Pithy gems from Charles Simeon (1759 – 1836)
If we had received our just deservings from God, there is not one among us who would not have been in the very depths of Hell, long, long ago!~ ~ ~ ~
Believer! Not so much as a hair can fall from your head but by the divine appointment of your all-loving heavenly Father!
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The evil of sin far exceeds all that language can express, or that any finite intelligence can conceive!
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In everything we must endeavor to act as in God's immediate presence!
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Even though evil is a sweet morsel in your mouth for a season--it will at last bite like a serpent, and sting like an adder!
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The ungodly often die as insensible of eternal realities as the beasts!
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The Word of God is the only standard of right and wrong; and by that we shall be judged in the last day.
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Every advance towards Christian maturity, will always be manifested by a proportionate growth in humility.
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No mother is so tender towards her newborn child, as God is towards his penitent and believing people.
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Can we survey the wonders of redeeming love, and not have our whole souls penetrated with an overwhelming sense of gratitude?
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We should always contemplate God's sovereign and saving mercies with overwhelming gratitude and whole-hearted devotion!
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God is pleased oftentimes to afflict his people, in order to wean them from the love of this present world, and to quicken their souls to a greater delight in him.
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Godly principles in the heart always manifest themselves by actions in the life. Real piety is operative and influential on the whole life.
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The true Christian knows, that if he were judged by the best act he ever performed, he must forever perish!
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All that the blood of Christ could purchase, and all that the love of God can bestow--is the portion reserved for every believer in the realms of bliss!
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Only view death aright, and you will account it among your most valued treasures!
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Most professing Christians are satisfied with a change in their opinions, though they have never experienced any change in their hearts and lives!
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We must bring our views, our desires, our motives, to the strictest scrutiny of the Word. The Word of God, and Christ in the Word--is the proper food of the soul.
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If the Scriptures abide only in the head, they will be of no profit. To be really useful, they must descend into your hearts, and operate in your lives!
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God's decrees are no rule of action for us, seeing that they are hidden from us. It is his precepts, which we are to regard.
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Every true believer is a jewel in the Redeemer's crown!
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We cannot expect too little from man, or too much from God!
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In every step of our way to Zion, we must cry, "Hold me up, and I shall be safe!" Psalm 119:117
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Repentance, and commitment to Christ, and holiness of life have never been fashionable.
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God's blessings will infinitely exceed our highest expectations, and be enjoyed by us when the fleeting vanities of time shall be no more.
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The man who sincerely trusts in God, has an ever-present, an ever-willing, an immutable, an all-sufficient help! Prayer will in an instant bring omnipotence to our aid!
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Whatever he might lack in this world, the Christian possesses God himself for his friend, his counselor, and his everlasting portion!
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The godly man will be well satisfied to have such a portion of this world as God sees fit to give him; and will abundantly prefer the eternal welfare of his soul before all the gratifications that wealth or honor can afford him.
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Opulence does not of itself increase our comfort. It increases rather, our temptations and our cares!
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God would have been equally happy and glorious, though no creature had ever existed to behold his glory, or participate his bliss. As he was eternally self-existent, so he would have been eternally self-sufficient. Nor was it possible for any creatures, however numerous or exalted, to add anything to his happiness or glory!
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What surprise and anguish will seize hold upon the wicked the very instant he opens his eyes in the eternal world!
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There are the seeds of every sin, in every individual of our fallen race!
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There is nothing great or small in the eyes of Jehovah! Nor is it any more degradation to him to attend to the concerns of the smallest insect that floats invisibly in the air, than to the affairs of the mightiest empire upon earth!
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Holiness is a conformity to the image of God.
Sin is a conformity to the image of the devil!
Holiness also and true happiness are inseparable.
In the same way, sin and misery are inseparable.
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Next to the gift of God's only dear Son to die for us, is the gift of his Holy Spirit to dwell in us, and to impart unto us all the blessings of salvation!
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Grace is glory begun, and glory is grace consummated!
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There is not any one thing relating to God, which the natural man loves:
not His perfections;
not His Word;
not His ordinances;
not His people;
not His ways!
In his heart, he is adverse to them all.
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I can no more explain the infinite hatred of God to sin, than I can tell you the height of the heavens above. Infinite holiness must have an infinite hatred against everything that is unholy.
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The gospel calls men from the pleasures of sin, and promises them sublimer pleasures in its stead.
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The true flock of Christ has always been small.
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Humility is the most prominent feature of the Scripture saints.
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Your own nothingness and vileness can only be estimated aright when viewed in contrast with God's majesty which you have offended, and God's mercy which you have despised! Until you see that everlasting misery in Hell is your deserved portion, you can never lie so low as you ought to lie!
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Your troubles are sent on purpose to drive you to the Savior, whom, in a time of prosperity, you are too prone to neglect! If they produce that effect, you shall soon number your trials among your richest blessings!
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The hand of God is as necessary to uphold the universe, as ever it was to create it at first.
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Ignorant and ungodly ministers are a curse to those over whom they are placed!
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The blessings of Providence, when uninterruptedly continued, are scarcely noticed; it is only when the loss of them has been painfully withdrawn, that we consider how much we were indebted to God for them.
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To those in Hell, it will be a great augmentation of their misery to reflect that they brought it on themselves!
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God disposes of men according to his sovereign will and pleasure, either converting them unto himself, or permitting them to proceed in their wickedness, in such a way as shall ultimately conduce most to the honor of his own name, and to the accomplishment of his own eternal purposes.
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O, how backward are we to reflect upon our latter end! Yet the events of this present life are not worthy of a thought in comparison with eternity. I beg you, brethren, consider how fast your end is approaching, and what it is likely to be: an eternity of bliss in Heaven--or an eternity of misery in Hell? O, lose not an hour in preparing for your great account!
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There is nothing more glorious to, meditate upon than the infinite dignity and majesty of Christ. May God enlarge our hearts so that we may receive more from Him, and may He make us to hunger and thirst more after Him. It is the sweetest thing in the world, to be overwhelmed with gratitude toward Him.
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We will have to bless God for the storm that heaves us, wave after wave, into the harbor of eternal rest! We will have more to do to bless God for what He denies us, than for what He gives us. Let the Lord choose my lot, and let me be content with it.
