Great Throughts Treasury

"There are some sins that let Satan loose upon us. Such as first, pride. We see it in Paul, "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure" (2 Cor. 12:7). Secondly, conceitedness and presumption, as we may see in Peter. "Peter answered and said unto Him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended" (Matt. 26:33). Thirdly, security, which is always the forerunner of some great punishment or great sin (which also is a punishment) as we see in David. Fourthly, idleness: it is the hour of temptation when a man is out of God's business. Fifthly, intemperance, either in diet or otherwise. Therefore Christ commands us to pray and watch, and keep to sobriety in the use of created things. Sixthly, there is a more subtle intemperance of passion. In whatever degree we give way to wrath and revenge and covetousness, in that degree Satan has advantage against us. Seventhly, when a man will not believe and submit to truths revealed, though likewise natural truths. Therefore "God gave them up unto vile affections" (Rom. 1:26), because they would not cherish the light of nature, much more when we do not cherish the light of His grace."

"There are three main parts of our salvation; first, a true knowledge of our misery; and secondly, the knowledge of our deliverance; and then, a life conformable to the Word. The Holy Ghost only can work these; He only convinces of sin, and where He truly convinces of sin, there also of righteousness, and then of judgment, and leads us by faith to heaven."

"There is a miserable camouflage in sin; naturally men will deny sin or else diminish it as Adam did, and as Saul when Samuel came to convince him. "I have," said he, "done the commandment of the Lord," and when he was driven from that, then 'he did but spare them for sacrifice'; but when nothing could satisfy, then "I pray thee honor me before the people." Things we cannot justify we will excuse; unless God come by His Spirit we are ready to shift them off, but when the Spirit comes and takes away all these fig leaves, then He convinces each of his miserable condition, not only in general, but the Spirit working together with the Word, brings him to confess, "I am the man.""

"There is no condition but a Christian picks good matter of it, as a good artist sometimes will make a good piece of work out of bad materials to show his skill. A gracious man is not dejected over-much with abasement, nor lifted up over-much with abundance, but by faith carries himself in a uniform manner becoming a Christian in all conditions. Whereas those that have not been brought up in Christ's school nor trained up in a variety of conditions, they learn to do nothing. If they abound, they are proud; if they be cast down, they murmur and fret and are dejected, as if there were no divine providence that ruled the world."

"There is no true Christian but has a public spirit to seek the good of others, because as soon as he is a Christian he labors for self-denial. He knows he must give up himself and all to God, so that his spirit is enlarged in an increasing measure unto God and towards the church. Therefore the greater portion a man has of the Spirit of Christ the more he seeks the good of all men."

"There is no true zeal for God's glory unless it is joined with true love to men: therefore let men that are violent, injurious and insolent, never talk of glorifying God so long as they despise the lowest of men."

"There is not only a mystery but a depth in the mystery, as of election and reprobation, so of providence. There is no reason can be given why some of God's children are in quiet and others are vexed, why one should be poor and another rich. "Clouds and darkness are round about him" (Psalm 97:2); you cannot see Him; He is hid in a cloud, but "righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His throne." Howsoever He may wrap Himself up in a thick cloud that none can see Him, yet He is just and righteous; therefore when anything befalls us for which we can see no reason, yet we must reverence the Lord and adore His counsels and submit to Him who is infinitely wiser than we."

"There is through sin venom and vanity in everything (without grace) wherewith we are tainted, but when grace comes it removes the curse and takes out the sting of all evil, and then we find a good even in the worst."

"There should not be intimate familiarities except where we judge men true Christians; and towards those whom upon good grounds we judge to be such, we must be gentle and easy to be entreated. We therefore wrong them if we show ourselves strange to them."

"This bruising is required before conversion that so the Spirit may make way for himself into the heart by levelling all proud, high thoughts, and that we may understand ourselves to be what indeed we are by nature. We love to wander from ourselves and to be strangers at home, till God bruises us by one cross or other, and then we `begin to think', and come home to ourselves with the prodigal (Luke 15:17). It is a very hard thing to bring a dull and an evasive heart to cry with feeling for mercy. Our hearts, like criminals, until they be beaten from all evasions, never cry for the mercy of the judge."

"This is a common rule, that we cannot converse with company that are not spiritual, but if they vex us not they will taint us, unless we are put upon them in our callings; we should therefore make special choice of our company, and walk in continual watchfulness."

"This life is a life of faith, for God will try the truth of our faith, so that the world may see that God has such servants as will depend upon His bare word; it were nothing to be a Christian if we should see all here; but God will have His children to live by faith, and take the promise upon His word."

"This life is not a life for the body but for the soul, and therefore the soul should speak to the body, "If you move me to fulfil your desires now, you will lose me and yourself hereafter." But if the body be given up to Christ, then the soul will speak a good word for it in heaven, "Lord, there is a body of mine in the grave in yonder world that did fast for me and pray with me:" it will speak for it as Pharaoh's butler to the king for Joseph."

