced from His blessed temples by the cruel thorns!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let a man know. . .
 that all his sins are forgiven for Christ's name's sake,
 that he is reconciled to God by the death of His Son,
 that between him and God there is no point of contention
—and what a joyful pilgrim he becomes!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Church of our Lord Jesus Christ composed of believers in Him who worship God in spirit and in truth, whose creed is the Word of God, and whose power for life and service is the indwelling Spirit of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Catholic Priests turn the Communion Table into an altar, and convert the bread and wine into a sacrifice. I will only say that their table is the table of idolatry, and their altar is little better than a sacrifice unto devils!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every moment that an unconverted man is out of Hell—God is manifesting the riches of His forbearance towards him. And it is no small strain upon divine Mercy—when men continue to sin notwithstanding this forbearance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The utmost the Law can accomplish for us, is to lay bare our spiritual poverty and convince us of it. The Law cannot by any possibility enrich a man—its greatest service is to . . .
 tear him away from his imagined wealth of self-righteousness,
 show him his overwhelming indebtedness to God,
 and bow him to the earth in self-despair.
All that the Law does is to curse—it cannot bless.
Blessings we find in the Gospel—curses we find in the Law.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is many a sinner that I have met with, who would be glad if death could end it all. But there is "the dread of something after death"—that wrath to come, of which the Word of God speaks in such solemn tones—that fire that never shall be quenched, that worm that dies not—it is that which haunts the sinner's conscience when he is once awakened to know his condition!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you can revenge yourself, DON'T. If one bitter word could end the argument, ask for divine grace to spare that bitter word.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian life should be a mosaic of minute obedience.
The soldiers of Christ should be famous for their exact discipline.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is true that God's people are a tried people—but it is equally true that God's grace is equal to their trials! It is quite true that through much tribulation they enter the Kingdom of Heaven—but then they do enter, and the thought of the Kingdom that is coming sustains them in their present tribulation!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We need ministers who will defy public opinion and, with flaming zeal, burn a way into men's hearts!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We need men and women who will consecrate all that they have by daring deeds of heroic self-sacrifice!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It would be painful to the last degree to discover, upon our dying bed—that we had built our house upon the sand and that when we most needed its shelter, it was swept away!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

With all our faults, imperfections and frailties, the Lord, who knows all things—knows that we do love Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing can make Christ's service sweet, except love to Him. When the soul is charmed with the divine Redeemer, we love our Lord's service and find intense delight in it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Paul's mode of preaching was first of all to appeal to the understanding with a clear exposition of doctrinal truths of Scripture—and then to impress those truths upon the hearts of his hearers with earnest and forcible exhortations.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

David had little more than the five Books of Moses, and yet he said, "How sweet are Your Words to my taste!" If that first morsel so satisfied the Psalmist—then surely this fuller and richer feast of heavenly dainties ought to be yet more gratifying to us! If, when God had but given him the first dish of the course, and that by no means the best, his soul was ravished with it—then how should you and I rejoice with unspeakable joy, now that the King has brought on royal dainties and given us the revelation of His dear Son!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The salvation of any soul, is a display of the eternal purpose and Sovereign will of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you have wealth—who gave you power to get it? And if you have health—who is it that preserves your strength of limb and the blood that still leaps within your veins? He has but to will it—and you would be a paralytic, or a consumptive like so many others. Your children are spared to you—bless God for each of them, for it is He who spares them! Your husband or your wife, your brother or your friend, the joys that cluster around the hearth—all these come to you through Him. They are common mercies, we say, but we would not think them so common if we had to miss them for a while! Let us bless God and see His hand in them all, and say, "Great Father, even my nether springs are in you."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If there is a religion concerning which all men speak well—woe be unto it, for it cannot be the religion of Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We shall never be out of the way of temptation, so long as we grow in this earthly garden! The serpent will bruise our heel—as well as our Lord's.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men do not become rich by what they get, but by what they save.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Wherever there is a faithful, Christ-like ministry—you will find many going away from it for the very same reasons that those nominal disciples went away from Christ. "From that time many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When we get to the great fountains of the Infinite, Eternal, Immutable Love of the Father towards His chosen people—then, indeed, we come to the fountainhead of all the streams which make glad the people of God! There is not a blessing we receive, but it may be traced to the eternal purpose of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Yonder white-robed spirits before the eternal Throne of God are not more clear of the guilt of sin before the bar of Infallible Justice—than was the dying thief the very moment that he turned his eye in faith to Christ upon the Cross of Calvary! Therefore let our hearts dance for joy that our sins are as completely annihilated and put away—as if they had never been committed!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I cannot say that I greatly admire the way in which some enthusiastic folk shout, "Glory!" "Hallelujah!" "Amen," and so on, in the midst of sermons and prayers. Yet I would sooner have a measure of that enthusiastic noise—than have you constantly stifling your natural emotions and checking yourself from giving utterance to your heart's truer feelings.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God exalted Jesus to be a Prince and a Savior—and we must receive Him in both offices, or not at all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The fire of sin blazed in the heart of an angel—and he became a devil. Its sparks fell into the bosom of mother Eve and into the heart father Adam—and Paradise was burned up and the world became a wilderness. The sinner may dance in the light of it for a moment—but in sorrow will he have to lie down in it forever.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let every Christian whenever he is downcast about present troubles—refresh his soul with the thoughts of his future glory!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God has been pleased to make the bodies of His people to be the temples of the Holy Spirit. At this very moment, in every Christian, Deity resides!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One of the chief delights of the Lord's redeemed children, is that He thinks about them and plans all that is for their present and eternal good!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Shame on the preacher who does not bend the bow with all his might, and throw his whole strength of spirit, soul and body into his efforts to win souls!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I must take care above all that I cultivate communion with Christ. For though that can never be the basis of my peace—yet it will be the channel of my peace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is an old saying and possibly a true one—that every man is seeking after happiness. If it is so, then every man should read Psalm 1, for this directs us where happiness is to be found in its highest degree and purest form! "How happy is the man who . . . "

  ~ ~ ~ ~

David had committed the horrible sin of adultery, which is so shameful a sin that we can only allude to it with bated breath. It is a sin which involves much unhappiness to others besides the ones who commit it. And it is a sin which, although the guilty ones may repent—cannot be undone. It is altogether a most foul and outrageous crime against God and man!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Heaven is a place and state of perfect rest—yet it is not the rest of silence and stagnation! In one sense, they rest not day nor night—yet they serve God continually—and that is perfect rest!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The world will love its own. Because you are not of the world, but Christ has chosen you out of the world—therefore the world will hate you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What a marvelous Book the Bible is! Earth does not contain an equal wonder!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a sickening thought that while Christians frequently quarrel—we never hear of devils doing so. The Church of God is divided, but the kingdom of darkness appears to be one.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not know any theme upon which one might dilate with greater joy, than the grace of God as displayed in the salvation of sinners!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The salvation of His people was "the joy which was set before Him," for the sake of which He "endured the Cross, despising the shame."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The great practical end of the Gospel, is to bring the human heart into obedience to Christ, and to make the stubborn will acknowledge allegiance to His sway.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

People hang crosses round their necks and wear them as ornaments—I wonder whether they would make ornaments of gallows? Yet it means that.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How does the Spirit teach? He teaches, no doubt, mainly through the Word and through our own experimental acquaintance with that Word.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To praise God without praying to Him, would be impossible.
To pray to God without praising Him, would be ungrateful.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Savior's Sacrifice is a full fountain of hope, for hearts that sorrow for sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ's spilt blood opened the gates of Heaven to sinners, and made sinful men to be "accepted in the Beloved"—even before it had dropped in bloody sweat in Gethsemane, or had been made to flow in streams under the lash in Gabbatha, or had been poured forth from the five sacred wounds upon the Cross of Calvary!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are some texts of Scripture which yield their treasures of instruction, comfort, or direction—only after deep study and holy meditation. But there are others which are marvelously free in the giving forth of their sweetness, calling for little else than a heart that loves and longs to hear God speak!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How vain are the boasts and professions of some people who assert themselves to be the children of God—and yet live in sin! There is no perceivable difference in their conduct—they are just what they used to be before their pretended conversion. Let such know that their professions are lies, that falsehood is the only groundwork that they have for their hopes—for wherever the grace of God is, it makes a difference in the lives of those who possess it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you would have Christ's blood to redeem you, you must give yourself up to Christ—your body, your soul, your substance, your talents, your time, your all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You might go for 50 years to some places of worship and never hear the word, "elect" ever mentioned! Modern ministers seem to be ashamed of the grand old doctrine of election, but it was not so with the Apostles and the early Christians! They were accustomed to speak of one another as the elect of God. The doctrine of election was most precious to their hearts!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God deals severely with those who spurn His mercy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The highest end of any man's life, is that he is honorable to God and useful to men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows," is as sure a fact, as that in Christ you shall have peace!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, it is a blessed thing to feel that you are living as a servant of Him whose precious blood has bought you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every acceptable prayer ends with, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The same sun which melts wax, hardens clay. The influences which tend to make some people better, make other people a great deal worse.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Endeavor, by the aid of God's Spirit, to put into practice every precept of the Lord. Value the practical part of Christianity, as well as the doctrinal—and prize them both beyond gold. Be not of the mind of those who say of Christ's rules, "These are of little consequence." No! Your Master's commands cannot be a trifle! The spirit which thinks little of anything which Jesus commands—is an evil spirit!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Read the Bible as a man reads his near relation's will—to find what legacy there is in it for himself. Do with the Bible as the sick man does with the doctor's prescription—follow it by personally doing what it bids you. The Bible is God's own mouth speaking to your soul of the things which make for your peace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is an honor to be allowed to serve Christ—and God will bestow still further honor upon those who faithfully serve Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Too many ministers are like the signposts on country roads—they hold out their hands and point the way, but never take the road themselves!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To empty the sinner of his folly, his vanity and pride—is no easy matter!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The highest way of living, is to live for Jesus and altogether for Jesus, not caring what man says—but feeling that as He has bought us with His blood and we are His from the crown of our head to the sole of our feet, we, therefore, acknowledge no master but our Redeemer!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenever you can see Christ's hand in your trial—it makes the bitter, sweet and heavy things soon grow light!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What a blessed affliction it is—which leads us to a Savior's love!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We must bring every man's teaching, though it may glitter with oratory and seem reasonable and proper, to the test of Scripture!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is common enough to see drunkards and harlots saved—but it is rare to see a self-righteous religious man get saved.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To suffer poverty for Christ's sake, is a very different thing from suffering poverty in the abstract. To be despised for the Gospel's sake, is a different thing from being despised for any other reason for. To be reproached for Christ is honor—and to suffer for Christ is a blessing!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The servants of God will frequently meet with ingratitude, unkind treatment, harsh words and cruel speeches from those whom they try to serve! Sometimes God's own people are a greater plague to God's ministers, than are all the rest of the world besides!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Beloved, all the attributes of God sparkle with consolation to the eyes of faith! Therefore if your soul sinks within you, remember the nature, character, and attributes of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You know that there are more flies caught with honey than with vinegar. Just so, there are more souls brought to Christ by happy Christians—than there ever will be by all the dreadful gloom and solemnity which some people find it necessary to put on!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Perhaps we are more vexed with little trials than with great ones—certainly we bear them with far less equanimity. But a peaceful heart protects alike from tiny thorns and terrible rocks. Everyday vexations as well as extraordinary tribulations—we shall bear cheerfully, when the peace of God keeps our heart and mind!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are to come boldly to the Throne of grace—yet always with submission in our hearts, even as our Lord, Himself, prayed, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Search God's Word and if we teach you anything that is inconsistent with it—then reject us as we would have you reject all false teachers!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a strange country, this. If a poor woman in a red cloak passes a farm and for sixpence tells a servant girl her fortune, she is put in prison. I will not say but what she deserves it—yet a gentleman may stand up before his thousands and pretend to turn bread and wine into the flesh and blood of God, and to have power to pardon sin—but I have never heard of any punishment for so gross an imposition! It is infinitely more gross than anything the poor ignorant witch has ever practiced!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is nothing in the lost sinner's lot, that you and I have any cause to envy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We could as easily create a world—as present a fervent prayer without the Spirit of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you are in the dark you will not see the filth upon your garments, but the brighter the light the more you will see every spot—and the more you will mourn over it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Perhaps you have lost one who was very dear to you. Let it comfort your heart, that it was the Lord who took away your loved one. There is an empty chair in your house and every time you look at it your eyes fill with tears—yet never forget that it was the Lord who called to Himself the one who used to occupy that chair.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A mere profession of religion will only be a sort of respectable pall to throw over the corpse of your dead soul!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No doubt there are certain marks and evidences of the Christian life for which it is quite right to look—yet it is better to look at the marks of the Savior's wounds and to see the evidences of God's Love manifested in the Person and work of His well-beloved Son.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Alas, some have sold their souls for the cup of the drunkard. The intoxicating cup has allured thousands into the jaws of Hell! They could not resist its spell when once it fell upon them. It is, alas, only too true that men who were once honorable and loving husbands and fathers—have become brutes and monsters! No, I slander the brutes when I compare them with many men whom I have seen—who through strong drink, have made themselves into incarnate fiends!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If your eye does not see inexpressible beauty in Jesus—it is your eyes that are to blame, for He is altogether lovely!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The habit of daily prayer must be maintained. It is well to have regular hours of devotion and to resort to the same place for prayer, as far as possible. Still, the spirit of prayer is better than the habit of prayer. It is better to be able to pray at all times—than to make it a rule to pray at certain times and seasons.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not our business to be preaching politics, or mere morals, or rules of duty. We begin and end at the Cross!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Love to Jesus, will breed a love for all His sheep.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The only kind of revival that is worth having, is that which has come down from God—not that which has been gotten up by men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you do not love the doctrines of grace—I would earnestly and solemnly urge you to examine yourselves, to see whether you have ever had divine grace in your hearts at all!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If there are any degrees in glory, you who want the high ones may have them. The lowest degree that I can perceive in Scripture is, "that they may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory"—and that lowest degree is as high as my most vivid imagination can carry me!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If at any time I should teach you anything which is contrary to this Book, cast it from you! Our guide is His written Word—let us keep to this.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It fills my soul with pleasure to think that I am sent to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to poor lost souls! There is no joy like it, except that of seeing them actually saved!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not a matter of time, so much as a matter of heart—if you have the heart to pray, you will find the time.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not enough to know about Christ—it is knowing Christ Himself that alone saves the soul!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenever we are slandered, we may say to ourselves, "Well, well, if they did but know us altogether and could see our hearts—they would have said something worse against us—so we will be well content to bear this."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You will never know the fullness of Christ—until you know the emptiness of everything else but Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, how delightful this Bible looks to me when I see the blood of Christ sprinkled upon it! Every leaf would have flashed with Sinai's lightning, and every verse would have rolled with the thunders of Horeb—if it had not been for Calvary's Cross! But now, as you look, you see on every page your Savior's precious blood! He loved you and gave Himself for you, and now you can take that precious Book and find it to be green pastures and still waters to your souls!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Think much of common mercies, since you deserve none. Do not throw away these pearls, because they are not the greatest that were ever found—but keep them, thank God for them, and then soon He will send you the best treasures from the treasury of His grace!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What is there for any man to preach about, if he leaves Jesus Christ out of his sermon? A discourse without Christ in it is delusion and a sham—a mere playing with immortal souls, a mockery both of God and man!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would not alter my preaching in order to retain any individual, however eminent or influential he might be. My business is to declare my Master's message exactly as He has revealed it to me in His Word and by His Spirit!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Surely there is no greater comfort under Heaven—than a sense of sin forgiven, and of reconciliation to God by the death of His Son!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We generally exhaust our thoughts upon the second cause and vent our indignation upon the framer of mischief. We are angry with the person who has caused us our loss, or put us to shame—instead of knowing that God uses even the wicked to chastise His people!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In ourselves we are as weak as we can be—and left to ourselves would soon fall into some sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Where God really justifies—He really sanctifies, too! Where there is remission of sin—there is also the forsaking of it. Where God has blotted out transgression—He also removes the love of sin, and makes us seek after holiness and walk in His ways.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The bloody Sacrifice of Calvary, is the only hope of sinners! If you turn your back upon Christ—you have turned your back upon Heaven! You have courted destruction, you have sealed your doom!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The world has an eagle's eye for a Christian's faults! It tries to see faults where there are none—and where there are small faults, it is sure to magnify them! I am very glad it is so, and I say, let the world watch us—it will help us to be the more exact in our conduct. If we are ashamed to be seen anywhere, it must be because we have good reason to be ashamed! Let us endeavor to live so that we need not be ashamed.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Without Me you can do nothing!" You can bring forth fruit without Him—but your fruits are as the vines of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ has gathered some of His choicest clusters from the valley of poverty. Many eminent saints have never owned a foot of land, but lived upon their weekly wage and found scant fare at that.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenever I go to a bank with a check, I pass it to the clerk at the counter, take up the cash he gives me and go about my business. That is how I like to pray. I take to the Lord one of His promises and I say to Him, "Lord, I believe Your promise, and I believe that You will fulfill it to me." And then I go my way knowing that I have the answer to my petition, or that it will come in due time.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would never have known the loathsomeness that there was in my heart—if the spade of tribulation had not turned over the green sods of my profession, and made me see therein holes and places where loathsome things did creep and crawl within.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This is the sum and substance of the matter: if our character cannot endure the scrutiny of those who are around us in our home—then how can we hope to stand at the bar of God when all that we have done shall be published before the assembled universe?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the Lord did not look after us in our best days—we would perish by the sunstroke of too much prosperity! And if He did not watch us in our worst days—we should be frost-killed by the cruel Arctic winds of adversity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the hour of our greatest grief, we soon find comfort in the place where grief reached its climax. Calvary was the very summit of sorrow for our dear Lord and Savior—yet it is the death of sorrow to His people! The Cross, which caused Him unspeakable agony—brings consolation and joy to all who put their trust in Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our afflictions fertilize the soil wherein faith may grow.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our own righteousness can never save us—we must have the righteousness of Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not dream that we can ever have any pleasure in sin—the worldling may, but the believer never can. To him it is a deadly viper that will fill his veins with burning poison!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is one great denomination, "the Church of the living God," to which every true believer belongs.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our Master washed His disciples' feet, and we are never more honored than when we are permitted to imitate His example. He who will do the lowest work, shall have the highest honor.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The natural man can go through the world and not see God at all. Yes, and he will even have the audacity to deny that God is there! And he may go further, still, and say that there is no God at all! David says that such a man is a fool—but the modern name for him is, "philosopher."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Make your households to be like flower gardens—plant no thorns, and root out all ill weeds of discontent! Depend upon it, household happiness is a great means of promoting household holiness!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus is my Lord and my God—and I will love and adore, and worship Him forever and ever!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If God did not choose the base things of this world—He would never have chosen us! We would never have been monuments of His love and mercy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One of the chief qualifications for a Catholic priest, is to be able to tell a lie without the slightest sign of blushing—and I must give some of them credit for great proficiency in the art.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When our souls pour out floods of prayer, God is certain to pour out floods of mercy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If a Christian is to grow to the full stature of a man in Christ—he must be subjected to the strong winds of trial and temptation. The dross must be separated from the gold—by the fierce heat of the furnace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We shall one day be with Jesus on His throne to share His glory!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let the world see what cheerfulness, what hopefulness, what buoyancy of spirit come to those who trust Christ and cast all their cares upon Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Everlasting love ordained salvation,
immutable love has accomplished salvation,
and unchanging love will perfect salvation.
"Oh, what amazing mercy," each saved soul may well say, "and all this for me!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not regard a single syllable that any man, or even an angel from Heaven may say to you—if it is not according to Scripture!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not tell me about your grand cathedrals with all the splendor of their architecture! The best altar in the world, is a broken and a contrite heart—and the truest cathedral, is a soul that is rejoicing in the indwelling God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To see the righteousness of God in having tried us—to clearly discern His wisdom, His goodness, His truth, His faithfulness in having afflicted us—this is the divine result from all our troubles!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"My Beloved is mine!" So although I may have but little, I will be satisfied with it! And though I may be so poor that the world will pass me by and never notice me—yet I will live quite content in the most humble obscurity because, "my Beloved is mine," and He is more than all the world to me.
"Whom have I in Heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside You."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You are afraid of dying, you say, because of the pains of death. No, they are the pains of life—of life struggling to continue! Death has no pain—death itself is but one gentle sigh—the fetter is broken, and the spirit fled. The best moment of a Christian's life is His last one, because it is the one that is nearest Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God denies nothing to a fervent heart, when it can plead His promise and lay hold upon Him by the hand of faith.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I were to assert that this Tabernacle grew up by chance, without either architect or builder—I would be a liar as well as a fool! But I would have just as much reason to say that, as to declare that the universe came into existence without the fiat of the great Creator. Men who deny the plain teaching of Scripture upon this point, are indeed fools!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The very essence of Popery is not so much its outward rites and ceremonies—as its inward spirit of setting up human merit.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The problem of weak faith in God—is our having too much self-reliance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My Lord is such a One that if a beggar asks a penny of Him—He gives him gold! And if you ask only for the pardon of sins—He will give you all the Covenant blessing which He has been pleased so bounteously to provide for the necessities of His people!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those sins which men devour on earth—they will have to digest in Hell. There shall they lie forever digesting the terrible morsels which they ate with so much gusto here below!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A deep and clear sense of sin—is necessary to a right estimation of pardoning love.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am sure of this—the more you know of God's Word, the more you will love it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are not saved by our works—but when we are saved, we are saved from sin, saved from disobedience, saved from unholiness, saved from selfishness. We are saved in order that we may live no longer unto ourselves, but unto Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our weakness is a better weapon for God, than our strength! The Church in the Apostolic times was poor and mostly made up of unlearned and ignorant men—but she was filled with power. Yet that humble Church of fishermen and common people shook the world!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." John 15:19. Even the world will not tolerate us—when once we have lost our taste for its follies and its sins. We cannot go back, we have burnt our boats and destroyed our bridges—the only course left to us is to follow our glorious Leader wherever He goes before us here, and then to follow Him forever in that blessed state where it shall be impossible for us to go away from Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The readiest way to escape from all troubles, is to draw near to God in prayer. Go, not to this friend or that—but pour out your troubles before God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you would be saved by the blood of Jesus—you are not to choose your own pleasures, nor your own ways, nor your own thoughts, nor to serve yourselves, nor live for yourselves or your own aggrandizement. If you would be saved, you must believe what Jesus tells you, do what He bids you and live to serve and honor Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a sure sign of growth in spiritual life—that God's Word is more sweet to me than it used to be.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is the Word of God, applied by the Holy Spirit, that is the means of healing sin-sick souls!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many Christians live defeated lives, because they tried to carry their cares, themselves, instead of casting all their care upon Him who could easily have carried them and their cares, too.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You have a notion, perhaps, some of you, that you will sneak into Heaven as secret Christians. Beware! For if you try that—you will find yourselves at another gate than the gate of pearl! Christ came not to save those cowardly souls who will not acknowledge Him. His own words are, "He who denies Me before men—him will I deny before My Father who is in Heaven."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As it is with the poor, so is it with the rich—the heart has more to do with making us happy, than our possessions have. He whose soul is full of God, faith and contentment—is a truly rich man!
The reflection that we can, after all, gather no more than God gives—should make us restful and contented. It . . .
 teaches us our dependence upon God,
 tends to lessen our self-confidence,
 moderates our desires,
 and to abates our cares.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Will you sell your souls to escape from a fool's laughter? Then, what a fool you must be! What? Are you so thin-skinned that you cannot bear to be questioned, or to be asked whether you are a follower of the Lord Jesus? Ah, Sir, you shall have that thin skin of yours tormented in the world to come—when shame, which you dread so much, shall be your everlasting portion! O soul, how can you sell Christ for the applause of men? How can you give Him up for the laughter of fools?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenever there is a church whose main business is to pray—we shall have a church whose distinguishing characteristic will be that it is the means of saving a multitude of souls!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Bind your troubles into one burden—and then roll it upon the Lord!
With your mercies, do just the opposite—cut the string and open the package. They will be no more, but they will give you more joy as you count them and examine them one by one.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Like an Apple Tree among the trees of the forest is my Beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in His shade, and His fruit is sweet to my taste!" Song of Songs 2:3
The spouse does not here say that she reached up to the tree to gather its fruit, but she sat down on the ground in intense delight—and the fruit came to her where she sat. It is wonderful how Christ will come down to souls that sit beneath His shadow!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Everything that is evil, lurks within the heart of every person! Education may restrain it, imitation of a good example may have some power in holding the monster down—but the very best of us, apart from the grace of God, placed under certain circumstances which would cause the evil within us to be developed rather than restrained—would soon prove to a demonstration that our nature was evil, and only evil, and that continually!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If there is anything that you can do, work as if everything depended upon you—and then trust in God remembering that everything really depends upon Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our desire should be that Christ should be glorified—and that self should be concealed.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Victory must come to the Lamb who was slain! He shall come from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah. His apparel shall be red, like the garments of him that treads in the wine vat, for all His enemies shall be trodden down in His wrath! And Rome, the harlot church, the chief of all His foes, shall be hurled down like a millstone into the flood and sink to rise no more!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best of men—are but men at the best.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Great shall be his gain who, for Christ's sake, can give up all that he has!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My dear friend, if you are determined to be damned, then leave religion alone altogether—but do not pretend to be a child of God, and yet live in sin. To profess to be an heir of Heaven and then to live as an heir of Hell—is detestable hypocrisy! Where the Spirit of God dwells, there is sure to be purity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me!" John 10:27
Those who are really chosen by God, hear and heed the voice of Christ. Those who are not Christ's chosen ones will not heed His discourse, but will listen to the many voices which attract the ears and the hearts of sinful men.
God's elect are known by this mark—that they hear the voice of Christ! Just as you can find out whether there are any pieces of steel in a heap of ashes, by simply thrusting in a magnet—so can you find out God's chosen people by the mighty magnet of Christ's voice!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O that we might live wholly unto Him who loved us and gave Himself for us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have always found that the meaning of a text can be better learned by prayer, than in any other way.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Holy activity is the mother of holy joy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Can any but a heart of stone be unmoved at the sight of Calvary? Blessed are those who, amidst their joy for pardoned guilt, wash the pierced feet of Jesus with tears of love and grief!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We meet with many who can talk glibly enough of their miseries, but who are silent concerning their mercies! I daresay some of you know old Mrs. Complaint. If you ever go to see her, the moment you sit down she beams to tell you how she has been tormented all the week with rheumatism and then she says troubles never come alone, for that son of hers gives her constant anxiety, and her neighbors are continually slandering her—and so on, and so on.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Perhaps those who say that there is a lack of love in their church, judge by the state of their own hearts—while those who really love the saints, find that the saints also love them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I think it is conclusively proven that Jesus died of a broken heart. He could say, with an emphasis that was not possible even with David, "Reproach has broken My heart, and I am full of heaviness." Psalm 69:20. The broken-hearted Savior is the Healer of broken-hearted sinners!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, friends, if the frost of sin rules in a Church—then every tender flower is injured and nothing flourishes! Love is a sensitive plant and if it is touched by the finger of sin, it will wither. The lilies of Love's Paradise cannot bloom amid the smoke and dust of unholiness!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What is the reading of the mass of Christian people? The daily newspaper! What use is this to their souls?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A deep sense of our weakness and a humbling consciousness of unworthiness, form a considerable part of our qualification for dealing with Christ's sheep in a very gentle and forbearing way.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The true basis of our communion with one another, is that we are there in Christ Jesus—and that union manifests itself in love to all who are "brethren beloved by the Lord."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Brethren, it is so sweet to know that our best things are ahead. No longer shall we be vexed, and grieved, and troubled—but we shall be eternally in the light, for the shadows shall flee away!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We hear a great deal about the universal fatherhood of God, but it is all nonsense!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let all things perish and the pillars of the universe crumble and decay, and the whole visible creation fall with thunderous crash—yet you, the beloved of the Lord, shall dwell safely with Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let a man once know what sin really is—and he needs nothing else to make him thoroughly unhappy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we could go through the wards of the mental hospital not far away from us, and see the many forms of madness represented—I think each one of us would be moved to say, "My God, I thank You that, however poor or sick I am, You have preserved me from such mental affliction as many have to bear."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In former days our fathers counted it a small thing to go to prison for a doctrine, or to be burnt to death for a testimony! Multitudes in Holland were drowned or were roasted to death, for nothing but their conviction that believers should be baptized!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every time we shirk the suffering which the Cross involves, every time we "make provision for the flesh, to obey the lusts thereof," every time we seek ease where He toiled, honor where He was put to shame, and luxury where He endured an ignominious death—we are like Peter among the ribald throng, warming our hands at the fire while our Lord is buffeted and shamefully entreated!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The answer to some prayers would be a dire calamity! Some pray for riches, and they get it—but they also get leanness in their soul. Some ask for earthly honors and success, and get them—but with them they also get leanness in their soul. And if a man is lean in his soul, it is not much good being fat anywhere else.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus will not spurn even the devil's castaways!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The master-fault of our prayers, is lack of faith.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe that we make more real advance in the divine life in an hour of prayer—than we do in a month of hearing sermons. I do not mean that we are to neglect the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is—but I am sure that without the praying, the hearing is of little worth!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many may preach the Gospel better than I do—but there are none who can preach a better Gospel than the one I preach. Our Gospel is the best of gospels, the richest of gospels—it cannot be excelled, it cannot be equaled!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The faith of God's elect is not a flower that men delight to admire and praise—it is a thing which, wherever they see it, they count as a speckled bird and they are sure to be against it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We may well say that no affliction weighs more than a gnat resting upon an elephant, when the Lord's upholding grace is sweetly manifested to our soul in times of perplexity, anxiety and pain. It is just then that Jesus often so graciously reveals Himself to us—that we even come to love the cross which brings Him specially near to us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Romish heresy of penance teaches that when you have sinned, all you have to do is to confess it to a priest, pay a certain sum of money according to the regular Roman tariff, and start over again on your career of evil. God forbid that we should ever fall into that snare of the devil!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Above all the joys of earth, let this joy rise to the very zenith—that your heavenly Father thinks of you and cares for your!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If our preaching does not turn men from drunkenness to sobriety, from thievery to honesty, from immorality to purity—then our Gospel is not worth a button! But if it does all this, then this shall be the evidence that it comes from God, seeing that in the world so sorely diseased by sin, it works the wondrous miracle of curing men of these deadly evils!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

True Bible readers and Bible searchers never find it wearisome. They like Scripture least, who know it least—and they love Scripture most, who read it most.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the Lord Almighty is with us—then what grounds can there be for fear? I know of no supposable dangers, no imaginable troubles, no conceivable difficulties through which, and out of which, and beyond which this text will not carry us, if by faith we grasp it, "God has said: Never will I leave you—never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How evil it is when men get itching ears, when they need someone to be perpetually tickling them—giving them some pretty things, some fine pretentious intellectualism! May God deliver us from a congregation having itching ears!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we want to bring up a godly family who shall be a seed to serve God when our heads are under the clods of the graveyard—then let us seek to train them up in the fear of God by meeting together as a family for worship.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As we look back over our past experience, we see how precious our trials have been to us. Someone said, "Give me back my bed of languishing. Give me back the aches and pains that I suffered in that long trying illness—if I may but have such enjoyment of my Master's presence as I had then."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is good for a man to know a little of all the sciences—but a man may go to Heaven well enough, if he knows only the science of Christ Crucified. Not to know Jesus will shut you out of Heaven, though you had all the degrees of all the universities in the world appended to your name! Ignorance of Him who is the Savior of sinners, is . . .
 ignorance of the only remedy for your soul's disease,
 ignorance of the only key which unlocks Heaven's gate,
 ignorance of Him who alone can kindle the lamp of life in the sepulchers of death!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The faith that saves is a trusting faith, a reliant faith, a sacred recumbency—confidence and leaning upon the Lord Jesus Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A personal Christ must have personal dealings with a personal sinner—or else there will be no personal salvation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is of no use to be acquainted with the Scriptures—if you are not acquainted with God. You may read the Scriptures until you perish—unless you see God in the looking-glass of Scripture!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When Jesus grants the divine grace of forgiveness—at the same moment He gives the tender heart that mourns that it should have needed forgiveness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Put away every alluring bait—if in any way it would injure your usefulness or mar your character by taking it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You believe in God for the salvation of your soul.
Believe in Him about your temporal circumstances.
Believe in God about your sick wife or your dying child.
Believe in God about your losses and bad debts and declining business.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The work of the Law upon the enlightened conscience is a very healthy operation—it is like a sharp needle that goes through the soul, but it draws the golden thread of Mercy after it. Or like the sharp plow which breaks up the ground and prepares it for the seed which in due time shall bring forth the harvest to God's praise and glory! Whenever the entrance of the Law makes sin to abound—may God grant us grace to receive the Gospel so that grace shall much more abound!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot fully conceive what our Lord must have suffered in His sin-atoning death!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Your own righteousness is such an abominable thing that it will as surely damn you as the greatest profanity! The best thing for you to do with it is to bury it, and run away from it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Ignorance or forgetfulness of many of the exceedingly great and precious promises of God and of the marvelous things He has engaged to do for His people—often causes our eyes to flow with tears and our hearts to be overwhelmed with suffering.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A deep sense of need—often reveals to us Christ's all-sufficiency.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Return to your first love, poor backslider—for it was better with you then than it is now!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Certain forms of Arminianism are injurious to the faith of the Christian—those forms, for instance, which deny the election of God, the effectual calling of the Holy Spirit and the final perseverance of the saints. These denials cut from under a man's foot, everything he has to stand upon!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"He could not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief." Unbelief seems to hamper Omnipotence, to tie the hands of the Almighty! We do not know what losers we have been by our unbelief.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You probably sometimes think that the course of divine Providence is very mysterious; but were you as well informed concerning all the circumstances as the Lord is—you would say, "That is the course I, myself, would have chosen!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Shame on the man or woman who can live in the midst of worldlings—and never let them know that they belong to Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you are seventy, or eighty, or even ninety years of age, it is a sad and awful thing that you should have lived so long without Christ—but this is no reason why you should die and be damned!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Serving Jesus is the highest privilege which can be accorded a man this side the grave!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If a man needs an excuse for clinging to his sin, he can always find one.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are not saved by works—but working for God brings us many blessings.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The more you give up self, the more you dare and do for Christ—the more fully Jesus sits on the throne of your heart and the more divinely blessed will this life become to you! But the farther you keep from Christ and the more content you are with a half-hearted religion—the more will you find it to be a weariness, a mere burden to be borne, a custom to be endured—not a banquet to be enjoyed, nor a thing divine to be loved and to be grasped with all your mind and heart!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man cannot have spiritual life in him—and yet be unconscious of it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are professors who lie and cheat in business. They say, "It is the custom of the trade." Well, if it is the custom of your trade to lie—then remember that it is God's custom to send all liars to Hell!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It would be a grievous error to suggest that there was some measure of deserving in any of those sinners for whom Christ died! "Christ died for the ungodly!" Romans 5:6

