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Christ thinks no man too bad to receive, if he does not think himself too good to come.

Christ died for the chief of sinners. A dying Christ for a denying Peter! A crucified Christ for a crucified thief!

You should keep steadily looking to Christ, until the burden falls off your back.

Christ is the righteousness of sinners with God, and the righteousness of God with sinners.

Carry your good things to Christ, and he will keep them; carry your bad things to Christ, and he will cure them.

Judge not of Christ by providences, but by promises.

If you love Christ with a perfect love, you will hate sin with a perfect hatred.

Love is the law of Christ's kingdom, the lesson of his school, and the livery of his household.

The reason why Christ is more precious to a believer to-day than he was yesterday is, because he sees more and more the need of him.

A believer's comfort in living is to live to Christ; and his comfort in dying that he shall go to Christ.

You may yourself ebb and flow, wax and wane, rise and fall; but your Lord is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.

OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

All the children of God are still-born by nature, and they continue dead until they are born again by the Holy Spirit.

In looking after the comfort of election, we must look to the love of God in heaven, next upward to Christ on the cross, and then inward to the work of the Spirit in our heart.

The things which the Holy Spirit discovers to the soul are the very things contained in the Scriptures; only he affords regenerated persons clearer light to see them by than they possessed before their conversion to God.

When the Holy Spirit shines upon our souls a part of that grace which he inspires is given for our own comfort, and a part of it to be returned in acts of prayer and praise, of benevolence, and other Christian duties.

OF RELIGION.

Beware of curiosities and novelties in religion, for they will increase unto more ungodliness. You should not go to the college of predestination, until you have been at the grammarschool of faith and repentance.

Religion is the knowledge of the most excellent truths, the contemplation of the most glorious objects, and the hope of the most ravishing pleasures.

Religion is not for spare hours, nor hath it any hours to spare; for we should be religious in all things, and at all times.

Religion is much talked of, but little understood till the conscience be awakened, and then a man knows the worth of a soul and the want of a Saviour.

True religion consists in the subjection of the body to the soul, and the subjection of both to God.

A truly religious man takes the Word of God for his rule, the grace of God for his strength, the Spirit of God for his guide, and the heaven of God for his home.

Pure religion gives a peace to the soul which all the allurements of the world can never bestow.

It is a libel upon religion to imagine it is an enemy to cheerfulness, and a severe exactor of pensive looks and solemn faces.

Religion does not extinguish the joyous affections, but only transplants them from Egypt to Canaan.

There are some who have just as much religion as to make them miserable, but not so much as to make them happy.

Always study to make your conversation so engaging as to make men love religion for your sake.

OF THE SABBATH.

I have found, by long experience (said the great Sir Matthew Hale), that a due regard to the duties of the Sabbath has always had joined to it a blessing upon the rest of the week.

Heaven is called a Sabbath, to make those who love Sabbaths long for heaven, and those who long for heaven to love Sabbaths.

We may know, by our affection to the Sab

bath, whether eternity will be forced upon us or not.

To the Christian who enjoys fellowship with God, every day is a Sabbath, and every meal a sacrament.

OF SERMONS.

The gospel is like a box of very precious ointment: by preaching it the box is broken, and the fragrance diffused.

I have often heard sermons well arranged and well expressed; but when the preacher did not put his heart into the sermon, he did not put the sermon into my heart.

It is not the best sermon that makes men go away praising the preacher, but that sermon which makes them go away thoughtful and serious into their closets.

When I meet with a sermon that does not please me, I look into my heart that I may examine whether all be right there or not.

Wherever there is a Paul to preach, there will be a Tertullus to find fault.

The Sabbath sermon lasts but an hour, but holiness of life is a continued sermon all the days of the week.

OF GRACE.

Grace and glory differ, but as the bud and the blossom. What is grace, but glory begun; and what is glory, but grace perfected?

Grace is an immortal seed cast into an immortal soil, and brings forth immortal fruit.

A soul is never truly humbled for sin, until it makes mercy and grace its only plea.

Good hope, through grace, animates the soul and gives life to its movements.

The reason why our graces do not shine brighter is because we are not more frequently using them.

Either exercise your graces, or Satan will exercise your corruptions; for as one bucket descends, the other rises.

As paper receives from the press letter for letter, so do believers receive from Christ grace for grace.

Those whom God finds work for, he will find grace for.

OF PRAYER.

Prayer is not eloquence, but earnestness; it is the cry of faith to the ear of mercy.

No time, no place, no posture, is displeasing to God, if the heart be right; but if the heart be wrong, all is wrong.

A praying heart will get a praying part [place].

Prayer moves the hand that moves the world. God cannot be drawn nearer to us by prayer, but prayer will draw us nearer to God.

As the sails of a ship carry it into the harbour, so prayer carries us to the throne and presence of God.

Prayer is a key, which, being turned by the hand of faith, unlocks all God's treasures.

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