How to persevere in goodness: (1) Labour for true grace. What is sincere, is constant. That is true grace which the Spirit of God works in us, and is not built on false grounds, as to have respect fo...  Read More

God has planted the grace of faith in us, that our souls might be carried to himself, and not rely upon earthly things, which are only as good as we do not trust in them. If we trust in friends, or e...  Read More

Paul sets down the diverse assistance he found from both God and man in the preaching of the gospel. As for men, when Paul was most in need of comfort, he found that they dealt unfaithfully with him. ...  Read More

(4) Whether a man may break out of prison to save himself? I answer: You ought not to do anything that may endanger another man to save your own life. You may not, by breaking out of prison, endanger...  Read More

Questions concerning times of persecution. (1) Whether we ought to lose our lives or deny the truth? To this I answer: We ought rather to lose our lives than deny the truth; for God's truth is better...  Read More

For the works of Christ, Epaphroditus was nigh to death. This work of Christ especially aims at works of mercy to Paul while he was in prison and his long and tedious journey. From these he took a si...  Read More

God's mercy extends to this temporal life. We think his mercy is only for things that belong to the life everlasting. No! The same love and mercy that gives us heaven, is the same that gives us our d...  Read More

(5) Labour for patience. Consider that the sickness is from God, who is powerful. We will get nothing by striving or murmuring; he will have his will fulfilled in us. Then consider it comes from God,...  Read More

Consider how we are to behave ourselves in sickness. (1) Know and consider, 'Sickness comes not. from the dust' (Job 5:6); but consider your ways, especially your antecedent course of life, which of ...  Read More

(4) Make up your accounts daily, that when sickness and weakness come, we have not our greatest and most laborious work to do. It is an atheistic folly to put off all until sickness, whereas they know...  Read More

Seeing then we cannot avoid sickness nor death, let us consider briefly how to fit ourselves for it beforehand. (1) Before sickness labour to make God your friend, who is Lord of life and death. Is th...  Read More

Observe here how one wave follows another. After Epaphroditus had endured a long and dangerous voyage, he meets with a long and dangerous sickness. It is the nature of us. Let us not dream of any imm...  Read More

Evey man's life is a warfare, but most of all and above all, the minister is continually in war and strife. They are soldiers, leaders; they carry the standard. They of all others are in the most dan...  Read More

Paul calls Epaphroditus his 'fellow labourer,' in regard of the pains he endured; and 'fellow soldier,' in regard of the perils and dangers he jointly did undergo with the apostle. The doctrine that a...  Read More

God's providence extends to every particular thing. He guides our incomings and our outgoings; he disposes of our journeys; his providence extends to the smallest things, to the sparrows and to the h...  Read More

We should seek for no blessing of God so much as for himself. What is there in the world of equal goodness to draw us away from our God? If to preserve the dearest thing we have in the world, we break...  Read More

In the division of things, God gives himself to those who are his and when he does, he gives the best portion he could possibly give. There are many good things in the world, but none of these are a C...  Read More