The FaithFul of God
There cannot be a greater blessing imparted to us, than a spirit of prayer. It is the pledge of all other blessings. When it pleases God to bestow a spirit of prayer, every other spiritual blessing is, as it were, waiting to descend upon the seeking soul. The spirit of grace and supplication is closely […]
And did Jesus say to his disciples, “you know not what manner of spirit you are of,” when, in their zeal for the honor of their Master, they wanted fire to descend upon the unbelieving Samaritans? Then, Oh my soul, look well to yourself! Search deep into your principles of action, the ground of your […]
Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of […]
How little is the genuine nature of Christianity considered by the generality of professing Christians! The declaration of our Savior, “My kingdom is not of this world;” and the character of his followers, “you are not of the world, even as I am not of the world,” seem to be words of no import with […]
Under the old dispensation, many of the great privileges of the church of God were veiled under emblems and figures drawn from natural objects. The Psalms of David, and the writings of the Prophets, abound with the most beautiful images, to describe the power, faithfulness, and love of Jehovah. Under the new dispensation the veil […]
The spirit in which Christian speech should be conducted, is delineated with peculiar accuracy in the word of God. How delightful would be the society of professing Christians, if the humble, loving, gracious, improving spirit, so much enforced in the holy Scriptures, filled every circle. How needful, then, at all times is the prayer of […]
Christianity has justly been called a religion of motives; and yet, alas! how little are those sublime motives to action, which the Gospel inspires, considered by the great mass of professing Christians! Men carry out their worldly concerns under the powerful influence of some constraining motive, which impels them forward with unabating ardor. But in […]
The beatitudes with which our Lord begins his sermon on the mount most strikingly show what is the inward state and outward conduct of true believers, as well as the general reception which such characters meet with from the world. Their inward state is described by poverty of spirit, mourning for sin, hungering and thirsting […]
How beautiful is our Savior’s parable of the vine! It illustrates in the most convincing manner this great truth, that “he who has the Son, has life; and he who has not the Son of God, has not life.” We have in this parable a striking view of the true Church of Christ, which grows […]
It is very important to distinguish rightly between passive impressions and active habits. We are continually liable to receive impressions of one kind or another—impressions of love and aversion; joy and grief; hope and fear. A pleasing representation of a person produces a favorable impression upon the mind, bordering upon love. How common to hear […]
What can be more agreeable to the dictates of true wisdom, than that a creature should love and obey its Creator, when that creature is endued with faculties capable of loving and obeying the Author of its existence? The reverse of this constitutes the grossest impiety. No man of reflection, however carried away by his […]
The whole world lies in wickedness, in a state of spiritual darkness. Out of this darkness, sinners are called by the Gospel; and when, through grace, they arise and depart out of this valley of the shadow of death, they are admitted into the marvelous light of the everlasting covenant, and become the children of […]
The promises of God, which in Christ are yes, and in him amen, shine with resplendent luster in the pages of eternal truth. Nothing but unbelief can prevent the soul from enjoying the sweetness, or experiencing the purifying efficacy, of those exceeding great and precious promises of grace and mercy. The manner in which many […]
“Unto this people you shall say, thus says the Lord: behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.” (Jer. xxi, 8.) These important words were spoken to the Jews, when the king of Babylon was drawing near to besiege the city of Jerusalem. Those who went to the Chaldeans […]
“The religion of a sinner,” as good Mr. Newton used to say, “stands upon two pillars: what Christ has done for us in the flesh; and what he does in us by his Spirit.” Christ dying for us; and Christ living in us, is the very ground and pillar of the truth. Come, Oh my […]