Causes of spiritual discouragement. (1) God himself sometimes withdraws the beams of his countenance from his children, whereupon the soul of even the strongest Christian is disquieted. The child of ...  Read More

What if our condition is so dark that we cannot read in ourselves any evidence of grace? Here look up to God's infinite mercy in Christ, as we did at our conversion, when we found no goodness in ours...  Read More

Christ will appear in glory as certainly as he appeared in his first coming; and we will appear with him in glory. Why should we doubt it? Has not that which is even greater been already done? Has no...  Read More

‘When Christ who is your life appears.' There are two appearings. His first appearing was to work our salvation; his second will be to accomplish and finish what he has begun to work. His first appea...  Read More

After he has acquitted us by his all-sufficient satisfaction, being God and man, and has given us his Spirit, there is another life, the life of comfort, which is the life of our life, in peace of co...  Read More

How is Christ our life? Christ is in every way the cause of the life of grace and glory. Not only the cause, but the root and spring as well. We have spiritual life from Christ and in Christ. We have...  Read More

Let us labour to kindle in our hearts an affection for Christ. We may judge our love by our esteem. (1) How do we value Christ? What place should he have in our hearts? If he be the chief of ten thou...  Read More

Was he lovely when he was nailed on the cross, hung between two thieves, when he wore a crown of thorns, whipped, when he sweat water and blood? Oh! yes; then he was most lovely of all to us, by how ...  Read More

There is a double presence of Christ: felt and not felt. Christ's felt presence is when he is graciously present and is also pleased to let us know, which is a heaven upon earth. My soul is in paradi...  Read More

We should have a double eye: one eye to see that which is amiss in us, our own imperfections, thereby to carry ourselves in a perpetual humility. Another eye of faith, to see what we have in Christ, ...  Read More

Besides his Spirit, God has planted in us a conscience to call upon us, to be his vicar; a little god in us to do his office, to call upon us, direct us, check and condemn us, which in great mercy he...  Read More

There is a knocking that Christ uses in the church, his ministerial knocking. When he was here in the days of his flesh, he was a preacher and prophet himself, and now that he is ascended into heaven...  Read More

Consider the excellence of an awake Christian. When he is in his right temper, he is a prepared person, fit for all assaults. He is impregnable. Satan has nothing to do with him, for he, as it is sai...  Read More

(6) In the last place it is a thing of no small consequence, that we keep company with wakeful and faithful Christians, such as neither sleep themselves nor do willingly allow any to sleep that are n...  Read More

(5) Labour to preserve the soul in the fear of God because fear is a waking affection, yea, one of the most wakeful. Naturally we are more moved with dangers than stirred with hopes. Preserve the fea...  Read More

(3) Labour for an abundance of the Spirit of God. What makes men sleepy, and drowsy? The want of the Spirit. We are dull, and overladen with gross passions, whereby the strength sinks and fails. Chri...  Read More

To preserve the soul, especially in these drowsy times: (1) Propose to our souls, wakeful considerations. What causes our sleep but want of matters of more serious observation? None will sleep when a...  Read More

A Christian is what his heart and inward man is. Grace is at the centre, and from there it goes to the circumference. Let the church value herself by the disposition and temper of her heart. To evalu...  Read More

Let us magnify the goodness of God that God's children never totally fall from grace. Though they sleep, yet their heart is awake. The prophet Isaiah, speaking of the church and children of God said ...  Read More

The heart is often taken for the conscience in Scripture. A good conscience, called a merry heart, is 'a continual feast' (Prov. 15:15). Now, the conscience of God's children is never so sleepy, but ...  Read More

The word heart includes the whole soul, for the understanding is the heart, 'an understanding heart' (Job 38:36). To ‘lay things up in our hearts' (Luke 2:51) is memory; and to cleave in heart is to ...  Read More

(4) Sleepiness is an odious temper to God. For, does he not deserve cheerful service at our hands? Does not his greatness require that our senses be all waking? Does not his mercy deserve, that our l...  Read More

Motives against sleepiness: (1) Consider the danger of a sleepy state. The devil labours all he can to cast men into this temper, which he must do before he can make him fall into any gross sin. The ...  Read More

Signs of a spiritually sleepy state: (1) We know that sleep is creeping upon us, by comparing our present condition with our former, when we were in a more wakeful frame and the graces of God's Spiri...  Read More