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However long ago any of your sins may have been committed, they are as fresh in God's memory, and as hateful in his sight--as if they had been committed this very moment before His face!
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No one can be saved without an experimental acquaintance with the facts of the gospel, and a suitable operation of them upon his soul!
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There is not a more intimate connection between any two things, than between sin and misery.
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The great events which take place in the world, such as the rise and overthrow of kingdoms, are disregarded by God as unworthy of notice; while the most trivial things that appertain to His redeemed people, are recorded with the minutest exactness!
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The misery of sinners in Hell will be unmixed and unabated to all eternity!
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The world, the flesh, and the devil have such a hold upon the unsaved, that nothing can prevail upon them to seek after God--not even the promise of eternal glory, or the threat of eternal Hell.
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When God, by removing our earthly and carnal dispositions, presents heavenly objects to the soul in their true character--they shine with a luster inconceivable to the blind ungodly world!
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Worldliness is a great and common evil, and it is often manifested in those from whom we would least expect it.
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Think, I beg you, what your feelings would now be, if all the evil that has ever passed in your minds were made known to your fellow-creatures! All would veil our faces with conscious shame, and be glad to hide ourselves away in any distant retreat where we might escape the eyes of those who knew our guilt and shame! "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes 12:14
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It is not the fluency of our prayers that God regards, but the sincerity of our hearts.
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Many suppose themselves to be Christians, notwithstanding they have not one genuine mark of Christianity about them!
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Most are eagle-eyed in spying out the faults of others; but are almost totally blind to their own!
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Hell is God's prison--that place of torment, where the voice of mercy never sounds, nor one ray of hope can ever enter!
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God is righteous, though he would cast me into Hell!
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To bless and adore God for our afflictions is one of the highest exercises of faith and love!
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The humble Christian will be thankful for every hint that can be afforded him for the discovery of his most secret sins, because he will be led thereby to a deeper humiliation before God, and to a more simple trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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There is not one evil in the whole creation, which is not the fruit of sin!
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Unsaved readers! Do you not know that Heaven and Hell are before you? Are you acting the part of rational beings, while you take no care to flee from the wrath to come, and to lay hold on eternal life?
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There is nothing so comforting to an afflicted soul, as to contemplate the promises of God!
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Such is the hatred which ungodly men bear to real piety, that it is not possible to serve our God aright without incurring their displeasure. Neither eminence in station, nor prudence of conduct, will screen us from the their assaults of envy and malice.
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They can feel but little gratitude to God, who do not acknowledge the mercies they have received, as well as ask for the continuance and increase of them.
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Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world; and whatever he has predetermined in his eternal counsels shall surely be fulfilled.
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The unbeliever considers the Word of God as imposing on them an intolerable yoke, to which they cannot, and will not submit! "The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so!" Romans 8:7
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All Christians profess to hate pride; yet all are more or less infected with it. The very best of men are not wholly free from its influence.
But in the unregenerate, pride is the governing principle of all their actions.
Nothing but the Gospel ever did, or ever can, humble the soul!
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A little money, a breath of honor, a momentary gratification--this is the price for which most people forego the hopes of Heaven, and entail upon ourselves the miseries of Hell! What dangerous, what incredible insanity!
The cares of this world, or the deceitfulness of riches, or the lust for other things, have altogether ruined them!
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However fine an appearance any hypocrite may make in the church--God, who sees his heart, will sooner or later expose and punish his hypocrisy.
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The best actions are but splendid sins, if not wrought from a principle of love to God! 1 Corinthians 13:1
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There are three lessons which every Christian has to learn:
1. Humility.
2. Humility.
3. Humility.How long are we learning the true nature of Christianity!
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The tender heart, the broken and contrite spirit, are to me—far above all the joys that I could ever hope for in this valley of tears.
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Our prayers, perhaps, are never more acceptable, than when they are offered in broken accents, in sighs, and groans. The sigh, the groan of a broken heart, will soon go through the ceiling up to Heaven—yes, into the very bosom of God.
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We shall do well ever to remember, that Christianity is not a mere speculative theory which is to inform the mind; but a great practical lesson, to renew the heart, and to bring us back to the state from whence we are fallen.
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My dear brother, we must not mind a little suffering for Christ's sake. When I am getting through a hedge, if my head and shoulders are safely through, I can bear the pricking of my legs. Let us rejoice in the remembrance that our holy Head has surmounted all His suffering and triumphed over death. Let us follow Him patiently—we shall soon be partakers of His victory!
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You often feel that your prayers scarcely reach the ceiling. Oh, get into this humble spirit by considering how good the Lord is, and how evil you all are—and then prayer will mount on wings of faith to Heaven.
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However advanced a man may be in piety or age—he is still in danger of falling into the worst of sins.
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With this sweet hope of ultimate acceptance with God—I have always enjoyed much cheerfulness before men; yet I have at the same time labored incessantly to cultivate the deepest humiliation before God.
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Justification by faith alone, is the hinge upon which the whole of Christianity turns.
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Our holiness is an effect of being saved—and not a cause of it.
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Most assuredly the wrath of God shall follow and overtake unrepentant sinners, whether they are found in the openly profane, or in the professors of the Gospel of Christ.
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We cannot by any means wash away so much as one sin that we have ever committed. Rivers of tears would be insufficient for that.
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Who among us has not harbored idols in his heart?
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There is no greater blessing to a nation than a well-ordered government. The due administration of justice, together with the protection of our person and property, afford to any people a just ground of joy and thankfulness. "Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is the reproach of any people!" Proverbs 14:34
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May God bring you to the only remedy against that dreadful disease of sin. The poor sinner who now speaks to you from the pulpit found it at the foot of the cross.
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I have often admired the sweet repetition, if it may be called that, of the precious name of Jesus throughout the whole of Paul's epistles, wherein he can hardly write a single line without mentioning and exalting the Lord Christ as the believing sinner's all in all.
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That man is a bad preacher in the pulpit, who is not a good preacher out of it. No man in the world has a right to stand up for God, if God has not adorned him with personal holiness. We should preach by what we are, as well as by what we say.
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Were they instantly, and of necessity, to be deprived of all they possess, we would still bid them to "rejoice that they were made low:" for earthly riches, however great, are only dung and dross in comparison with the Christian's portion!