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you have not made any spiritual advance during the last ten years—you ought very gravely to question whether you have any spiritual life at all! There must be growth, if there is life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

May the Spirit teach us to weep at the foot of the Cross, as we look upon Him whom our sins have pierced!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Have you ever had a small stone in your boot? If so, and you have tried to walk, you have found it very uncomfortable traveling. If you have a tiny splinter of wood beneath your fingernail, you know how painful it is—you get it extracted as soon as you can lest you should lose your finger, or even your hand.
In the same way, beware of little sins, beloved—for they will keep all comfort out of your life and effectually hinder your spiritual growth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

While eternal things are safe—we may well be content to let other things come or go just as God wills!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We, as Calvinists, believe that men cannot see the truth of God unless it is revealed to them by God. We should, therefore, be the last to condemn the ignorant, but should do our utmost to instruct them and to open their eyes. It is of no use to attempt to force a man to believe.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The last tear will be dropped in Jordan's flowing stream, for we shall sorrow no more and repent no more when we stand before the Eternal Throne of God! And the last prayer—at any rate, the last prayer that has any sense of sin in it—shall be breathed just on the bank of the river which we cross to enter into glory!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This is the foundation of our faith—that this Book is divinely inspired! Allow nobody to make you doubt concerning this matter, for you must give up Christianity itself, if you give up the inspiration of this Book!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This is the best test I can give you, beloved—the most accurate thermometer by which you can ascertain the rise or fall of your spiritual temperature: Is Christ Jesus more precious to you than He ever was before? If so, then I am bound to thank God always for you, brethren, because your faith grows exceedingly! "Unto you who believe, He is precious!" 1 Peter 2:7

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The false doctrine of universal redemption—that Christ died for the damned in Hell and suffered the torment of those who afterwards are tormented forever—seems to me to be detestable, subversive of the whole Gospel, and destructive of the only pillar upon which our hopes can be built! Christ stood in the place of His elect—for them He made a full Atonement—for them He so suffered that not a sin of theirs shall ever be laid at their door. As the Father's love embraced them—so the death of His Son reconciled them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a very good sign that a man has been really awakened, when he goes uninvited to a prayer meeting. I love to see a stranger come stealing in and sit in a corner where God's people are met for supplication. Any hypocrite may come to worship on a Sunday—but it is not every hypocrite who will come to the meeting for prayer!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Friend, will you follow the despised and crucified Christ? Will you fare as He fares, and endure reproach for His sake? Brave men are needed for these evil times—we have too many of those thin-skinned professors who faint if society gives them the cold shoulder! Power to walk with the crucified Lord into the very jaws of the lion, is a glorious gift of the Holy Spirit! May it rest on you, dear friend, to a full degree!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The walk of faith will be followed, in due time, by the triumph of faith! Are you living a life of faith?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian is sometimes in the furnace of affliction. The fire will soon be over when he can say, "May the Lord's will be done." It is a sign that the dross has gone, when you can see the image of the Refiner in it—when the heart reflects the face of God and says, "Not as I will, but as You will."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we have nothing, we should be humble because of our poverty.
If we have much, we ought to be humble because we are so much in debt to God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A text of Scripture is often like an apple tree with abundance of ripe fruit on it, and we are underneath the tree. Give it a shake, brethren—shake it until the ripe fruit drops down!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The incarnation of the Son of God, is no greater mystery than the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of sinful men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One thing in which we all betray our sinfulness, is the readiness with which we fall into the gross sin of idolatry. We are, none of us, likely to bow down before blocks of wood and stone as the heathen do. Nor are we likely to worship the God made of bread as the Catholics do—yet we are all too prone to make unto ourselves gods that are really idols!
At one time it is a favorite child who is thus worshiped. "There never was a fairer child than mine. She is more like an angel than a human being," says the fond and foolish mother whose heart is wrapped up in her little one! Then comes God's great hammer that breaks all idols—and the dead child is carried to the silent tomb.
After such a painful experience as that, will the mother ever make an idol of another child? Yes, there are some who have done that, to their own confusion, time after time!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men have tried to overcome sin by the reasoning of philosophy, or by arguments fetched from common sense—but those blunt wooden swords have been powerless to destroy it! It is only the sharp two-edged sword of the Spirit—the grand doctrine of the love and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which can pierce our sin to the heart and lay it in the dust!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Often have I said to myself, as I have come along to this church, "I shall have a picked congregation." The Lord has an election of grace, and He has also an election of hearers!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Alas, alas, our thoughts, if left to themselves, are as a cage of unclean birds or a den of wild beasts! And as Hercules needed a stream of water to clean the filthy stable—so our Lord Jesus Christ needed to pour rivers of water out of His own heart to cleanse the foul stable of our corrupt thoughts!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Always read Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy with this view, "This is the story of the Church of God in the wilderness. I would see how God dealt with them, and how they dealt with Him—and from this learn lessons that may be useful to me in my own pilgrimage to the eternal rest."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Always read Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy with this view, "This is the story of the Church of God in the wilderness. I would see how God dealt with them, and how they dealt with Him—and from this learn lessons that may be useful to me in my own pilgrimage to the eternal rest."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God can never forget His children anywhere, but if there is one place where He remembers them more specially than anywhere else, it is in the place of their sorrow! "I know their sorrows." Exodus 3:7

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God forgive us for the sins of the tongue! If we had nothing else for which to praise Christ, we ought to bless Him to all eternity that He came to cleanse that tongue which is naturally so foul!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When Justice came to smite the sinner, it found Jesus in the sinner's place—and smote Him without relenting, laying to the full the whole weight upon Him which had otherwise crushed all mankind forever into the lowermost Hell! Let us love Jesus as we think that He endured all this.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Now, if you were to set the dish with the whole roast on it down on the floor, your dog would probably be afraid to touch it lest he should get a lash of the whip! He would know that a dog does not deserve such a dinner as that.
That is just your difficulty, poor sinner! You know that you do not deserve such grace as God delights to give. But the fact that it is of grace, shuts out the question of merit altogether!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I were to say, "Hands up, everyone who has a Bible!"—everybody's hands here would go up, as I suppose that nobody here is without a Bible.
But if I were to ask, "How many here, constantly, as a habit and a delight, meditate upon the Scriptures?"—I wonder what answers I would receive? Well, I will not ask you that question, but let everybody ask it for himself and judge himself concerning it in the sight of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." All these evils continually beset us. Powerful, indeed, must be that grace which can counteract and overcome them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God's mercies are high as Heaven, and wide as the East is from the West! Oh, for a thousand hearts that I may love You as I should—and a thousand tongues that I may praise You as I should!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best thing we ever do, needs to be washed in the fountain filled with blood—or God can only look upon it as a sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If any of you have thought that trusting Christ does not involve obeying Him—you have made a great mistake. Obeying is believing in another form, and springs out of believing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no eye that is quicker to see the mercy of God, than an eye that is washed with the tears of repentance!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Morality is excellent as far as it goes, but without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Holiness far exceeds mere morality. Holiness can only be produced by a real change of heart, and that real change of heart can only come through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Your sins are not put away through your repentance. Pardon of sin is only found in the wounds of Jesus! Your sins were virtually discharged upon the accursed Cross. You stand this day accepted, not for anything you are, or can be, or shall be—but entirely and wholly through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Absent from the body, the saved soul is present with the Lord. It stretches its wings and flies away up to yonder realm of joy! And there, reveling in delight, bathing itself in bliss—it finds a rest from all the turmoil of earth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Unless we give abundant attention to the Word of God—we shall fall into mistakes beyond number! Errors are unavoidable—if we do not study our perfect Chart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is life for a look at the Crucified One!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe that substitution is the key word in all true theology!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If one should spend one's whole life for God and win only one soul by the most earnest and devoted effort—it would be a rich reward to see that . . .
 one star shining forever in the firmament of Heaven,
 one gem glistening forever in the diadem of Christ,
 one sheep feeding forever in the pastures of Eternal Life!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When your soul is at the blackest—seek for nothing but the blood!
When your soul is at the darkest—seek no light anywhere but in the Cross!
Christ and Christ crucified, is the balsam for a wounded conscience!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The tragic sin of mankind is . . .
 Jesus Christ neglected!
 Eternal Love slighted!
 Infinite Mercy disregarded!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Until we are emptied of self—we cannot be filled with God.
Stripping must be worked upon us—before we can be clothed with Christ's righteousness.
Christ is never precious—until we are poor in spirit.
We must see our own needs—before we can perceive His wealth.
Pride blinds the eyes, and sincere humility must open them—or the beauties of Jesus will be forever hidden from us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nine out of ten of the arrows in a minister's quiver, ought to be shot at the sinner's good works, for these are his worst enemies!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No lie is more outrageous, than the lie that baptismal water can regenerate the soul! I marvel that I should find myself living in an age where so many believe this—that I have almost come to think that Carlyle was right when he spoke of our nation as, "Consisting of twenty million people, mostly fools!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I implore you never to be satisfied with any religion which does not affect your heart—and with no religious exercise which is not true heart work. You might as well stay home—as to be in church without your hearts!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:32
Are you concerned about how you are to get food and clothing? How can God deny you such trifles as these—when He has given you His Son?
Perseverance in grace—is that what you ask? Even that is but a crumb under the Master's table—compared with the gift of His Son!
You need certain virtues, you need help in trouble, you need sustenance under stern difficulties? I know not what you need, but this I know—all the needs of all of us put together could only make one little drop in comparison with the tremendous ocean of benevolence which flowed out of God's heart when He spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As the breastplate containing the names of the tribes of Israel was the most brilliant ornament worn by the high priest—so the names of Christ's elect are His most precious jewels and glitter on His heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It would be enough to make our knees knock together, to chill our blood, and to cause every hair of our head to stand on end—if we did but know what it is to be under the curse of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What we do for God—God's grace has first bestowed upon us! If we have any virtue, if we have any zeal, if we have any faith, if we have any love—it is the result of the grace of God bestowed upon us! Always look upon things in that light—and you will not grow proud. Give what you may, and do what you may—you must regard it as the effect of the grace of God bestowed upon you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a sweet thought to me that even Satan himself can never rob me of my pardon. I may lose my copy of it, and lose my comfort from it—but the original pardon is filed in Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those who follow the despised Christ—will not be rejected by the reigning Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When a man becomes nothing in his own estimation, then Jesus Christ becomes everything to him—but not until then.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Virtues in unregenerate men, are nothing but whitewashed sins! The best deeds of lost men, are worthless in God's sight. They lacks the stamp of grace upon them—and that which has not the stamp of grace is false coin. "So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God." Romans 8:8

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If some preachers, instead of having lessons in eloquence, were sent for a little while down into the depths of soul-despair—if they were tried, plagued, vexed and chastened—then they would learn a way of speaking which would reach the people's hearts far better than any that can be learned by human teaching!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The clearer view we have of Christ, the firmer confidence we have in His faithfulness and His power to save and preserve—the stronger will our spiritual nature grow and the more like our Lord shall we become! They who live near to Christ, will derive strength from Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenever we do a kindness to one of Christ's people—we do it unto Christ Himself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many feel that they are saved by faith—and yet live in sin as they used to do. Give up that belief—or it will ruin you! Do not indulge in it, for it is a delusion of Satan!
Many have a hope that they can so trust Christ as to be saved—and yet continue to live in their old wicked ways. If anyone has told you that, he has told you a lie! Rest assured that you are mistaken! Christ never came to be the minister of sin. He came to save us, not in our sins, but from our sins!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How many there are in this city of London, in what we call this "enlightened" 19th Century, who know a great deal about a thousand things—but nothing about the one thing necessary! They have never troubled to study Christ and so, for lack of knowledge, they grope about as the blind!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We preach Christ to the harlots in the street—and oh, how joyfully have many of them received Him and how gladly have they found cleansing from their foul stains in Jesus' precious blood!
We preach Christ to the drunkards, for we believe that nothing but the grace of God can rescue him from his degradation and sin—and many such sinners have we seen reclaimed by the Gospel!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God is an eternal, self-existent Being. What we call past, present and future—He wraps up in one eternal NOW. And if you say that He loves you now, you thereby say that He loved you in eternity past and He will love you forever—for now with God is past, present and future!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who has undertaken to save you is no mere man or angel—He is nothing less than the Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many do not come to the Bible to obtain their views of religion—but they open that Book to find texts to suit the opinions which they bring to it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What a blessed thing it is to rest both from the sinful service of Satan—and from the servile service of the Law!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God wants nothing of us, except our needs—and these furnish Him with room to display His bounty when He freely supplies them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We know that there is a Book of Life before the Throne of God, and that no more names can be written there—they were all recorded before the foundation of the world when the Father gave to Christ those who are to be eternally His!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You must walk in the light, if you are to enlighten a dark world and glorify your Lord!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You must be emptied, you must be drained dry, you must be made to feel and to confess that in your flesh there dwells no good thing—or else the Sovereign Mercy of God and the riches of His loving-kindness shall never be your heritage.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is glorious to live exempt from care, by the blessed power of prayer—to be able to take every trouble to God and leave it with Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Talking about the Bible is well enough—but searching the Scriptures is better! Feed on the Word yourselves—or else your teaching will be thin and watery.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

An Omnipotent hand created us out of nothing—and the same Omnipotence is needed to bring us to feel that we are nothing!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I remember an old countryman saying to me, long ago, "Depend upon it, my brother, if we ever get one inch above the ground, we get just that inch too high." And I believe it is so. Flat on our faces before the Cross of Christ is the place for us—realizing that we are nothing and that Jesus Christ is everything!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One of the next joys to knowing Christ, yourself—must surely be that of leading others to know Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Brethren, we miss a thousand blessings because we are too busy to commune with God! We are here, there, and everywhere—except where we ought to be. We are running to this and to that—instead of sitting with Mary at the Master's feet.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we are born only once—we must die twice.
If we are born twice—we die but once—and after that one death which is not really death, we enter into eternal life!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, the bliss of knowing that Christ is yours—and of entering into nearness of communion with Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is within the truths of divine Revelation, that Jesus Christ abides as the sun does in its proper sphere. What would the heavens be without the sun? And what would the Scriptures be without the Sun of Righteousness?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Each one of us who claims to be a Christian, is either working for God—or else is an impostor. Yes, the man who calls himself a Christian and yet does nothing for Christ, is an impostor!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every morning also brings a new mercy. To the lost sinner, especially, it is a great mercy to have another day of grace, another opportunity for repentance, a new reprieve from death, and a little more space in which to escape from Hell and fly to Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many professors say, "This course is wrong, judging by the Scriptural standard. But then, society has long tolerated it, and has even decreed it to be right." But will society judge you at the Last Great Day? If you are cast into Hell as a deceitful professor—will society fetch you out of the bottomless pit? If you are found at last outside the gates of Heaven—will society recompense you for your eternal loss?
What have you, O man of God, to do with society? Christians are to come out from among the ungodly—to daily take up their cross and follow Christ—to go outside the camp, bearing His reproach. The friend of the world, is the enemy of Christ! What have you to do with doing as the world does?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There may be more prayer in a groan—than in an entire liturgy. There may be more acceptable devotion in a tear that dampens the floor of yonder pew—than in all the hymns we have sung, or in all the supplications which we have uttered! It is not the lips—it is the heart which the Lord regards! If you can only groan out a prayer—your prayer is still accepted by the Most High God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Seven Wonders of the World are trifles, compared with the seven-million wonders of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Fear is a strange contradiction, a grim inconsistency—for it is apt to be greatest, when the reason for it is least and smallest.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you would learn all that you can concerning Jesus Christ—you must diligently study the Word which reveals Him to us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There ought to be an essential difference between the Christian and the best moralist—by reason of the higher standard which the Gospel inculcates and the Savior has exemplified. Certainly the highest point to which the best unconverted man can go—should be a level below which the converted man will never venture to descend!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Gospel joys are unspeakable! One drop of God's love, would sweeten a sea of gall. Yes, I was almost about to say that even the pangs of Hell would lose their bitterness, if a drop of the love of Christ could once flow there and be tasted by those who are lost!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The guilt of one soul would sink a world! The accumulated guilt of all the millions whom Christ redeemed, will stand forever as a proof that God delights in mercy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You shall not be accountable for the largeness or smallness of your sphere—but for your faithfulness wherever God has placed you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you are a Christian—then be a Christian!
If you follow Christ—then go outside the camp with Him!
If there is no difference between you and others—then what will you say to the King in the day when He comes and finds that you have on no wedding garment by which you can be distinguished from the rest of mankind?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?" Matthew 5:46-47
Any man will love those who love him. Even the scum of the earth can rise to this poor, starveling virtue. Saints cannot be content with such a groveling style of things. "Love for love is manlike"—but "love for hate" is Christlike. Shall we not desire to act up to our high calling?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The most glorious work that God ever performed, was when God incarnate died that sinners might live!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God's Words are the truth—substantially and really so!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christian! Jesus is your Savior—your precious Savior—your true Promiser and promise-keeper—your faithful Friend—and your Helper in life and in death!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Lost sinner, there is no doubt about the hardness of your heart, and the badness of your nature—you are probably much worse than you think are! Yet it is impossible that your depravity should exceed the potency of the Holy Spirit's influence to renew your nature and change your whole life!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My gracious Master, You have given Your all to save my soul! Give me the grace to consecrate myself and all the powers of my body, soul and spirit to You and to Your blessed service!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If Jesus was willing to be reckoned among the poor, then there is no man who needs to be ashamed of his poverty—unless it is brought on by his own sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are people whose names will never be known to fame—some of the very poorest on the earth who, nevertheless, are speaking softly with their voices for Jesus, and who are also speaking very powerfully by their lives for Jesus—as servants in the household, as toilers in the workshop, as poor humble bed-ridden sufferers who patiently endure great pain and privation, because the Lord gives them the grace to bear it for His sake!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What? Should Sodom go unpunished? Shall the bestial vice of which Sodom was guilty, never be checked? Why, if this should spread among men—it would bring in its infernal train ten thousand times more damage than the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah! "Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire!" Jude 1:7

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Someone was asking, the other day, how it was that the church, nowadays, was not so separate from the world as it used to be. One who heard the question suggested that, possibly, the world had grown better; but another more truly said that, probably, the church had grown worse.
There are some, in these apostate days, who think that the church cannot do better than to come down to the world to learn her ways, follow her maxims, and acquire her "culture." In fact, the notion is that the world is to be conquered by our conformity to it. This is as contrary to Scripture as the light is to the darkness!
Brethren, beloved in the Lord, you may depend upon it that nothing worse can happen to a Church, than to be conformed unto this world! Write "Ichabod" upon her walls, then, for the sentence of destruction has gone out against her.
It will be an ill day for the church and the world when the proposed amalgamation shall be complete, and the sons of God and the daughters of men shall be as one—then shall another deluge of wrath be ushered in!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The truth of the Gospel cannot be understood, and the commands of the Gospel cannot be obeyed—except where the Spirit of God works regeneration in the heart!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is your Master's new command that you love one another—will you disregard it? He has given this as the badge of Christians, "By this shall all men know that you are My disciples." Not if you wear a gold cross—but, "if you have love one to another." That is the Christian's badge of his being, in very truth, a disciple of Jesus Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If, as stewards, we do not make a proper use of that which He entrusts to us—He can easily take it all away.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." Genesis 15:1
You may take out the name of Abram and put your own name into the promise—if you are of Abram's spiritual seed. "If children, then heirs" applies to all the spiritual family and to the pledging of all the promises to them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Gospel is lived and loved by all holy men and women!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Temptations frequently come in the form of very pleasing baits. Satan gilds the pill that he offers us. He very seldom presents to any of us a bare hook, though that may be done with those who become habituated in sin. It is almost a bare, unbaited hook when people continue in drunkenness after they have ruined their health and brought themselves to beggar's rags. Satan hardly has to tempt them at all, for they go willingly after their idols and dote upon them.
But with God's own people, Satan generally takes care to bait his hook and cover it so that it is scarcely seen.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We admire the condescension of Jesus in leaving Heaven to dwell upon earth—but do we not equally admire the condescension of the Holy Spirit in coming to dwell in such poor hearts as ours? Jesus dwelt with sinners—but the Holy Spirit dwells in us. If it were possible for the condescension of the incarnation to be outdone—it would be in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You must be made new creatures in Christ Jesus—your very nature must be changed. The whole bent, current and tenor of your life must be altered, and that not by human arguments and persuasions, but by the Holy Spirit's power—or else you cannot enter into God's Kingdom!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

So, my brother, your prayer may never edify the brethren. It may not be suitable to be presented in public—but if your soul is in it, if your heart goes out towards God through your poor feeble prayer, it will be so precious in His sight that He will not have it thrown away!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Riches procured by impoverishing the soul, are always a curse! To increase your business so that you cannot attend week-night services, is to become really poorer. To give up heavenly pleasure—and receive earthly cares in exchange, is a sorry sort of barter.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The grandest results come to the church by the use of ordinary means, by ordinary people devoutly exercising, in the name of God, their ordinary functions in an ordinary way—the workers being, however, under the gracious influence of the divine Spirit from whom all true power must come!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whatever struggles may come, whatever temptations may overwhelm, or whatever thunderclouds may burst over your heads—you shall not be deserted, much less destroyed.
Let your entire reliance be fixed in Him. Cast the burden of your care on Him who performs all things for you.

Often, when we think we have prayed as we ought—we have only been feeding our own vanity. At other times, when we have found that we could not pray, that we could hardly express a single desire, but could only sigh and groan before the Lord—then we have really prayed and God has heard our prayer!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may judge the truth of God by three things—by God, by Christ and by man. That is,
the truth which honors God,
the truth which glorifies Christ,
and the truth which humbles man.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is our business to preach the Gospel to dead sinners, for it is the Gospel that makes the dead to live! If we had to look for some natural goodness in the sinner before we preached the Gospel to him—we would never preach to him at all! But we have to go to him where he is, with darkness over his soul and ruin and confusion all around—and if while we preach the Word, the Spirit of God accompanies it with saving power—the man is made to live, and he is made into a new creation in Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If, when we have prayed, we feel that we must have Christ's intercession to make our prayers acceptable—He will add His "much incense" to our poor petitions, and so they shall prevail with God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let your lowliness of heart, your sense of utter nothingness, instead of disqualifying you, be a sweet medium for leading you to receive more of Christ.
The more empty I am—the more room is there for my Master.
The more I lack—the more He will give me.
The more I feel my sickness—the more shall I adore and bless Him when He makes me whole.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we would grow spiritually—we must take care how we hear, as well as what we hear. The hearing is, itself, almost as important as the preaching. There have been people who have heard the Gospel for many years—but they have really heard nothing, for it has gone in one ear and out at the other! Spiritual growth does not come by such hearing!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is such a thing as fellowship with God here on earth—but men can enjoy it only in proportion as they give up their love of sin. They cannot talk with God—after they have been talking filthiness. They cannot speak with God as a man speaks with his friend—if they are accustomed to, and delight to mingle with the ungodly. The pure in heart may see God and do see Him—not with the natural eyes, and far from us be such a carnal idea as that—but with their inner spiritual eyes they see the great God who is Spirit!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You are not to bring anything to Jesus—but to come to His fullness to receive everything!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One of the loveliest sights in the world, is an aged believer patiently waiting for his summons to depart and be with Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Church needs the Doctrines of Grace today, as much as when Paul preached them! The Church needs justification by faith, the substitutionary Atonement, regeneration and divine Sovereignty to be preached from her pulpits, as much as in days of yore!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some tell us that in baptism, by which they mean infant sprinkling as a rule—they regenerate and make members of Christ, children of God and inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven! But those who are sprinkled as infants are no better than other people. They grow up in just the same way as others. The whole ceremony is useless and worse than that, for it is clean contrary to the example and teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ! No aqueous applications, no outward ceremonies can ever affect the heart!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I was sprinkled when I was a child—but I know that I was not thereby made a member of Christ, a child of God and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven! I know that nothing of the kind took place in me, but that, as soon as I could, I went into sin and continued in it. I was not born-again, I am sure, until I was about fifteen years of age, when the Lord brought salvation to my soul through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit and so I was enabled so trust in Jesus as my Savior.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The fact is, baptismal regeneration is a lie, a wicked invention of Popery, without the slightest warrant in the Word of God! Not one has ever been born-again in baptism, nor ever can be!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us never despair of any—or think that they are beyond the Spirit's power.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenever a Christian has to say, "My leanness, my leanness, woe is unto me!"—it cannot be because suitable food has not been supplied. It must be because he has not fed upon it—for if we have fed upon Christ Jesus, how can we help growing in faith, knowledge, holiness and every spiritual grace?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"You are altogether beautiful, my love—there is no flaw in you!" Song of Songs 4:7
Although a poor tried child of God may feel the force of his inbred sin and have to continually struggle with it—and though he may, from day to day, be conscious of his many imperfections—yet before those eyes which see everything, there is no flaw to be seen upon the believer in Christ. I mean no flaw in this respect—that he can never be condemned or punished for his sin. His sin is finally and forever pardoned!
Oh, what a glorious truth is this!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not believe in the faith which is unaccompanied by repentance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"The Cross" is the short term for "substitutionary suffering," for "vicarious sacrifice," for the offering up of the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian is better than the stoic. The stoic philosopher bore trial—because he believed it must be. The Christian bears it—because he believes it is working for his good.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Follow us only as far as we follow Christ! But go beyond the very best of us, where you see that we come short of what we ought to be. I hope you will be more earnest, more prayerful, more conscientious, more diligent than any of us have been!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Does God accept your heartless sacrifices, your meaningless words and empty phrases? No! He is not to be mocked by mere outward religious forms and ceremonies.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Rowland Hill used to say that the only thing that he would be sorry to leave when he went to Heaven—was that sweet, lovely, sorrowful grace of repentance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Very often God will not hear us—because we will not hear Him. If He speaks and we are deaf to His voice—then we must not wonder if we find Him deaf when we speak to Him! Our success in prayer will often depend upon our obedience to the precept—you cannot have the promise torn away from the precept. That would be like cutting a living child in two!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O beloved, I tremble to think that a man may go up with dashing step to the threshold of Heaven—only to be cast down to the nethermost pit! Only as you can say, "To me to live is Christ," have you a right to add, "and to die is gain!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Peter calls our joy, "unspeakable," (1 Peter 1:8) because if we were to try to explain or describe it to carnal men—they could not understand us. You cannot explain to a person who has never tasted honey—how sweet it is. Neither can you explain to a man who knows not the joy of the Lord—how joyous a thing it is. He could not comprehend what your words meant—you would be talking to him in an altogether unknown tongue!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Did you ever know a man whom God blessed, who had not some oddity or singularity? I think I never knew such a man! Whenever God blesses us, there is sure to be something or other to remind men that the vessel containing the treasure is an earthen vessel! Were they wise, they would understand that this is a part of the divine appointment, that we should "have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If Christ is not the Son of God—then we are idolaters!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If God bids you do any work for Him, go and do it in His strength without consulting with flesh and blood. Many a noble purpose has been strangled by a committee! Many a glorious project that might have been the means of carrying the Gospel to the utmost ends of the earth—has been crushed by timid counselors who said that it was not practical! Whereas, had it been attempted, God would have worked with the worker and great would have been the result. So go, O man of God, to the work He has called you to do—and consult not with flesh and blood!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We have seen scores of systems of philosophy come and go, and we shall probably see as many more before we die. Our business is to stand fast to the truth of Scripture and let philosophies die as the frogs of Egypt died in the days of Moses—for die they will, and when fresh hordes come, they also will die. But the eternal truth of the ever-blessed God will never die—it will live on in its own glorious immortality.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The difficulties of the Christian faith are not one-tenth as great as the absurdities in any system of unbelief which seeks to take its place! I do not hesitate to say that the whole doctrine of Evolution, with which many men are fascinated today, is ten thousand times more absurd than the most ridiculous travesty of what is taught in the Word of God, and that it requires more faith, and also far greater gullibility, than to believe any doctrine which is deduced from Holy Scripture.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us discuss the millennium, the secret rapture and all those other intricate prophetic questions by-and-by—when we have solved the more pressing needs! Just now the vessel is going to pieces—who will man the lifeboat? The house is ablaze—who will run the ladder up to the window?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenever I see a professed Christian living in his household as though he were a tyrant, I ask—"Where is the grace of God in that man?"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would give nothing for a supposed deliverance from Hell—if it does not come by way of deliverance from sin! It is sin that makes Hell, for there would be no Hell if man had no evil within him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do but win souls, beloved, through the power of the Holy Spirit—and you shall find it to be a perennial spring of joy in your own souls!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am persuaded that the holiest people take more matters to God than you and I are accustomed to do. I mean they not only consult Him, as we do, upon certain great and critical occasions—but those saints who live nearest to Christ, go to Him about little matters, thinking nothing to be too trifling to speak into the ear of Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The center of our holy religion is the Cross. The central thought of the whole of Christianity, is Christ—and the great point in Christ's history is His Crucifixion. We preach Christ—but more—we preach Him Crucified! "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world!" Galatians 6:14

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A poor woman upstairs in an attic found the Savior—and her finding the Savior affected three worlds in one moment.
It made earth glad.
It made Hell howl with indignation.
And it set Heaven in a blaze of extraordinary joy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never mind how poor and needy you are—you may yet be heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The body which has been bought with His blood—which is to sleep on His bosom—which is to be awakened in His likeness—which is to dwell with Him forever, molded after His own image—take care of that body and keep it consecrated unto the Lord!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do believe I have sincerely striven to serve my —but I never did serve Him in such a way as to be satisfied with my service!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Though God has made this round world exceedingly beautiful—yet no work of creation reflects so much of His highest glory, as the manifestation of His grace in a pardoned sinner!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When the world patronizes the Church, the Church will need tenfold grace to maintain her spirituality! "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you!" (Luke 6:26). Such praise is not for good soldiers of Jesus Christ! If the enemy begins to love one of the king's generals, the king may half suspect that his general is turning traitor. God save us from such treachery! "Do not love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It seems to be to be one of the peculiar gifts of the Christian sisterhood, to be the means of holding together the entire fabric of the Christian Church in sacred love! By quiet conversation, active sympathy, patient endurance and holy tenacity of affection—they may help to keep the Church well bolted together.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many of us, though we know comparatively little—do know that, whereas we were once blind, now we see!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The safest part of a Christian's life, is the time of his trials. Smooth water on the way to Heaven, is always a sign that the soul should keep wide awake, for danger is near!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God can sweep whole dynasties away—as men remove an anthill when it has become a nuisance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a blessed thing to be born—but a much more blessed thing to be born-again!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One of the richest blessings that a Christian can enjoy, is to be kept aright in his walk and conduct—year after year to wear a spotless character—year after year to be such an one as Daniel, that even the man's enemies can find nothing against him except concerning the Law of his God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upwards." We all bear trouble in a measure. Some have more troubles than others, and these often happen to be those who are dearest to the Lord. If any man escapes the rod, the true-born children of the royal family of Heaven never can!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Unless the great Gardener shall till us by His grace, we shall produce nothing that is good, but everything that is evil. If one of these days I shall hear that a country has been discovered where wheat grows without the work of the farmer—I may then, perhaps, hope to find one of our race who will bring forth holiness without the grace of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If sin is shut out at the front door, it tries the back gate, or climbs in at the window, or comes down the chimney. Those who cannot perceive it in themselves—are frequently blinded by its smoke.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you never see your own nothingness—you will never understand Christ's All-Sufficiency.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We have sinned—and God must punish sin. According to the inexorable laws which God has stamped upon the universe—the sinner cannot go unpunished.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Zeal is a good thing, but like the horse without a bit, it becomes useless and even dangerous. Knowledge is the bridle in the mouth of zeal. Zeal is like fire which may burn the house which it was intended to warm—unless it is carefully governed. There must be knowledge in zeal.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We cannot love whom we do not know or esteem. If we know nothing about Christ, have no understanding of Him, have not in any degree occupied our minds with Him—we may talk about love to Him, but it will be mere talk. "If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed!" 1 Corinthians 16:22

