(1) There must be an esteem of God and Christ. A high esteeming and prizing of God and his love above all things in the world. a. This valuing is known by choice. What a man esteems and values highly...  Read More

It is impossible for a man, if he be not truly renewed, to desire heaven. He may wish for it under the notion of a kingdom, a pleasure, or the like; but as heaven containing a state of perfect holine...  Read More

Let us comfort ourselves in all the slightings of the world. A man that has great hopes in his own country, if he be slighted abroad, he thinks to himself, I will have a different manner of respect w...  Read More

We must humble ourselves and say with the psalmist, 'Lord, what is man, that you are mindful of him?' (Psa. 84). We who lost our first condition and betrayed you; yet you have advanced us to the stat...  Read More

Reasons why God hides from us the glory that will be. We must be modest when we speak of God's counsels and courses. (1) God will have a difference between the warring church and the triumphing churc...  Read More

What a pity, that God should give us our understandings for better things than we can see or hear in this world, yet we employ them in things of the world wholly. Let us not do as some shallow, proud...  Read More

If eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man to conceive those things that God has prepared for him, then let us make this the rule of our esteem of anything that is good...  Read More

Here is direction on how to read and study holy truths, especially the sacred mysteries of the gospel. We think to break into them with the engine of our intelligence, and to understand them, and nev...  Read More

There are three degrees of revelation. (1) There must be a revelation of the things themselves, by word, writing, speech, and the like. There must be a revelation of these things, or else we could ne...  Read More

If the things of the gospel be such, as that without a revelation from God they could not be known, then we see that there is no principle at all of the gospel in nature. There is not a spark of ligh...  Read More

Let us know that outside of Christ there is no grace. There cannot be a beam without the sun; there cannot be a river without a spring; there cannot be a good work without the spring of good works, w...  Read More

A Christian is able to do all things through Christ who strengthens him. This must be understood evangelically. Does this verse mean actually, legally, without a flaw? No; 'I can do all things' so fa...  Read More

The Christian can want and can abound, without tainting himself with the sins of those conditions. For instance, he can abound without pride, though this is a hard matter. Abundance works upon the so...  Read More

‘I have learned,’ said Paul (Phil. 4:11), 'I have been instructed.’ It is very emphasized in the original: 'I am consecrated to this knowledge of contentment in all states' (footnote—‘I have been ful...  Read More

Now Christ revealed challenges us to acknowledge these blessed times. What should all this do but stir us up to know the time of our visitation, and to bless God, who has reserved us for these places...  Read More

Consider that the glory of the times, and the glory of places and persons, are all from the revelation of Christ by the Spirit. The more God in Christ is laid open, the more the times, places, and pe...  Read More

Does God expect us to have anything from ourselves? Who expects anything from a barren wilderness? That is what our hearts are like, and God knows it well enough. There is no goodness in us, no more...  Read More

When you look to have any grace or comfort, then put out of your hearts too much reliance on any outward thing. Do not think that education or steady effort can make us good, or bodily exercise, or l...  Read More

It will be objected that Christians are sometimes at a standstill, and sometimes they seem to go backward. Some, because they cannot see themselves growing, think they are not growing at all. That is...  Read More

Let us be exhorted to test the truth of grace in us, and by our care to proceed from glory to glory. Let us not deceive ourselves in our natural condition. Are we content to live the life of a sick m...  Read More

Solomon said that the righteous are like the sun that grows brighter and brighter until it comes to its full strength (Prov. 4:18). So the state of the godly grows more and more, from light to light,...  Read More

We see that the state of God's children both here and in heaven is called glory. The children of God are kings here, they will be kings in heaven. They are saints here, as they are saints in heaven. ...  Read More

To encourage us here, grace begun has the same name as grace perfected. Both are glory. Why does God call them by one name? To encourage Christians. He tells them that if it is begun, it is glory; no...  Read More

Christians should magnify the mercy of God that there is any change in such defiled and polluted souls; that he has granted any spiritual light of understanding, any love of good things; that the ben...  Read More