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Nothing will be gained from reading the Scriptures without prayer. The Scriptures are "a sealed book," until God himself shall open them to your minds. But, if God shines upon his word, and enables you to comprehend the truths contained in it--then you will derive from thence such views of Christ, as shall change you into the Divine image!
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However averse men are to receive warnings and exhortations from each other, there is, in reality, no greater proof of affection, than the administering of faithful cautions, and beneficial advice, to those whom we love.
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That "fear of God" which the Scriptures represent to be "the beginning of wisdom," the world considers as the summit of folly. However wise, learned, or discreet any man may be, he cannot escape the imputation of weakness or wild enthusiasm, if he will "follow the Lord fully." If our Lord and Master was called Beelzebub, then his servants can expect no better name.
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The common gifts of Providence are bestowed in such a regular and ordinary way, that the hand of God is scarcely seen or acknowledged in them. They are considered as resulting from a imaginary cause, called Nature.
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We cannot have one spark of real humility until we are abased before God, as guilty, helpless, and undone creatures, who have no hope but in the tender mercy of God in Christ Jesus. We should incessantly lie low before him in dust and ashes, and rely altogether upon "his mercy to pardon us, and his grace to help us in every time of need."
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Oh, the justice that demanded such an atonement! Oh, the mercy that revealed such a salvation for a ruined world! Can sinners hear of such mercy and resist it--sinners doomed to die for sins more in number than the sands on the seashore? Oh, what callous hearts must those be, that can be armored against such astonishing love, yet refuse to yield themselves to Him who paid so great a price for sinners so worthless and so vile!
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The bird is not always in the air, but he is ready to fly in an instant. So the believer is not always engaged in the act of praying, but he has such a gracious aptitude for this exercise that he is prepared in an instant, when in danger or need, to run to his God for refuge.
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May the Lord keep us from pride, as we ever remember that we are followers of the humble and lowly Jesus (Matthew 11:29). It is very improper to see the servant proud, and the Master humble.
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If God would admit to his bosom the unrepentant violators of his law, the enemies of his Son, and the despisers of his grace--then Heaven itself would cease to be a place of happiness; and God himself (I speak it with reverence) would cease to be an object worthy of our esteem.
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To boast about ourselves is a mark of a weak and foolish mind.
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Humanly speaking, the spiritual prosperity of any people is intimately connected with the continuance of a pious minister among them. A pious minister, if he relapses into a carnal and worldly state, will soon show it in his ministrations. A neglect of his duties will ensue; and a lukewarmness will pervade all his labors.
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A real love to the Gospel, and conformity to the Savior's image, is as offensive now to an ungodly world, as it ever was. Nor can any one become a sincere and zealous follower of Christ, without incurring much hatred, contempt, and calumny. "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution!"
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If anyone thinks to maintain an upright walk before God, and at the same time to escape the reproaches of the ungodly world, he deceives his own soul. We might as well hope that light should pass unobserved in darkness--as that a man who fears God, should pass unnoticed through a world that lies in wickedness.
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If no one has a claim on God--then no one has a right to complain if a favor which he despises is withheld from him. On the other hand, the person on whom that special favor is conferred, must to all eternity adore the sovereign grace that has dispensed it to him.
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God is everywhere present, but nowhere visible, unless he is pleased to draw aside the veil--and reveal himself to us. It is in Heaven alone that his unveiled glory is continually seen.
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It is always profitable to mark the accomplishment of the divine promises, that, from discovering the faithfulness of God, we may learn to acknowledge his providence, and depend upon his care.
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The more we discern of our own depravity--the more must we see of our guilt, our danger, and our helplessness; nor can anything pacify our consciences, and allay our fears, but a view of the divine perfections, as united and harmonizing in the work of redemption.
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In interpreting the Holy Scriptures, we are not at liberty to indulge our own imagination; we must approach them with sacred awe and reverence; and give such explanations of them only, as we truly believe to be agreeable to the mind of that blessed Spirit, through whose inspiration they were written.
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Let anyone attempt to enumerate his own transgressions, and he will find them more in number than the sands upon the sea-shore--and sufficient, if visited according to their desert, to sink the whole world into perdition!
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Every minister should prefer the instruction of his people, to the display of his own talents, or the aggrandizement of his own name. It is pitiful indeed to court applause for our learning, when we should be converting souls to Christ!
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Spiritual subjects are generally most relished by a spiritual mind. Hence it is that they are brought forward for public discussion; and other subjects, which might be very instructive, are entirely overlooked.
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A sinner is not to look into himself for his warrant to rejoice in God. The mercy, the love, the truth, and faithfulness of God, together with the ability and willingness of Christ to save all who come unto God by him, are the proper grounds of joy, irrespective of any change actually wrought in us.
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The obeying of the voice of conscience, so long as it is not seared by continual sin, is always right; and to rebel against it is always wrong!
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The poor, while they enjoy their health, and are under no extraordinary pressure, are quite as happy as the rich. If they have fewer comforts, they do not feel the lack of them. They are, in a great measure, strangers to those vexations and disappointments, which are the usual attendants of wealth.
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The testimony of a good conscience is a source of rich consolation at all times, but more especially when we are suffering under afflictions from God, or calumnies from man.
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The possession of wealth is no evil; it then only becomes an evil, when it is accompanied with a measure of trust or delight in it.
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Anything short of "everlasting burnings" is a mercy for which we have reason to be thankful--and not a judgment of which we have any reason to complain; since it is light in comparison with what we deserve, and is sent on purpose to keep us from ever suffering our full desert in Hell.
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God orders and appoints all things throughout the universe!
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A just view of God's perfections would silence all fears; for if his wisdom, his power, his love, his faithfulness are really infinite--then we have nothing to do but to repose our confidence in him, and we are safe!
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Of what use is that penitence that does not inspire us with a fixed purpose to sin no more?
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Many, in acknowledging the depravity of their nature, make it almost an excuse for their sins.
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Your vileness must drive you, not from Christ, but to Him! And when you are most confident of your acceptance with Him, you must walk softly before Him all the days of your life.
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The many are not always right in their views; nor the confident in their assertions. One false principle may warp the judgment even of good men; and may lead them to detestable erroneous conduct.