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every human sin is an attack upon the whole character and life of God. Sin, itself, is a dishonor done to the glorious attributes of Jehovah.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no man so vile but he still wraps himself up in his rags and cajoles himself into the belief that he has some degree of spiritual or moral excellence. Before Christ can come into the heart, all this natural excellence must be torn to shreds.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man has a right to live, to bring up his family, to educate them and see them comfortably settled in life—but that ought to be only for God's glory!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

May God grant us grace to beware of the least touch of self-righteousness—for it is evil, only evil and that continually!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Long before time had begun, God had foreknown His chosen people, and foreordained them unto eternal life. They had not chosen Him—for they were not in existence!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Salvation is, in short, deliverance from sin, deliverance from the guilt of it, from the punishment of it, from the power of it. If, then, any man is saved, he is delivered from the reigning power of sin. It is not possible, therefore, that any man should have salvation and yet continue in the indulgence of sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Church is built up of living stones!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is when considering the living, reigning Christ as having once been slain—that our richest comfort comes to us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we were to give Him all we have, and give our bodies to be burned—it would be very little for us to give to such a Savior.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some men have said that they have never had any consciousness of God. That is very likely. I do not suppose that pigs or donkeys, or any dumb driven cattle ever had any consciousness of God either!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No minister can make us know Christ! No book—no, not even the Bible, itself, apart from divine teaching! "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood have not revealed this unto you, but My Father who is in Heaven."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Doubtless the words of inspired men are very precious as a divine testimony—but when God, Himself, directly speaks to us in His own name, what an extraordinary weight attaches to every syllable He utters!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Bought with His precious blood, owing all we have to Him—how deeply we ought to regret that we glorify Christ so little.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, shun the slavery of all who take their religion from men—be they who they may, whether called priests or presbyters, or from human creeds or books!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O, be astonished! The Infinite—came down to earth in the form of an Infant! He who spans the heavens and holds the ocean in the hollow of His hand—condescended to hang upon a woman's breast! The Eternal King—became a little child! There was no way of saving us—but by stooping to us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Child of God, you cost Christ too much for Him to forget you! He recollects every pang He suffered in Gethsemane, and every groan that He uttered for you upon the Cross!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those who fear God are the very soul, marrow, and backbone of a nation. For their sakes God has preserved many a nation. For their sakes He gives unnumbered blessings.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Your great aim must be to glorify Christ on earth—in the hope and expectation of enjoying Him forever above.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Under the worst circumstances, true Christians find the richest comfort if they do but know that Jesus is with them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What an astonishing thing it is, that while the ox knows its owner and the donkey its master's crib—man, the object of divine love, should not know his Lord, his friend, his Benefactor!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I know a man—I hope he is converted—but I wish that the Lord would convert his temper. He prays very nicely, but you should see him when he is red in the face with anger at his wife! I know a man—I hope he is a Christian, it is not for me to judge—but I wish that the Lord would convert his pocket. It needs a button taken off, for it is very difficult to get it open! It is very easy to put something in, but hard to get anything out for any good purpose.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This sin of sins—unbelief—is still at this very hour too common among the people of God. Unbelief most assuredly robs a Christian of comfort, deprives himself of strength, and does himself a real injury.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not think that all praise is gathered up in singing! It is praise of God, when the mother tells her child of the goodness of Him who made the stars, and who spread the world with flowers. It is praise, when the young convert tells of the joy of his heart to his companion and bids him fly to the Fountain where he has washed and been made clean. It is praise of a high order, when the advanced believer in his old age tells of the faithfulness of God—and how not one good thing has failed of all that the Lord God has promised!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every person born of Adam, who has not been saved by grace, is a prisoner to sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Lay it down beyond all question, that formal worship which is not attended with the heart—can never be acceptable with the Most High God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Unbelief is a very prolific sin. Once we doubt the Lord, I know not what we may do next, and next, and next!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When I think of the strength of divine grace, I do not marvel that saints would persevere.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do you want to reach Christ? Your prayers can do it! Would you now adore Him? Would you now set forth your love? With mingled prayer and praise—your incense can come up acceptably before the Lord!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is a work of grace in the heart, where there is a fear of sin rather than a fear of Hell.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our feelings are not to be trusted—they are as fickle as the weather, and go up and down like a barometer!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Gospel's message is not so much about your sin—as it is about the remedy for it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let the Gospel be preached—and these birds of the air, fiends of Hell—will soon by some means try to remove these truths from your hearts, lest they should take root in your hearts and bring forth fruit unto repentance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The eloquent words we sometimes hear from the pulpit, often spring from the head—and not the heart!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Excuse-making is the most common trade under Heaven! The slenderest materials, are put to the greatest account. A man who has no feasible reason why he should not be judged as guilty—will go about and bring a thousand excuses and ten thousand circumstances of extenuation—the whole of them weak and thin as a spider's web!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We have had many kindnesses from friends, but never such love as Jesus showed when, we being His enemies—He yet redeemed us with His most precious blood!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We full often bemoan our circumstances as altogether disastrous—while God, who sees the end from the beginning, is working out His ordained purpose. We had better leave our circumstances with God, and submit to His Sovereign will. He knows better than we do, for He is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working. Thank God these affairs are not in our own hands! They are in far better and wiser keeping than ours.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God is immutable—He cannot change. If He has loved you once—He will love you forever!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God's Word divides the whole human race into two portions.
There is the seed of the woman—and the seed of the serpent.
There the children of God—and the children of the devil.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The work of grace can never decline so grievously in our own hearts—that the same mighty power which once quickened us, cannot revive and restore us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The supernatural grace of God has made a bed of spikes—to be a bed of roses to some of the martyrs. Amidst the flames, they have even leaped and sung for very joy! That was a grand saying of one of the martyrs, who, when he was told by Bishop Bonner that his life would be spared if he would recant, said, "Look here, Bishop, if I had as many lives as I have hairs on my body, I would burn as many times as that—before I would bend myself down before the superstitions of Rome!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How terrible must be the deathbed of a man who, after having made a profession, and perhaps preached the Gospel—has become an apostate!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our Lord Jesus Christ is a place of secure refuge for every soul who flies to Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is of infinitely more consequence for me to know that I love Christ—than it is to know the meaning of the little horn, or the ten toes, or the four great beasts!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The whole style of conducting business nowadays is so doubly dyed in deceit, that I would not marvel if a Christian often finds himself a loser by doing the right thing and maintaining a strict integrity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who can talk of the grave and of the hereafter with such intelligence, thoughtfulness, faith and strong desire as Paul did—is a man to be envied.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Brethren, if you would make your last words worth the hearing—then let your whole life be worth the seeing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The true-born child of God—seeks his Father's face, cries out for his Father's notice, and creeps into his Father's bosom!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Were it the fashion for people to carry brains in their heads—some religions which are now very rife, would soon come to an end! I have stood aghast with astonishment at the sublime folly of mankind, when I have seen how eagerly and devoutly they will bow down before baubles and street shows, while they vainly imagine that they are worshiping God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The most wonderful thing in all this Book of wonders, is that God should become Man, and bear the sins of His people.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Divine wisdom arranges our lot—but our lots are not precisely alike.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The rest that comes of pardoned sin is sweet—but the rest that comes of conquered sin through obedience, is sweeter still.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Holiness is better than mere morality, as it goes beyond it.
Holiness affects the heart.
Holiness respects the motive.
Holiness regards the whole nature of man.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Gospel was never intended to please man. Why should God devise a Gospel to suit the whims of our poor fallen human nature? He intended to save men, but He never intended to gratify their depraved tastes.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Abide at the Cross, beloved—there is no air so healthy and quickening, as that which is breathed there!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those saints of God who appear to you to be favored with perpetual sunshine—would tell you quite another tale. Some whom God highly honors in public—He often deeply humbles in private. He has a way of taking His children behind the door and making them see some of the abominations within them—while at the same time He is allowing them to see the beauties of Christ and enabling them to feed on Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Was there ever such a tender heart as that which glowed in the Master's bosom and gleamed from His loving eyes? He was a mass of love! He was Love suffering and Love dying. Love made Him live as He did—and love made Him die as He did! Love for His people still pervades His heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I reckon prayer to be the most idiotic of all occupations—unless there is really a God to hear and a God to answer!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would rather see the whole stock of my sermons in a blaze, all burned to ashes—than that they should keep anybody from reading the Bible.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a sweet thing when God enables you to leave tomorrow with Him—and to depend upon your Father who is in Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The power which rendered the Gospel saving in the olden times was not Paul's logic or Apollo's eloquence—the saving power lay in the Holy Spirit accompanying the divine truth!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christianity is a heart religion, and if you cannot say from the very depths of your being, "Christ is all!"—then you have neither part nor lot in the blessings and privileges of the Gospel—and your end will be destruction and everlasting banishment from the presence of the Lord!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Dear brethren, Jesus Christ loved you before the foundation of the world! He did not begin to love you after you loved Him. Is that a new truth of God to you? That is the doctrine of election.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

None make such mighty Christians and such fervent preachers—as those who are lifted up from the lowest depths of sin, and washed and purified through the blood of Jesus Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not harbor the idea that the further you go with Christ—the less enjoyment you will have in religion. Oh, no! It has deep draughts of great bliss! The shallow draughts will sustain—but oh, it is sacred intoxication with the love of Christ which brings the highest joy and the most divine mirth!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Depend upon it, when family piety goes down—the life of godliness will become very low.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No one place is a bit more sacred than another. It is nothing but a relic of Judaism, or a result of Roman Catholic superstition—to suppose that there are specially holy places constructed of bricks and mortar, or consecrated stones. Your bedroom, where you bow the knee, may be nearer the gate of Heaven—than the grand cathedral along whose vaulted roofs the music of song has resounded for centuries!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Gold and silver have no value in His Kingdom! The poorest is as wealthy as the wealthiest—if He comes to Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We may draw comfort from the thought that our prayers are never intrusions to God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A sermon without Christ as its beginning, middle, and end is a mistake in conception and a crime in execution.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That eternal love of God, by which we were first chosen—was the same love which sent the Savior to redeem the chosen. It was that grace from which all Covenant mercies spring—the ancient wellhead of distinguishing grace—which brought the Savior here!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may depend upon it, there is no sound bottom to a man's religion—unless he begins with a broken heart. That religion that does not begin with a deep sense of sin, and a thorough heartbreaking conviction, is a repentance that will have to be repented of before long!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What had Christ to gain by His incarnation—but shame, disgrace, abuse, the spittle on His face and the cruel nails?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Without Christ, your religion is dead, corrupt, a stench, a nuisance before God. It is a thing of abhorrence—for where there is no Christ, there is nothing in it for God to see that can possibly please Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The hypocrite and self-righteous need have no tenderness shown towards them. Caresses would but nourish their conceit. The Savior addresses them with loathing threats, "Woe unto you, Scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites!" What indignant epithets does He use! With what utter contempt does He assail them, calling them, "You blind fools!" "You serpents! You brood of vipers!" Yes, "whitewashed tombs!" and I know not what besides!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That God should be good to creatures is something to be thankful for—but that He should be good to sinful creatures exhibits His character in a far more marvelous light, and should compel our gratitude beyond all degree!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who sows the Word is responsible for the sowing—not for the reaping. If he does what his Master bids him, it is his Master's work to take care of the precious seed and make it spring up—not the servant's.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a great sorrow not to see our own hearts growing in love and other divine graces, and so going onward towards ripe maturity of blessed character.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God does not deal with His children as an individuals—He deals with them as in Christ. If you stood as an individual, you would perish, for you will be sure to fall. You are so weak and frail and apt to sin, that even with the best resolutions and intentions, you would be sure to turn aside. Therefore, the blessed Father has put you in a safer place—He has put you in Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Self-righteousness is the natural religion of every degraded heart. Only the Spirit of God can make a man really receive and acknowledge the truth of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Alas, brethren, we often stop short in our self-examinations just when they might be of use to us—like the patient who tears off the plaster just when it begins to work, or ceases to receive the medicine precisely when it has reached a point in which it would be useful!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not get the idea that a certain quantity of Bible reading, particular times spent in repeating prayers, regular attendance at a place of worship, and the systematic contribution to the support of charities—will ensure the salvation of your souls! No, you must be born-again!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many and many a time, has God held back His servants when they were just on the edge of the fatal precipice, when they were about to take the deadly poison which would have eternally destroyed their souls! His mercy, in some Providence which they did not understand, has interposed.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus did not die for those good people who have not any sin. He had nothing to do with those good people who are so righteous that they can get to Heaven their own way. Christ died for the guilty, the lost, the worthless. He comes like a physician to the sick—like one who gives sustenance to the perishing poor.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian Church is the anvil that will outlast a thousand sets of hammers, and will triumph when they are all broken to dust!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Throughout eternity this will be a ceaseless wonder in Heaven—that the Creator should stoop to bear the creature's sin, will never cease to be a mystery of mercy that challenges endless admiration!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do all things for Christ—but let the stimulating motive be that Christ has done all things for you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Though you have struggled in vain against your evil habits, though you have wrestled with them sternly and resolved, and re-resolved, only to be defeated by your giant sins and your horrible passions—there is one who can conquer all your sins for you! There is one who is stronger than Hercules, who can strangle the hydra of your lust, kill the lion of your passions and cleanse the foul stable of your evil nature by turning the great rivers of blood and water of His atoning sacrifice right through your soul! He can make and keep you pure within! Oh, look to Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You, my venerable brethren, who have been preserved so many years in the wilderness—if it were not for the grace of God, you, too would have made shipwreck of your faith—and so have perished, even in the harbor's mouth! Praise the grace that has preserved you until now! Keep in remembrance . . .
the patience of God in enduring with you,
the power of God in restraining you,
the love of God in instructing you, and
the goodness of God in keeping you to this day.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It really seems as if men would suffer anything for their sins, rather than give them up. It is not always the pleasure of sin which seems to fascinate—but the very bitterness of sin seems sweet to some.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It was for the love of His enemies, the love of those who hated and despised Him and nailed Him to the Cross—that Christ came to earth!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To be ignorant about the things of ordinary daily life is foolish—but to be ignorant about eternal life is stark madness!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All the history of an elect child of God, even before conversion, will be found to be full of traces of the preserving mercy of the Lord.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I can never forget my mother's teaching. On a Sunday night, when we were at home, she would have us around the table and explain the Scriptures as we read, and then pray. One night she left an impression on my mind that never will be erased, when she said, "I have told you, my dear children, the way of salvation—and if you perish, then you will perish justly. I shall have to say, 'Amen,' to your condemnation if you are condemned."
I could not bear that! Anybody else might say, "Amen"—but not my mother!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many are willful, wayward, and headstrong—but when they are saved by the grace of God, they bend their shoulders to Christ's yoke and they become tame and gentle. Because they are happy in God's love—they are patient in the ills of this life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Better to go to Heaven doubting—than to Hell presuming!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is nothing which my heart desires more than to see the members of this church distinguished for holiness. Holiness is the Christian's crown and glory!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Temporal mercies betoken the freeness of the divine bounty—but they are never bestowed as the pledge of God's special love for His redeemed people. Such inferior gifts He often lavishes in abundance upon those who are not His people. Spiritual blessings He reserves for His own redeemed, regenerate family! Their value is enhanced by their significance, because they are proofs of His eternal love towards us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You housewives who are about the house serving your husband and children—your services are just as much accepted by God, as mine are when I am preaching! The man who addresses thousands is accepted by God, but he who sits down and talks, even to a little child, is just as much accepted, and accepted in the same way too, for it is only "in the Beloved" that either the big or the little can be at all!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Salvation is of free grace, and is, from the very necessity of its nature, gratis. You cannot merit it! Christ did not come to save the righteous, but sinners—just as a physician does not present himself to heal those who are whole, but to heal those who are sick.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One valuable guard of spiritual life and character, is the habit of secret prayer. Private prayer should be regularly offered, at least in the morning and in the evening. To look into the face of man without having first seen the face of God, is very dangerous. To go out into the world without locking up the heart and giving God the key—is to leave it open to all sorts of spiritual enemies!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ must have the heart's warmest affection from every one of His disciples! And where that is not freely given—depend upon it, there is no true faith and, consequently, no salvation and no eternal life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Surely, brethren, we would not wince so much at our afflictions, if we did but know the Master better! From the hand of the Lord we would accept them—and we would bow to the will of the Lord in bearing them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All of Christ belongs to each one of God's people! You have got a burden to yourself, but you have also got God to yourself—think of that!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

For your Master's work, you must be prepared to forsake all and yield yourself up to Him unreservedly! You are not true to Christ, nor fit to put your hand to His plow—if you pull that hand back because it involves any sacrifice, however heavy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Groans which cannot be uttered"—are prayers that cannot be refused! There may be most strength in the passion of the soul—when there is least order in the expression of the soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

They say that we speak dreadful things about the wrath to come—but I am sure that we understate the case. What must the tender, loving, gracious Jesus have meant by the words, "Gather the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them?"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

David, if he had been a better man—would have been a worse Psalmist; for even the faults of his character, inasmuch as they bring him down to our poor level—qualify him to write according to the feelings of our hearts and the emotions of our spirits.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Brethren, the very best work which we ever do on earth, is to adore God. You are blessed in prayer, but you are seven times blessed in praise!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The joys of this life with which God blesses us, ought to make us increase in grace and gratitude, and ought to be a sufficient motive for the very highest form of consecration—but, as a rule, we are only driven to Christ by a storm. There are blessed and favored exceptions, but most of us need the rod, for we do not seem to learn obedience except through the chastening of the Lord!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God grant that we may take leave of this mortal life with peaceful confidence and holy calm! Should our exit be slow and painful—may we be steadfast in faith and full of patience! Or should it be otherwise, sudden and unexpected—may we be no less prepared and ready!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no sharper instrument with which to lance the soul, than the broken Law of God! There is no harrow that can tear the soul, like that harrow of the Ten Commandments. There is no arrow that can go forth and slay the soul's self-satisfaction as God's Commandments do, when we see that they are holy, just, good—and that we have broken every one of them—broken them a thousand times, and that every breach of the Law is calling out for vengeance against us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To be afraid to die, must be because we do not understand it. For if believers know that to die is but to enter into the arms of Jesus Christ—then surely they will be able to sing bravely!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Until a man's mind is thoroughly made up that he must be saved by Christ or perish—he will never go to Christ. A divided heart about our personal condition before God, is a deadly sign.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We have known some Catholic votaries to kneel before a statue of the Virgin Mary and lick the very pavement with their tongues by way of penance—and perform the most degrading rites in honor of their false gods!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is never a day in the year, or a moment in the day—in which the Christian ought not to be grateful.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Higher, higher, higher, higher!" must always be our motto!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Now is the accepted time for service—as well as salvation!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not know a more miserable spirit than an envious one! Nothing can be more un-Christian, than to be angry with my fellow man because he happens to have more of outward good, and of inward excellence, too, perhaps, than I may happen to have.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The happiest people are those who pass through life unknown by men—but known of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Great hearts are the main qualifications for great preachers.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This is not a theological age, and therefore it rails at sound doctrinal teaching, on the principle that ignorance despises wisdom. The glorious giants of the Puritan age fed on something better than the whipped creams and pastries which are now so much in vogue!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The habit of private prayer, and the constant practice of heart-communion with God—are the surest indicators of the work of the Holy spirit upon the soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All of our libraries and our studies are mere emptiness, compared with our prayer closets.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is the true gauge of spiritual health.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Big as men may account themselves to be on account of their ancestors, we all trace our line up to a gardener, who lost his place through stealing his Master's fruit, and that is the farthest we can possibly go. Adam covers us all with disgrace, and under that disgrace we should all sit humbly down.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We cannot be certain that a thing is right because it is old, for Satan is old, and sin is old, and death is old, and Hell is old; yet none of these things are right and desirable on that account.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is no wonder that sinners are given to slumber, when saints sleep as they do.
It is no wonder that the unconverted think Hell to be a fiction, when we Christians live as if it were so.
It is no wonder that they imagine Heaven to be a romance, when saints act as if it were so little a reality.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a great and solemn truth that every child of God will hold on until the end, but it is an equally solemn truth that many who profess to be the Lord's are self-deceivers, and will turn out apostates after all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The names of the Lord's people are written in Heaven.
In the divine decree that never changes,
in the divine heart that never alters,
in the divine memory that never fails,
in the divine thought that never forgets,
all the names of the godly are written.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The atheist is, morally, as well as mentally, a fool. He is a fool in the heart as well as in the head; a fool in morals as well as in philosophy. With the denial of God as a starting point, we may well conclude that the fool's progress is a rapid, riotous, raving, ruinous one. He who begins at impiety, is ready for any sin. "No God," being interpreted, means no law, no order, no restraint to lust, no limit to passion.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are no infidels anywhere but on earth. There are none in Heaven, and there are none in Hell. Atheism is a strange thing. Even the devils never fell into that vice, for "the devils believe and tremble." And there are some of the devil's children that have gone beyond their father in sin, but how will it look when they are forever lost?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A bloodless gospel, a gospel without the atonement, is a gospel of devils, and not the gospel of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you tell us that Christ made a satisfactory atonement for every one of the human race, we ask you how it was that he made atonement for those that must have been in the flames of Hell thousands of years before he came into this world?
Christ did not die for Judas, as he did for John.
He did not shed his blood for Demas as he shed it for Paul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you backslide in secret before God, you will soon err in public before men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The chastening must answer its purpose, or it cannot be brought to an end. Who would desire to see the gold taken out of the fire before its dross is consumed? Wait, O precious thing, until you have gained the utmost of purity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God has many rods and we have many smarts, and all because we have many sins!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No tribulation for the present is joyous; if it were, it would not be tribulation at all. If the rod does not make the child smart, what is the use of it?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No child thinks the rod of much value.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God never punishes his children for sin penally, but he chastens them for it paternally.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A true believer says, "Shall I receive good from the hand of the Lord, and shall I not also receive evil? I would rather be chastened by my Father, than I would be caressed by Satan." It were better to smart until one were black and blue under the rod of God, than to be set upon a high throne by the world or the devil.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is never said, "As many as I love I commend"; but, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten." It is more necessary for us that we should make a discovery of our faults, than of our virtues.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If your child should come to you, and say, "Father, I thank you for the rod; I know it has been for my good," you would feel it was time to be done correcting him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no punishment for the believer in the world to come, but in this world there are chastisements that will surely follow upon every sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Always insist that your creed must bend to the Bible, and not the Bible to your creed. Dare to be a little inconsistent with yourselves, if need be, sooner than be inconsistent with God's revealed truth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Use the hammer of diligence, and let the knee of prayer be exercised—and there is not a stony doctrine in revelation which is useful for you to understand, which will not fly into shivers under the exercise of prayer and faith. You may force your way through anything with the leverage of prayer. Thoughts and reasonings are like the steel wedges which give a hold upon truth; but prayer is the lever which forces open the iron chest of sacred mystery, that we may get the treasure hidden within.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have always found that the meaning of a text can be better learned by prayer than in any other way.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Scripture is the best interpreter of Scripture. The locks of Scripture are only to be opened with the keys of Scripture; and there is no lock in the whole Bible, which God meant us to open, without a key to fit it somewhere in the Bible, and we are to search for it until we find it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some people like to read so many chapters every day. I would not dissuade them from the practice, but I would rather lay my soul asoak in half a dozen verses all day than I would, as it were, rinse my hand in several chapters.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Precious Book! I would say of you what David said of Goliath's sword, "There is none like it, give it to me!" You are marrow and fatness, honey, wines on the lees well refined; yes, manna of angels, and water from the Rock Christ Jesus.
Of all soul-medicines, you are the most potent.
Of all mental dainties, you are the sweetest.
Of all spiritual food, you are the most sustaining.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you shall come before him, he shall say, "Did you read my Bible?"
"No"
"I wrote you a letter of mercy; did you read it?"
"No."
"Rebel! I have sent you a letter inviting you to me: did you ever read it?"
"Lord I never broke the seal; I kept it shut up."
"Wretch!" says God, "then you deserve Hell, if I sent you a loving epistle and you would not even break the seal!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Holy Scripture requires searching—much of it can only be learned by careful study.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not know when I am more perfectly happy than when I am weeping for sin at the foot of the cross.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We shall never do our duty either to God or to men, if we are sluggards.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To endeavor to save men by mere claptrap, or entertainments, or excitements, or oratorical displays—is as foolish as to hope to bind an angel with a string, or to lure a star with music!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Unbelief is the cause of all crime, and the seed of every evil! In fact, everything that is evil and vile lies couched in that one word—unbelief!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every portion of God's dominion in nature, teems with precious teachings!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As you come nearer to Heaven—ought you not to be more heavenly?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ not only supplies the necessities of his people, but He gives them abundant and superabundant joy in the luxuries of His grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Holy Spirit's work in regeneration, in sanctification and in perseverance, must be always magnified from our pulpit. Without His power, our ministry is a dead letter.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We cannot conceive it possible that you are broken in heart—if the pleasures of the world are your chief delight.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This Bible is the mighty battering ram that shall dash all systems of philosophy in pieces!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the horrifying torture and crucifixion of Jesus, we see the highest proof of the highest love. His bleeding, makes our hearts bleed. His shame, make us ashamed. In the cross we see a divine disgust at sin which makes sin appalling in our eyes as well. The cross will make us hate the sin which crucified the Savior!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am a poor sinner still—every day I have to look to Jesus, just as I did at the very first.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A drunk man picked himself up from the gutter and rolled up against Mr. Rowland Hill one night as he went home, and he said, "Mr. Hill, I am pleased to see you, Sir. I am one of your converts." Rowland said, "I thought it was very likely you were. You are not one of God's converts, or else you would not be drunk. My converts are no good." Rowland Hill's converts could get drunk—but the converts of the Spirit of God are those are really renewed by a supernatural operation!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is faith that saves us—not works. But that faith which saves us always produces works.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No person has any right to say, "I am saved," while he continues in sin as he did before. How can you be saved from sin, while you are living in it?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Heaven is a vast museum of wonders of grace and mercy!
It is a palace of miracles, in which everything will surprise everyone who gets there!
Heaven has been the beloved theme of God's people, and will be until time shall end.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God will not let us who are His song-birds—build our nests here on this poor earth!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Suffering is a covenant mark!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

They who love God with all their hearts, find that His ways are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are peace. Our piety is our pleasure, our hope is our happiness, our duty is our delight.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

True religion and delight are as allied as root and flower. They are, in fact, two precious jewels glittering side by side in a setting of gold.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Pilgrimage" is one of the leading ideas of Christianity. Every Christian is mystically a pilgrim. His rest is not here—he is not a citizen of earth. This life-journey is his one incessant occupation. He came into the world that he might march through it in haste. He is ever a pilgrim, in the fullest and truest sense.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When the gold knows why it has been put into the fire, it will thank the Refiner for putting it into the crucible, and will find a sweet satisfaction even in the flames!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Very few of Christians will fully ripen without affliction. The vine produces little fruit—unless it makes acquaintance with the knife, and is sternly pruned.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do you expect to be crowned with gold—when Jesus was crowned with thorns?
Shall lilies grow for you—and briars for Him?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I must frankly confess that of all my expectations of Heaven, I will cheerfully renounce ten thousand things if I can but know that I shall have perfect holiness. If I may become like Jesus Christ—pure and perfect—I cannot understand how any other joy can be denied me. If we shall have that, surely we shall have everything.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The rougher the voyage the more the mariners long for port.
Heaven becomes more and more 'a desired haven,' as our trials multiply.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is a crown there which nobody's head but yours can ever wear.
There is a seat in which none but yourself can sit.
There is a harp that will be silent until your fingers strike its strings.
There is a robe made for you, which no one else can wear.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Your head may be crowned with thorny troubles now, but it shall wear a starry crown before long! Your hand may be filled with cares—it shall sweep the strings of the harp of Heaven soon!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, I wish that our whole life might be a Psalm—that every day might be a stanza of a mighty poem! So that from the day of our spiritual birth until we enter Heaven—we might be pouring forth sacred minstrelsy in every thought, word and action of our lives.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If a man wishes to scoff at the Gospel—he can find folly in infinite wisdom. No, he can, if he has eyes that are full enough of lies, discover faults even in the immaculate God, Himself!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Even in Heaven, you shall feel that the love of God surpasses your powers of knowledge and comprehension!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing that is of value is known of God—until we know Him by experience. All that the ear learns of God from another's teaching—is shallow and superficial. Your heart must know God by its own deep communing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We don't sing enough, my brethren! How often do I stir you up about the matter of prayer—but perhaps I might be just as earnest about the matter of praise! Do we sing as much as the birds do? Yet what have birds to sing about, compared with us? Do you think we sing as much as the angels do? Yet they were never redeemed by the blood of Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our death will cause no jar in our life-music! It will involve no pause, or even discord—it is part of God's program for us—the crowning of our whole history!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Brethren, be much in the sacred and holy palace of gratitude! You cannot have anything that will more strengthen you for service than holy thankfulness to God for His favors.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you have to make less money, yet if you have an opportunity of hearing the Gospel, and mixing with God's people—do not be in haste to throw away your golden privileges for the sake of those poor financial gains, which are pitiful in comparison with spiritual wealth!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe that a Christian minister had better, once and for all, as soon as ever he sets out earnestly preaching the Gospel—make up his mind to give up his reputation! "Woe to you when all men speak well of you!" Luke 6:26

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Make a stern determination to permit nothing in your life, however gainful or pleasurable—if it would dishonor the name of Jesus!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the day of judgment, God will have no mercy for false professors. He will have no mercy upon preachers who could talk glibly—but whose lives were not consistent with their own teaching! Oh, whatever a man shall be in Hell, may God grant he may never be an unfaithful minister of Christ, condemned out of his own mouth!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If there were time tonight, I would make an inventory of all the commands of Scripture and say after each one, "If you know these things—happy are you if you do them!" John 13:17

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us never think that the Gospel needs to be rendered attractive by some additions of our own! It is like a sword that cuts just as well without the diamonds in the hilt, for the cut of it lies not in the handle, but in the sword itself. The Gospel will cut and clear its own way.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We must grow in humility! It was remarked by an excellent divine, that growing souls think themselves nothing, but that grown saints think themselves less than nothing. I suppose that when they are fully grown, they fail to find language in which to express their sense of insignificance!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a wonderful mercy—to live in the midst of godly people!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All the way to Heaven is only two steps: the first is to step out of yourselves—and the second is to step into Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we do not increase in prayerfulness—we may take it as a sign that we are not advancing in the divine life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Find me a Christian whose conversation is full of rich savor, whose judgment is tempered with charity, one whose fervent zeal is blended with the meekness of wisdom—and I will guarantee you, as a rule, that he has seen much affliction!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We often pray best—when we think that we are praying worst! When there is the most anguish, sighing and crying in prayer—there is most of the very essence of prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We must preach sermons at the people—directly to them, to show that it is not the waving of a sword in the air like a juggler's sport—but it is the getting of the sword right into the conscience and the heart! This, I take it, is the true mission of every minister of Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our Lord Jesus Christ did not come into this world merely to be an example—He came to make a substitutionary sacrifice. He came to give His soul as a ransom! If you do not believe this doctrine, you do not believe Christianity. The very pith and marrow, the very sum and substance of the mission of Jesus Christ—is His coming to give His life that He might stand in the place of those for whom He died.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am sure that the sweetness of prayer attracts and draws the believer. Even as birds are drawn with baits towards the snare—so towards the holy exercise of prayer we are drawn by the sweet attractions it has.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God loved His people before the world was made—and He will love them when the world has ceased to be! God never began to love His people. Before man was made, or the mountains were brought forth—before the blue heavens were stretched abroad—there were thoughts of love in His heart towards us! He began to create, He began actually to redeem—but He never began to love. It is eternal or "everlasting" love which glows in the bosom of God towards every one of His chosen people! "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you!" Jeremiah 31:3

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you do not love Jesus, then your faith is worthless—for the very sound of His name is precious to those who have true faith! "If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The fine spun theories of philosophers do not often survive the fleeting generation that admires them! A fresh race starts fresh philosophic theories, which live their day, like ephemera—and then expire!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Beloved, never look man in the face—until you have seen the face of God! Oh, lock up your hearts every morning by prayer, and give God the key—so that no evil may get in while you are out of doors.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If any man would see God—let him behold yon bleeding Man! If he would see God's love—then let him behold the Son of God, Incarnate, suffering in the sinner's place! If he would see God's justice—then let him behold the Only-Begotten of the Father, pierced with every arrow out of Heaven's quiver, wounded in every part and particle of His spirit and His body, that He may bear the curse for guilty men!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When God reveals His love to him and Christ draws near in the fullness of His grace—then the Christian would not change places with all the kings of the earth!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Time may rob us of our health.
The world may rob us of our wealth.
Sickness may deprive us of a thousand comforts—but there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God!
Our inheritance cannot be lost—it is where neither moth nor rust can corrupt, nor thieves break through and steal! "We have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in Heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay." 1 Peter 1:4

