How may we come to humble ourselves as we should? (1) Get poor spirits, spirits that see the want in ourselves; the emptiness of all earthly things without God's favour; the insufficiency of ourselve...  Read More

It is not unbefitting kings to humble themselves before God, seeing they have to deal with him who is a 'consuming fire' (Heb. 12:29), before whom the very angels cover their faces. I say it is no sh...  Read More

(1) God has promised to dwell in a tender heart. Isaiah 57:15 says, 'For thus says he that is high and excellent, he that inhabits eternity, whose name is the Holy One: I will dwell in the high and h...  Read More

How will men recover themselves when their hearts are subject to hardness, deadness, and insensibleness? (1) As when things are cold, we bring them to the fire to heat and melt, so we bring our cold ...  Read More

We may test our tenderness of heart these four ways: (1) As it is tender from God, so it is tender for God; for the three persons of the Trinity. He that has a tender heart cannot endure to dishonour...  Read More

(9) Lastly, consider the miserable state of hardness of heart. Such a one that has a hard heart is next to hell itself, to the state of a damned spirit, a most terrible state. A hard heart is neither...  Read More

(7) Take heed of hypocrisy; for it causes swelling, and pride makes the heart to condemn others that be not like unto us. They bless themselves that they live thus and thus, they think themselves bet...  Read More

(5) Take heed of the least sin against conscience. Sins that are committed against conscience darken the understanding, deaden the affection, and take away life; so that one has not the least strengt...  Read More

How a tender heart may be preserved and maintained. (1) Be under the means whereby God's Spirit will work; for it is he by his Spirit that works upon the heart and does preserve tenderness in us; and...  Read More

Is there anything in man that can cause God to do him good? No. Where God intends to do any good, he first works in the heart a gracious disposition: after which he looks upon his own work as upon a ...  Read More

The apostle Paul was an excellent man, and had excellent privileges to glory in. Oh but, said he, 'I account all dung and dross in comparison of the excellent knowledge of Christ' (Phil. 3:8). Our bl...  Read More

Heaven would not be heaven without the presence of God. The presence of God in a dungeon, in a lion's den, makes it a paradise, a place of pleasure; the presence of God makes all conditions comfortab...  Read More

Christians have a constant desire to dwell in the house of God. (1) The reason is, because the soul in this world is never fully satisfied with the good things of God's house until it be in heaven. T...  Read More

Thoughts and desires are the two primitive issues of the heart.Thoughts in the mind will strike the heart. Thoughts go from the understanding to the will and affections. What we think of, that we des...  Read More

(3) David can only desire this 'one thing' by grace. For the very nature of grace is to unite all things to the main thing. The Spirit of grace sets before the eye of the soul heavenly, spiritual thi...  Read More

Why does David say, 'One thing?' (1) It is because of the nature of God. We must have the whole bent and sway of our souls focused on him. He will have no wavering. The devil is content with half, be...  Read More

We must divide the day and keep a daily watch. In the morning awake with God before the world or the flesh thrust in. Think of all that may happen that day, of all the dangers and troubles; and think...  Read More

The bearing of a Christian in this world is to be a state of watching until Christ returns, because we are in danger of sin, and danger by sin. Particularly the sins of drowsiness, deadness, and heav...  Read More

Christ does not dislike domestic business and hospitality; but by this Christ shows his pity on Martha's troublesome cares and distractions, which might have been passed over with far less burden to ...  Read More

Any good Christian may be a good statesman in one good sense. He who can prevail with God to prevail with the leaders of the earth, surely such a man is a profitable man in the state. We know that Go...  Read More

(3) True desires are not only for the favour of God, but for the graces that will alter our natures. Now when desire is for these graces, it is a holy desire. To desire grace, which is as opposite to...  Read More

One objective of Christianity is for us to desire to be sound Christians with all our hearts. Religion is more in the affections of the soul than in the effects and operations. It is more in the reso...  Read More

Emmanuel, God with us. If God is with us in our nature, then he is with us in his love; 'and if God is with us, who shall be against us?' (Rom. 8:31). For this Emmanuel has taken our nature forever; ...  Read More

Emmanuel is a name both of nature and office. It is a name of his nature, God and man; and of his office, which is to reconcile God and man. The pure nature of God, and the fallen nature of man, whic...  Read More