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Not even the smallest sin, by whoever committed, can be pardoned, but through the blood of that all-sufficient sacrifice once offered upon Calvary. No penitence, no confession, no supplication will avail without that!
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It will be but little consolation for us to see others suffering under God's heavier displeasure; the person who feels the smallest portion of his wrath in Hell, will be inexpressibly and eternally miserable!
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Christianity has in all ages been an object of derision to an ungodly world.
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Earthly blessings may come alone; but the favor of God brings along with it every other blessing that God can bestow!
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It frequently happens that the rich have less comfort in their abundance, than the poor in their more scanty pittance!
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A man's character is to be estimated, not so much by his actions towards men, as by the habit of his mind towards God.
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There is no sublimer joy than that which arises out of penitential sorrow, and is tempered by contrition!
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If we follow the footsteps of the flock, then we shall be numbered among the sheep of Christ, and dwell in his fold forever and ever!
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Men, who judge only by the outward appearance, are apt to entertain a good opinion of themselves. But God, who looks at the heart, describes the whole race of mankind as immersed in an unfathomable abyss of wickedness! "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9
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Sin and misery are indissolubly connected!
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Doubtless, if there were no moral governor of the universe--then there would be no fear of future punishment in Hell. The thought of this would be a great delight to ungodly men.
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Some of the ungodly dream of annihilation, and some of Heaven--but what a fearful disappointment will multitudes experience!
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As to the full enjoyment of Heaven, I cannot attempt to describe it. No words can paint it--no imagination can conceive of it.
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God's people see Him as ever present to aid and support him. They are well assured that as nothing could be done but according to God's determinate counsel, so God's aid should be all-sufficient for them!
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Well may believers long "to depart, that they may be with Christ;" and account all their afflictions to be light and momentary, in the view of that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory with which they will be crowned in the day of the Lord Jesus! 2 Corinthians 4:17-18.
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How many are there, who, while they make a profession of religion, are yet, by their unmortified lusts, or worldly desires, or slothful habits, or by some habitual evil--provoking God to depart from them!
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Sin defiles, debases, and destroys the soul.
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All who will not bow to the scepter of God's grace, shall be broken in pieces with His rod of iron!
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Only in Christ's sin-atoning sufferings, can we rightfully measure our guilt and misery.
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O the unspeakable mercy of being cast wholly and entirely upon God!
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Regardless of one's profession of religion, an unholy life always leads to an eternity of misery!
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Think what guilt you have contracted, and what condemnation you have merited, by your numberless transgressions in thought, word, and deed, from the first moment of your existence, even to the present hour!
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What wailing and gnashing of teeth will they experience, who shall perish under their own personal sin and guilt--when they shall be shut up as monuments of God's wrath to all eternity! Luke 23:31. O that careless sinners would lay this to heart, while a remedy yet remains, and before they are finally separated from the gracious presence of God by an impassable gulf!
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Gospel truths do not float in the minds of a genuine Christian as a mere theory or speculation--but influence their affections, speech and acts in a most practical way.
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The truth is, that men can inflict, and often do inflict, far deeper wounds with their tongue than they could with the most powerful weapon! With a sword they can only wound the body; but with bitter and cruel words they wound the inmost soul. Under the former we may easily support ourselves; but "a wounded spirit who can bear?"
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To fear God is the duty, and to trust in Him the privilege, of every man!
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If only you will be observant of God's gracious dealings towards you, you will never lack a theme for gratitude and praise.
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God may, and does, "give over many to a reprobate mind," and to final impenitence, "So I gave them up!"
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Sin is pardoned, and righteousness is imputed, purely through the free grace of God to the chief of sinners, without any good works performed by them!
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Pride, self-righteousness and self-dependence--these evils cleave more closely to us than the flesh to our bones! When we think that we are freed from them, we shall still find the workings of them in our hearts.
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Do you so realize the watchful care of God, as to renounce all hope in the creature, and to rely on Him alone for all your needs?
God sends the trials needed to purify His redeemed children from their dross; and he sits by the furnace, ready to bring them out, in the proper season, "purified as gold!"
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Legalism is a relying on our good works, either in whole or in part, to justify us before God!
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Never did Jesus appear more glorious, than when he wept at the grave of Lazarus!
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Every exercise of love, even to our enemies, strengthens the habit of love in our souls, and thereby transforms us more and more into the Divine image.
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Everyone cherishes in his mind some delusion whereby he lulls his conscience to sleep; and thus, notwithstanding his guilt and danger, he rests satisfied with his state, until God himself interposes, in a way of mercy or of judgment, to undeceive him!
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The standard of morals in the Christian world is far below that which is established in the Sacred Records; and hence arises that self-justifying spirit which prevails in every place. Gross iniquities, which affect the welfare of society, are condemned; but less flagrant offences are regarded as trivial, and justified as unavoidable in this state of human existence.
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To abhor sin merely on account of its intrinsic hatefulness, and its offensiveness to God--is a very rare attainment, and even in the best of men, this is very weak and imperfect.
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We should be in the constant habit of meditating upon Christ; and of so musing upon his glorious excellencies--that a fire should be kindled in our bosoms! Wherever we go, and whatever we do, Jesus should be present to our minds; and his praise should be, as it were, the constant effusion of our souls.
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Though the Christian is vile in himself--he is complete in Christ!
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Innumerable are the necessities of God's people in this dreary wilderness world!
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So infinitely does this love surpass all human comprehension or conception, that if our minds were filled with it as they ought to be, we should scarcely be able to think or speak of anything else!
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If we behold heinous sins in others, we must realize that there is the root of all sin in ourselves. If we see the streams of wickedness in others, we shall bear in mind, that the fountain of it all is in ourselves also!
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"Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part you shall make me to know wisdom." Psalm 51:6
Mankind at large are chiefly concerned of their outward conduct; but the child of God cannot rest in mere externals; he is concerned about the internal habits of his soul; and desires to have them conformed to the mind and will of God.
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The generality of the world imagine sin to be a light and trivial thing.
Some indeed have learned to dread sin as destructive of their eternal happiness.
Very few have any idea of sin as defiling and debasing the soul.
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Christian progress is more evinced by desires than by actual attainments.