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Money given is a medium of public benefit, while money hoarded is a means of private discomfort! A man is but a muckraker who is forever seeking to scrape everything to himself. A miser is bound to be miserable—he is an object to make the angels weep!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In your families, the sweetness of your temper, the gentleness of your demeanor, and the purity of your actions—should bear witness that you have been with Jesus and learned of Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How ought heavenly things and holy things to engross our attention!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You aged folk—death has already put his bony palm upon your head and frozen your hair to the whiteness of that winter in which all your strength must fail, and all your beauty fade.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Beloved, the richest joy that earth and Heaven could know, springs from the crystal fount of Jesus' side!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We need to feed daily upon the Word of God—especially upon the Incarnate Word of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Gospel is the omnipotent lever to uplift the filth, debauchery and poverty of this city—into life, into light, and into holiness!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is well enough to say that a Christian should be godly, but if you are godless in your families—if family prayer is neglected and private prayer given up—then what is the use of your beliefs, what the use of your perfect creeds?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are seldom grateful for good health. God knows that we need to be sick, sometimes, to make us know the value of health—and therefore He sends us to the bed of sickness that we may learn a lesson of gratitude.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Mere moral exhortations to propriety are of no avail. You may preach ever so eloquently on sobriety without rescuing a single drunk! You may eulogize chastity to the admiration of the lascivious. You may extol honesty in the midst of knaves and thieves who will praise your fair speech. Mere precept has no regenerative power! People do not get good by having goodness preached at them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Deliverance from the power of sin is as much the work of God, as deliverance from the guilt of sin! Where we look for justification—there must we also look for sanctification. For as we are justified through Jesus Christ—we must expect to receive sanctification from a heavenly source also.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may think that there is much enjoyment to be found in retirement and in ease. But, on the contrary, luxury often puffs up, and abundance makes the heart to swell with vanity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is the duty of the Christian pastor, if he would make full proof of his ministry—to warn men of the results of sin—to tell them that there is a judgment—that for every idle word they speak they will have to account.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some preachers do not preach of eternal wrath and its terrors. This is cruel, for they ruin souls by hiding from them their ruin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This world seems so little—when we think of the world to come!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

By this you shall know whether you are Christ's or not: when you have opportunity to return to your sin—if you don't return, that shall prove you are His.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot get a harvest if you are afraid of disturbing the soil—nor can you save souls if you never warn them of Hell fire. We must tell the sinner what God has revealed about sin, righteousness and judgment to come.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There must be something very rotten in the state of the man's life, who does not desire seasons of solitude.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

According to this Book, we are dead by nature in trespasses and sins—not some of us, but all of us—the best as well as the worst! We are all dead in trespasses and sins. Shall dead men sit at the feasts of the Eternal God? Shall there be corpses at the celestial banquets? Shall the pure air of the New Jerusalem be defiled with the putrefaction of iniquity? It must not—it cannot be. "You must be born again!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ! Christ! Christ! In Him we are safe!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When Mohamed would charm the world into the belief that he was the Prophet of God, the Heaven he pictured was not at all the Heaven of holiness and purity. His was a Heaven of unbridled sensualism, where all the sensual passions were to be enjoyed without hindrance for endless years! This is such a Heaven that sinful men would like!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We cannot have a richer source of consolation than this, that those who have fallen asleep in Christ have not perished—they have not lost life, but they have gained the fullness of it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All things considered, I know of no meditation that is likely to be more profitable than a frequent consideration of the eternal rest which remains for the people of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To take away a heart of stone and give a heart of flesh, is a miracle! "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh!" Ezekiel 36:26

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus Christ said, "I thirst"—and in this He says to every sick girl, and every sick child, and every sick one throughout the world, "The Master, who is now in Heaven, but who once suffered on earth, does not despise the tears of the sufferers, but has pity on them on their beds of sickness."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing will endure even the test of time, but the Spirit's own work upon the heart and conscience! Anything that comes from man, and not from God, will as surely disappear as the smoke of the chimney when the wind blows it away, or as the frost of the morning when the sun has fully risen with his fervent heat.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Beloved, if you have to suffer from poverty—remember that the Son of Man had nowhere to lay His head.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some of you go to church merely because it is the custom to go, or because it looks respectable. This is all mischievous and rotten as a motive. To be the mere slave of fashion and custom of others, is sinful degradation!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We may say of every one of our blessings—it is according to His loving kindness and His tender mercies.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The first essential of a truly healthy Christian life, is to love Christ! And the second is to love Christ! And the third is to love Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord's tenderness and His care for His people, baffle all our thoughts and expectations!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Bible must be your chart for daily living. You must exercise great watchfulness that your way may be according to its directions. Even with the greatest of care, a man will still go astray if his map misleads him. But with the most accurate map, he will still lose his way if he does not take heed to it. The narrow way was never found by chance, neither did any careless man ever lead a holy life. We can sin without thought and neglect the great salvation and ruin our souls—but to obey the Lord and walk uprightly, will need all our heart, soul and mind. Let the careless one remember this.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The truth of the Word of God, is most uncomplimentary to man—it rolls him in the very dust, ranks him with the worms, makes nothing of him—yes, less than nothing! There is not a complimentary word to human nature within the covers of the Bible!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Pray often, beloved, for sin will tempt often. Cry mightily, for Satan will tempt mightily. Innumerable snares will he place in your path—let your countless entreaties outnumber his devices.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You are not to expect the Lord Jesus to speak with you in any other way than by the written Word applied to the soul by the Holy Spirit. Look for no new revelation! Drive out the very idea as deceptive! If any man would know the will of God, let him come to the written Word—let him search this to know what is God's mind. We are not to expect new revelation! The old is perfect and complete. There is a curse pronounced upon whoever should add to it or take from it. Let us accept it as the complete mind of God, so far as He sees fit to reveal it to us. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Word!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not think lightly of sin and its punishment—lest you come to think lightly of Christ and what He suffered to redeem you from your guilt!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If a man could live a thousand years—the sins of his first year would be as fresh in the memory of the Almighty as those of the last. Eternity itself will never wash out a sin! Flow on, you ages, but the scarlet spot is still there. Flow on, still, in mighty streams, but the damning spot is still there. Neither time nor eternity can cleanse it. Only one thing can remove sin—the blood of Christ. The lapse of time cannot.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Surely, if ever a man comes to be near akin to a devil—it must be when he assumes to be a priest, and to have the power to open and to shut the gates of Heaven and Hell!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am inclined to think that although there may be more Bibles in England than any other book—there is less of Bible reading than any other kind of literature! Alas, in how many a case the Bible is the least read book in the house!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The very essence of obedience to God lies in the heart, so the heart must be set upon obedience! It must be a sincere, willing, cheerful obedience—or else it is not a genuine submission to the Almighty.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God instructs His people to mount aloft, by stirring up their comfortable nests!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man ever attains unto true holiness, but as the result of the work of the Holy Spirit upon his understanding and his whole character.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A drop of saving grace, gives more honor than a world of fame!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The saving love of God makes . . .
 poor men, to be truly rich;
 little men, to be supremely great;
 the despised, to be honorable; and
 the nothing, to be lifted up among the mighty!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The godly man lives for Jesus in some practical work and gives himself up for the honor of the Redeemer's name and the diffusion of the glorious Gospel!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As the old Puritan says, "Cold prayers ask for a denial—it is red-hot prayers which prevail."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The remedy for all trouble, is dwelling near to God! "Acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace. Thereby good will come to you!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A supernatural life has been implanted in the believer which cannot die—because it is born of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Unholy creatures will never see a holy God! It is not possible! Oh, sinners, what do you think of this? You must be changed! You must be cleansed! You must be converted! The Holy Spirit must regenerate you! You must be born-again! Otherwise you can never stand in the Presence of the King in His beauty!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a blessing to be a member of a kind, loving, happy family—but it is an unspeakable blessing to be a member of the family of Christ and adopted into the family of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We have heard of some who are always preaching a Glorified Christ. We wish them such success as their ministry is likely to bring—but for us, we preach a Crucified Christ, "Christ and Him Crucified!" for it is here, after all, that the salvation of the sinner lies! Christ Glorified is precious enough—oh, how unspeakably precious to a soul that is saved!—but first and foremost to a dying world it is Christ upon the Cross that we have to declare!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The righteous have their troubles. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous." But there is a sacred art which Jesus teaches, which enables the Christian to rejoice in tribulation and to triumph in the midst of distress!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, what a stoop—from the highest loftiness of glory—to call Himself a husband to a worm!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All of the early Christians believed and were baptized. They did not postpone or procrastinate, but no sooner were they Christians than they confessed their Christianity in baptism.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ is supreme. You will either submit to His scepter willingly, or else to be broken by His iron rod like a potter's vessel! Which shall it be? You must either bow, or be broken—make your choice. You must bend, or break! God help you to wisely resolve, and gratefully relent.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Take care that your conduct makes others know that you have been with Jesus and have learned of Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The real battle between the Papists and the Protestants turns on this—are men saved by works, or are they saved by grace?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All outward, external religion, in which the heart does not join, so far from being received by the Most High with approbation—must be viewed by Him with utter abhorrence!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are never so weak, as when we think we are strong. We are never so strong—as when we know we are weak and look out of ourselves to our God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Cold prayers ask God to deny them—only importunate prayers will be replied to!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You must go where Jesus leads—go, therefore, willingly, cheerfully, trustingly and even joyfully, for it is an honor to a Christian to bear the cross after Jesus. Go on, then, for Christ leads the way!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Salvation is the great necessity of the human race. We need to be saved . . .
 from the consequences of the Fall,
 from the results of our own transgressions,
 from the penalties due to our guilt,
 from the indwelling power of sin and
 from the domination of our corrupt nature.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Other things must, of course, come across the mind and, for a while, engross it. But the main thought off the believer should be of the Glorious One who loved him from before the world—and will love him when the world has passed away!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whatever God demanded of man when he was perfect—He demands the same thing of him now that he is imperfect. God's Law is not changed, by our being changed!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am sure we cannot expect our children to grow up godly, if there is no family prayer! Are your family prayers, then, what they ought to be?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This is the strange paradox of the Christian faith: he who justifies himself is condemned—and he who condemns himself is justified. It is consistent with the full enjoyment of salvation to loathe yourself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let the supreme aim of life be not business, not the family, not personal pleasure—but our God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a wonder of divine grace that the Lord should ever have loved us at all—for there is nothing in our nature that is lovely. Through our fall there is everything in us to be hated by His pure and holy mind—but nothing to esteem. The best of the best, when they are at their best—are poor creatures in God's sight!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not talk much about your past sins, if at all. It is best to do with them as Noah's sons did with their father's nakedness, and cast a mantle over all. God has forgiven them. Never mention them without loathing them—utterly loathing them as if they were disgusting to your spirit and you could not speak of them without the blush mantling on your cheek!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We think so lightly of unbelief, as though it were an infirmity and not a sin—whereas of all evils, it is the chief! What can be more displeasing to the tender heart of Jesus, than ungenerous thoughts concerning Him?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those tongues that confess sins—are the best tongues to sing with! That tongue which has been salted with the brine of penitence—is fitted to be sweet with the honey of praise.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith is the hand which holds the Savior and will not let Him go!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing seems to be too foolish,
nothing is too wicked,
nothing is too insane,
for the unsaved man.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The source and fountain of salvation are only to be found in the eternal purpose of God!
In the Covenant of God it was resolved,
in the Wisdom of God it was planned,
in the great Redemption of God it was effected
and by the Spirit of God it is applied!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What is the use of fit words, fine sentences, and fluent speech in prayer? Oh, no—the Lord does not require your fine and fluent prayers! A groan, a sigh, a sob that seems to swell in your soul and become too big to find a way of escape—that is prayer!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christian, God's love to you is always the same. He cannot love you more—and He will not love you less! Never, when afflictions multiply, when terrors frighten you or when your distresses abound—does God's love to you falter or flag. Let the rod fall ever so heavily upon you—the hand that moves, like the heart that prompts the stroke, is full of love! Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace. Whether He brings you down into the depths of misery, or lifts you up into the seventh Heaven of delight—His faithful love never varies or fluctuates—it is everlasting in its continuity! "Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end!" John 13:1

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God never plays fast and loose with men. Whom He once pardons, He never condemns.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let the Lord do as He wills to us! He will never be unkind to us! He has always been our friend—He will never be our foe! He will never put us into the furnace—unless He means to purge the dross out of us. Nor will there be one degree more heat in that furnace than is absolutely necessary—there will always be mercy to balance the misery—and strength supplied to support the burden to be borne. Oh, children of God, your Father knows best! Leave everything in His hands and be at peace—for all is well.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

With a fierce determination to ruin himself, man resists the grace of God. Were it not that He who created the world puts His hand a second time to the work, to create in us a new heart—we would continue in our destruction, in our guilt and enmity to the Most High God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How can we bear to see our fellow men choosing everlasting destruction, rejecting their own mercies, and plunging themselves into eternal misery?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The procrastination of Felix, which led him to say, "When I have a more convenient season I will send for You"—is a very dangerous spirit. Let those who talked as Felix talked, beware lest they perish as Felix perished!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Be not deceived! The sinful habits you cherish, combine with the depravity of your own nature to weld a chain which the strength of Hercules could not snap—a chain that makes the creature an abject slave to the flesh!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is as hard to deliver a man from self-righteousness—as from unrighteousness. It is as difficult to deliver one man from trusting in his own morality—as to save another from the heat of his unbridled passions.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is absurd, it is horrible both to faith and to reason—to say that Christ's body is eaten and that His blood is drunk in tens of thousands of places wherever priests choose to offer what they call, "the mass!" It is a "mass" of profanity, indeed!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not possible for human language to set out the horror of an impenitent soul, the terrible condition of a sinner at enmity with his God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If Jesus gave His all for the sake of us who are so unworthy—what ought you and I to do for His sake, who is so worthy? And if He emptied His great self for us, who are as nothing—shall not we be ready to empty our little selves for Him, who is so great?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This is the very beginning of wisdom—to know the bitterness and mischief of sin, and to turn from it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I may so say—the virtues of both sexes were combined in our Lord—the graciousness, as well as the steadfastness—the feminine, as well as the masculine of our common humanity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No child of God can be very long without trouble of some kind or other—for the road to Heaven will always be rough.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He is not a Christian who is one outwardly—he is a Christian who is one inwardly.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are told that men can be regenerated by baptism—and we have seen these regenerated infants develop into what, to our minds, was nothing more than baptized heathens!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Blessed be God, this is the only contention among the birds of Paradise: Which owes the most, which shall lie lowest and which shall extol their Lord the most zealously! Charming rivalry of humility! Let us have more of it here on earth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The grace of God makes the people of God to sing sweetly, where other people would murmur! They are satisfied, where others would find easy ground for discontent. How easy it must be for a man to be contented—when he knows that God has promised to be with him in all circumstances and at all times!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You have perhaps said to yourselves, "I cannot be saved, because I am not holy." The truth is you cannot be holy, because you are not saved—being saved comes first. Holiness is never the root of salvation—it is always the fruit of salvation! It is not the cause of salvation—it is the effect of salvation! You must come to Jesus as you are and trust Him. And then He will give you the Holy Spirit to work in you the new heart, the new desire—and to make you a new creature.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The book of Revelation has been trailed in the mire by being used as a sort of astrologer's book to tell us about the future—instead of being used practically to humble us before God and to teach us to lean upon eternal wisdom, which knows all things from the beginning.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Grace, like the cargo in the vessel, makes the ship sink deeper in the stream. He who has most grace is the most humble man. You shall measure your rising in grace, by your sinking in humility.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ has done so much for us—that if we could do for Christ ten thousand times more than we have ever done, we would only rejoice to do it, cost what it may!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no more delightful manna for the pilgrims in the wilderness to feed upon, than the doctrine of Christ's love for His people, applied to the heart!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man may have been a condemned sinner five minutes ago—but the moment that he sincerely trusts Christ, he is a justified soul!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Pray the Holy Spirit to write upon your souls, to carve deeply upon your hearts—all that Jesus Christ speaks to you in His Word!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no exaggeration in the language of the spouse when she says, "Yes, He is altogether lovely!" Such as receive Him with their hearts, will find that the most rapturous expressions that saints have ever used do not exceed, but fall infinitely short of the delight, the heavenly joys, which He brings into the soul!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Child of God, let me bring to your remembrance the fact that you are by nature no better than the vilest of the vile! "Children of wrath even as others"—are we. Even you who are favored by divine grace to enter into rich fellowship with Christ—are no better, naturally, than the damned in Hell!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God will not let His people wear a rag of their own spinning—they must be clothed with Christ's righteousness from head to foot!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing but condemnation can be the lot of the man who despises divine pardon and treats divine forgiveness with contempt. When simply to trust Christ saves the soul—to distrust Him is the direst and most damnable of sins! It is suicidal! Unbeliever, you refuse to pass through the only Door which can lead you to Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

From a certain sort of heinous sins we are very easily separated by the grace of God early in our spiritual life. But when those are gone, another layer of heart evils comes into sight, and the work has to be repeated.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you receive Christ in at the front door—you must not keep the devil in the back parlor! Every traitor sin must be ejected, when the Great King takes up His residence in your heart! The thorough cleansing of your house from every defilement, is the smallest tribute we can expect you pay in deference to your royal Guest. The soul that receives Christ joyfully—sighs and groans because it cannot make, as it would, a clean sweep of its sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It would be no dishonor to a prince to go and sit down side by side with a pauper—were they both true followers of Jesus Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Soul mercies will be prized above all other mercies—when faith is in active exercise.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We must take care how we live—for this is the only lifetime we shall have in which to settle the life that lasts forever!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We ministers must set an example of zeal and tenderness, constancy, hopefulness, energy and obedience. We must ourselves practice constant self-denial, and select as our own part of the work, that which is the hardest and most humiliating. We are to rise above our fellows by superior self-forgetfulness. Be it ours to bear the heaviest burdens.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man shall be a loser in the long run—by loving and serving God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am sure that if you put your trust in God and do right—then no temporal circumstances shall ever happen to you which shall not be for your eternal good!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us be thankful if God does not give us our portion here. It is one of the things to be dreaded—the having your portion in this life! "Deliver us from men of the world, whose portion is in this life." Psalm 17:14

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"The fool says in his heart: There is no God." Psalm 14:1. In plain English, every unbeliever is a fool. That is God's opinion of him—God who cannot err—who is never too severe, but who speaks the literal truth—that he who is not a believer is a fool!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may repeat that form of prayer for twenty, forty, fifty years—and yet never have prayed a single word in all your life!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Church began with feeble numbers, with small wealth and with comparatively little talent—but she was clothed with the Holy Spirit—she was, therefore, mighty!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord does not expect you, beloved, while you are in this world to know everything—but He does expect that you who call yourselves His people should also be as little children, who are quite willing to learn!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are none of us who know to the full extent the sin of our hearts! You would have need to die like Christ—to know what sin means in its infinite, its boundless guilt!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, lost sinner, if you cannot amend your ways and change your heart—He can do it for you! He can snap the iron bands of evil habit. He can break the adamantine chain of lust in pieces! He can extricate you from the degrading abominations of drunkenness! He can dissolve all the charms of worldliness! He can set you free—though you are now a captive fastened in the inner prison with your feet in the stocks!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As threshing is a sign of the impurity of the wheat—so is affliction an indication of the present imperfection of the Christian. If you were no more connected with evil—then you would be no more corrected with sorrow.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The gracious Redeemer who watches over all His children, as a tender mother watches over her newborn child.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When any professor falls into a heinous sin—it is not the beginning, but the culmination of a process and growth in iniquity! The open sin comes at the heels of a long succession of neglected prayers, of neglected worship of God in the family, of a neglect of all private communion with Christ and negligence of every good thing. It is the fruit of evil, not the seed of the evil—which excites the public contempt.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My good works cannot save me—but they are evidences of my being saved. If I am not zealous for good works—then I lack the evidence of salvation and I have no right whatever to conclude that I shall receive one jot of benefit from Christ's sufferings upon the Cross!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What we think to be chaos—is the well-ordered system of divine providence, into which we vainly attempt to peer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Worship can never go up from all the pealing organs in the world put together—if men's hearts go not with them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Manasseh was the very chief of sinners! I feel certain that among those whom I address, there is not a grosser sinner than he was. There never lived a worse sinner! He has an evil eminence among the lovers of iniquity—and yet he was saved by divine grace! O never dare to doubt the possibility of your being forgiven! If such a wretch as Manasseh was brought to repentance—then surely no one need despair!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Hearts belong to God, and He has the keys and opens them—He sweetly opens them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No saint shall be tried beyond the proper measure—and the limit is fixed by a divine tenderness which never deals a needless stroke!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Though it is a vile thing to say, "Let us sin that grace may abound"—yet is it a most glorious truth of God, that where sin abounds, grace does much more abound!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is an everlasting consolation for the Church in those grand doctrines of grace revealed to us in Scripture—such as . . .
 unconditional election,
 particular redemption,
 effectual calling, and
 final perseverance.
God forbid that we should ever keep back these grand truths—they are the wells of salvation from which we rejoice to draw the water of life!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is the grandest power in the entire universe!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man will ever savingly believe—until he has been thoroughly convinced of his sinfulness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, the power of the love of God has in governing and influencing a man! Nothing can master a strong temper, a forceful will, an obstinate disposition, or a wayward heart—like the love of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best way to make a Christian happy—is to make him useful, plowing the fields which God has watered, and gathering the fruits which He has ripened. A Christian Church never enjoys so much concord, love, and happiness—as when every member is kept hard at work for God, every disciple a good soldier of the Cross, fighting the common enemy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My brethren, I believe that when kings and potentates meet in the cabinet chamber and consult together according to their ambitions—One whom they never see pulls the strings and they are only His puppets!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As the Lord lives, you must turn or burn! You must either repent—or be ruined forever!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Can he be a minister of Christ who does not win souls? A man might as well be a hunter—and never take any prey; a fisherman—and always come home with empty nets; a farmer—and never reap a harvest!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The church shall go on, until King Jesus is universally acknowledged King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian is never so much at liberty, as when he is under law to Christ. He knows the difference between license and liberty. He has a liberty to do as he wills, because he wills to do as God wills him to do—and herein lies the only freedom which we desire!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you are persuaded in your own soul that what you believe and what you do are acceptable to God—then whether they are acceptable to man or not, is of very small consequence!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, how wondrous is the Sovereignty of God! The devil cannot dye a soul so scarlet in sin—but what the blood of Christ can make it white as snow! Satan cannot drive a chosen sheep of Christ so far on the mountains of vanity, or into the deserts of sin—but what the Great Shepherd of the sheep can find that sheep and bring it back!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The holier the Christian becomes—the more readily he perceives his imperfections and the wickedness of his sins. And sin, instead of becoming more bearable to a Christian—becomes growingly more and more intolerable!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is asking of the All-Bountiful One, for the mercies which we need.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, this is a high mark of grace, when the Christian expects his Lord to come—and lives like one who expects Him every moment!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no honor in the whole universe—no, not the honor of the angels, themselves—that can exceed the honor which is put upon the man who believes in Jesus Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The true spirit of a Christian is perpetual thankfulness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Popery is the aggregation of heresy, superstition, and apostasy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How watchful we ought to be against unbelief—for of all sins, this is one of the most heinous.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Law of God is such a Law that Adam failed to keep it, though innocent. How, then, shall you keep it, while imperfect? It is a spiritual Law, a Law touching not only our actions, but your words and your thoughts—how can you keep it? And yet, if you keep it not, it brandishes its great whip with the thongs and brings it down upon the conscience with terrible effect. If you keep not the Law, remember the sentence, "Cursed is everyone that continues not in all things written in the Book of the Law to do them."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To walk on water is not an essential characteristic of faith—but to pray when you begin to sink, is. To do great wonders for Christ is not indispensable to your soul's being saved—but to have the faculty of always turning the heart to Him in time of distress, is one of the sure marks of divine grace in the soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is no child's play to die—to finish one's course—to know that no alterations and corrections can be made! Our flesh creeps at the prospect of the grave—but our soul trembles at the judgment!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Did you ever notice how the Bible ends? It closes with that happiest of conclusions—marriage and happiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The words of Scripture thrill my soul as nothing else ever can. They bear me aloft, or dash me down. They tear me in pieces, or build me up.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Salvation is so purely, so absolutely a gift of God—that nothing can be more free! God gives it because He chooses to give it according to that grand text which has made many a man bite his lip in anger, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He hears the young ravens when they cry." Isaiah 38:14. And surely if He hears a raven's cry and if not a sparrow falls to the ground without our Father—then your prayer, though it may be very indistinct and the language, itself, may be very unworthy of the divine ear—yet it shall command an audience and will bring down a blessing from above!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Gospel must succeed! It shall succeed! It cannot be prevented from succeeding—a multitude that no man can number must be saved!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I could create a great excitement by delivering novel doctrine—I would abhor the thought!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As bad as man is, I think he never was so bad—or rather, his badness never came out to the full so much—as when gathering all his spite, his pride, his lust, his desperate defiance, his abominable wickedness into one mouthful—he spat into the face of the Son of God, Himself!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our profession of Christ lies in the practically giving up everything which Christ would not sanction—and the following out of whatever Christ would ordain!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We shall never do our duty either to God or man—if we are sluggards.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men are not saved by their works—we declare that plainly enough. But if your faith does not produce good works, it is a dead faith and it leaves you a dead soul to become corrupt and to be cast out from the sight of the Most High God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you will have the world, you shall have it—but you shall not have Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you will follow your doubts and fears to their roots—you will find that they grow from the dunghill of your sins.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All the doctrines of the Bible have a tendency, when properly understood and received—to foster the Christian's joy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A sermon often does a man most good when it makes him most angry. Those people who walk down the aisles and say, "I will never hear that man again," very often have an arrow rankling in their bosom.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe that gluttony is as much a sin in the sight of God, as drunkenness!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never did the church so much prosper and so truly thrive as when she was baptized in blood. The ship of the church never sails so gloriously along as when the bloody spray of her martyrs falls on her deck. We must suffer and we must die, if we are ever to conquer this world for Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man is not saved against his will, but he is made willing by the operation of the Holy Spirit. A mighty grace which he does not wish to resist—enters into the man, disarms him, makes a new creature of him, and he is saved.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Take a divine promise, spoken thousands of years ago—and lo, it is fulfilled to you! It becomes as true to you as if God had spoken it for the first time this very day, and you were the person to whom it was addressed.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I view the difficulties of Holy Scripture as so many prayer stools upon which I kneel and worship the glorious Lord. What we cannot comprehend by our understandings, we apprehend by our affections.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is, perhaps, one of the hardest struggles of the Christian life to learn this sentence, "Not unto us, not unto us—but unto Your name be the glory."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Concerning homosexuality: This once brought Hell out of Heaven on Sodom!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Because there is one hypocrite, men set down all the rest the same. I heard one man say that he did not believe there was a true Christian living, because he had found so many hypocrites. I reminded him that there could be no hypocrites—if there were no genuine Christians. No one would try to forge bank notes—if there were no genuine ones.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We see His smile of love—even when others see nothing but the black hand of Death smiting our best beloved.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

True saints not only desire to love and speak truth with their lips—but they seek to be true within. They will not lie even in the closet of their hearts—for God is there to listen. They scorn double meanings, evasions, equivocations, white lies, flatteries, and deceptions.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Humility is to make a right estimate of one's self.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sincerity makes the very least person to be of more value than the most talented hypocrite.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A Christian is a perpetual miracle!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Between here and Heaven—every minute that the Christian lives, will be a minute of grace!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer . . .
 girds human weakness with divine strength,
 turns human folly into heavenly wisdom, and
 gives to troubled mortals the peace of God.

We cannot fathom what prayer can do!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christian, remember the goodness of God, in the frost of adversity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You will bear me witness, my friends—that it is exceedingly seldom I ever intrude into the mysteries of the future with regard either to the second advent, the millennial reign, or the first and second resurrection. As often as we come about it in our expositions, we do not turn aside from the point, but if guilty at all on this point, it is rather in being too silent than saying too much!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whatever subject I preach, I do not stop until I reach the Savior, the Lord Jesus—for in Him are all things.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You will find indwelling sin frequently retarding you the most—when you are most earnest. When you desire to be most alive to God—then you will generally find sin most alive to repel you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I only had one more sermon to preach before I died—it would be about my Lord Jesus Christ. I think that when we get to the end of our ministry, one of our regrets will be that we did not preach more of Him. I am sure no minister will ever repent of having preached Him too much!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith shows itself by good works.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not faith in Christ which saves you—though faith is the instrument—it is Christ's blood and merits!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God has great things in store for His people—they ought to have large expectations.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot preach conviction of sin—unless you have suffered it. You cannot preach repentance—unless you have practiced it. You cannot preach faith—unless you have exercised it. True preaching is artesian—it wells up from the great depths of the soul. If Christ has not made a well within us—then there will be no outflow from us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A vigorous temper, is not altogether an evil. Men who are easy as an old shoe, are generally of little worth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is the burning lava of the soul that has a furnace within—-a very volcano of grief and sorrow—it is that burning lava of prayer, that finds its way to God. No prayer ever reaches God's heart—which does not come from our hearts!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Look at sinful men as lunatics bent on their eternal destruction—and you will pity them and bear with them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you have no helpers—see your helpers in God.
When you have many helpers—see God in all your helpers.
When you have nothing but God—see all in God.
When you have everything—see God in everything.
Under all conditions—stay your heart only on the Lord.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Just because a church is large doesn't mean it's healthy. It could just mean it's swollen!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The final sentence of Charles Spurgeon's last sermon: "These forty years and more have I served him, blessed be his name, and I have had nothing but love from him."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The present age is so flippant that if a man loves the Savior he is a fanatic and if he hates the powers of evil he's a bigot!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The most important daily habit we can possess is to remind ourselves of the gospel.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the leader of the church does not walk with God, where will he lead you?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The study of God is the highest science, the loftiest pursuit, and the mightiest discipline!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Count it to be one of the most fearful curses that can happen to you to be happy in your sins.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Obedience, holiness, delight in God never came into a human heart except from a dvine hand.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let the dogs bark, it is their nature to.
Go on preaching Christ crucified!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The way to rise in the kingdom is to sink in ourselves.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My dear friend, when grief presses you to the dust, worship there.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every command of Christ bears today's date.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Man's haste is often folly, but God's apparent delays are ever wise.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Apart from the vivifying influence of the Spirit of God, men's souls must lie in the valley of dry bones, dead, and dead for ever.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To the graceless neck the yoke of Christ is intolerable, but to the saved sinner it is easy and light.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The most important daily habit we can possess is to remind ourselves of the gospel.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If some men were sentenced to hear their own sermons it would be a righteous judgement upon them, and they would soon cry out with Cain, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A very plain-spoken enemy may do us ten times more service than an indulgent friend.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Unless God can undeify Himself, He will have every soul that Christ died for. Every soul for which He stood as substitute and surety, He demands to have, and each of those souls He must have, for the covenant stands fast.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot pass to the mercy seat to speak with God, except through the veil of the Savior's body which was torn on our behalf.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not pardon so much that makes the Christian's heart rejoice, but Christ the pardoner.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we do not love the Bible, we certainly do not love the God who gave it to us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Salvation is the work of God. It is he alone who quickens the soul "dead in trespasses and sins," and it is he also who maintains the soul in its spiritual life. He is both "Alpha and Omega." "Salvation is of the Lord!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When the time comes for you to die, you need not be afraid, because death cannot separate you from God's love.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God save us from unholy joy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There cannot be a greater difference in the world between two things than there is between law and grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We shall not grow weary of waiting upon God if we remember how long and how graciously He once waited for us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you think of what you are, and despair; think also of what he is, and take heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Ten minutes' praying is better than a year's murmuring.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never has there been a sin pardoned, absolutely and without atonement, since the world began.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God loves to forgive, even more than you love to sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To live for the Lord is to live indeed.
All else is mere existing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Modern philosophers will accept anything except the bleeding Substitute for guilty man.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What an astonishing thing is sin, which makes the God of love and Father of mercies an enemy to his creatures, and which could only be purged by the blood of the Son of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The doctrines commonly called "Calvinistic" are the only doctrines that can shut the mouths of devils and fill the mouths of saints in the day of famine and in the time of extremity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Most people are willing for Christ to save them, but not for Him to reign over them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The saints persevere in holiness, because God perseveres in grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith is the reverse of sight. It is to believe that we are saved when sin tells us that we are lost.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no ideal place for us to serve God except the place He sets us down.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The power for the Christian life does not come from the question: What would Jesus do? But, rather, from the question: What has Jesus already done?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you have to give a carnival to get people to come to church, then you will have to keep giving carnivals to keep them coming back!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do we not all receive a large amount of blessing for which we do not render praise to God?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Until God can change or lie, he never will bring to mind again the sin of that man whom he has pardoned.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The object of all true preaching is the heart. Godly ministers aim at divorcing the heart from sin, and wedding it to Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The sinner's inability lies in his will—it is because he will not that he can not.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The only cure for man's sinful condition is a heart transplant carried out by the Great Physician. (Ezekiel 36:26)

