Nothing more hinders a soul from coming to Christ than a vain love of the WORLD; and till a soul is freed from it, it can never have a true love for G.o.d.
What are the honours and riches of this world, when compared to the glories of a crown of life?
Love not the world, for it is a moth in a Christian"s life.
To despise the world is the way to enjoy heaven; and blessed are they who delight to converse with G.o.d by prayer.
What folly can be greater than to labour for the meat that perisheth, and neglect the food of eternal life?
G.o.d or the world must be neglected at PARTING time, for then is the time of trial.
To seek yourself in this life is to be lost; and to be humble is to be exalted.
The epicure that delighteth in the dainties of this world, little thinketh that those very creatures will one day witness against him.
ON SUFFERING.
It is not every suffering that makes a man a martyr; but suffering for the Word of G.o.d after a right manner; that is, not only for RIGHTEOUSNESS, but for righteousness" sake; not only for TRUTH, but out of love to truth; not only for G.o.d"s Word, but according to it: to wit, in that holy, humble, meek manner, as the Word of G.o.d requireth.
It is a rare thing to suffer aright, and to have my spirit in suffering bent against G.o.d"s enemy, sin. Sin in doctrine, sin in worship, sin in life, and sin in conversation.
Neither the devil, nor men of the world, can kill thy righteousness, or love to it, but by thy own hand; or separate that and thee asunder, without thy own act. Nor will he that doth indeed suffer for the sake of it, or out of love he bears thereto, be tempted to EXCHANGE it for the good will of the whole world.
I have often thought that the best of Christians are found in the worst times: and I have thought again, that one reason why we are not better is, because G.o.d purges us no more. Noah and Lot, who so HOLY as they in the time of their afflictions! and yet, who so IDLE as they in the time of their prosperity?
OF DEATH AND JUDGMENT.
As the devil labours by all means to keep out other things that are good, so to keep out of the heart as much as in him lies, the thoughts of pa.s.sing out of this life into another world; for he knows if he can but keep them from the serious thoughts of DEATH, he shall the more easily keep them in their sins.
Nothing will make us more earnest in working out the work of our salvation than a frequent meditation of mortality; nothing hath a greater influence for the taking off our hearts from vanities, and for the begetting in us desires for holiness.
O! sinner, what a condition wilt thou fall into when thou departest the world; if thou depart unconverted, thou hadst better have been SMOTHERED the first hour thou wast born; thou hadst better have been plucked one limb from the other; thou hadst better have been made a dog, a toad, a serpent, than to die unconverted; and this thou wilt find true if thou repent not.
A man would be counted a fool to slight a judge before whom he is to have a trial of his whole estate. The trial we are to have before G.o.d is of OTHERWISE importance; it concerns our eternal happiness or misery, and yet dare we affront him.
The only way for us to escape that terrible judgment is to be often pa.s.sing a sentence of condemnation upon ourselves here.
When the sound of the trumpet shall be heard, which shall summon the dead to appear before the tribunal of G.o.d, the righteous shall hasten out of their graves with joy to meet their Redeemer in the clouds; others shall call to the mountains and hills to fall upon them, to cover them from the sight of their judge; let us, therefore, in time be POSING ourselves which of the TWO we shall be.
OF THE JOYS OF HEAVEN.
There is no good in this life but what is mingled with some evil: honours perplex, riches disquiet, and pleasures ruin health. But in heaven we shall find blessings in their purity, without any ingredient to imbitter; with everything to sweeten it.
O! who is able to conceive the inexpressible, inconceivable joys that are there! None but they who have tasted of them. Lord, help us to put such a value upon them here, that in order to prepare ourselves for them, we may be willing to forego the loss of all those deluding pleasures here.
How will the heavens echo for joy, when the bride, the Lamb"s wife, shall come to dwell with her husband for ever!
Christ is the desire of nations, the joy of angels, the delight of the Father; what solace then must the soul be filled with, that hath the possession of him to all eternity!
O! what acclamations of joy will there be, when all the children of G.o.d shall meet together, without fear of being disturbed by the anti- Christian and Cainish brood.
Is there not a time coming when the G.o.dly may ask the wicked, what profit they have in their pleasure? what comfort in their greatness?
and what fruit in all their labour?
If you would be better satisfied what the beatifical vision means, my request is, that you would live HOLILY and go and see.
OF THE TORMENTS OF h.e.l.l.
Heaven and salvation is not surely MORE promised to the G.o.dly, than h.e.l.l and d.a.m.nation is threatened to, and shall be executed on, the wicked.
Oh! who knows the power of G.o.d"s wrath? None but d.a.m.ned ones.
Sinners" company are the devil and his angels, tormented in everlasting fire with a curse.
h.e.l.l would be a kind of paradise, if it were no worse than the WORST of this world.
As different as grief is from joy, as torment from rest, as terror from peace; so different is the state of sinners from that of SAINTS in the world to come.