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As a single leak will sink a ship, so a single lust, unmortified and unsubdued, will sink the soul into everlasting perdition!
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Wherever true piety exists, it will show itself in a concern for those who are afar off from God, and perishing in their sins. All piety that is devoid of charity--is a mere name, a phantom, a delusion.
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It is not sin lamented--but sin retained, or "regarded with delight in the heart," that will provoke God's indignation against us.
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Sin has diffused its poison through all the descendants of Adam, and has infected all their powers both of body and soul.
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As we meditate on our glorious and all-sufficient Savior, there will be no end to our praises and no limit to our adorations and thanksgivings.
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Those who know themselves best, will be the most ready to acknowledge that they are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." we are never in a frame more pleasing and acceptable to God, than when we abase ourselves before him in dust and ashes!
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The only way by which any can be saved, is by renouncing all dependence on yourselves, and founding your hopes altogether on the Lord Jesus Christ, even on his meritorious sufferings and death, as an expiation for your sins.
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As much as the Christian laments his former iniquities, they no longer disturb his peace, because the guilt of them is washed away in "the fountain opened to cleanse them from sin and impurity!"
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All of our labors for Christ, whether effectual or not for the end we desired, shall be accepted and recompensed by him whom we serve, and whose empire we labor to establish!
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In proportion as men live without God in the world, is the world and everything in it embittered to them. This poor wilderness world is found by most to be a valley of tears!
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Of all the graces that have been ever exercised by the Lord's people, no one has been so much noticed, and so highly applauded by him, as faith.
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Perhaps some of you may have repeated some form of prayer which you learned in early life, or may have read some prayer out of a book; but this is not prayer, if it is unattended with the real desires of the heart. Prayer is not a mere service of the lip and knee, but the effusion of the soul before God in earnest supplication.
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Sooner shall Heaven and earth pass away, than one believing and praying soul be left to perish eternally.
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Though we do not enjoy all that we may wish for here on earth--we shall hereafter; and even, by our occasional sorrows here, be fitted for an uninterrupted fruition of God's glory to all eternity!
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Wash my sins away in my Redeemer's blood!
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In great national calamities we are apt, for the most part, to overlook the hand of God, and to trace events only to second causes, or to ascribe them to mere chance. But whatever there is either of "good or evil in the city," God must be acknowledged as the doer of it. "When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?" Amos 3:6
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Our views of Christ should be more elevated, and our delight in him be more ardent, in proportion as our means of knowing him are more ample, and our motives to love him are more enlarged.
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True religion is not a source of melancholy, but of sacred and exalted joy!
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However averse men are to receive warnings and exhortations from each other--there is, in reality, no greater proof of affection, than the administering of faithful cautions, and beneficial advice, to those whom we love.
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"Those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son!" Christ-likeness consists in an assemblage of every perfection that can possibly be imagined. In the same way, the paragon of a Christian consists not in one grace, or even in one set of graces--but in a combination of all the graces which are suited to a redeemed soul, and calculated to advance the honor of our God.
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There is nothing which we may not make an occasion of sin.
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We are passing through a polluted world; and it is very difficult to "keep our garments altogether undefiled!" Revelation 3:4
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Praise is not a service of the lip and knee, but of the warmest affections of the soul!
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Fearing God consists in a humble sense of his presence, a dread of doing anything contrary to his will, and a filial desire to please him.
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We all have many corruptions within the hidden recesses of our own hearts, which have provoked the displeasure of the Most High, and which need to be sought out, and prosecuted, and slain!
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Nothing so elevates the soul, as a contrasted view of God's mercies, and our own vileness. No man will build so high a superstructure of praise, as he who digs deepest into the corruptions of his own heart, and lays his foundation broadest on God's sovereign grace in the gospel of Christ!
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God's goodness manifested itself to us in innocence; whereas God's mercy is exercised towards us under an inconceivable load of guilt!
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There is "a day of wrath," as well as a day of mercy. Terrible indeed will be "the wrath of the Lamb!"
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The great, the universal remedy, to which we should have recourse, is Prayer. Prayer will turn everything to gold!
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To know God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent, is the highest privilege and perfection of man!
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If we were to judge of Christianity from the professing Christians who we see around us, we might give it a preference, perhaps, to all other religions; but we would be far from thinking very highly of its nature and effects. The generality of those who profess it, are but little elevated above the better orders of the heathen world; and, in some respects perhaps, have a lower standard of morals than they.
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If it were asked of the great mass of nominal Christians: "What has Christianity done for you? In what respect are you a holier man, than you would have been if Christ had never come into the world?" It would be difficult for them to give any satisfactory answer consistent with truth.
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The sin-atoning sacrifice of Christ will be of no avail in our behalf, if we do not "take up our cross daily and follow Him!"
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Awake, all of you, to the duties that are assigned you; and be content to suffer with him, that you may be also glorified together with him.
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The time must shortly arrive, when the things of time and sense will appear in all their real insignificance; and nothing will be deemed of any importance but the eternal welfare of the soul!
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Christian! You are still, and will be to your dying hour, as spiritually helpless as a little child, and must be borne by God as an infant in its mother's arms.
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Alas! alas! It is a valley of tears that we are passing through, moaning or bemoaned every hour.
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Happy would it be if the love which God has shown to us in Christ Jesus, constrained us to live altogether unto God! "What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me!" Psalm 116:12
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The sacramental cup, of which every believer should frequently partake; should ever remind us of all the saving mercies we have ever received; and be taken by us as a memorial of God's unbounded love to us, and of our sincere surrender of ourselves to him.
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As weak as his people are, even "as lambs in the midst of wolves," none can effect their ruin--none can ever pluck them out of his almighty hands!
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Let every Christian look back upon his own personal transgressions, and then say whether he himself is not an astonishing monument of God's forbearance.
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Genuine piety is uncongenial with our fallen nature.
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What have we of our own, but sin?
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Salvation, from first to last, is altogether of grace!
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Did we but read the Word, and meditate on it day and night, and pray over it, and converse with God by it--what blessings might we not obtain and not enjoy!
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The Christian feels himself to be like an infant in its mother's arms, and cries to God continually, "Hold me up, and I shall be safe."
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A sincere obedience to God's Holy Word is the most perfect liberty that man can enjoy.