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus did not die to make men savable, but to save them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The fear of God is the soul of godliness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We have suffered bereavement after bereavement, but we are going to the land of the immortal where graves do not exist.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no letting light into the dark cellar of doubt, except through the window of the Word of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Everything is so little to God, that if He does not care for the little, He cares for nothing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The weakness of your faith will not destroy you.
A trembling hand may receive a golden gift.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You are no lover of Christ if you do not love His children. Love Christ and you will soon love all who love Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The angels were no Arminians, they sang, "Glory to God in the highest!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men would be glad to cast the church out of the world because it rebukes them, and is thus a standing menace to their sinful lives.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith is the reverse of sight. It is to believe that we are saved when sin tells us that we are lost.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is the knowledge of our own ignorance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I dare say that you have heard a great many Arminian sermons; but you have never heard an Arminian prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is one of the temptations of the devil to tell you not to pray when you do not feel like praying. Pray twice as much then!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All the fire which the devil can bring from Hell could do us little harm if we had not so much fuel in our nature.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Always remember, beloved, in coming to the mercy-seat, that you are coming to a King.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ's sheep will not be offended by Christ's voice.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As all the rivers run into the sea, so all delights center into Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To live upon the praises of others is to feed on the air.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who talks for ever about himself, has a foolish subject and is likely to weary all around him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is enough for a praying heart that it has a hearing God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Suffering enlarges the heart by creating the power to sympathize.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The moment that a church despises the word of God, then God will despise that church.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Pride is the devil's dragnet in which he takes more fish than in any other, except procrastination.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Hope is like a star—not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith and repentance are born together, live together, and thrive together. Let no man put asunder what God has joined together!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God wrought our deliverance alone, and he alone shall have the praise.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It brings the scalding tear upon our cheek to hear sermons in which the honour of God is so far from being the preacher's object.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Better to be taught by suffering, than to be taught by sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Praying is the best studying!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Get alone with Jesus, and He will comfort your hearts, and restore your weary souls.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Tetelestai!" You would need all the other words that ever were spoken, or ever can be spoken, to explain this one word.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we are members of the most orthodox Church in Christendom it will avail us nothing unless we are spiritually joined to Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To tell about Jesus without the cross, is to betray him with a kiss!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not ask you whether you are a Wesleyan, a Baptist, or a Presbyterian. My only question is, "Are you born again?"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The only limit of the atonement is in its design: Christ gives eternal life to as many as the Father has given Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Serve God with integrity, and if you achieve no success, at least no sin will lie upon your conscience.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Slavish fear does not bring the backslider to God, but the sweet wooings of love.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This is a weary world while Jesus is away. We could do better without sun and moon than without Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Preach to broken hearts, for in every pew you are sure to find some.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus is love made manifest.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My weakness is my greatest strength, for when I feel my own dependence, then I trust alone on Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How blessed is a waiting faith which can let God take his time.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

They who seek Christ, are already being sought by him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is the holy Christian who can sing God's sonnets in the darkness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Ah! dear friends, one half of the emotions excited in our places of worship are of no more value than those excited at the theater!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A child's first lesson should be obedience, and after that you may teach what you please.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our affection is like a drop in a bucket, compared with what the Lord Jesus deserves.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

For although Christ satisfies, yet it is such a satisfaction that we want to taste more, and more, and more, and more!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have a sweet tooth for Calvinistic doctrine. The doctrines of grace are sheet anchors cast out into the sea to hold our little vessels fast in the storm!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The suffering that you have now is just the black velvet upon which the diamond of God's glory is going to be revealed!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If our sins are as high as the mountains, the ocean of His atonement is like Noah's flood,

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Bible should be our Mentor, our Monitor, our Remembrancer, and our Keeper of consciences.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do you think, O Christian, that you can measure the love of Christ? The riches of his goodness are unsearchable!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If heaven were by merit, it would never be heaven to me, for if I were in it I would say, "I am sure I am here by mistake.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nearness to God, brings likeness to God.
The more you see God, the more of God will be seen in you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Satan attaches more importance to godly fellowship than we. Since union is strength, he does his best to separate.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Draw near unto us, O gracious God; it is only Your presence that can make us happy, holy, devout or strong.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I love Jesus because he first loved me. That is Calvinism.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It cannot be that I should have sins that be stronger than almighty mercy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

By a life I did not not live, and by a death I do not die—I am saved!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God is sovereign and man is responsible. Both are true, and both are to be believed.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenever God means to use a man for big things, He breaks him into little pieces first.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He that gives us Heaven, will surely give us all that is needful on the road thither.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may think you can live fine without Christ, but you cannot afford to die without Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Rest time is not wasted time. In a long run, we shall do more in sometimes doing less.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I must know Jesus, not as the visionary dreams of him, but as the Word reveals him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No nation ever yet refused the gospel without having some overwhelming judgment as the consequence of its daring criminality

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Be half a Christian, and you shall have enough religion to make you miserable. Be wholly a Christian and your joy shall be full.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We do not consider soul winning to be accomplished by hurriedly inscribing more names upon our church-roll.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It's a long time since I preached a sermon I was satisfied with. I scarcely recollect ever having done so.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He is wisest, who does not wish to know what God has not revealed. (Deuteronomy 29:29)

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No teaching is healthy which throws the cross into the background. We cannot think of His death too often.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sermons are valuable in proportion as they speak of Jesus and point to Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If to die is but to enter into uninterrupted communion with Jesus, then death is indeed gain.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh God, to what a terrible depth a man can sink if he can live without prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who does not hate the false, does not love the true.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God does not love us because Christ died. But Christ died because the Father loved.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ's heart was never stirred by the breath of sin or the taint of iniquity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is breathing in the very air of Heaven.
Praise is breathing it out again.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus . . .
makes those just who are unjust,
forgives those who deserve to be punished,
and favors those who deserve no favor.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You are a great sinner, but He is a greater Savior!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

While prayer is an application to divine wealth.
It is also a confession of human emptiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may not always get what you ask, but you shall always have your real needs supplied.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith which accepts one word of God but rejects another, is not faith in God; but faith in our own judgment, faith in our own taste.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A faithful preacher is a rare creature.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Fathers and mothers are the most natural agents for God to use in the salvation of their children.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A dull minister creates a dull audience.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A sermon without Christ. How can it feed the soul?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When those who profess to know God's Word endorse what is contrary to the truth of God, error is kept in power.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My critics err because they don't know the real me. I'm much worse than they know.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What is sorrow when compared with sin?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Gold is nothing but dust to a dying man.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That is no gospel which has not Christ in it. The idea of preaching "The Truth" instead of Christ, is a wicked device of Satan.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When you think of what you are, and despair; think also of what He is, and take heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is more history made in the prayer closet than in the national cabinet.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no relapse where Christ heals.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Avowed atheists are not a tenth as dangerous as those preachers who scatter doubt and stab at faith!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I must confess that I never would have been saved, if I could have helped it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never try to live on the old manna, nor seek to find help in Egypt.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No joy ever visits my soul like that of knowing that Jesus is highly exalted.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The habitual practice of sexual sin, is an unholy boldness in evil!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, how easy it is to exaggerate a virtue, until it becomes a vice.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A sense of ignorance, is the doorstep of the palace of wisdom.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Hope is like a star—not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, only to be discovered in a night of adversity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sinners, you must either be cursed of God, or else you must accept Christ, as bearing the curse instead of you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not try to make the gospel tasteful to carnal minds. Do not hide the offense of the cross, lest you make it of no effect.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The highest reputation in the world is to be faithful—faithful to God and your own conscience.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A convicted felon was the last person whom our Lord befriended before death. What a lover of the souls of guilty men is he!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The dying thief had no member free except his tongue, which he used wisely to rebuke his fellow malefactor and defend his Lord.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A Christian is seldom at ease for very long. The believer in Jesus Christ inherits the kingdom through much tribulation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not our eye on him which is our great protection, but his eye on us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you have been the chief of sinners, you may have the chief of sinner's forgiveness, and God can bestow it now.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Courage, my heart! Go on little by little, for many littles will make a great whole.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Your business is to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. God's business is to draw His own to Himself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Better to abolish pulpits than to fill them with men who have no experimental knowledge of what they preach!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In Jesus, the weak could not be more strong if they were giants, or more safe if they were in Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We ought to be grateful for occasional afflictions, if they preserve us from chronic hard-heartedness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A graceless pastor is a blind man elected to a professorship of optics.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All the devils in hell and tempters on earth could do us no injury if there were no corruption in our nature.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Blessed is that ministry of which Christ is all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

While others are congratulating themselves, I have to sit humbly at the foot of the cross and marvel that I'm saved at all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If there is one doctrine I have preached more than another, it is the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no fatigue so wearisome, as that which comes from lack of work!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every proud man is the slave of his boastings, and the serf of his own loftiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christianity is a life which grows out of truth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am sure that no teaching ever made such an impression upon my mind as the instruction of my mother.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Look to your perfect Lord, and remember that you are complete in Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the wounds of Christ we put our messages to God, and they go up to heaven with something more added to them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not be all sugar, or the world will consume you; but do not be all vinegar or the world will spit you out.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The blessing of God is riches enough for a wise man, but all the world is not enough for a fool!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The cold mountains of trial, are safer than the sultry plains of pleasure.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing seems too foolish, nothing too wicked, nothing too insane, for mankind.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Remember that thought is speech before God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, the awful power which sin had thus to turn the world into one vast cemetery and to slay the whole human race!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is doubt's destroyer, ruin's remedy, the antidote to all anxieties!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you sincerely believe a lie, you will suffer the consequences. You must not only be sincere, but you must be right!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are in a sad state, when we can live contentedly without the smile of the Savior's face.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

By all the memories of the Lord's former loving-kindnesses let us rest assured that He will not forsake us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All the goodness of the past, the present, and the future, Christ bestows upon his redeemed people.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The fact is, we sometimes read Scripture, thinking of what it ought to say, rather than what it does say.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"I am with you always" is enough for my soul to live upon no matter who forsakes me.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you think that the devil is pursuing you, and Hell is ahead of you—you will not loiter.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who truly communes with God in secret, may be trusted in public.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Beware of those who say there is no Hell, and declare new ways to Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who climbs above the cares of this world and turns his face to his God, has found the sunny side of life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Though no man is free from the commission of sin, yet every converted man is free from the love of sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Brethren, whenever we want consolation, let us never go away from the gospel to find it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sermons should be full of Bible. Our own words are mere paper pellets compared with the rifle shot of the Word.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let your sermons be full of Christ, from beginning to end crammed full of the Gospel!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Suffering is better than sinning. It is better to burn for Christ, than turn from Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do you habitually take God into your calculations? Do you calculate upon omniscient direction and omnipotent aid?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The easiest thing in the world is to find fault!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you cannot trust God for temporal things, how dare you trust him for eternal things?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Maturity in grace makes us willing to part with worldly goods.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When God laid sin upon Jesus, it must have been in the intent of his heart that he would never lay it on those for whom Christ died!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Should we live always in faith on the promises, the shafts of the enemy could never reach us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Be sure that your creed bends to the Bible, and not the Bible to your creed.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Unregenerate fear drives us from God, gracious fear drives us to him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man ever fell into error through being too watchful.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Great mysteries are in the Bible by necessity; for how can the infinite God speak that all his thoughts can be grasped by puny man?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Possibly you have not succeeded with God because you have not sunk low enough before Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many can bring the Scriptures to mind, but the Lord alone can prepare the mind to receive the Scriptures.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ has died!
Atonement is complete!
God is satisfied!
Peace is proclaimed!
Hell is trembling!
Heaven is adoring!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not believe that there exists any man, much less any race of men, for whom the gospel is not fitted.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The gospel tunnels its way into the heart, with kindness as its boring rod.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do believe that there may be as much holiness in a laugh as in a cry, and that, sometimes, to laugh is the better of the two.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No matter what good truths you have to teach, no one will thank you if you do not speak kindly.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When ministers begin to write a sermon, they should always make a bee line to the Cross.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We glorify God when we plead His promises.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I looked at Christ, and the dove of peace filled my heart.
I looked at the dove, and it flew away.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All places are places of worship to a Christian. Wherever he is, he ought to be in a worshiping frame of mind.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To trust God in the light is nothing, but trust him in the dark—that is faith.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is treason against the King of kings, to water down His Word.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Although works do not justify a man before God, they do justify a man's profession before his fellows.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Be courageous. You fight a toothless dragon!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O believer, God's acceptance of Christ is your acceptance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O heavenly Sower, plough me first, and then cast the truth into me, and let me yield thee a bounteous harvest.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man may have too much money, or too much honor—but he cannot have too much grace!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The preacher must feel what he preaches. It must never be with him an easy thing to deliver a sermon.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

His hand can cool the heat of my burning brow and calm the turmoil of my palpitating heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never promise a child something and then fail to give it, whether you promise him sweets or a spanking!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are times when solitude is better than society, and silence is wiser than speech.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

By this the elect of God are known—that they love the Word of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no saint here who can out-believe God. God never out-promised Himself yet.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The presence of Jesus in the flood, is better than a ferry boat.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Believer, when you are on your knees, remember you are going to a king. Let your petitions be large.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A proud heart never praises God, for it hoards up praise for itself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If truth is forsaken, unity and peace will not last long.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ died, and by his death he made an atonement for his own murderers.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Holiness doesn't mean abstaining from pleasure, it means recognizing that God is the source of life's greatest pleasure.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the devil could be converted into a seraph—he would not stay in Hell for an hour. He would never want to go there again for pleasure. Of that I am certain.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the same way, when a man who professes to be converted says that he goes into the world and into sin for pleasure—it is as if an angel went into Hell for enjoyment!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You say that you cannot control your children. Then may the Lord have mercy on you! It is your business to do it, and you must do it—or else you will soon find they will control you. No one knows what judgment will come from God upon those who allow sin in children to go unrebuked.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All our perils are nothing, so long as we have prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How can you serve the Lord with your lips—if you do not serve Him with your lives? How can you preach His gospel with your tongues—when with hands, feet, and heart you are preaching the devil's gospel, and setting up an antichrist by your practical unholiness?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When Andrew went to find his brother—he little imagined how eminent Simon would become. In the same way, you may be very deficient in talent yourself—and yet you may be the means of drawing to Christ one who shall become eminent in grace and service.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The eagle-eyed, argus-eyed world observes everything we do, and sharp critics are upon us. Let us live the life of Christ in public. Let us take care that we exhibit our Master, and not ourselves—so that we can say, "It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If God would have painted a yellow stripe on the backs of the elect—then I would go around lifting shirts. But since He didn't—then I must preach "whosoever will." And when "whosoever" believes—then I know that he is one of the elect.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our salvation is not the effect of our works—but our works are the evidence of our salvation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When I cease to preach salvation by faith in Jesus, put me into a lunatic asylum, for you may be sure that my mind is gone.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The resurrection is a fact better attested than any event recorded in any history, whether ancient or modern.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The man who cannot weep—cannot preach. At least, if he never feels tears within, even if they do not show themselves without—he can scarcely be the man to handle such themes as those which God has committed to his people's charge.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, without prayer, what are the church's agencies—but the stretching out of a dead man's arm, or the lifting up of the lid of a blind man's eye? Only when the Holy Spirit comes—is there any life and force and power!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I did not believe in the infallibility of Scripture—the absolute infallibility of it from cover to cover—I would never enter this pulpit again!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Patience is a grace which is as difficult as it is necessary—and as hard to come by, as it is precious when it is gained.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The highest honor that God can confer upon his children, is the blood-red crown of martyrdom. The jewels of a Christian, are his afflictions. The regalia of the kings that God has made—are their troubles, their sorrows, and their griefs. Griefs exalt us—and troubles lift us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man has such need to pray, as the man who does not care to pray. When you can pray and long to pray—why, then, you will pray! But when you cannot pray and do not wish to pray—why, then, you must pray, or evil will come of it! He is on the brink of ruin, who forgets the Mercy Seat. When the heart is apathetic towards prayer, the man is sickening from a grievous disease. How can we be weary of prayer? It is essential to spiritual life! When a man grows weary of breathing, surely he is near to dying! When a man grows weary of praying, surely he is in an evil case.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do you imagine that the eternal God is to be put off with these vain resolutions, and to be mocked with these idle dreams of what you will do—when you do nothing whatever? Oh, may God save you from such a delusion!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God had one Son who had no fault—but He never had a son that was not found fault with. God Himself was slandered in paradise by Satan. Let us not expect, therefore, to escape from the venomous tongue!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Earnest intercession will be sure to bring love with it. You cannot hate a man for whom you habitually pray. If you dislike any brother Christian—then pray for him doubly, not only for his sake, but for your own, that you may be cured of prejudice and saved from all unkind feeling.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man must have a stout digestion to feed upon some men's theology; no sap, no sweetness, no life, but all stern accuracy. Proclaimed without tenderness, and argued without affection, the gospel from such men rather resembles a missile from a catapult than bread from a Father's hand.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When we ask of the Lord cooly, and not fervently—we do as it were, stop His hand, and restrain Him from giving us the very blessing we "pretend" that we are seeking.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In math, if you divide an infinite number by any number, no matter how large, you still have an infinite quotient. In the same way, Jesus' love, being infinite, even though it is divided up for every person on earth, is still infinitely poured out on each one of us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The true shepherd spirit is an amalgam of many precious graces.
He is hot with zeal—but he is not fiery with passion.
He is gentle—and yet he rules his people.
He is loving—but he does not wink at sin.
He has power over the lambs—but he is not domineering or sharp.
He has cheerfulness—but not levity.
He has freedom—but not license.
He has solemnity—but not gloom.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

From the Word of God I gather that damnation is all of man, from top to bottom—and that salvation is all of grace, from first to last. He who perishes chooses to perish; but he who is saved is saved because God has chosen to save him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If there is a man who says that the wrath of God is too heavy a punishment for his little sin—I ask him, if the sin is so little, why does he not give it up?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith is the surest of all sin-killers!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We have seen men with money, who were not happy.
We have seen men with honor, who were not happy.
We have seen persons in power, with the command of empires, who were not happy.
But we never saw, and never shall see, the individual who has Jesus with him, who is not happy.

 

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nobody ever outgrows Scripture—the book widens and deepens with our years.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Somebody once told John Bunyan that he had preached a delightful sermon. "You are too late," said Bunyan, "the devil told me that before I left the pulpit!" Satan is adept in teaching us how to steal our Master's glory.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I learn from the Scriptures that repentance is just as necessary to salvation as faith is. The faith that has not repentance going with it—will have to be repented of.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Urgently we do need a revival of personal godliness. This is, indeed—the secret if church prosperity. When individuals fall from their steadfastness, the church is tossed to and fro. When personal faith is steadfast, the church abides true to her Lord.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is an art which only the Spirit can teach us. He is the giver of all prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you want that splendid power in prayer—then you must remain in loving, living, lasting, conscious, practical, abiding union with the Lord Jesus Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Keep your eye simply on Him. Let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon your mind. When you wake in the morning look to Him. When you lie down at night look to Him. Oh! let not your hopes or fears come between you and Jesus. Follow hard after Him, and He will never fail you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the midst of our triumphs, let us cry to God for humility.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a very remarkable fact that no inspired preacher of whom we have any record, ever uttered such terrible words concerning the destiny of the lost as our Lord Jesus Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are two great truths which from this platform I have proclaimed for many years. The first is that salvation is free to every man who will have it. The second is that God gives salvation to a people whom He has chosen. These truths are not in conflict with each other in the least degree.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

True Gospel preaching is where Christ is everything, and the creature is nothing; where it is salvation all of grace, through the work of the Holy Spirit applying to the soul the precious blood of Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all they that wait for Him. He is worth waiting for. The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes. The Lord's people have always been a waiting people.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer meetings are the throbbing machinery of the church.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a remarkable fact that all the heresies which have arisen in the Christian Church, have had a decided tendency to dishonor God and to flatter man!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus is not humanity deified. He is not Godhead humanized. He is God. He is man. He is all that God is—and all that man is as God created Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We must not trust our heart at any time; even when it speaks most fair, we must call it liar; and when it pretends to the most good, still we must remember its nature, for it is evil, and that continually! "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" Jeremiah 17:9

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are no measures which can set forth the immeasurable greatness of Jehovah, who is greatness itself. Notes of exclamation suit us, when words of explanation are of no avail. If we cannot measure Him—then we can marvel at Him. Though we may not calculate with accuracy—we can adore Him with fervency.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Love to Jesus is the basis of all true piety, and the intensity of this love will ever be the measure of our zeal for His glory. Let us love Him with all our hearts—and then diligent labor, and consistent living will be sure to follow.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Any church which puts in the place of justification by faith in Christ another method of salvation—is a harlot church.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer and praise are the oars by which a man may row his boat into the deep waters of the knowledge of Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would rather believe a limited atonement that is efficacious for all men for whom it was intended—than a universal atonement that is not efficacious for anybody, except the will of men be added to it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I wish, brothers and sisters, that we could all imitate "the pearl oyster". A hurtful particle intrudes itself into its shell, and this vexes and grieves it. It cannot reject the evil, but what does it do but "cover" it with a precious substance extracted out of its own life, by which it turns the intruder into a pearl! Oh, that we could do so with the provocations we receive from our fellow Christians, so that pearls of patience, gentleness, and forgiveness might be bred within us by that which otherwise would have harmed us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the two things could be divorced—I would sooner be holy than happy. Were it possible for a man always to sorrow and yet to be pure—I would choose the sorrow if I might win the purity, for to be free from the power of sin, to be made to love holiness, is true happiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The bridge of grace will bear your weight, brother. Thousands of big sinners have gone across that bridge—yes, tens of thousands have gone over it. Some have been the chief of sinners and some have come at the very last of their days—but the arch has never yielded beneath their weight. I will go with them trusting to the same support. It will bear me over, just as it has for them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I must confess that I never realize Christ's preciousness so much as when I feel myself still to be, apart from Him—an undeserving, Hell-deserving sinner.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When a tear is wept by you—do not think that your Father does not behold it; for, "Like as a father pities his children—so the Lord pities those who fear Him." Your sigh is able to move the heart of Jehovah. Your whisper can inclines His ear unto you. Your faith can move His arm. Oh! think not that God sits on high in an eternal slumber, taking no account of you!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The boundless stores of Providence are engaged for the support of the believer. Christ is our Joseph, who has granaries full of wheat. But He does not treat us as Joseph did the Egyptians, for He opens the door of His storehouse and bids us call all the godly therein our own. He has entailed upon His estate of Providence, a perpetual charge of a daily portion for us, and He has promised that one day we shall clearly perceive that the estate itself has been well-farmed on our behalf and has always been ours. The axle of the wheels of the chariot of Providence is Infinite Love, and Gracious Wisdom is the perpetual charioteer!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian is the most contented man in the world. He is like a traveler in an inn—perfectly satisfied with the inn and its accommodation, considering it as an inn—and putting quite out of all consideration, the idea of making it his home.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Repose is as needful to the mind, as sleep to the body. Rest time is not waste time. It is economy to gather fresh strength.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Since He is the only God, the Creator of Heaven and earth—-He cannot endure that any creature of His own hands, or fiction of a creature's imagination—should be thrust into His throne, and be made to wear His crown.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not say, "I cannot help having a bad temper." Friend, you must help it. Pray to God to help you overcome it at once—for either you must kill it, or it will kill you. You cannot carry a bad temper into Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Without the Spirit of God, we can do nothing. We are as ships without wind, or chariots without steeds. Like branches without sap, we are withered. Like coals without fire, we are useless.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In all states of dilemma or of difficulty, prayer is an available source. The ship of prayer may sail through all temptations, doubts and fears—straight up to the throne of God! Though she may be outward bound with only griefs, and groans, and sighs—she shall return freighted with a wealth of blessings!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If one dear saint of God had perished—then so might all. If one of the covenant ones are lost—then so may all be lost—and then there is no gospel promise true, but the Bible is a lie, and there is nothing in it worth my acceptance. I will become an infidel at once—when I can believe that a saint of God can ever fall finally. If God has loved me once—then He will love me forever.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Great thoughts of your sin alone, will drive you to despair—but great thoughts of Christ, will pilot you into the haven of peace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no more blessed way of living—than a life of faith based upon a covenant-keeping God. To live by faith, is to know that we have no care—for He cares for us; that we need have no fear—except to fear Him; that we need have no troubles—because we have cast our burdens upon the Lord, and are conscious that He will sustain us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No chorus is too loud, no orchestra is too large, no Psalm is too lofty—for the lauding of the Lord Almighty!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe that if I would preach to you the atonement of our Lord Jesus, and nothing else, twice every Sunday—my ministry would not be unprofitable. Perhaps it might be more profitable than it is.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am the messenger—I simply tell you the Masters message.
If you do not like the message—then quarrel with the Bible, not with me.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The most likely man to go to Hell—is the man who has nothing to do on earth.
Idle people tempt the devil to tempt them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I find myself frequently depressed—perhaps more so than any other person here. And I find no better cure for that depression, than to trust in the Lord with all my heart, and seek to realize afresh the power of the peace-speaking blood of Jesus, and His infinite love in dying upon the cross to put away all my transgressions.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God . . .
 writes with a pen that never blots,
 speaks with a tongue that never slips,
 and acts with a hand that never fails!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Anger is temporary insanity. The less we do when we go mad, the better for everybody; and the less we go mad, the better for ourselves. Do nothing when you are out of temper, and then you will have the less to undo. Anger does a man more hurt than that which made him angry. People look none the handsomer for being red in the face. Oh, beloved, I have no more right as a Christian to allow bad temper to dwell in me than I have to allow the devil himself to dwell there.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is often worth while being afflicted, in order to experience the great loving-kindness of God, which He bestows so abundantly on us in the hour of trouble and perplexity. Yes, we are glad in the midst of our sorrow! We can praise and bless His name for all that He does. Sorrow ceases to be sorrow, when once there is in the heart a sweet sense of the infinite love of Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It always seems inexplicable to me that those who claim "free will" so very boldly for man—should not also allow some free will to God. Why should Jesus not have the right to choose His own bride?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The drunkard lives lower than the pig, for no pig would habitually intoxicate itself—few animals would even touch the defiling concoction. The beer-shops are the curse of this country—no good ever can come of them; no tongue can tell the evil they do!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do you feel that you never were so consciously vile as you are now? Behold, the crimson fountain is open still with all its former efficacy, to wash your sins away!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot sin so much as God can forgive. If it comes to a battle between your sin and God's grace, you cannot be so bad, as God is gracious. "Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more!" Romans 5:20

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One promise of God is like a piece of gold, and the Christian is the gold-beater and can hammer that promise out for whole weeks!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let my prayers cease, and my eye of faith will grow dim. Much in prayer—much in Heaven. Slow in prayer—slow in Christian progress.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our time on earth is fixed and settled by eternal decree. Let us not be anxious about it, but wait with patience until the gates of pearl shall open.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A deep sense of gratitude will nourish Christian zeal.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The door of the Word can only opened with the key of diligence!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those whom the Savior chose in eternity, are in due time effectually called by the power of God unto holiness. They leave their sins—they endeavor to be like Christ—they choose holiness, not out of any compulsion, but of a new nature which leads them to rejoice in holiness just as naturally as before they delighted in sin. God neither chose them nor called them because they were holy, but He called them that they might be holy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Even our mercies, like roses, have their thorns!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Trials lurk on all roads. We are beset and surrounded with dangers!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All events are under the control of divine Providence. No shower falls from the threatening cloud without divine permission; every drop has its order before it hastens to the earth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One walking with me observed, with some emphasis, "I do not believe as you do. I am an Agnostic."
"Oh," I said to him. "Yes, that is a Greek word, is it not? The Latin word is ignoramus."
He did not like it at all. Yet I only translated his language from Greek to Latin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let your personal weakness be an argument to make you pray earnestly to God for help.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Temptation, instead of getting weaker with our age, gets stronger. The passions which we thought would expire when the heat of youth had evaporated, become more fierce as we grow more infirm, till some lusts are more rampant in those who have the least power to gratify them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Be much in prayer, live much upon the Word of God, and be careful to watch over the future uprisings of sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He is not the best Christian, who reads the most books—but he who meditates the most upon them. He who hears the greatest number of sermons, shall not learn most of divinity—but he who meditates the most devoutly upon what he does hear.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A Christian will ever be in a lean state, if he has no time for sacred musings before his God.
Those men who know most of God, are such as meditate most upon Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I read in the paper of a man being taken before the magistrate. What was the charge against him? Nothing very serious, you will say. He was found wandering in the fields. He was asked where he was going—and he said he was not going anywhere. He was asked where he came from—and he said he did not know. They asked him where his home was—and he said he had none. They brought him up for wandering. As what? A dangerous lunatic.
In the same way, the man who has no aim or object in life, but just wanders about anywhere or nowhere—acts like a dangerous lunatic, and assuredly he is not morally sane.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Are you like a vessel which is left to the mercy of the winds and waves? Foolish condition! Perilous case! What! are you no more than a log on the water? I would not like to be a passenger in a vessel which had no course marked out on the chart, no pilot at the wheel, no man at the watch. Surely, you must be a fool—and you will come to a total wreck before long.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The man who says that he has nothing to think about, can surely have no brains; and that professing Christian who says he has nothing to muse upon, must be a laughingstock for devils!
A Christian man without a subject for contemplation! Impossible! Only give us the time and the opportunity, and there are a thousand topics that at once present themselves for our consideration!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All afflictions are not chastisements for sin; there are some afflictions that have quite another end and object.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I abstain myself from alcoholic drink in every form, and I think others would be wise to do the same; but of this each one must be a guide unto himself. Do not go to wine for comfort in the hour of depression. Above all things, dread the intoxicating cup in all its forms.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If two angels were sent down to earth, one to rule an empire, and the other to sweep a street—they would desire no choice in the matter, so long as God ordered them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If God requires of the sinner, dead in sin, that he should take the first step, then he requires just that which renders salvation as impossible under the gospel as it was under the law, since man is as unable to believe as he is to obey.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You have offended God, and He is angry! This is not my word—but His word: "God is a just judge. God is angry with the wicked every day. If a person does not repent—He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts." Psalm 7:11-13. You are in the hands of the God whom you have offended!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To me, Calvinism means the placing of the eternal God at the head of all things.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our joy is like the wave as it dashes on the shore—it throws us on the earth.
But our sorrows are like that receding wave which sucks us back again into the great depth of Godhead. We would have been stranded and left high and dry on the shore—if it had not been for that receding wave of sorrow, which carried us back to our Father and our God again.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The doctrines of original sin, election, effectual calling, final perseverance, and all those great truths which are called Calvinism—though Calvin was not the author of them, but simply an able writer and preacher upon the subject—are, I believe, the essential doctrines of the Gospel that is in Jesus Christ. Now, I do not ask you whether you believe all this—it is possible you may not; but I believe you will before you enter Heaven. I am persuaded, that as God may have washed your hearts—He will wash your brains before you enter Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All who have heard the Gospel preached have been called to some extent. The Word of God calls every sinner to repent and trust the Savior—but that call brings nobody to Christ unless it is accompanied by the special effectual call of the Holy Spirit!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Have you ever noticed, in the great summary of doctrines, that, as surely as you believe one—you must believe the rest? One doctrine so leans upon the others that, if you deny one, you must deny the rest. God's truths are all joined together like links in a chain!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I know that some of you feel very uncomfortable when I am preaching the Doctrine of Election or any of the other great Doctrines of Sovereign Grace. I am very sorry for any of you who cannot appreciate those glorious truths of God in which my soul delights itself to the fullest—and I would earnestly and solemnly urge you to examine yourselves to see whether you have ever had Divine Grace in your hearts at all—if you do not love to hear the Doctrines of Grace preached!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A godly character is the best tombstone.
No man's character was ever really injured, except by himself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord has arranged a New Covenant of a different character. It is made with Christ Jesus, the second Adam, and with all whom He represents. It goes this way: "You, Jesus, shall keep the law, and you shall also suffer the penalty for all the breaches of My law by all who are in You. If you do this, all those who are in you shall live eternally."

What a Magna Carta is this! The Old Covenant says, "Keep the law and live." The New Covenant is, "You shall live, and I will lead you to keep My law, for I will write it on your heart."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If young men knew the price of sin, even in this life—they would not be so hot to purchase pleasurable moments, at the price of painful years!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It might be quite a mistake if you were to give up your business under the notion that you could serve Christ better if you became a missionary, or a tract distributor, or whatever other form of holy service you might desire! Keep on with your business! If you can shine shoes well, do that! If you can preach sermons badly, do not do that!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I often feel very grateful to God that I have undergone fearful depression. I know the borders of despair and the horrible brink of that gulf of darkness into which my feet have almost gone. But hundreds of times I have been able to give a helpful grip to brethren and sisters who have come into that same condition, which grip I could never have given if I had not known their deep despondency.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Young people, you must pray—for your passions are strong, and your wisdom is little!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Holiness is another name for salvation.
To be delivered from . . .
  the power of self-will,
  the domination of evil lusts
  and the tyranny of Satan
—this is salvation!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is insulting to a man to call him a fool. But I question whether any man is saved, unless he has called himself a fool!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If grace does not make you to differ from others—then it is not saving grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When we are so gentle and quiet, and do not try to correct other people's false opinions—we are letting men go to Hell out of charity to them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A person who is silent when a wrong thing is said or done, may become a participator in the sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God save us all from spouses who are angels in the streets, saints in the church, and devils at home!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many of you look around on society, to know what to do.
You watch the general current—and then float upon it.
You study the popular breeze—and shift your sails to suit it.
You ask: "Is it fashionable?"
If it is fashionable, then you must do it.
Fashion is the law of multitudes, but it is nothing more than the common consent of fools.
To follow the fashions of the times, is to be an enemy of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a merciful thing that God forgives drunkenness. Some of those who have wallowed in it have been saved.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Dry doctrine, without the experimental teaching of the Spirit of God, may only make fuel for your eternal destruction!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Little will it abate our eternal misery, if all the rest of the world should be lost with us; company in Hell will be the reverse of consolation! If we lose Heaven for fashion's sake, it will be no solace to us that others lost it too.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not hesitate to tell the child his ruin by sin—otherwise he will not desire the remedy.
Tell him also of the punishment for sin—and warn him of Hell's terror. Be tender, but true.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Speaking of Arminians, George Whitfield said, "We are all born Arminians." It is grace that turns us into Calvinists, grace that makes Christians of us, grace that makes us free, and makes us know our standing in Christ Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Charity and purity are the two lovely garments of Christianity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord has helped us in the past, He is helping us in the present; and we believe that He will help us all the way through.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We find it far more easy to believe that the Lord made us—than that we evolved by a long chain of natural selections from floating atoms which fashioned themselves. We see in nature clear marks of design—and a design argues a Designer. Every living thing is a miracle of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Fashion always becomes obsolete and passes away.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Where death finds you—eternity will leave you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are all moving, and yet we do not perceive it. In the same way, while you are listening to this sermon—you are all being borne onward towards eternity at lightning speed!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus did not die to make men salvable—He died to actually save them.
"He will save His people from their sins!" Matthew 1:21

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If God's word be true—then evolution is a lie!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you had eyes to see, you would perceive a bodyguard of angels always attending every one of the blood-bought family.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We do not believe in a universal redemption which extends even to those who were in Hell before the Savior died, and which includes the fallen angels as well as unrepentant men.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sanctification is the great separator of Christians from the world!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

They are all Calvinists in Heaven—every soul of them! They may have been Arminians on earth; thousands and millions of them were. But they are not after they get to Heaven, for then this is their song: "Salvation unto our God, who sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb!" Revelation 7:10

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a very natural thing that man should fear to die—for man was not originally created to die.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The worst sort of clever men, are those who know better than the Bible and are so learned that they believe that the world had no Maker, and that men are only monkeys with their tails rubbed off!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To deny the great doctrine of atonement by the blood of Jesus Christ is to hamstring the gospel, and to cut the throat of Christianity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This is our evolution: "When lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
Darkness never begets light,
filth never creates purity,
Hell never yields Heaven, and
depravity never produces grace!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We have heard of one who, when the morning paper brought him news that a friend in business had died, was drawing on his boots to go to his counting-house, and observed with a laugh that as far as he was concerned, he was so busy that he had no time to die. Yet, before the words were finished, he fell forward and was a corpse!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God can do anything that is right; but He cannot do a wrong thing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Grace does not make us unearthly—though it makes us unworldly.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If God sees us making idols of anything, He will either break our idols, or break us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God in his providence and in grace, as far as we have been made willing to learn of Him—is educating us for something higher than this world.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men go after novel and false doctrines, because they do not really know the truth. If the truth had gotten into them and filled them, they would not have room for these day-dreams!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Spirit is the great Expositor of the great truths of revelation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Great sinners make great saints!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christian! You as truly and as clearly justified, as those who walk in white and sing melodious praises on celestial harps!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I hear one say, "Well, sir, you seem to be a fatalist!"
No, far from it. There is just this difference between fate and providence. Fate is blind—but providence has eyes. Fate is blind, a thing that must be; it is just an arrow shot from a bow, that must fly onward, but has no target. Not so with providence; providence is full of eyes. There is a design in everything, and an end to be answered. God works all things together for good.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who never seeks the conversion of another, is in imminent danger of being damned himself.
Do you want to go to Heaven alone? I fear you will never go there.
Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing that man can present to God by way of sacrifice, can ever purchase the blessing of forgiveness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I believed that lost sinners would be annihilated—I would have no particular reason for preaching to them. In fact, I would have a very urgent reason for never doing anything of the kind.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is astonishing how amiable we all are—until we are irritated.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A hasty man, never is a wise man.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My testimony is that if I had to die like a dog; if this life were all and there were no hereafter—I would still prefer to be a Christian for the joy and peace which, in this present life, godliness will afford.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In our Lord's dying love for us, we have . . .
 the best motive for loyalty,
 the best reason for service, and
 the best argument for perseverance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Here is God's handiwork all around us, most exquisite and beautiful—yet the fool says in his heart, "There is no God," and proves himself to be a fool by saying it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Surely I am coming quickly!" Revelation 22:20
As to the Lord's Second coming—His quickly may not be my quickly!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not think we should be so certain of death as some Christians are—because the Lord's coming is much more certain than our dying.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We see our election by our effectual calling, and not in any other way.
There is no man chosen to go to Heaven, apart from being made fit to go there.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Drunkenness is the devil's backdoor to Hell, and everything that is hellish; for he who once gives away his brains to drink is ready to be caught by Satan for anything.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The angels in Heaven are humble because they remember who made them and kept them angels—for they would have been devils in Hell if God had not preserved them in their first estate.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot always rejoice, because, although your treasure is not in this world, your affliction is.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Who do you think are the more honest men—those who tell you plainly what the Scriptures say concerning the wrath of God—or those who smooth it over, or deny it altogether?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The theology of the present aims at the deification of man, but all Scripture truth magnifies God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Better suffer anything, than sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The pains of the damned in Hell are no atonement for sin! They suffer in consequence of sin, but no atonement has been made by them, for all they have suffered has not lessened what they have yet to suffer. And when ten thousand times ten thousand years shall have rolled over their poor accursed heads, they will be just as far off having satisfied Divine Justice as they are now—for sin is such a dreadful thing that even Hell cannot burn it up. Sin is cast into its flames and men suffer there—but all the burnings of Hell never did consume a single sin, and never could. Think of that! Earth, Heaven and Hell could never take away a single sin from a single soul!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith is both the gift of God—and the act of man. The Lord is the author of our faith—but we ourselves believe.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My Lord gives me unlimited credit at the Bank of Faith!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Remember you are only accountable for your labor, and not for your success.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Little pots soon boil over; and I have known some professing Christians, who are such very little pots, that the smallest fire has made them boil over. When you never meant anything to hurt their feelings—they have been terribly hurt. The simplest remark has been taken as an insult, and a construction put upon things that never was intended, and they make their brethren offenders for a word, or for half a word, ay, and even for not saying a word!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God loved His redeemed children, not for anything that He could ever gain from them, for He had all things in Himself—but because of what He would impart to them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The least mercy from God, is a miracle.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we had to preach to thousands year after year, and never rescued but one soul, that one soul would be a full reward for all our labor—for a soul is of countless worth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenever you can see Christ's hand in it—it makes the bitter sweet, and heavy things soon grow light!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Saving faith is the infallible proof of eternal election!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If God has set His choice upon us—then let us aim to be choice men!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord will give dying grace, in dying moments.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Certain people are always on the look out for signs and wonders. If they don't see them—they invent them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some, I know, fall into a very vicious habit, which habit they excuse in themselves—namely, that of ordering their steps according to impressions. Every now and then I meet with people whom I think to be rather weak in the head, who will journey from place to place, and will perform follies by the gross under the belief that they are doing the will of God—because some silly whim of their diseased brains is imagined to be an inspiration from above.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Seek not, therefore, after visions, fancies, miracles, signs, and wonders; but live according to all the statutes and testimonies, the precepts and promises, which are contained in the sure word of revelation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It has come to be a dreadfully common belief in the Christian Church, that the only man who has a "call" is the man who devotes all his time to what is called "the ministry". Whereas Scripture teaches that all Christian service is ministry, and every Christian has a call to some kind of ministry or another.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Even the best of believers are not always at their best.
I have no perfection in my best things, much less in my worst.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those who expect to find the road to Heaven smooth and unobstructed, will discover little in the experience of the ancient saints to support the expectation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You cannot see God in glory—until your heart is changed, until your nature is renewed, until your actions, in the tenor of them, shall become such as God would have them to be.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe that God will save His own elect. I also believe that, if I do not preach the gospel, the blood of men will be laid at my door.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our failure lies in lack of faith, not in excess of it. It would be impossible to believe God too much—it is dreadfully common to believe him too little. Muzzle that dog of unbelief!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin reached its climax, in the murder of the Son of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All errors will die in due time.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The teachers of the modern school of theology, work in a kind of idol-factory.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the best prayer that was ever offered by the holiest man that ever lived—there was enough of sin to render it a polluted thing! A very hell of corruption lies within the best saint!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian who contemplates death with joy, is a living sermon!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You and I hear of sudden deaths—and yet we imagine that we shall not die suddenly.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who has the smile of the ungodly, must look for the frown of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How much of our conversation consists in complaints!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you love Christ but little—you will hate error but little.
If you do not love the truth at all—you will not hate error at all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sanctification is a lifelong work, continuously effected by the Holy Spirit.
But justification is done in an instant! It is as complete the moment a sinner believes—as when he stands before the Eternal! Is it not a marvelous thing that one moment should make you absolutely pure?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

An earning religion sends souls to Hell.
It is only a receiving religion that will take you to Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The reason why everything loses its freshness to us, is because of its lack of variety. Whatever is not divine, in due time must lose its freshness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In what way can I bring my Lord most glory, and be of most service to His Church while I am here? Solve that question, and pass into the practical.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I recollect my mother saying to me, "I prayed that you might be a Christian, but I never prayed that you might be a Baptist." Nevertheless, I became a Baptist, for, as I reminded her, the Lord was able to do for her exceeding abundantly above what she had asked or thought, and he did it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Satan greatly approves of our railing at each other, but God does not.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Mr. Rowland Hill used to say that a man was not a true Christian, if his dog and his cat were not the better off for it. I do not believe in the piety of a man who is cruel to a horse. Treat all creatures kindly, then, so far as you can, for the great Creator's sake.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward!" Job 5:7
"How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble!" Job 14:1
"Many are the afflictions of the righteous" Psalm 34:19
"My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak." Psalm 31:10
David did not expect to pass through life without experiencing difficulties. He had many severe trials. He expected to have troubles, and he certainly was not disappointed. Nor will you be. Do not reckon that God will give you a life without difficulty! Tell me, if you can, of any child of His who ever had such a portion? He had one Son without sin—but no son without sorrow. No, that Son Who had no sin, was the Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief. So you must expect the Lord to deal with you as He does with the rest of His household.
"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows." John 16:33

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Fighting sheep are strange animals, and fighting Christians are self-evident contradictions.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If salvation had been by works, our Lord could not have said to the thief, dying at His side, "Today you shall be with me in paradise!" That man could do no works! His hands and feet were fastened to the cross, and he was in the agonies of death. No, it must be of grace, all-conquering grace—and the means must be by faith, or else for dying men the Gospel is a mockery!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some of you people of God, when you get bitter waters, want to throw them away. Do not throw a drop of it away, for that is the water you have yet to drink. Accept your afflictions. They are a part of your education.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith is sanctified common-sense.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What does the doctrine of free-will do? It magnifies man into God. It declares God's purposes void—since they cannot be carried out unless men are willing. It makes God a crouching servant to the free-will of man. Free-will makes the atonement itself a powerless thing—until the will of man gives it efficacy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It seems inexplicable to me that those who claim free-will so very boldly for man—should not also allow some free-will to God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Humility has been rightly said to be a correct estimate of ourselves.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Distance is no distance in the sight of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Within the Gospel lie the truths of regeneration, repentance, faith, holiness, consecration, perfection. Heaven hides itself away within the Gospel.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh the harsh, cruel, dark thoughts which men have towards one another, when they are angry; why they kill and slay a thousand times over. These hasty sins are soon forgotten by us, but they are not so soon forgotten by God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage." Yet there is this one marvelous exception to the rule, for in Heaven Christ and His Church shall celebrate their joyous nuptials. This affinity as it is more lasting, so it is more near than earthly wedlock. Let the love of husband be ever so pure and fervent—it is but a faint picture of the flame which burns in the heart of Jesus for His redeemed Bride!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The damnation of sinners, shall not mar the happiness of saints. "And again they shouted: Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever!" Revelation 19:3

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There cannot be Heaven without Christ. He is . . .
the sum total of bliss;
the fountain from which Heaven flows,
the element of which Heaven is composed.
Christ is Heaven, and Heaven is Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What is Heaven? It is the place . . .
which God's love suggested,
which His genius invented,
which His bounty provided,
which His royalty has adorned,
which His wisdom has prepared,
which He Himself glorifies!
In that Heaven, you are to be with Him forever!
"And so we will be with the Lord forever.
 Therefore encourage each other with these words!" 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Hell is sin fully developed—a man's own soul permitted to go to extreme limits with that which it now carries out in a mitigated form, and so, becoming like a furnace heated seven times hotter than usual, tormenting itself beyond all power of imagination.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those whom free grace chooses, free grace cleanses.
We are not chosen because we are holy, but chosen to be holy.
Being chosen, the purpose is no dead letter, but we are made to seek after holiness.
The proof that Christ saves sinners, should be that His followers are holy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No nation has ever yet risen above the character of its so-called gods.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Liars have need of good memories.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The knowledge of our ignorance, is the doorstep of the temple of knowledge.
The more we really know, the more conscious we are of the littleness of our knowledge.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We shall grow in grace, but we shall never be more completely pardoned than when we first believed. We shall one day stand before the glorious presence of God in His own sacred courts, and see the Well-beloved and wear His likeness—but we shall not even then be more perfectly forgiven than we are at this present moment.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us treasure the virtues and excellencies of our fellow-Christians, and search for signs of the Spirit's work in them. Remembering our own imperfections and failures—let us not fix our eyes upon their defects.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith obliterates time, annihilates distance, and brings future things at once into its possession.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christian parents should set such an example in their households, that it shall be next door to an impossibility for their son or daughter to remain at peace while they remain out of Christ and in a state of sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When God laid sin upon Christ—it was the intent of His heart that He would never lay it on those for whom Christ died.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All historians must confess that the turning point of mankind is the cross of Christ.
It would be impossible to fix any other hinge of history.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"I came, I saw, I conquered!" Such is the life of our Lord Jesus, from the cross onward.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every gospel ministry must be tied and tethered to the cross! Leave out the cross, and you have killed the religion of Jesus. Atonement by the blood of Jesus is not an arm of Christian truth—it is the heart of it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus is not a deified man, anymore than He is a humanized God.
With a Savior less than divine, you have a religion less than saving.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our greatest joys swim on the crests of the huge billows of trouble.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Where marital love is scant, faults will be plentiful.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Married life is not all sugar, but grace in the heart will keep away most of the sours.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He whose head swims with pride because of his elevation—will soon have it broken because of his tumbling down from his lofty position.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who tells little lies, will soon think nothing of great ones—for the principle is the same.
When we begin to be believers, we cease to be liars.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Love is the chief endowment for a pastor. You must love Christ supremely, if you mean to serve Him in the capacity of pastors.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Pure affection will grieve to see a fault, mourn over a folly, and seek to remove a blot.
Perfect love seeks the perfection of the one it loves.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing gives Christ greater delight, than the love of His people.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Adam failed to keep the Law, though innocent.
How, then, shall we keep it, while sinful?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our hope in Christ for the future, is the mainspring and the mainstay of our joy here.
It is not so much what I have as what I shall have, that makes me joyful.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If Christ is not first with you—then Christ is nothing to you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The reason for pardon is not in the penitent, but in the Pardoner.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who truly believes in Jesus, is safe forever!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian, having made Jesus his all—he shall find all in Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christian! If you want to lose that which is the object of your comfort and delight—then love it too much.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is idolatry to worship the true God, by a wrong method.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A true wife is . .
 her husband's better half,
 his garden of delight,
 his flower of beauty,
 his guardian angel,
 and his heart's treasure.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In our natural state, we wore chains, not upon our limbs, but upon our hearts! Fetters bound us, and kept us from God, from salvation, from happiness, from holiness. The iron entered into our soul—and there is no slavery as terrible as that. There no slavery that is at all comparable to the bondage of the heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every grace can be counterfeited—even as jewels can be imitated.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Surely he who glorifies God most, is the grandest creature God has made. What becomes of us is of small consequence—compared with bringing glory to His great name.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Hide nothing from God, for you can hide nothing from Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The dreariest thing you can read, is the newspaper.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I heard one say the other day that a certain preacher had no more gifts for the ministry than an oyster. In my judgment, this was a slander on the oyster, for that worthy bivalve shows great discretion in his openings, and knows when to close!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Have you ever noticed the difference between being humble and being humbled?
Many persons are humbled, who are not humble at all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Godliness makes a man like God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is not an angel in heaven with whom the lowest saint might wish to exchange estates, for though the angels excel us now, we shall certainly excel them in the world to come! We shall be nearer the eternal throne than any one of them, inasmuch as Christ Jesus is our brother and not the brother of angels.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Of course, we shall not all attain to the same stature that Abraham reached—neither shall we all be tried by the same tests that were applied to him. But every one of us shall be tested, like Abraham, if indeed we are believers in God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Hell alone excepted, hope is a dweller in all regions.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God, by His Spirit, brings old truth home to the heart, gives new light to our eyes, and causes the Word to exercise new power over us. But He reveals no new facts, and He utters no words in any man's ears concerning his condition and state. We must be content with the old Scripture revelation and with the life and power and force with which the Holy Spirit brings it to the heart. Neither must any of us seek to have any additional revelations, for that would imply that the Scriptures are incomplete.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Holy Spirit . . .
 suggests good thoughts,
 prompts good actions,
 reveals good truths,
 applies good promises,
 assists in good attainments,
 and leads to good results.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Aim at the highest conceivable degree of holiness. Though you will not be perfect—never excuse yourselves because you are not. The man who is deeply discontented with himself, is probably growing fast into the full likeness of Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who has a clean heart, will necessarily have clean hands.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are persuaded that the penalties of sin will differ. Albeit all the wicked shall be cast into Hell—yet there will be degrees in the anguish of that lost estate.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Heaven at any price, is well secured.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As you come nearer to Heaven, ought you not to be more heavenly?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That which is down in the heart, will come up into the mouth. You may rest assured that men are fairly judged by the common current of their conversation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If grace does not make you to differ from the lost people around you—then it is not saving grace at all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man is very far gone in guilt when he infers from the patience of God, that he may continue in sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith in the storm is true faith!
Faith in a calm may be, or may not be, genuine faith.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ's power is seen in that when you reject the gospel, when you hate it, when you despise it—He has a power whereby He can change your mind, make you think differently from your former thoughts, and turn you from the error of your ways!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man is ever taken to Heaven against his will, though I do not believe any man ever went there of his own free will—until God's sovereign grace enlightened him and made him willing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God knows our thoughts—as well as our speech.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no person without a talent of some sort or other, no one without some form of power either given by nature or acquired by education. Each one must give an account for that talent.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

According to the free-will scheme, the Lord intends good, but He must wait like a lackey on His own creatures to know what man's intention is. God wills good and would do it—but He cannot, because He unwilling man who will not allow God's good thing carried into effect. Sirs, this is but dragging the eternal God from His throne, and lifting up into it that fallen creature, man; for man, according to that theory, nods, and his nod is destiny.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Despite all the doctrines which proud free-will has manufactured, there has never been found from Adam's day until now, a single instance in which the sinner first sought God. God must first seek him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When we shall see the dead rise from the grave by their own free-will—then may we expect to see ungodly sinners of their own free-will turning to Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God has said that He will never leave us; and that if we have Him, we possess all things. Who has need to be covetous—when all things are his, and God is his?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Poverty is hard, but debt is horrible! Scripture says, "Owe no man anything," which does not mean pay your debts, but never have any to pay.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is really disgraceful when adults tell little children idle tales and foolish stories which the children believe to be true. We should be very careful and jealous concerning the faith which a little child has in its elders and never do or say anything to weaken their belief.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A father's godly influence and earnest prayers are of untold value to his children. Yet the mothers are worth two of them, as to the moral training and religious bent of their sons and daughters.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To keep debt, dirt, and the devil out of my cottage has been my greatest wish ever since I set up housekeeping. And although the last of the three has sometimes got in by the door or the window, for the old serpent will wriggle through the smallest crack—yet thanks to a good wife, hard work, honesty, and scrubbing brushes, the two others have not crossed the threshold.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To reclaim the prodigal is well—but to save him from ever being a prodigal is better.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never promise a child and then fail to perform—whether you promise him a bun or a beating!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nobody can do as much damage to the church, as the man who is within its walls, but not within its life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No faith brings greater glory to God, than the faith of the heinously guilty when they dare to believe that God can forgive them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every divine promise, if it is rightly viewed by faith, will make the heart leap for joy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The surest way to promote godliness abroad, is to labor for it at home.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have sometimes heard of the "Latter Day Saints." I do not know much about them, but I greatly prefer the "Every Day Saints." Those people who are saints anywhere and everywhere are truly saints. He who is not a saint everywhere, is not a saint anywhere—for this is a thing that cannot be put off and on like our Sunday dress.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A life without an object must be a frivolous, useless life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not enough to do the correct thing—it must be done in a right spirit, and with a pure motive. A good action is not wholly good—unless it is done for the glory of God, and because of the greatness and goodness of his holy name.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I recollect when I resolved never to sin again.
But I sinned before I had finished my breakfast!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Depend upon it—a holy and witnessing Church makes a raging devil! When you hear ill reports, cruel speeches, threats, taunts and the like—believe that the Lord is among His people and is working gloriously.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

True repentance is sorrow for the sin itself. It has not only a dread of the damnation which is the wages of sin, but of the sin which earns the wages.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Everything is right, when the heart is right.
Everything is wrong, when the soul is wrong.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To believe Him who cannot lie, and trust in Him who cannot fail—is a kind of wisdom that none but fools will laugh at.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The straight line of truth drawn on the heart, will produce a direct course of gracious walking in the life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, for grace to love the rough paths—because we see His footprints upon them!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you cannot forgive—then you are not forgiven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men are indeed fools—when they prefer the shadows of time, to the substance of eternity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Contentment with worldly goods is a blessing.
Contentment in spiritual things is a curse and a sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sin virtually committed suicide when it slew the Savior—for His death became its death!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nowhere in the whole compass of Scripture is there a promise of forgiveness of sin, to the man who continues to live in sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whatever God sovereignly appoints—none can alter.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Opposition to divine sovereignty is essentially atheism. Men have no objection to a God who is really no God. I mean by this, a God who shall be the subject of their caprice, a God who shall be a lackey to their will, a God who shall be under their control—they have no objection to such a being as that. But a God who speaks—and it is done, a God who commands—and it stands fast, a God who does as He wills among the armies of Heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; such a God as this they cannot endure!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A sitting silently at the feet of Jesus is of more worth than all the clatter of Martha's dishes!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Brethren, let us never be content with small degrees of holiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Great success is like a full cup, it is hard to hold it with a steady hand. It is swimming in deep waters, and there is always a fear of being drowned there. It is standing on the top of the pinnacle of the temple, and Satan often says, "Cast yourself down!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man ever succeeds in anything, who does not give himself wholly to it. It matters not what it is, concentration is essential to perfection in any pursuit. He who would be eminent in any one direction, must forego a great many other things which are perfectly allowable; these he must renounce for the sake of his one object. He will not succeed unless he sacrifices all other things to the one chief thing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Tears are the diamonds of Heaven! Sighs are a part of the music of Jehovah's court, and are numbered with the sublimest strains that reach the majesty on high.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our lusts are strong cords. Fiery trials are sent to burn and consume them.
Who fears the flame which will bring him liberty from intolerable bonds?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How happy are tried Christians, afterwards. "You do not realize now what I am doing, but afterwards you will understand." John 13:7

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God always chastises His children twice, if they do not bear the first blow patiently.
Our sorrows shall have an end, when God has gotten His end in them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God sends every bird its food—but He does not throw it into the nest.
Just so, God gives us our daily bread—but it is through our own labor!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The greatest of men are indebted to the mercy of God for their daily bread.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Man was not made for an idle life, labor is evidently his proper condition. Even when man was perfect, he was placed in the garden, not to admire its flowers—but to keep it and to dress it. If he needed to work when he was perfect—much more does he require the discipline of labor now that he is fallen.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We should work with the hands of Martha—but yet keep near the Master with the heart of Mary. We need a combination of activity and meditation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Among the beneficial regulations of the moral universe, there is none much better than this—that men must work.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I have nothing to say against recreation in its proper place. Certain forms of recreation are needful and useful; but it is a wretched thing when amusement becomes a vocation. From early morning till late at night some spend their time in a round of frivolities, or else their very work is simply carried on to furnish them funds for their pleasures. This is ludicrous.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We serve either God or the devil in all that we do!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

For real business at the Throne of Grace, give me a homemade prayer, a prayer that comes out of the deeps of my heart, not because I invented it, but because God the Holy Spirit put it there and gave it such a living force that I could not help letting it come out!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Father gives the great gospel feast,
the Son is the feast, and
the Spirit not only brings the invitations—but He also gathers the guests around the table.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To believe and love the Trinity, is to possess the key of theology!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The fact that Christ died for the ungodly, renders self-righteousness a folly!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man does a thing well, who does it grudgingly.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Stagnation in a church is the devil's delight!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Choose a church by this one thing—by how much of Christ there is in that church, and how much of the savor of Christ there is in that ministry!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How much does a man love himself?
None of us too little—most of us too much.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Soul-serving requires a soul full of the milk of human kindness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Trifle with your monarch if you will—but not with the King of kings, the Lord of lords!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christian, be content to be behind the times—for the times are getting nearer to judgment and the last plagues!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Hear the Gospel—only mind that what you hear is the Gospel. You can hear some very smart sermons and very clever sermons and, as a rule, I may say that the cleverer they are, the worse they are! Where you admire so much of the preacher, you will see very little of His Master.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Albeit we are not saved by works—yet the ultimate result of salvation must always be work.
The cause of salvation lies in grace—but the effect of salvation appears in holy works.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Little things please little minds.
Nasty things please dirty minds.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those whom no man can pity and no man can help—God can love and save!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The true penitent repents of sin against God, and he would do so even if there were no punishment; for he sees more clearly than ever, the wickedness of offending so gracious a God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Success does not come to heartless efforts.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian man who does not give God the morning of his days, is not very likely to give him much of the evening.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We never have yet experienced a trouble, which might not have been worse.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If afflictions do not soften us—they harden us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you wish to know God, you must know His word.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I speak most plainly: No additional revelation is to be expected, because the book of God is ended. The revelation of God is finished, and he who adds to the sacred book is cursed! "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book!" Revelation 22:18

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the Old Testament we get the facts.
In the New Testament we find the explanation of the facts.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Gratitude ought to be the most powerful motive.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The greatest argument against the Bible is an unholy professing Christian!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The angels never doubt God—nor do the devils.
Man alone, out of all the beings that God has made, dishonor Him by unbelief.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Even if a man had no other sin than unbelief—this would be quite sufficient to condemn him forever. He neglects God, and turns away from the Savior. Unbelief is an act of high treason against the divine majesty—plucking at the crown jewel of Jehovah's truthfulness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It seems to me that an angel, looking down upon a sinner who has rejected Christ—would think of him as some sevenfold atrocity of nature!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God may will a change—but he cannot change His will.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who undertakes too much, succeeds but little.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every doctrinal truth leads towards holiness.
Every doctrinal error, directly or indirectly, leads to sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Devils could not be worse than men, when their sinful passions are let loose.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God gives you your quota of time—do not misspend it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never give a man a job which he is not fit for—for he will never do it well.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Have something to do, and do it.
Have something to live for, and live for it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The more we pray, the more we shall want to pray.
The more we pray, the more we can pray.
The more we pray, the more we shall pray.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We ought to preach the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth. But sadly, many are preaching doctrines which are the imaginations of men and the inventions of the age! One lifting up of Jesus Christ crucified is more worth to me than all the quibbling of the men who are wise above what is written!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God gives repentance—but men themselves must repent.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who looks sin-ward, has his back to God.
He who looks God-ward, has his back to sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Praise is the rehearsal of our eternal song.
By grace we learn to sing, and in glory we continue to sing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is hardly anything more sad, than the frequent laughter which exposes a vacant mind.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Death is a great revealer of secrets.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Be not like those who dream of a God who is all love—and nothing else.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If I did not praise and bless Christ my Lord, I would deserve to have my tongue torn out by its roots from my mouth. If I did not bless and magnify his name, I would deserve that every stone I tread on in the streets should rise up to curse my ingratitude, for I am a drowned debtor to the mercy of God—over head and ears—to infinite love and boundless compassion, I am a debtor.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prevention is better than a cure. Sometimes a timely heart-searching may save us many a heart-smarting!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God is served in every honest calling. Do not be afraid of soiling your hands, there is plenty of soap to be had.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may burst a bag by trying to fill it too full, and ruin yourself by grasping at too much.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Work is always healthier for us, than idleness.
It is always better to wear out shoes, than sheets.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We shall never go right—unless God is first, middle, and last.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are not the world's, else might we be ambitious.
We are not Satan's, else might we be covetous.
we are not our own, else might we be selfish.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The only difference between a very wise man and a very great fool—is that the wise man knows that he is a fool, and the other does not.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is easy for the Lord to save a sinner—but it is impossible for a self-righteous man to be saved until he is brought down from his fatal pride!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is good to be nothing. It is better still to be "less than nothing."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God is the sum of our necessities.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we never do any work for Christ except when we feel up to the mark—we shall not do much.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Things which men call absurdities, have become foundation truths to us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we are careful about our little actions—the great ones will be pretty sure to be right.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"The Holy Spirit helps us in our infirmities," but not our idlenesses.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whatever you would do if you had your own way—is the test of your heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Thoughts are the eggs of words and actions! Within the thoughts lie compacted and condensed all the villainy of actual transgressions.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some men profess a great deal; but we must not believe anyone unless we see that his deeds answer to what he says.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If truth is optional—then error is justifiable.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Your conscience is not the rule of your duty—but God's Word is. If God's Word commands it, whatever your conscience may say about it—you are sinning if you refuse to obey.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men of the world are apt to say, "You are such a set of bigots! You think everybody to be wrong, but yourselves!" Is it astonishing that if we think we are right, we do not believe that those who are opposed to us can be right also?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I will give you a little bit of worldly wisdom: Whenever you do not know what to do—do not do it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Why are we troubled? Is there anything worth shedding a tear for, now that all is well for eternity?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Old age should never be looked upon with dismay by us.
We are nearing home, so it should be our joy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That we live, is miraculous.
That we die, is but natural.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God has not one single redeemed person, for whom He has not appointed a service.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Wives! You are as much serving God in looking after your children, and training them up in God's fear, and minding the house, and making your household a little church for God—as the best preacher in the world.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Divisions in Churches never begin with those full of love to the Savior.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is only serving God, that is doing immortal work.
It is only living for Christ, that is living at all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men have been helped to live unto God—by remembering that they must die.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Bible never gives human nature a good word—nor does it deserve it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Bible is not God—but it is God's voice.
Read it with awe and reverence.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our life is made up of trifles. If we had a God only for the great things, and not for the little things—we would be miserable indeed.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the disposal of the lot is the Lord's—then whose is the arrangement of our whole life?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Delay is the devil's great net. All men intend to repent.
Alas! they will repent one day, that they did not repent at once.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The only salvation that can redeem from Hell, is a salvation which comes from Heaven!
Eternal salvation must come from an eternal God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Ah, it is better to lay one brick today—than to propose to build a palace next year!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To the true believer, it is a joy and a delight to serve Christ—he is not flogged to his duty.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A few minutes' folly, may ruin years of good character!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do we need to understand everything in Scripture? Are we to be all brain, and no heart? What the better would we be—if we did understand all mysteries? Bow before God's Word—is not this better for us than the conceit of knowing and understanding everything? We are as yet mere children—we know in part.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Wealth brings care,
honor earns envy,
position entails toil, and
rank has its annoyances.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sufferings are our tutors; they educate us for Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The man who begins to exult over his fallen brother, is the likeliest man to fall himself!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How very curious it is, that people try to give God something else instead of what He asks for!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One mark of a man's true wisdom, is his knowledge of his ignorance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The old nature never does improve, it is as earthly, and sensual, and devilish in the saint of eighty years of age—as it was when he first came to Christ. It is unimproved and unimprovable. Towards God, it is enmity itself. Every imagination of the thoughts of the heart is evil, and that continually.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To suppose that temporal things are too little for our condescending God, is to forget that He observes the flight of sparrows, and counts the hairs of his people's heads. Besides, everything is so little to Him, that, if He does not care for the little, He cares for nothing.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Probably the most foolish people in the world, are those who have the best intentions, but never carry them out.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There will never be a tear of acceptable repentance in your eyes—until you have first looked to Jesus Christ!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Worldly men would be unhappy in Heaven; for there would be nothing there to gratify them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Did you ever hear of the man who used to prepare the potatoes before he planted them in his garden? He always boiled them; they never grew, for he had prepared all the life out of them! In the same way, many a boiled sermon is brought out to the people, but it never grows. It is elaborated and prepared so much that nothing will ever come out of it. The Lord loves to bless living words spoken in simple language out of an earnest heart. The man who speaks thus does not get the glory, the glory goes to God; and thus there is room for the works of God to be manifested.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The new birth is a change of the will, of the being, of the desires, of the hates, of the dislikings, and of the likings. In every respect the man becomes new, when divine grace enters into his heart.
Why, I think if some of us were to meet our old selves walking down the street—we would hardly know ourselves!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Truth is never stronger, than when it walks with love.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In this vain world, nothing is certain but uncertainty!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Malicious slanders are poison that kills secretly and slowly.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To attempt a difficulty may be laudable—but to rush upon an impossibility is madness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The course of our fallen race has been a succession of failures.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who seeks comfort at the expense of truth, will be a fool for his pains!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you have no desire to bring others to Heaven—you are not going there yourself!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It needs little faith to believe in providence, when the purse is full.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To sin because of God's mercy, is a step lower than even the devil has descended!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Repentance is distasteful to the unregenerate. They would sooner repeat a thousand formal prayers, than shed a solitary tear of true repentance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Though sinful thoughts may rise in our minds, they must not reign in our hearts!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Believing is not the death of thinking—it is the sanctification of it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Anybody's dog will follow me if I feed it—but only my own dog will follow me if I beat it!
"God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness!" Hebrews 12:10