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Could the Christian have but the desire of his heart, he would leave no sin unmortified, no duty unfulfilled.
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There is nothing that can more infallibly prove us to be the enemies of God, than the approbation and love of the ungodly world!
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We are naturally averse to acknowledge our vileness and wickedness. But a sight of the Divine goodness softens the mind and heart, and renders them sincere. Hence the more we are acquainted with God, the more we know of ourselves; and the more we have experienced of his love--the more we "abhor ourselves for our ingratitude to him, and our lack of conformity to his image! Job 42:5-6. Ezekiel 16:63."
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Self-love always prompts us to form a favorable estimate of our own thoughts and conduct.
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God's goodness is the sum of all his perfections.
Towards the undeserving, it is grace;
to the ill-deserving, it is mercy;
to the indigent, it is bounty;
to the distressed, it is pity and compassion;
towards the impenitent, it is forbearance;
to the obstinate and incorrigible, it is justice.
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The Gospel may be highly approved as a system of beliefs, while the heart is far from being right with God! It is not by their profession of any principles that we are to judge of men's spiritual states, but by the practical effects of those principles on their hearts and lives. Our blessed Lord has established this as the only true criterion, the only adequate test, "You shall know them by their fruits!"
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The greatest and best of believers are weak, even as others, if for a moment they are left to themselves. No man has any power to secure himself for one single moment. "He is crushed before the moth"--if God gives it a commission to destroy him!
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Tears, when flowing from a contrite soul, have an eloquence which God cannot resist!
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The more holy any man is, the more enlarged will be his views of the spirituality of God's Law, and the more painful will be his sense of his short-comings and defects and sins!
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There is nothing--not health, nor friends, nor liberty, nor life itself, that we should value any further than as it may be improved to the glory of God! Colossians 3:2. 1 John 2:15-17. Luke 14:26. Our hearts must be weaned from all, so as to be ready to part with everything, whenever God, in his providence, shall call for it.
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Tell me, you who have been redeemed from death and Hell, and that by the blood of your incarnate God--tell me whether every feeling of your souls should not be swallowed up in joy, and every word of your lips be only praise?
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The deeper doctrines of our holy religion, if made a matter of controversy and disputation, are very unprofitable. But, as experienced in the soul, they are a source of the richest consolation!
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The very best of our actions are blended with sin! Self-love tempts us to view them in too favorable a light. We put fine names on our bosom-sins.
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O, do not let the vanities of time and sense stand in competition with Jesus! Look at the worst that befalls a Christian, and you shall find him blessed in the midst of all.
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Earthly things are no blessings, except as they are subordinated to God; for the very instant they are put in the place of God, they may be apparent blessings; but in reality they are curses; as everything must be which estranges our hearts from God.
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It is not by our occasional feelings that we are to judge of our state before God, but by our abiding taste.
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They are justly deemed "saved" who, in the habit of their minds, and the general tenor of their lives, are devoted to God. Allowed sin, of whatever kind it were, would exclude us from this number, and mark us as children of the devil! 1 John 3:8
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We are but too apt to be looking to second causes, and to be giving to the creature the honor that is due to God alone.
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The common habit of mankind is to rest in the gift, and forget the Giver.
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God has been too good to us, and has overwhelmed us, as it were, with his superabundant kindness and bounty!
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Christians! Guard against pride, self-confidence, and sin of whatever kind, knowing that such things will vitiate all the happiness of your souls!
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Men will not judge of religion so much by what we say, as by what we do.
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Worldling! However deeply you may have drunk of the cup of pleasure, do you not now feel that it is all vanity, and that nothing of it remains but the dregs, which have a bitter taste?
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People may do many things that are beneficial to society, and yet be dead in trespasses and sins before God!
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There is no wickedness so great, but we may be enticed to the commission of it.
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Let us never forget that it is in vain to resist sin in our own strength.
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The more careless men are about their souls, the more confident they are of their eternal safety.
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Who has not found that the longer he lives in any sin, the more he becomes addicted to it, and enslaved by it?
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The creature is altogether a broken cistern in which no true happiness can be found. But in Christ the fountain of living waters!
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Wisdom consists in pursuing the best end by the fittest means. The best end is eternal glory, and the only means is the gospel of Christ.
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We are apt to imagine that whatever is sanctioned by the approbation and practice of the world at large, must be right; but we cannot have a more erroneous standard than popular opinion!
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The testimony of a good conscience is one of the richest comforts we can enjoy!
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It is obvious that without divine instruction, sinful man must forever lie under the guilt and power of his sins, and endure the punishment due to his unrepented and unpardoned transgressions.
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There is not a man on earth, except the broken-hearted penitent, who will acknowledge his faults in all their real malignity, and with all their attendant aggravations. All others will cast some veil over their ways to hide their deformity, and to make them appear innocent, and will put such a construction even on their basest actions, as to leave in them scarcely any fault at all.
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It is not so much transient acts which determines our character, as the rooted habit of the mind.
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Alas! we all are more or less blinded by self-love! We entreat you to guard with all possible care against the delusions of your own hearts; for they will assuredly, if persisted in, betray you to your everlasting ruin.
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There are two books, if we may so speak, and two alone, which we need to know; and they are, the Bible and our own hearts. Until our own hearts are opened to our view, the scriptures will be only "a sealed book;" but a discovery of our own hearts will throw an astonishing light upon the sacred oracles; and make innumerable passages, which once seemed obscure and inexplicable, so plain, that "he who runs may read" and understand them.
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If you will have your way acceptable unto God, you must apply to him constantly for fresh supplies of his grace, and must "take heed unto your ways according to his Word."
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What a miracle of mercy is it, that, with so much corruption within us, we are preserved in any measure from dishonoring our holy profession! The wonder is not that any fall, but that any are "kept from falling." We are never safe for one moment, except when we are upheld in the arms of our Almighty Friend!
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Good desires of no value any farther than they are productive of holy lives!
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The ungodly hope to find happiness in their ways of sin; but they only pursue a phantom, and embrace a shadow!
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There is no snare whatever into which we may not fall, if our hearts are not given up to God! The only sure way of being kept from sin of every kind, is, to give the heart to God. "My son, give me your heart!" Proverbs 23:26
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The scoffer will never be undeceived, until he shall open his eyes in the eternal world!