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God had one Son without sin—but He has no son without temptation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We must always be on our watch against Satan—because, like a thief, he gives no intimation of his approach.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Your occupation may be as humble as street sweeping—and yet the devil can tempt you in it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A sitting silently at the feet of Jesus is of more worth than all the clatter of Martha's dishes! "Only one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:42

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Your first birth gave you life and death together.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When the Lord Jesus loves a man very much—He gives him much to do, or much to suffer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Half of the beauty of obedience consists in obeying the command at once.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Satan can never be content until he sees the believer utterly devoured. He would rend him in pieces, and break his bones, and utterly destroy him—if he could!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One of the best men I ever knew said, at eighty years of age, "I find the old man is not dead yet." Our old man is crucified, but he is long a-dying. He is not dead when we think he is. You may live to be very old; but you will have need still to watch against the carnal nature, which remains even in the regenerate.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As we grow older, it is wise to concentrate more and more our energies upon the one thing, the only thing worth living for—the praise of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you have lived to bring one sinner to Christ—you have not lived in vain.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When a man admires himself, he never adores God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God has given you a nature that wars against evil—hence these tears!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The sting of affliction lies in the tail of our rebellion against the divine will.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth." John 17:17. The truth is the sanctifier, and if we do not hear or read the truth, we shall not grow in sanctification. We only progress in sound living, as we progress in sound understanding.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Satan always deals with us according to our tastes and likings.
He flavors his bait to the particular fish.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus must die, or we must die, or justice must die.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

While you are sleeping, Satan will be sowing.
The trail of the old serpent is everywhere.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

That "tomorrow" plea is a false one. Satan has invented it in order that he may enable men to reject Christ, and yet flatter their souls with the notion that they are not doing so.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In the case of every errant course, there is always a first wrong step.
He who does not take the first wrong step, will not take the second!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the devil comes to you and you get into an argument with him, he will beat you; for he is a very ancient lawyer, and he has been at the business for so many ages that you cannot match him. Send him to your Advocate!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Take heed, my brother, when you are tempted—for the next minute may be the turning point of your life!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Voluntary continuance on evil ground, leads to repeated temptations.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He is not righteous, who is not always righteous.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A quiet conscience, is a little Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It will do us good to be very empty, to be very weak, to be very distrustful of self, and so to go about our Master's work.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do what the Lord bids you,
where He bids you,
as He bids you,
as long as He bids you,
and do it at once!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may work your fingers to the bone—but you can never weave a righteousness that shall cover your nakedness before God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There was never any real godly sorrow which worked repentance acceptable to God, except that which was the result of the Holy Spirit's own work within the soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, for that godliness which will strengthen you to leave your situation, to lose your wealth, to sacrifice your credit, and to part with your friends—sooner than grieve your Lord!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Heathenism is hopeless to afford any comfort to the bereaved.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The eggs of all crimes are within our being. The accursed virus, from whose deadly venom every foul design will come, is present in the soul.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Commit all your secrets to no man. Trust in God with all your heart, but let your confidence in friends be weighed in the balances of prudence, seeing that men are but men, and all men are frail. Trust not great weights to slender threads.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who takes care of our times—will take care of our eternity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Hard words, if they are true—are better than soft words, if they are false.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who perverts truth, shall soon be incapable of knowing the true from the false.
If you persist in wearing glasses that distort, everything will be distorted to you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We hope to understand the truth better—but we shall never discover better truth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ loved you when He died.
He will love you when you die.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The ungodly are not half so restrained in their blasphemy, as we are in our praise.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The difficulties of unbelief are ten times greater than the difficulties of faith.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We best promote the welfare of nations, when we advance the cause of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every precious thing in this world is sure to be counterfeited. "Men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them." Acts 20:30

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men cannot see truth, because they love falsehood. The gospel is not received, because it is too pure for their loose lives and lewd thoughts. "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil!" John 3:19

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Error is multifaceted—but truth is one.
A thousand lies will live together, and tolerate each other.
The only thing which they will not tolerate, is gospel truth!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Beloved, if it had been possible to destroy the church of God on earth—it would have been destroyed long ago.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As a church we must love Jesus—or else we have lost our reason for existence.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I never heard of quarrels among devils, nor did I ever read of sects in Hell.
They are all one in their hatred of the Christ and of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Late arrival to church, frequently means heartless worship, disturbance, and distraction.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Any minister will tell you that it is the people who do nothing themselves in a church, who find fault with those who do all the work.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The church is not perfect, but woe to the man who finds pleasure in pointing out her imperfections. Christ loved His church—let us do the same. I have no doubt that the Lord can see more fault in His church than I can; and I have equal confidence that He sees no fault at all. Because He covers her faults with His own love—that love which covers a multitude of sins; and He removes all her defilement with that precious blood which washes away all the transgressions of His people!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Communion with God, is the mother of adoration of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who does not long to know more of Christ—knows nothing of Him yet.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you are not guilty, the Savior will not save you! If you are not a sinner, you have no part in Christ. If you can say, "I have kept the Law from my youth up and am not a transgressor," then we have no Gospel blessings to set before you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All sorts of sins may hide away in one sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is mercy for a sinner—but there is no mercy for the man who will not own himself a sinner!
"God, be merciful to me, the sinner!" Luke 18:13

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is said that an ambassador is a gentleman who is sent abroad to lie for the good of his country. I suppose that common saying is so nearly true, that we need not correct it. And a politician is often a gentleman who has learned the art of concealing his thoughts, or who expresses opinions which he trusts will be in accordance with those of his constituency!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christian! As far as God is concerned your sin has ceased to be. "You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea!" Micah 7:19

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You must plead "Guilty!"—or remain guilty forever!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus is the physician for any form of disease—except that form of disease which consists in not being diseased. "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick." Matthew 9:12

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is a living thing—you cannot find a living prayer in a dead heart.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are to do right, and take the consequences cheerfully.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The most of men do not think!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God gives you faith, but you must believe.
God gives you repentance, but you must repent.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the law has no penalties attached to it—it ceases to have any power.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Men go astray from God by nature—but they only return to God through grace.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Has there not been, sometimes, this temptation to do a great deal for Christ, but not to live a great deal with Christ?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One of these days you will need a microscope to find a grain of evangelical doctrine in a dozen sermons!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sufferings are only scars—flesh wounds.
Sins are the real woundings.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Lord, help us who cannot preach, to pray for the man who does! Have you, dear friend, made a point of praying for the pastor of the Church to which you belong? It is a great sin on the part of Church members, if they do not daily sustain their pastor by their prayers!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Happy is that fish which fears the bait as well as the hook—and so keeps far away from both of them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Stagnation is inconsistent with life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When a man blesses God for the bitter—the Lord often sends him the sweet.
If he can praise God in the night of affliction—the daylight of blessing is not far off.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christian! Your extremity, is God's opportunity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Bible-reading people seldom go off into modern theology.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many a child of God has to weep for months, because he did not watch for minutes.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The man who does not forgive, has never been forgiven.
The man who has been freely forgiven, at once forgives others.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We have left the miry clay, for the solid rock!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We may judge of a man more by that wherein he finds his pleasure, than by almost anything else.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It would be infinitely better to bury you in the earth—than see you buried in sin!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Preach the Word." There is nothing better! There can be nothing more—there must be nothing less!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Water is the strongest drink—it drives mills. It's the drink of lions and horses, and Samson never drank anything else.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian is a new creature—old things have passed away.
He now loves what he once hated—and hates what he loved.
He now believes what he once denied—and disbelieves what he formerly accepted.
Have you been made to feel new emotions, new desires, new longings, new sorrows and new joys?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Like Jonah, you may lose your gourd—but you cannot lose your God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Life is made up of little incidents. Success in life often depends upon attention to minor details.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The more spiritual the exercise, the sooner we tire in it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus, be mine forever—my God, my Heaven, my all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who fawns for smiles, or trembles at frowns—will never lead a noble life for long.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am a child of the King of kings!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Earn all you can, save all you can, and then give all you can.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Slow and sure, is better than fast and flimsy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing teaches us so much the preciousness of Jesus, as when we learn the emptiness of all besides.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Satan knows right well that one devil in the church, can do far more than a thousand devils outside her bounds!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The most golden faith, or the purest degree of sanctification to which a Christian ever attained on earth—has still so much alloy in it as to be only worthy of the flames, in itself considered.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Why did God send a Savior—if you need no saving?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The work of God in the soul is a lasting and an everlasting work! If you are once savingly healed by Christ, He has worked in you an effectual cure which will hold good throughout time and throughout eternity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you are to be saved by your own works—you must be absolutely perfect, in thought, and word, and deed, from the moment of your birth to the hour of your death! If you cannot be perfect, God will not save you by works.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I know that emotion does not save the soul—but those who are saved are usually filled with holy emotions.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whether we teach young Christians truth or not—the devil will be sure to teach them error.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Wherever there is a real forgiveness of sin—there will be real sorrow on account of it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

One's pride may carry him far, if he is a great fool. But let him not allow his pride to carry him into Hell, for it certainly will never carry him out again.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man's praise smells sweet when it comes out of other men's mouths—but in his own mouth, it stinks.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Love is the chief jewel in the bracelet of obedience.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lord loves to use tools which are not rusted with self-conceit.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I had sooner die, than live to be such a being as many who stand up in the pulpit wholly to waste people's time and not to win souls!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you always enjoy sermons, the minister is not a faithful steward.
He who gives out nothing but sweets is not acting wisely.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is not meant to supply the Lord with information—but for our instruction.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The essence of prayer lies in the heart drawing near to God.
Prayer can do that without words.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You spend many hours with men—but how many with your Maker?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer will make you leave off sinning—or sinning will make you leave off praying.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Election is the guarantee of complete salvation, and an argument for success at the throne of grace. He who chose us for Himself, will surely hear our prayers.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Remember that, if you do not praise God, it is impossible for you ever to enter Heaven, for praise is the chief occupation of Heaven.
Remember also that praise from your lips, until those lips are divinely cleansed, would be like a jewel in a swine's snout—a thing altogether out of place.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer is not as heavenly an exercise as praise.
Prayer is for time, but praise is for eternity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you cannot magnify God—it is probably because you are magnifying yourself.
As soon as a man is cleansed from sin—he is clothed with praise to God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Activity often makes up for a lack of ability.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is amazing how unanimous wicked men can be. It has always struck me as a very startling thing that you have never heard of any division among the devils in Hell. There are no sects among the devils—they seem to work together with a solemn unanimity of purpose in their wicked design. In this one thing they seem to excel the family of God. Oh, that we were as hearty and united in the service of God, as wicked men are in the service of Satan!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We believe in the perseverance of the saints, but many are not true saints, and therefore do not persevere. Nominal saints exhibit no final perseverance. Temporary Christians are not true Christians.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who boasts of being perfect, is perfect in folly.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is better to give a lad an education than a fortune—for the one he carries in him what he cannot lose; but the other may soon be gone, since it is no part of himself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the parent fails, his children will imitate him in his vices, far sooner than his virtues.
Their conduct is shaped according to the pattern we set before them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those children who are doted upon by their parents are greatly to be pitied—for they are apt to be allowed to have their own way, and a youth's own way is sure to be a wrong one. Soft-hearted mothers rear soft-headed children! They hurt them for life, because they are afraid of hurting them when they are young.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Little children often give their mother the headache. But if she lets them have their own way, when they grow up to be great children. they will give her the heartache.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Most men are what their mothers made them. The father is away from home all day, and has not half the influence over the children that the mother has.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Parents! Do not water your young plants either with vinegar or with syrup!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The lost sinner sins in order to be happy, as he thinks.
The Christian abstains from sin, in order to be happy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Paradoxes are not rare things in Scripture—but are rather the rule than the exception.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

What a strange medley are we of . . .
 the diabolical—and the divine,
 the sinful—and the heavenly,
 so sadly wedded to the earth—and yet so gloriously born from Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The difficulties about free agency and predestination have existed, do exist, and will exist to the world's end. Both facts are certain to my mind, but where they meet none knows but God himself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The less the thing is in itself—the more does it become the test of our obedience.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some Christians are very curious, but not obedient.
Plain practical precepts are neglected—while they seek to solve abstruse theological problems.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You and I must be willing to do . . .
 what God tells us,
 as God tells us,
 when God tells us,
 because God tells us.
Only strong faith will be equal to such complete obedience.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

None but God can create either a new heart or a new earth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All service for Jesus must be motivated by a single eye to His glory. It is not what your hands are doing, nor even what your lips are saying; the main thing is what your heart is meaning and intending.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The work of preaching the gospel, even in Christian England, is of all attempts the most foolish, unless we believe in the divine power, which alone can make preaching to be of any avail.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If there be any one point in which the Christian church ought to keep its fervor at a white heat, it is concerning missions to the heathen. If there be anything about which we cannot tolerate lukewarmness, it is in the matter of sending the gospel to a dying world.

 

He who loves Jesus consecrates to Him all that he has, and feels it a delight that he may lay anything at the feet of Him who laid down his life for us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best morality in the world will not prove a man to be a Christian, but if a man has not morality, it proves that he is not a child of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My soul, you shall swim in happiness, you shall dive in seas of inconceivable delight by reason of your union with Christ and your delight in Him and His delight in you! I know no better idea of Heaven than to be eternally content with Christ, and Christ to be eternally content with me! And all this will happen within a very little time. Therefore, lay aside your cares, dismiss your fears, murmur no more. Such a destiny awaits you, that you may well be content with whatever this poor world gives you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As there is a curse wrapped up in the wicked man's mercies—so there is a blessing concealed in the righteousness man's crosses, losses and sorrows. The trials of the saint are a divine husbandry, by which he grows and brings forth abundant fruit.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To the graceless neck, the yoke of Christ is intolerable.
But to the saved sinner, it is light and easy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our opponents say, "Salvation belongs to the free will of man." But we hold and teach that salvation from first to last, in every iota of it, belongs to the Most High God.
It is God who chooses His people.
It is God who effectually calls them by His grace.
It is God who quickens them by His Spirit.
It is God who keeps them by His power!
Search Scripture through, and you must, if you read it with an honest mind, be persuaded that the doctrine of salvation by grace alone is the great doctrine of the word of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Grace and sin are quarrelsome neighbors.
A pardoned sinner will hate the sins which cost the Savior's blood!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The fittest time for fellowship with God is in the morning. An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening. While the dew is on the grass, let grace drop upon the soul. Let us give to God the mornings of our days and the morning of our lives.
Prayer should be the key of the day, and the lock of the night!
"In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man may be evidently of God's chosen family, and yet though elected, may not believe in the doctrine of election. I hold that there are many savingly called, who do not believe in effectual calling, and that there are a great many who persevere to the end, who do not believe the doctrine of final perseverance. We do hope the hearts of many are a great deal better than their heads. We do not set their fallacies down to any willful opposition to the truth as it is in Jesus, but simply to an error in their judgments, which we pray God to correct. We hope that if they think us mistaken too, they will reciprocate the same Christian courtesy; and when we meet around the cross, we hope that we shall ever feel that we are one in Christ Jesus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Abstain from fighting your own battles, and in nine cases out of ten your accusers will gain nothing by their malevolence but chagrin for themselves and contempt for others.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A sensible friend who will unsparingly criticize you from week to week will be a far greater blessing to you than a thousand undiscriminating admirers if you have sense enough to bear his treatment, and grace enough to be thankful for it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When the wolf licks the lamb, he is preparing to wet his teeth in its blood!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How many of our sleepless hours might be traced to our untrusting and disordered minds. They slumber sweetly whom faith rocks to sleep. No pillow is so soft as a promise; no coverlet so warm as an assured interest in Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"I believe," says one, and he begins to repeat what they call the "Apostles' Creed."
Hold your tongue, sir! That matters not; the devil believes that, perhaps more intelligently than you do; he believes and trembles. That kind of believing saves no man. You may believe the most orthodox creed in Christendom, and perish. Do you trust—for that is the cream of the word "believe"—do you trust in Jesus? Do you lean your whole weight on Him? This is the faith that saves—faith that falls back into the arms of Jesus, a faith that drops from its own hanging—place into those mighty arms.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Unless the Holy Spirit blesses the Word, we who preach the gospel are of all men most miserable, for we have attempted a task that is impossible. We have entered on a sphere where nothing but the supernatural will ever avail. If the Holy Spirit does not renew the hearts of our hearers, we cannot do it. If the Holy Spirit does not regenerate them, we cannot. If He does not send the truth home into their souls, we might as well speak into the ear of a corpse!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Go home and say to your minister, "Sir, we must have more prayer." Urge the people to more prayer. Have a prayer meeting, even if you have it all to yourself; and if you are asked how many were present, you can say "Four." "Four! how so?" "Why, there was myself, and God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; and we have had a rich and real communion together." We must have an outpouring of real devotion, or else our churches will die.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To the believer: Dear brother, honor the Spirit of God as you would honor Jesus Christ if He were present. If Jesus Christ were dwelling in your house you would not ignore Him, you would not go about your business as if He were not there. Do not ignore the presence of the Holy Spirit in your soul. I beseech you, do not live as if you had not heard whether there were any Holy Spirit. To Him pay your constant adorations. Reverence the august guest who has been pleased to make your body His sacred abode. Love Him, obey Him, worship Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ's people must have bold, unflinching lion—like hearts, loving Christ first, and His truth next, and Christ and His truth beyond all the world.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We deeply need a revival of domestic religion. The Christian family was the bulwark of godliness in the days of the puritans, but in these evil times hundreds of families of so-called Christians have no family worship, no restraint upon growing sons, and no wholesome instruction or discipline. How can we hope to see the kingdom of our Lord advance, when His own disciples do not teach His gospel to their own children? Oh, Christian men and women, be thorough in what you do and know and teach! Let your families be trained in the fear of God and be yourselves "holiness unto the Lord"; so shall you stand like a rock amid the surging waves of error and ungodliness which rage around us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If, then, I find taught in one place that everything is foreordained, that is true; and if I find in another place that man is responsible for all his actions, that is true; and it is my folly that leads me to imagine that two truths can ever contradict each other.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, Son of Man, I know not which to admire most—Your height of glory, or Your depths of misery!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist; I do not hesitate to take the name of Baptist; but if I am asked what is my creed, I reply, "It is Jesus Christ."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Genuine faith that saves the soul has for its main element—trust—absolute rest of the whole soul—on the Lord Jesus Christ to save me, whether He died in particular or in special to save me or not, and relying, as I am, wholly and alone on Him, I am saved.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you find a professing Christian indifferent to his Bible, you may be sure that the very dust upon its cover will rise up in judgment against him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Word of God apart from the Spirit of God, will be of no use to you. If you cannot understand a book, do you know the best way to reach its meaning? Write to the author and ask him what he meant. If you have a book to read and you have the author always accessible, you need not complain that you do not understand it. The Holy Spirit has come to abide with us forever. Search the Scriptures, but cry for the Spirit's light and live under His influence. If you do not understand a book by a departed writer you are unable to ask him his meaning, but the Spirit, who inspired Holy Scripture, lives forever, and He delights to open the Word to those who seek His instruction.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We must depend upon the Spirit in our sermon preparations. Is this the fact with us all? Are you in the habit of working your way into the meaning of texts by the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Every man that goes to the land of heavenly knowledge must work his passage thither; but he must work out his passage in the strength of the Holy Spirit, or he will arrive at some island in the sea of imagination, and never set his foot upon the sacred shores of the truth. You do not know the truth, my brother, because you have read "Hodge's Outlines", or "Fuller's Gospel worthy of all Acceptance"; or "Owen on the Spirit", or any other classic of our faith. You do not know the truth, my brother, merely because you accept the Westminster Assembly's Confession, and have studied it perfectly. No, we know nothing until we are taught of the Holy Spirit, who speaks to the heart rather than to the ear. "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth." John 16:13

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Of course, you are not such wiseacres as to think or say that you can expound Scripture without assistance from the works of divines and learned men who have labored before you… It seems odd, that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he has revealed to others. A respectable acquaintance with the opinions of the giants of the past, might have saved many an erratic thinker from the wild interpretations and outrageous inferences.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Remember that if you are a child of God, you will never be happy in sin. You are spoiled for the world, the flesh, and the devil. When you were regenerated there was put into you a vital principle, which can never be content to dwell in the dead world. You will have to come back, if indeed you belong to the family.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"I would like to go into the enquiry-room." I dare say you would, but we are not willing to pander to popular superstition. We fear that in those rooms men are warmed into fictitious confidence. Very few of the supposed converts of enquiry-rooms turn out well. Go to your God at once, even where you are now. Cast yourself on Christ, now, at once, before you stir an inch!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Anything which leads to self-esteem leads to the utmost jeopardy. If you have a lowly opinion of yourself, I congratulate you; for this is a main element of safety.

 

Alas, if our children lose the crown of life, it will be but a small consolation that they have won the laurels of literature or art.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is never said, "Whom the Lord loves He enriches," but it is said, "Whom the Lord loves he chastens."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The fear of God is the death of every other fear; like a mighty lion, it chases all other fears before it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There can be no peace between you and Christ, while there is peace between you and sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are some of your graces which would never be discovered if it were not for your trials.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We rob the gospel of its power if we leave out its threatenings of punishment.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The more you know about Christ, the less you will be satisfied with superficial views of Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Of all the things in the world that stink in the nostrils of men, hypocrisy is the worst.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us aspire to saintliness of spirit and character. I am persuaded that the greatest power we can get over our fellow—men is the power which comes of consecration and holiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As for beauty, one of its most potent charms lies in its modest unconsciousness; it is greatly marred when accompanied by vanity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is easier to save us from our sins, than from our righteousness!

The shop, the barn, the kitchen, and the smithy become temples when men and women do all to the glory of God!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If a man tells me that he is humble, I know him to be profoundly proud.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ is the cause of the greatest division, but He is also the medium of the greatest union.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Ah! if there are degrees in glory, they will not be distributed according to our talents, but according to our faithfulness in using them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The best morality in the world will not prove a man to be a Christian; but if a man has not morality, it proves that he is not a child of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God is a sure paymaster, though He does not always pay at the end of every week.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Patience! patience! You are always in a hurry, but God is not.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ and we will never be one, until we and our sin are two.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Obedience rendered without delight in rendering it, is only half obedience.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

O think, that he who was master of all Heaven's majesty came down to be the victim of all man's misery!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Blood, always precious, is priceless when it streams from Immanuel's side!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Frequently the murmuring against man is only a covert way of murmuring against God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is little virtue in the beauty which calls attention to itself; modest beauty is the last to extol its own charms.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

May your character be not a writing upon the sand, but an inscription upon the rock.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I will not believe that you have tasted of the honey of the gospel, if you can eat it all by yourself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sooner could a fish live upon a tree, than the wicked in Heaven.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we choose a false way of worship we shall, before long, choose to worship a false God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You never have to drag mercy out of Christ, as money from a miser.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you are drawn into a controversy, use very hard arguments and very soft words.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The more of Heaven there is in our hearts, the less of earth we shall covet.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To bring His chosen people to eternal happiness was the high ambition which inspired Jesus, and made Him wade through a sea of blood!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This is noble encouragement to all the saints; die they must, but rise they shall, and though in their case they shall see corruption, yet they shall rise to everlasting life. Christ's resurrection is the cause, the pledge, the guarantee, and the emblem of the rising of all His people. Let them, therefore, go to their graves as to their beds, resting their flesh among the clods as they now do upon their couches.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus, the good shepherd, will not travel at such a rate as to overdrive the lambs. He has tender consideration for the poor and needy. Kings usually look to the interests of the great and the rich, but in the kingdom of our Great Shepherd He cares most for the poor... The weaklings and the sickly of the flock are the special objects of the Savior's care... You think, dear heart, that you are forgotten, because of your nothingness and weakness and poverty. This is the very reason you are remembered!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How may a young man know whether he is called to the Christian ministry or not? That is a weighty inquiry, and I desire to treat it most solemnly. O for divine guidance in so doing! That hundreds have missed their way, and stumbled against a pulpit, is sorrowfully evident from the fruitless ministries and decaying churches which surround us. It is a fearful calamity to a man to miss his calling, and to the church upon whom he imposes himself, his mistake involves an affliction of the most grievous kind.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer will singularly assist you in the delivery of your sermon; in fact, nothing can so gloriously fit you to preach as descending fresh from the mount of communion with God to speak with men. None are so able to plead with men, as those who have been wrestling with God on their behalf.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Scripture texts will often refuse to reveal their treasures, until you open them with the key of prayer!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The minister who does not earnestly pray over his work must surely be a vain and conceited man. He acts as if he thought himself sufficient of himself, and therefore needed not to appeal to God

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is blessed to eat into the very soul of the Bible until at last you come to talk in scriptural language and your spirit is flavored with the words of the Lord.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not be afraid, dear children of God, you that have fallen into a mournful state, do not be afraid to cry out to God. I know we sometimes feel as if we must not and dare not pray. We have become so dull, so lifeless, so unworthy, that we do not expect to be heard, and feel as if it would be presumption to cry. But our heavenly Father loves to hear his children cry all day long. If you can cry out to Jesus, he will joyfully hear you. If you will give him no rest, he will give you all the rest you need. The Lord finds music in his children's cries!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

You may know whether it is the Spirit's work by this. Have you been led to Christ, and away from self? Have you been led away from all feelings, from all doings, from all willings, from all prayings, as the ground of your trust and your hope, and have you been brought nakedly to rely upon the finished work of Christ? If so, this is more than human nature ever taught any man. This is a height to which human nature never climbed. The Spirit of God has done that, and He will never leave what He has once begun.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I am one of the bookworms that have not got halfway into my Bible yet; but I am eating my way as fast as I can. This one thing I have proved to myself beyond all question; I shall never, never exhaust this precious book. Much less shall I exhaust the wondrous Person of my divinely—blessed Lord. He is that bread which came down from Heaven. He is utterly inexhaustible!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Remember that the man who truly repents is never satisfied with his own repentance. We can no more repent perfectly than we can live perfectly. However pure our tears, there will always be some dirt in them. There will be something to be repented of even in our best repentance. But listen! To repent is to change your mind about sin, and Christ, and all the great things of God. There is sorrow implied in this; but the main point is the turning of the heart from sin to Christ. If there is this turning, you have the essence of true repentance.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith is believing that Christ is what He is said to be, and that He will do what He has promised to do, and then to expect this of Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In math, if you divide an infinite number by any number, no matter how large, you still have an infinite quotient. So Jesus' love, being infinite, even though it is divided up for every person on earth, is still infinitely poured out on each one of us!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the faith whereby I have laid hold on Christ to be my Savior be altogether wrought in me by the Holy Spirit through grace, then I defy the devil to take away that which he never gave me or to crush that which Jehovah Himself created in me. I defy my free will to fling what it never brought to me. What God has given, created, introduced, and established in the heart, He will maintain there.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"But," say others, "God has elected them on the foresight of their faith." Now, God gives faith, therefore He could not have elected them on account of faith which He foresaw.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I note that some whom I greatly love and esteem, who are, in my judgment, among the very choicest of God's people, nevertheless, travel most of the way to Heaven by night.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Rebellion against divine election is often founded on the idea that the sinner has a sort of right to be saved, and this is to deny the full desert of sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

How is it that some of us are converted, while our companions in sin are left to persevere in their godless career? Was there anything good in us that moved the heart of God to save us? God forbid that we should indulge the blasphemous thought!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Your damnation is your own election, not God's.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we are married to Christ, and He is jealous of us, depend upon it—this jealous husband will let none touch His spouse.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Joy in God is the happiest of all joys. There are other sweets, but this is the virgin honey dripping fresh from the comb. Joy in God is also a most elevating joy. Those who joy in wealth grow avaricious. Those who joy in their friends too often lose nobility of spirit. But he who boasts in God grows like God. It is a solid joy, and he who joys in God has good reasons for rejoicing. He has arguments which will justify His joy at any time. It is an abiding joy. In a word, it is celestial joy!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When we deal seriously with our sins, God will deal gently with us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If, then, I find taught in one part of the Bible that everything is decreed by God—that is true; and if I find, in another Scripture, that man is responsible for all his actions—that is true; and it is only my folly that leads me to imagine that these two truths can ever contradict each other. I do not believe that they can ever be welded into one upon any earthly anvil, but they certainly shall be one in eternity. They are two lines that are so nearly parallel, that the human mind which pursues them farthest will never discover that they converge, but they do converge and they will meet somewhere in eternity, close to the throne of God, whence all truth does spring.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A changeable God would be a terror to the righteous, they would have no sure anchorage, and amid a changing world they would be driven to and fro in perpetual fear of shipwreck. Our heart leaps for joy as we bow before One who has never broken His word or changed His purpose.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Consider what you owe to His immutability. Though you have changed a thousand times, He has not changed once.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The trials of a true minister are not few. Let no man who looks for ease of mind and seeks the quietude of life enter the ministry; if he does so he will flee from it in disgust.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man must not consider that he is called to preach until he has proved that he can speak. God certainly has not created behemoth to fly; and should leviathan have a strong desire to ascend with the lark, it would evidently be an unwise aspiration, since he is not furnished with wings. If a man is called to preach, he will be endowed with a degree of speaking ability, which he will cultivate and increase. If the gift of utterance is not there in a measure at the first, it is not likely that it will ever be developed.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whatever "call" a man may pretend to have, if he has not been called to holiness, he certainly has not been called to the ministry.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a marvel to me how men continue at ease in preaching year after year without conversions. Have they no compassion for others? No sense of responsibility upon themselves? Dare they, by a vain misrepresentation of divine sovereignty, cast the blame on their Master? Or is it their belief that Paul plants and Apollos waters, and that God gives no increase? Vain are their talents, their philosophy, their rhetoric, and even their orthodoxy, without the signs following. How are they sent of God, who bring no men to God? Prophets whose words are powerless, sowers whose seed all withers, fishers who catch no fish, soldiers who give no wounds—are these God's men? Surely it were better to be a mud-raker, or a chimney-sweep, than to stand in the ministry as an utterly barren tree!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no more blessed way of living, than the life of faith based upon a covenant-keeping God—to know that we have no care, for He cares for us; that we need have no fear, except to fear Him; that we need have no troubles, because we have cast our burdens upon the Lord, and are conscience that He will sustain us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God has a way of giving by the cartloads, to those who give away by shovelfuls.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We talk about pearly gates and golden streets, and white robes, and harps of gold, and crowns of amaranth, and all that; but if an angel could speak to us of Heaven, he would smile and say, "All these fine things are but child's talk, and you are little children, and you cannot understand the greatness of eternal bliss, and therefore God has given you a child's book, and an alphabet, in which you may learn the first rough letters of what Heaven is, but what it is you do not know. O mortal, your eye has never yet beheld its splendors; your ear has never yet been ravished with its melodies; your heart has never been transported with its peerless joys."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Oh," says one, "I will join the church when I can find a perfect one."
Then you will never join any.
"But," you say, "perhaps I may."
Well, but it will cease to be perfect as soon as it receives you into its membership.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

All our libraries and studies are mere emptiness, compared with our prayer closets. We grow, we wax mighty, we prevail—only by private prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The more you read the Bible, and the more you meditate on it—the more you will be astonished with it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I venture to say that the bulk of Christians spend more time in reading the newspaper, than they do reading the Word of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My deacons know well enough how, when I first preached in Exeter Hall, there was scarcely ever an occasion in which they left me alone for ten minutes before the service, but they would find me in a most fearful state of sickness, produced by that tremendous thought of my solemn responsibility. I am compelled to put my responsibilities where I put my sins, on the back of the Lord Jesus Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not think that God is blind. He can perceive the idols in your hearts. He understands what be the secret things that your souls lust after; He searches your heart, He examines your thoughts. Beware lest He find you sacrificing to strange gods, for His anger will smoke against you, and His jealousy will be stirred.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us never fear death, but rather rejoice at the approach of it, since it comes at our dear Bridegroom's bidding!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Death in its substance has been removed, and only the shadow of it remains. Nobody is afraid of a shadow, for a shadow cannot block a man's pathway for even a moment. The shadow of a dog can't bite; the shadow of a sword can't kill.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We see his smile of love, even when others see nothing but the black hand of Death smiting our best beloved.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Depend upon it, your dying hour will be the best hour you have ever known! Your last moment will be your richest moment, better than the day of your birth, will be the day of your death. It shall be the beginning of Heaven, the rising of a sun that shall go no more down forever!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

May I beg you carefully to judge every preacher, not by his gifts, not by his elocutionary powers, not by his status in society, not by the respectability of his congregation, not by the prettiness of his church; but by this—does he preach the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The very happiest people I have ever met with have been dying believers. The only people for whom I have felt any envy have been dying members of this very church, whose hands I have grasped in their passing away. Almost without exception I have seen in them holy delight and triumph. And in the exceptions to this exceeding joy I have seen deep peace, exhibited in a calm and deliberate readiness to enter into the presence of their God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If there were no gratified hearers of slanders, there would be an end of the trade of spreading them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We ought to regard the church not as a luxurious hotel where Christian gentlemen may each one dwell at ease—but as a barracks in which soldiers are gathered together to be drilled and trained for war.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We should not regard the church as an association for mutual admiration and comfort, but as an army with banners, marching to the fray, to achieve victories for Christ, to storm the strongholds of the foe, and to add province after province to the redeemer's kingdom.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This day, my God, I hate sin not because it damns me—but because it has done You wrong. To have grieved my God is the worst grief to me.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A sight of Christ's death—if it is a true sight—is the death of all love of sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I take it that the highest proof of Christ's power is not that He offers salvation, not that He bids you take it if you will—but that when you reject it, when you hate it, when you despise it—He has a power whereby he can change your mind, make you think differently from your former thoughts, and turn you from the error of your ways!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If God should please, the Holy Spirit could at this moment make every one of you fall on your knees, confess your sins, and turn to God. He is an Almighty Spirit, able to do wonders!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If anyone should ask me what I mean by a Calvinist, I would reply, "He is one who says, Salvation is of the Lord." I cannot find in Scripture any other doctrine than this. It is the essence of the Bible.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no soul living who holds more firmly to the Doctrines of Grace than I do. If any man asks me whether I am ashamed to be called a Calvinist, I answer—I wish to be called nothing but a Christian. But if you ask me, do I hold the doctrinal views which were held by John Calvin, I reply, I do in the main hold them, and rejoice to avow it. But far be it from me even to imagine that Zion contains none but Calvinistic Christians within her walls, or that there are none saved who do not hold our views.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There are certain doctrines called Calvinistic, which I think commend themselves to the minds of all thoughtful people for this reason mainly—they ascribe to God everything.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When my spirit gets depressed, nothing will sustain it but the good old-fashioned Calvinistic doctrine.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not believe that any man can preach the gospel who does not preach the Law. The Law is the needle, and you cannot draw the silken thread of the gospel through a man's heart unless you first send the needle of the Law to make way for it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

John Bunyan says that he never forgot the divinity he taught, because it was burnt into him when he was on his knees. That is the way to learn the gospel. If you learn it upon your knees you will never unlearn it. That which "men" teach you, men can unteach you—if I am merely convinced by reason, a better reasoner may deceive me. If I merely hold my doctrinal opinions because they seem to be correct "to me"—then I may be led to think differently another day. But if "God" has taught them to me—he who is himself pure truth—I have not learned amiss, but I have so learned that I shall never unlearn, nor shall I forget.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the Lord will but hear us, we will leave it to His superior wisdom to decide whether He will answer us or not. It is better for our prayer to be heard than answered. If the Lord were to make an absolute promise to answer all our requests it might be rather a curse than a blessing, for it would be casting the responsibility of our lives upon ourselves, and we would be placed in a very anxious position. But now the Lord hears our desires, and that is enough; we only wish Him to grant them if His infinite wisdom sees that it would be for our good and for His glory.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you want the truth to go around the world, you must hire an express train to pull it. But if you want a lie to go around the world, it will fly; it is as light as a feather, and a breath will carry it. It is well said in the old proverb, "a lie will go round the world, while truth is putting its boots on."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The character of John Wesley stands beyond all imputation for self-sacrifice, zeal, holiness, and communion with God. He lived far above the ordinary level of common Christians, and was one "of whom the world was not worthy."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Thank God you have got a Father that can be angry, but that loves you as much when He is angry as when He smiles upon you.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I shall not attempt to teach a tiger the virtues of vegetarianism; but I shall as hopefully attempt that task as I would try to convince an unregenerate man of the truths revealed by God concerning sin, and righteousness and judgment to come. These spiritual truths are repugnant to carnal men, and the carnal mind cannot receive the things of God. Gospel truth is diametrically opposed to fallen nature; and if I have not a power much stronger than that which lies in moral persuasion, or in my own explanations and arguments, I have undertaken a task in which I am sure of defeat. Except the Lord endows us with power from on high, our labor must be in vain, and our hopes must end in disappointment.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Any man who declares children to be born perfect never was a father. Your child without evil? You without eyes, you mean!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Wisdom is the right of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Until the gate of Hell is shut upon a man, we must not cease to pray for him. And if we see him hugging the very doorposts of damnation, we must go to the mercy seat and beseech the arm of grace to pluck him from his dangerous position. While there is life there is hope, and although the soul is almost smothered with despair, we must not despair for it, but rather arouse ourselves to awaken the Almighty arm.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If there be one thing in Hell worse than another, it will be seeing the saints in Heaven. Husband, there is your wife in Heaven and you are among the damned! Father, your child is before the throne, and you accursed of God and are in Hell.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I fear that much of our prayer is lost because we do not sufficiently throw our hearts into it. It is possible for us to attend the meeting and all the while be thinking of the home, the infant in the cradle, or the shop, the field, the farm, the factory, the counting-house, the and I know not what beside. Is it any wonder then that prayer halts? The brother who prays may be burning with earnest desire, but his prayer lags because we are not backing it with silent, devout and passionate longing for God's blessing. Oh! Brethren and sisters, we have often spoiled our prayer meetings thus.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is no need for two to care—for God to care and the creature too.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I agree with Matthew Henry when he says, "Those who pray in the family do well; those who pray and read the Scriptures do better; but they that pray, and read, and sing do best of all."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I trust there are none here present, who profess to be followers of Christ who do not also have devotions in their families. We may have no positive commandment for it, but we believe that it is so much in accord with the genius and spirit of the gospel, and that it is so commended by the example of the saints, that the neglect thereof is a strange inconsistency.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would go to the deeps a hundred times to cheer a downcast spirit. It is good for me to have been afflicted, that I might know how to speak a word in season to one that is weary.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is well said that neglected prayer is the birth-place of all evil.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I was cradled in the home of piety, nurtured with the tenderest care, taught the gospel from my youth up, with the holiest example of my parents, the best possible checks all around to prevent me running into sin. Yet with all those restraints, I was running into sin more and more.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I will defy any man who has had a deep experience of his own odious depravity to believe any other doctrines but those which are commonly called Calvinism.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Objection is sometimes made to the doctrine of total depravity. If men turn away from God in anger, I can understand it. If men turn aside form God in justice, I can understand it. But when they so hate God that they will not even have his salvation, when they refuse pardon through the precious blood of Christ, when they will sooner be damned than reconciled to God, this shows that their heart is desperately wicked. The cross rejected, is the clearest proof of the heart depraved.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

My witness is, that those who are honored of their Lord in public, have usually to endure a secret chastening; or to carry a peculiar cross, lest by any means they exalt themselves, and fall into the snare of the devil.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is our duty and our privilege to exhaust our lives for Jesus. We are not to be living specimens of men in fine preservation, but living sacrifices, whose lot is to be consumed. We are to spend and to be spent, not to lay ourselves up in lavender, and pamper our flesh. Such soul-travail as that of a faithful minister will bring on occasional seasons of exhaustion, when heart and flesh will fail.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To sit long in one posture, poring over a book, or driving a quill, is in itself a taxing of nature; but add to this a badly-ventilated chamber, a body which has long been without muscular exercise, and a heart burdened with many cares—and we have all the elements for preparing a seething cauldron of despair, especially in the dim months of fog.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Good men are promised tribulation in this world, and ministers may expect a larger share than others, that they may learn sympathy with the Lord's suffering people, and so may be fitting shepherds of an ailing flock.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I know there are some who say, "Well, I've given myself to the Lord, but I don't intend to give myself to any church." I say, "Now why not?" And they answer, "Because I can be just as good a Christian without it." I say, "Are you quite clear about that? You can be as good a Christian by disobedience to your Lord's commands as by being obedient? There's a brick. What is the brick made for? It's made to build a house. It is of no use for the brick to tell you that it's just as good a brick while it's kicking about on the ground by itself, as it would be as part of a house. Actually, it's a good-for-nothing brick. So, you rolling stone Christians, I don't believe that you're answering the purpose for which Christ saved you. You're living contrary to the life which Christ would have you live and you are much to blame for the injury you do."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Upon a life I did not live, upon a death I did not die—I risk my whole eternity!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We ourselves know by experience, that there is no place for comfort like the cross! It is a tree stripped of all foliage, and apparently dead; yet we sit under its shadow with great delight, and its fruit is sweet unto our taste.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many are poor because they rob God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Lost sinner! God is angry with you this moment—and always. You go to sleep with an angry God gazing into your face. You wake in the morning, and if your eye were not so dim, you would perceive His frowning countenance. He is angry with you even when you are singing His praises, for you mock Him with solemn sounds upon a solemn tongue. He is angry with you on your knees, for you only pretend to pray; you utter words without heart. As long as you are not a believer, He must be angry with you every moment! (see Psalm 7:11).

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A child of five, if properly instructed, can as truly believe and be regenerated as an adult.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prayer can never be in excess.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Prevailing prayer takes the Christian to the mountain and enables him to cover Heaven with clouds of blessings, and earth with floods of mercy. Prevailing prayer lifts the Christian and shows him his inheritance and transfigures him into the likeness of his Lord. If you would like to reach to something higher than ordinary groveling experience, look to the Rock that is higher than you, and gaze with the eye of faith through the window of consistent prayer. When you open the window on your side it will not be bolted on the other.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If God should always rock us in the cradle of prosperity; if we were always dandled on the knees of fortune; if we didn't have some stain on the alabaster pillar; if there weren't a few clouds in the sky; if we didn't have some bitter drops in the wine of this life—we would become intoxicated with pleasure, we would dream that "we stand;" and stand we would, but it would be upon a pinnacle. Every moment of our lives is in just as much danger as a person asleep upon the mast. Continued worldly prosperity is a fiery trial.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Man is never so near salvation, as when he begins to feel he can do nothing at all.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Infinite, and an infant!
Eternal, and yet born of a woman!
Almighty, and yet hanging on a woman's bosom!
Supporting a universe, and yet needing to be carried in a mother's arms!
King of angels, and yet the reputed son of Joseph!
Heir of all things, and yet the carpenter's despised son!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

In Gods case, if He had said in the infinite sovereignty of His absolute will, "I will have no substitute, but each man shall suffer for himself, he who sins shall die!" then none could have murmured. It was grace, and only grace which led the divine mind to say, "I will accept of a substitute. There shall be a vicarious suffering; and My vengeance shall be content, and My mercy shall be gratified."

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The knowledge of God is the great hope of sinners.
Oh, if you knew Him better, you would fly to Him!
If you understood how gracious He is, you would seek Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you could have any idea of His holiness, you would loathe your self-righteousness.
If you knew anything of His power, you would not venture to contend with Him.
If you knew anything of His grace, you would not hesitate to yield yourself to Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

We are told men ought not to preach without preparation. Granted. But, we add, men ought not to hear without preparation. Which, do you think, needs the most preparation, the sower or the ground? I would have the sower come with clean hands, but I would have the ground well-plowed and harrowed, well-turned over, and the clods broken before the seed comes in. It seems to me that there is more preparation needed by the ground than by the sower, more by the hearer than by the preacher!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I believe that as often as I transgress, God is more ready to forgive me than I am ready to offend.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There will be no new God, nor a new devil, and we shall never have a new Savior, nor a new atonement. Why should we then be either attracted or alarmed by the error and nonsense which everywhere plead for a hearing because they are new? What is their newness to us—we are not children, nor frequenters of playhouses. Truly, to such children, a new toy or a new play has immense attractions; but men care less about the age of a thing than about its intrinsic value. To suppose that theology can be new is to imagine that the Lord himself is of yesterday. A doctrine which is said to have lately become true must of necessity be a lie. Falsehood has no beard, but truth is hoary with an age immeasurable. The old gospel is the only gospel. Pity is our only feeling towards those young preachers who cry, "See my new theology!" in just the same spirit as little Mary says, "See my pretty new dress!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When a Calvinist says that all things happen according to the predestination of God, he speaks the truth, and I am willing to be called a Calvinist. But when an Arminian says that when a man sins, the sin is his own, and that if he continues in sin, and perishes, his eternal damnation will lie entirely at his own door, I believe that he speaks the truth, though I am not willing to be called an Arminian. The fact is, there is some truth in both these systems of theology.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The Gospel does not need defending. If Jesus Christ is not alive and cannot fight His own battles, then Christianity is in a bad state. But He is alive and we have only to preach His gospel in all its simplicity, and the power that goes with it will be evidence of its divinity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To be laughed at is no great hardship to me. I can delight in scoffs and jeers; caricatures, lampoons and slanders are my glory. But that you should turn from your own mercy, that is my sorrow. Spit on me, but, oh, repent! Laugh at me, but, oh, believe in my Master! Make my body as the dirt of the streets, but damn not your own souls!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a very solemn delusion when ministers think they are prospering, and yet do not hear of conversions.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Christians must never expect to escape troubles; if they do, they will be disappointed, for none of their predecessors have been without them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would not utter what I believed to be a falsehood concerning the Lord, even though the evil one offered me the bait of saving all mankind thereby.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Don't go to church where it is all fine music and grand talk and beautiful architecture; those things will neither feed anybody's soul. Go where the gospel is preached, the gospel that really feeds your soul, and go often.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Many a man has died from internal bleeding, and yet there has been no wound whatever to be seen by the eye. You may go to Hell as well dressed in the garnishings of morality—as in the rags of immorality. Unless the very center of your soul and the core of your being is made obedient to the living God, He will not accept you, for He looks not only to your outward condition, but to your heart's secret loyalty or treachery toward Himself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Only fools and madmen are positive in their interpretations of the Apocalypse.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is not my aim to introduce doubts and fears into your mind; no, but I do hope self-examination may help to drive them away. It is not security, but false security, which we would kill; not confidence, but false confidence, which we would overthrow; not peace, but false peace, which we would destroy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There should be a parallel between our supplications and our thanksgivings. We ought not to leap in prayer, and limp in praise.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Praise is the rehearsal of our eternal song. By grace we learn to sing, and in glory we continue to sing. What will some of you do when you get to Heaven, if you go grumbling all the way there? Do not hope to get to Heaven in that style. But now begin to bless the name of the Lord.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our salvation is not the effect of our works—but good works are the evidence of our salvation. Although we are sure that men are not saved for the sake of their works—yet we are equally sure that no man will be saved without them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some Christians try to go to Heaven alone, in solitude. But believers are not compared to bears or lions or other animals that wander alone. Those who belong to Christ are sheep in this respect, that they love to get together. Sheep go in flocks, and so do God's people.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is one thing which seldom gets weaker through old age—that is, old Adam. He is as strong in his old age as he is in his young age. He is just as able to lead us astray when our head is covered with grey hairs, as he was in our youth. We have heard it said that growing in grace will make our corruptions less mighty; but I have seen many of God's aged saints, and asked them the question, and they have said, "No!" their lusts have been essentially as strong, when they have been many years in their Master's service, as they were at first—although more subdued by the new principle of grace within. So far from becoming weaker, it is my firm belief that sin increases in power.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Some of us who have preached the Word for years, and have been the means of working faith in others and of establishing them in the knowledge of the fundamental doctrines of the Bible, have nevertheless been the subjects of the most fearful and violent doubts as to the truth of the very gospel we have preached.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It seems to me that doubt is worse than trial. I had sooner suffer any affliction than be left to question the gospel or my own interest in it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Doubt discovers difficulties which it never solves; it creates hesitancy, despondency, despair. Its progress is the decay of comfort, the death of peace. "Believe!" is the word which speaks life into a man, but doubt nails down his coffin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man is not far from the gates of Heaven, when he is fully submissive to the Lord's will.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The godly man will have his enemies. He would not be like his Lord if he had not. If we were without enemies we might fear that we were not the friends of God, for the friendship of the world is enmity to God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Satan always hates Christian fellowship; it is his policy to keep Christians apart. Anything which can divide saints from one another he delights in. He attaches far more importance to godly fellowship than we do. Since union is strength, he does his best to promote separation.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Our sorrows are all, like ourselves, mortal. There are no immortal sorrows for immortal souls. They come, but blessed be God, they also go. Like birds of the air, they fly over our heads. But they cannot make their abode in our souls. We suffer today, but we shall rejoice tomorrow!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The soldiers at the foot of the cross threw dice for my Savior's garments. I have conjured up the dreadful scene of Christ on his cross, and gamblers at the foot of it, with their dice bespattered with his blood. I do not hesitate to say that of all sins, there is none that more surely damns men, and worse than that, makes them the devil's helpers to damn others, than gambling.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When a man takes to the gambling table, it seems as if his whole soul ran out at the sluice, and his entire life is just nothing to him. Wife, children, substance—all must go at the throw of the dice, or be staked at the running of a horse!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Desires are the soul and life of prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I question whether the defenses of the gospel are not sheer impertinences. The gospel does not need defending. If Jesus Christ is not alive and cannot fight His own battles, then Christianity is in a bad state. But He is alive, and we have only to preach His gospel in all its naked simplicity, and the power that goes with it will be the evidence of its divinity.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I would propose that the subject of the ministry of this church, as long as this platform shall stand, shall be the person of Jesus Christ. I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist, but if I am asked to state what my creed is, I think I must reply, "It is Jesus Christ!" The body of divinity to which I would pin and bind myself forever, God helping me, is Christ Jesus, who is the sum and substance of the gospel, who is Himself all theology, the incarnation of every precious truth, the all-glorious personal embodiment of the way, the truth, and the life. I sometimes wonder that you do not get tired of my preaching, because I do nothing but hammer away on this one nail. With me it is, year after year, "None but Jesus!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Crucifixion was a death worthy to have been invented by devils. The pain which it involved, was immeasurable. I will not torture you by describing it. I know dear hearts that cannot read of it without tears and without lying awake for nights afterwards.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Leave out the cross and you have killed the religion of Jesus. Atonement by the blood of Jesus is not an arm of Christian truth; it is the heart of it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

See how red your guilt is. Mark the scarlet stain. If you were to wash your soul in the ocean, you might redden every wave that washes all its shores—and yet the crimson spots of your transgression would still remain. But plunge into the "fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins," and in an instant you are whiter than snow! Every speck, spot, and stain of sin is gone, and gone forever!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the people do not like the doctrine of sovereign grace, give them all the more of it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Any simpleton can follow the narrow path in the light. But it is faith's rare wisdom which enables us to march on in the dark with infallible accuracy, since she places her hand in that of her Great Guide.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God strikes His enemies in wrath. God's people can never by any possibility be punished for their sins. God has punished them already in the person of Christ, their substitute. But yet, while the Christian cannot be condemned, he can be chastised. When God afflicts His redeemed child, the chastisement is applied in love. God's rod has been baptized in deep affection before it is laid on the believer's back.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No matter how dear you are to God, if pride is harbored in your spirit, He will whip it out of you. Those who go up in their own estimation—must come down again by His discipline.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

He who does not live as a saint here on earth, will never live as a saint hereafter.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, then let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all those who wait for Him. He is worth waiting for. The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes. The Lord's people have always been a waiting people.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It would appear that God does not know the best way of saving men, and men are so wise that they amend His methods! Is not this a refinement of blasphemy? It is a hideous farce to see a rebellious sinner suddenly become jealous about good works and greatly concerned for public morality. Does it not make laughter in Hell to see licentious men censuring the pure gospel of the Lord Jesus and finding fault with free forgiveness because it might make men less mindful of purity? It makes one sick to see the hypocrisy of legalists.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Humility is the proper estimate of oneself.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Every Christian has a choice between being humble, or being humbled.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The bell in the steeple may be well hung, fairly fashioned, and of soundest metal, but it is silent until the ringer makes it speak. In the same way, the preacher has no ability of quickening for the dead in sin, or of comfort for living saints—unless the divine Spirit gives him a gracious pull, and begs him speak with power. Hence the need of prayer for both preacher and hearers.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those complain first in our churches, who do the least. The gift of grumbling is largely dispensed among those who have no other talents, or who keep what they have wrapped up in a napkin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It may happen that in a little time the doctrine of evolution will be the standing jest of schoolboys.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Sometimes we are inclined to think that a very great portion of modern revivalism has been more a curse than a blessing, because it has led thousands to a kind of peace before they have know their misery; restoring the prodigal to the Father's house, and never making him say, "Father, I have sinned!"

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The saints are sinners still. Our best tears need to be wept over. Our strongest faith is mixed with unbelief. Our most flaming love is cold compared with what Jesus deserves. Our intensest zeal still lacks the full fervor which the bleeding wounds and pierced heart of the crucified might claim at our hands. Our best things need a sin offering, or they would condemn us.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we could be saved from eternal wrath, and yet remain unregenerate, impenitent sinners—we would not be saved as we desire, for we mainly and chiefly pant to be saved from sin and led in the way of holiness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

May God help me, if you cease to pray for me! Let me know the day, and I must cease to preach.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The true gospel minister will have a real yearning over souls something like Rachel when she cried, "Give me children, or else I die!" So will he cry to God, that he may have his elect born, and brought home to him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Baptism, if not essential to your salvation, is essential to your obedience to Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Carried aloft by popularity or success, we would be as the chaff which the wind drives away—were it not that the gracious discipline of mercy breaks the ships of our vainglory with a strong east wind, and casts us shipwrecked, naked and forlorn, upon the Rock of Ages.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I cannot conceive it possible for anyone truly to receive Christ as Savior and yet not to receive him as Lord. A man who is really saved by grace does not need to be told that he is under solemn obligations to serve Christ. The new life within him tells him that. Instead of regarding it as a burden, he gladly surrenders himself—body, soul, and spirit—to the Lord who has redeemed him, reckoning this to be his reasonable service—so that, whether we live or whether we die, we live or die for Him!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Your main and principal motive as a Christian should always be to live for Christ.
To live for glory? Yes, but for his glory.
To live for comfort? Yes, but be all your consolation in him.
To live for pleasure? Yes, but when you are merry, sing psalms, and make melody in your hearts to the Lord.
To live for wealth? Yes, but to be rich in faith.
You may lay up treasure, but lay it up in Heaven!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not tell me that there is no rest for us until we get to Heaven. We who have believed in Jesus enter into rest even now. Why should we not do so? Our salvation is complete. The robe of righteousness in which we are clad is finished. The atonement for our sins is fully made. We are reconciled to God, beloved of the Father, preserved by His grace, and supplied by His providence with all that we need. We carry all our burdens to Him, and leave them at His feet. We spend our lives in His service, and we find His ways to be ways of pleasantness, and His paths to be paths of peace. Oh, yes, we have found rest unto our souls!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When I regarded God as a tyrant, I thought my sin a trifle. But when I knew Him to be my Father—then I mourned that I could ever have sinned against Him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesus said, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire." John 8:44. Why, then, should you mock God by saying, "Our Father who is in Heaven." For how can He be your Father? Have you two Fathers? If God is your Father, where is His honor? Where is His love? You neither honor nor love Him, and yet you presumptuously and blasphemously approach Him, and say, "Our Father"—when your heart is attached still to sin, and your life is opposed to His Word, and you therefore prove yourself to be an heir of wrath, and not a child of grace!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man has a right to claim God as his Father, unless he feels in his soul, and believes, solemnly, through faith in Jesus, that he has been adopted into the one family of which is in Heaven and earth, and that he has been regenerated or born again.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I commend solitude to any of you who are seeking salvation, first, that you may study well your case as in the sight of God. Few men truly know themselves as they really are. Most people have seen themselves in a looking-glass, but there is another looking-glass, which gives true reflections, into which few men look. To study one's self in the light of God's Word, and carefully to go over one's condition, examining both the inward and the outward sins, and using all the tests which are given us in the Scriptures, would be a very healthy exercise; but how very few care to go through it!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I find myself frequently depressed—perhaps more so than any other person here. And I find no better cure for that depression than to trust in the Lord with all my heart, and seek to realize afresh the power of the peace-speaking blood of Jesus, and His infinite love in dying upon the cross to put away all my transgressions.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do implore you, do not look upon the sacrifice of Christ as an act of mere vengeance on the Father's part. Never imagine, oh! never indulge the idea, that Jesus died to make the Father complacent towards us. Oh, no, dear friends. Jesus' death is the effect of overwhelming and infinite love on the Father's part; and every blow which wounds, every infliction which occasions sorrow, and every pang which rends his heart—speaks of the Father's love as much as the joy, the everlasting triumph, which now surrounds His head.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It will not be enough for you to hear or read of Christ, you must do your own thinking and consider your Lord for yourselves. The wine is not made by gathering the clusters, but by treading the grapes in the wine vat, under the pressure the red juice leaves forth.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

This weapon is good at all points, good for defense and for attack, to guard our whole person or to strike through the joints and marrow of the foe. Like the seraph's sword at Eden's gate, it turns every way. You cannot be in a condition that the Word of God has not provided. The Word has as many faces and eyes as providence itself. You will find it unfailing in all periods of your life, in all circumstances, in all companies, in all trials, and under all difficulties. Were it fallible, it would be useless in emergencies, but its unerring truth renders it precious beyond all price to the soldiers of the cross.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Do not look to your hope, but to Christ, the source of your hope.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

It is always well to trace our mercies to Him who bestows them, and if we cannot give Him anything else, let us at any rate give Him our heart-felt thanks.

 

Prayers which come out of distress generally come out of the heart, and therefore they go to the heart of God.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The gardener prunes His best roses with most care. Chastisement is sent to keep successful saints humble, to make them tender towards others, and to enable them to bear the high honors which their heavenly Friend puts upon them. It is a cheering fact that if we endure chastening, God deals with us as with sons. We may well be satisfied with the common lot of His beloved family.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Those who neglect public worship, generally neglect all worship.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

There is a doctrinal keeping of the Word by which we are ready to die for its defense, and a practical keeping of it when we actually live under its power. Revealed truth is as precious as diamonds and should be kept or treasured in the memory and in the heart like jewels in a casket.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Psalm 19:1-2, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge." He who looks up to the heavens and then writes himself down an atheist, brands himself at the same moment as an idiot or a liar!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

God writes with a pen that never blots.
He speaks with a tongue that never slips.
He acts with a hand which never fails.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Let us always resort to prayer in our despairing times, for it is the surest and shortest way out of the depths.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Recognizing our errors and sensing our ignorance, should make us teachable.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I do not come into this pulpit hoping that perhaps somebody will of his own free will return to Christ. My hope lies in another quarter. I hope that my Master will lay hold of some of them and say, "You are mine, and you shall be mine! I claim you for myself!" My hope arises from the freeness of grace, and not from the freedom of the will.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Once there was free will in paradise, and a terrible mess free will made there, for it spoiled all paradise and turned Adam out of the garden! Free will was once in Heaven, but it turned the glorious archangel out, and a third part of the stars of Heaven fell into the abyss. I want nothing to do with free will.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Free-will doctrine—what does it do? It magnifies man into God; it declares God's purposes a nullity, since they cannot be carried out unless men are willing. It makes God's will a waiting servant to the will of man, and the whole covenant of grace dependent upon human action. Denying election on the ground of injustice, it holds God to be a debtor to sinners, so that if He gives grace to one, He is bound to do so to all. It teaches that the blood of Christ was shed equally for all men, and since some are lost, this doctrine ascribes the difference to man's own will, thus making the atonement itself a powerless thing until the will of man gives it efficacy. Those sentiments dilute the scriptural description of man's depravity, and by imputing strength to fallen humanity. They rob the Spirit of the glory of His effectual grace. This theory says in effect that it is of him that wills, and of him that runs—and not of God that shows mercy.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man is not saved against his will, but he is made willing by the operation of the Holy Spirit. A mighty grace which he does not wish to resist enters into the man, disarms him, makes a new creature of him, and he is saved.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Those who are led by the Spirit of God, are sons of God." Romans 8:14. Leading implies following; and those who are enabled to follow the guidance of the Divine Spirit are most assuredly children of God, for the Lord ever leads His own children. If, then, you are following the lead of God's Spirit, you have one of the evidences of Sonship.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you are finally lost, some of you will have to wade through your mother's tears and leap over your father's prayers and your minister's entreaties. You will have to force a passage through the warnings of godly people and the examples of pious relatives. Why this effort to destroy your own souls?

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, what would the damned in Hell give for a sermon, could they but listen once more! They would consent, if it were possible, to bear ten thousand years of Hell's torments, if they might but once more have the Word presented to them! If I had a congregation of such men who have tasted the wrath of God, of men who know what an awful thing it is to fall into the hands of an angry God—how would they lean forward to catch every word!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

To be a soul winner is the happiest thing in this world. And with every soul you bring to Jesus Christ, you seem to get a new Heaven here upon earth.

The bounden duty of a true believer towards men who profess to be Christians, and yet deny the Word of the Lord, and reject the fundamentals of the Gospel--is to come out from among them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Cost what it may, to separate ourselves from those who separate themselves from the truth of God is not alone our liberty, but our duty.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

For there is some danger of falling into a soft and effeminate Christianity, under the plea of a lofty and ethereal theology.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The religion of both Old and New Testaments is marked by fervent outspoken testimonies against evil. To speak smooth things in such a case may be sentimentalism, but it is not Christianity. It is a betrayal of the cause of truth and righteousness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I know that love covers a multitude of sins; but it does not call evil good, because a good man has done it.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenever God means to make a man great, He always begins by breaking him in pieces first.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A great deal of unfaithfulness is caused by endeavoring to please people.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I may know all the doctrines of the Bible, but unless I know Christ, there is not one of them that can save me!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

As a bird cannot exhaust the air in the sky, nor a fish the water in the sea--so we cannot exhaust the grace of God.


Never account prayer second to preaching. No doubt prayer in the Christian church is as precious as the preaching of the Gospel. To speak to God on behalf of men is a part of the Christian priesthood that should never be despised.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

When the devil opens his mouth in slander, it gives me the opportunity to shove the sword of truth down his throat.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Never let anxieties about sanctification destroy your confidence in justification.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Cheer up Christian! Nothing is left to chance. No blind fate rules the world. God has purposes and those purposes will be fulfilled. God's plans are wise, and can never be hindered.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Frequently the richest answers are not the speediest. A prayer may be all the longer on its voyage because it is bringing us a heavier freight of blessing. Delayed answers are not only trials of faith, but they give us an opportunity of honoring God by our steadfast confidence in Him under apparent repulses.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If you want that splendid power in prayer, you must remain in loving, living, lasting, conscious, practical, abiding union with the Lord Jesus Christ.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Until the gate of Hell is shut upon a man, we must not cease to pray for him. If we see him hugging the very doorposts of damnation, we must go to the mercy seat and beseech the arm of grace to pluck him from his dangerous position. While there is life there is hope, and although the soul is almost smothered with despair, we must not despair for it, but rather arouse ourselves to awaken the Almighty arm.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man can do me a truer kindness in this world, than to pray for me.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The fact is, the secret of all ministerial success lies in prevalence at the mercy-seat.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A prayerful church is a powerful church!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

I know of no better thermometer to your spiritual temperature than this, the measure of the intensity of your prayer.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Earnest intercession will be sure to bring love with it. I do not believe you can hate a man for whom you habitually pray. If you dislike any brother, Christian, pray for him doubly, not only for his sake, but for your own, that you may be cured of prejudice and saved from all unkind feeling.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

If we take care about our souls and eternity, which are more than the body and its life, we may leave it to God to provide for us food and clothing, which are less.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

No man's calling or place can be an excuse for unbelief and sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Humble souls are made more humble by Christ's gracious dealings with them.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The great intention of the blessed Jesus in the redemption He wrought, is to separate our hearts from sin.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

The most unspotted innocence will not always be a defense against reproach.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

A man may go idle to Hell, but he who will go to Heaven, must be diligent.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment." Matthew 17:18. Are we astonished to see Satan's bodily possession of this boy, yet we don't realize his spiritual possession of every child of Adam from the fall!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16:26. Thousands lose their souls for the most trifling gain, or the most worthless indulgence; nay, often from mere sloth and negligence. Whatever is the object for which men forsake Christ, that is the price at which they sell their souls. Yet one soul is worth more than all the world!

  ~ ~ ~ ~

"But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." Matthew 15:18-19. It is the heart that is desperately wicked, Jeremiah 17:9. There is no sin in word or deed, which was not first in the heart. They all come out of the man, and are fruits of that wickedness which is in the heart, and is wrought there.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

Tried faith brings experience. You could not have believed your own weakness had you not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would never have known God's strength had you not been supported amid the water-floods. Faith increases in solidity, assurance, and intensity, the more it is exercised with tribulation. Faith is precious, and its trial is precious too.