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The Scriptures alone are the fountain and standard of truth! Remember, also, that it is only by divine teaching that we can understand the Scriptures!
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In the judgment of God there is no truer mark of wisdom than to consider earthly things as transient and worthless, and to place one's self continually as on the brink and precipice of eternity!
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Envy is hatred in its most hateful form, as terminating upon an object--not for any evil that is in him, but for the good which he manifests, and for the success he meets with in the exercise of what is good.
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Truly the easy terms on which salvation might have been obtained, will form the bitterest ingredient of that bitter cup which the impenitent soul will have to drink to all eternity!
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Unconverted men feel no need of divine teaching; they are unconscious of the blindness of their minds, and of the bias that is upon their hearts on the side of error. Hence they will take some few particular passages which favor the prejudices they have imbibed; and on them they will build, as securely as if it was impossible for them to err!
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A man who is dependent on the world for his happiness, must of necessity be in bondage to its maxims, its habits, and its votaries.
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Sin, however fondly cherished in the heart of fallen man, is no other than folly and madness!
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If we had a thousand lives, we should devote them all to him who loved us and gave Himself for us!
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It is a small matter to bear the taunts of an ignorant and ungodly world.
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We are told that, "There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother;" truly, there is no brother in the universe, that will be so entirely at your command as Jesus. Only apply to him, and spread your needs before him, and you shall never go away empty. On the contrary, "He will do exceeding abundantly for you, above all that you can ask or think."
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To serve God instantly, and with our whole hearts, is the duty of every Christian!
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The man who fears the Lord, has nothing else to fear!
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As rich as God is in mercy to repenting sinners--He is full of indignation against the impenitent!
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Thousands who live under the light of the Gospel are total strangers to its fundamental truths; or admit them only in theory, while they are destitute of any experimental knowledge of them in their hearts.
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We must take refuge in the Lord Jesus Christ alone, that the sword of divine justice may not slay us, or the deluge of God's wrath overwhelm us!
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The dispensations of Providence, if rightly improved, are calculated to promote our spiritual welfare.
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Sin, though it is honey in the mouth, becomes bitter in the belly!
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It is not possible for our confidence in God to be too strong, provided that we leave to God the time and manner of fulfilling his promises.
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Whether we need:
righteousness to justify us,
wisdom to guide us, or
sanctification to make us holy,
we must look for all of it in and through Christ!
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Your profession of the gospel is of no value, any further than the truth of the gospel is attested by your practice.
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Those who live in sin, are exposed to all the wrath of a sin-avenging God!
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Through the introduction of sin into the world, man was altogether despoiled both of holiness and happiness. The design of God in sending to his Gospel to us was, to restore both the one and the other to our fallen race.
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We cannot judge of men's moral or spiritual state by the dispensations of God's providence towards them.
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If the eye of a fellow-creature, even of a child, were upon us--we would be deterred by them from the commission of many sins. How then should we be restrained from evil thoughts, if we felt a consciousness that God was privy to every imagination of our hearts! Were all the thoughts and workings of our hearts as visible to men as they are to God, who is there among us that would not be constrained to hide his face with shame and confusion?
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Every true Christian has been divinely taught these three things:
1. The depravity of their nature.
2. The excellency of Christ.
3. The beauty of holiness.
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It is principally with a view to increase and strengthen their graces, that God permits his people to experience so many troubles. He "chooses them in the furnace of affliction," and by means of the fire he "purges away their dross," that they may come forth as gold!
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True conversion is a radical and permanent change, both of heart and life!
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How barren the heart of man is, it not watered by divine grace!
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Every man's very best services are polluted; and he needs to be cleansed from "the iniquity of his holy things" as much as from the vilest transgressions.
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The the desires of the false convert are incomparably more set upon the world, than on God! If he compares his devotion to God, with his zeal for earthly vanities--he may plainly see how he differs from a true Christian.
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It is impossible to have any just views of the love of Christ, and not be constrained by it to live altogether to His praise and glory!
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It is not possible for your reliance on God to be too simple or too entire!
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O that men would no longer trifle with their eternal interests!
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Christians!
Our time and our talents,
our wealth and our influence,
yes, our bodies and our souls,
are to be consecrated to the Lord Jesus, to be disposed of by Him in such a way as shall be most subservient to His glory!
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There is not in the whole universe a more striking monument of God's power, than a redeemed soul!
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There is no lust, however inveterate, which the Gospel cannot subdue.
There is no enmity, however deeply rooted, which the Gospel cannot slay.
There is no pride, however stubborn, which the Gospel cannot humble.
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Wherever we turn our eyes, we find much occasion for sorrow and lamentation. The miseries which sin has brought into the world, and which are daily multiplied by the follies and wickedness of man, have rendered our world to be a valley of tears!
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There is not any truth, however strongly and clearly declared in Scripture, which has not been opposed by those who exalt their own reason above the Word of God!
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We shall be distinguished monuments of Christ's love and mercy to all eternity!
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Knowledge in general has its seat in the understanding only; but the knowledge of Christ is seated both in the understanding and the heart.
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The Holy Scriptures are the only fountain of divine knowledge. They are a kind of map, whereby we may find our way through this trackless desert, and arrive in safety at our Father's house.
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In circumstances whether of personal or public difficulty it is well to bear in remembrance, that there is one who orders all things according to his own sovereign will, and who will never fail those who trust in Him.
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Truly, God's choice of us was altogether the result of his sovereign will and pleasure, without the slightest measure of respect to any goodness or worthiness in us! Deuteronomy 7:7-8.
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The deliberate purpose of every Christian's heart, must be to please God--God alone, God universally, God always!
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The truly humble loath and abhor themselves most, when they are most assured that God is pacified towards them!
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In Heaven there are no self-admiring thoughts entertained either by men or angels!
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O that all would seek their happiness in God, in God supremely, and in God alone!
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Every true believer is a jewel in the Redeemer's crown! Hence we should . . .
love Him above all;
know no will but His;
seek nothing but His honor;
and live only for His glory!
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Most Christians are quite content that the world should perish in their sins, provided that they themselves may be excused the trouble of exertion, and finally escape the wrath of God!
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Let us always remember that one soul is of more value than the whole world!
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Our pulse does not so clearly mark the state of our bodies, as our prayers mark the state of our souls.
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God is not more pleased with the songs of angels--than with the sighs and groans of a contrite soul!
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Prayer is the great antidote to affliction of every kind!
"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray!" James 5:13
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Prayer is a work of the heart rather than of the lips. It supposes that we feel our needs, desire to have them supplied, and believe that God is able and willing to relieve them.
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The Scriptures have in themselves an efficacy to purity the heart, when they are applied to us by the powerful energy of the Holy Spirit 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
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Holiness, radical and universal holiness, can be produced by Christianity alone!
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We never can devote ourselves unreservedly to God, until we feel our obligations to him for all the wonders of redeeming love!
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Our blessed Lord assures us, that if we willfully retain one bosom lust, we must perish in that "fire that never shall be quenched!
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God does not only notice the grosser violations of his Word, but the more hidden abominations of the heart, and secret declensions from the spiritual life. He has seen the inmost recesses of our hearts, and has beheld our every thought and every desire!
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Whatever calamities are endured by others, most people feel nothing any farther than it immediately affects themselves.
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God's grace is his own; and he may dispense it to whoever he sees fit, according to the counsel of his own will. "My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please! Isaiah 46:10."
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Our chief employment of ministers is to open to you the Gospel, and "the unsearchable riches of Christ!"
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Though faith in Christ is the way of acceptance with God—yet obedience to him is the only means of manifesting the sincerity of our faith.
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Men love to deceive themselves, and, by indulging vain conceits of their own, in opposition to the written Word, to silence the convictions of conscience, and to "speak peace to themselves, when there is no peace!"
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There is in most people a measure of benevolence towards man; but towards God there is in all the same rooted indisposition and enmity, "The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be!" Romans 8:7
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By the development of sinful habits, a man may have so accustomed himself to anger, intemperance, impurity, or sloth--that he shall not be able to withstand the smallest temptation!
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Only the blood of Christ can cleanse from the guilt of sin!
Only the Spirit of Christ can cleanse from the power and pollution of sin.
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Even though men read and study the Scriptures, they remain ignorant of divine truth--until they have been taught of God by the effectual application of His Word to their souls.
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Sin is the greatest of all evils, because it is the source from which all evils flow. Nor can the miseries which it has introduced be ever remedied, but by a thorough turning unto God.
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There is a beauty and richness in the inspired volume which is not to be found in any human composition!
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A mutilated Gospel is in reality no Gospel!
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The lower the thoughts we have of ourselves, the higher does God esteem and delight in us.
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Conversion consists in a radical change in all our tempers, dispositions, and conduct--and in a renewal of our souls after the divine image!
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Through the introduction of sin into the world, man was altogether despoiled both of holiness and happiness. The design of God in sending to his Gospel to us was, to restore both the one and the other to our fallen race.
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We have nothing to fear, but sin!
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There is no mountain of guilt that cannot be removed by the blood of Christ! Isaiah 1:18. Nor is there any inveteracy of corruption that cannot be subdued by the Spirit of Christ! 2 Corinthians 12:9
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The common habit of mankind is to rest in the gift, and forget the Giver.
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A man who is dependent on the world for his happiness, must of necessity be in bondage to its maxims, its habits, and its votaries.
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Sin, however fondly cherished in the heart of fallen man, is no other than folly and madness!
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If we had a thousand lives, we should devote them all to him who loved us and gave Himself for us!
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Nothing but a continuous sight of Christ can transform the soul into his likeness!
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It is a small matter to bear the taunts of an ignorant and ungodly world.
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We must bring our views, our desires, our motives, to the strictest scrutiny of the Word.
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The Word of God, and Christ in the Word--is the proper food of the soul.
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The creature is altogether a broken cistern in which no true happiness can be found. But in Christ the fountain of living waters!
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What surprise and anguish will seize hold upon the wicked the very instant he opens his eyes in the eternal world!
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Wisdom consists in pursuing the best end by the fittest means. The best end is eternal glory, and the only means is the gospel of Christ.
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Let us never entertain unworthy conceptions of our gracious God; nor ever doubt his love, nor ever distrust his care.
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To comfort and encourage the weak is among the first duties of a Christian minister.
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In the judgment of God there is no truer mark of wisdom than to consider earthly things as transient and worthless, and to place one's-self continually as on the brink and precipice of eternity!
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The Scriptures alone are the fountain and standard of truth! Remember, too, that it is only by divine teaching that we can understand the Scriptures!
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Godly principles in the heart always manifest themselves by actions in the life. Real piety is operative and influential on the whole life.
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The true Christian knows, that if he were judged by the best act he ever performed, he must forever perish!
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If the Scriptures abide only in the head, they will be of no profit. To be really useful, they must descend into your hearts, and operate in your lives!
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It is not so much transient acts which determines our character, as the rooted habit of the mind.
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Truth has no force, and argument has no power, when set before one whose mind is filled with preconceived opinions.
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We have no idea in general how much our happiness, and even our very lives, depend on the common mercies of Providence. We acknowledge this indeed in words; but we have by no means a proportionate sense of our obligations to God for even a regular supply of water.
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We have nothing to fear but sin!
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There is no mountain of guilt that cannot be removed by the blood of Christ! Isaiah 1:18
Nor is there any inveteracy of corruption that cannot be subdued by the Spirit of Christ! 2 Corinthians 12:9
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"When I am weak, then am I strong!" 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 Indeed conscious weakness is, if I may so speak, a source of strength, since it will constrain a man to look unto Christ for strength; and "Christ will perfect his own strength in his people's weakness."
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Let us never entertain unworthy conceptions of our gracious God; nor ever doubt his love, nor ever distrust his care.
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To comfort and encourage the weak is among the first duties of a Christian minister.
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The Word of God is an inexhaustible source of instruction and comfort!
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God alone knows what is best for us! He knows, too, how to accomplish his designs in the best manner. Let us therefore commit all our concerns to him, Psalm 37:5. Let us lie as clay in the potter's hands, Jeremiah 18:6.
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Christian! Meditate on God's unbounded mercies to you, and on your exalted privileges in the Son of His love!