"Those that are at peace in their own consciences will be peaceable towards others. A busy, contentious, quarrelsome disposition, argues that it never felt peace from God, and though many men think it commendable to censure the infirmities of others, yet it argues their own weakness; for it is a sign of strength, where we see in men anything good, to bear with their weakness. as those infirmities that we see, shall be buried with them."

"Those that care not for the Word are strangers to the Spirit, and those that care not for the Spirit never make a right use of the Word. The Word is nothing without the Spirit. It is animated and quickened by the Spirit. The Spirit and the Word are like the veins and arteries in the body, that give quickening and life to the whole body, and therefore, where the Word is most revealed there is most of the Spirit, but where Christ is not opened in the Gospel, there the Spirit is not at all visible in His saving power."

"Those that care not for the Word of God reject their comfort; all comfort must be drawn out of the Scriptures, which are the breasts of consolation; many are bred up by education to know the truth and are able to discourse of it, but they lack the Spirit of truth, arid that is the reason why all their knowledge vanishes away in time of trial and temptation."

"Those that have had sweet communion with God, but have lost it, count every day ten thousand till they have recovered it again. When Christ leaves His spouse, He forsakes her not altogether but leaves something in the heart that makes her long after Him. He absents Himself only that He may enlarge and raise the desires of the soul, and after the soul has Him again it will not let Him go. He comes for our good and leaves us for our good; we should therefore judge rightly of our state and not think we are forsaken of God, when we are under desertion."

"Those that lay the imputation of folly and madness on God's children, will be found to be fools and madmen themselves. First, is not he a fool that cannot make a right choice of things? And how do carnal men make their choice when they embrace perishing things for the best? Secondly, a carnal man has not a spiritual capacity to apprehend spiritual things aright; he cannot see things invisible. Thirdly, his heart accounts it a vain thing to serve the Lord. Fourthly, he judges his enemies to be his best friends, and his best friends to be his worst enemies. Fifthly, the principles of all his actions are unsound, because they are not directed to the right object, therefore all his affections are mad, such as his joy, his love, his delight. His love is but lust; his anger vexation. For his confidence, he calls God's love into question, but if a false suggestion comes from the devil, that he embraces; and therefore is he not mad? And this is the condition of all natural men in the world."

"Those that measure lands are very exact in everything, but the poor man whose it is knows the use of the ground better, and delights in it more because it is his own; so it is with those ministers that can exactly speak of heavenly truths yet have no share in them, but the poor soul that hears them rejoices and says, "These things are mine.""

"Though Christ is a Head of influence from which rich grace flows into every member, yet He is a voluntary Head, and gives grace according to His own good pleasure, and the exigence of His members. Sometimes we have need of more grace, then it flows plentifully and supplies all our wants. Sometimes we have need to know our own weakness, and then the Lord our strength and our guide leaves us to ourselves that we may know that without Him we cannot stand; that we may know the necessity of His guidance to heaven in the sense of our imperfections, and that we may see our weakness, such corruptions which we thought were wholly subdued, as Moses by God's permission was tempted to murmur - such a meek man; and David to cruelty - such a mild man. They thought they had not had those corruptions so powerful in their hearts."

"Though God deliver us not out of trouble yet He delivers us from the evil of trouble, from despair in trouble, by supporting the spirit. Nay, He delivers by trouble, for He sanctifies the trouble to cure the soul, and by little troubles He delivers us from greater."

"Though our salvation be sure and we shall not be condemned with the world, yet the knowledge of this does not make us secure, for though God will not banish us with sinners yet He will sharply correct us here. By a careful and sober life we might obtain from His mercy in Christ many blessings and prevent many judgments, and make our pilgrimage more comfortable; therefore it argues neither grace nor wit, that because God will save me therefore I will take sinful liberties. No, though God will save you, yet He will take such a course with you, you shall endure such sharp anguish for your sin, that thereby sin shall become far more bitter that the sweetest fruit of it was ever pleasant."

"To discern our state in grace, let us chiefly look to our affections for they are intrinsic and not subject to hypocrisy. Men of great parts know much and so does the devil, but he lacks love. In fire all things may be painted by the heat; so all good actions may be done by a hypocrite but there is a heat of love which he has not. We should therefore chiefly examine the truth and sincerity of our affections towards God."

"To glory in any creature whatsoever is idolatry, first, because the mind sets up something to glory in which is not God; secondly, it must be spiritual adultery to cleave to anything more than to God; thirdly, it is bearing false witness to ascribe excellency where there is none. We have a prohibition, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches (Jeremiah 9:23). God will not give His glory to another, and therefore when men will be meddling with that glory which belongs to God alone He blasts them aside as broken vessels and even disdains to use them."

"To walk by faith is to be active in our walking, not to do as we like, but it is an acting by rule. Since the fall we have lost our hold of God, and we must be brought again to God by the same way we fell from Him. We fell by infidelity, and we must be brought again by faith, and lead our lives upon such grounds as faith affords. We must walk by faith, looking upon God's promise and God's call and God's commandments, and not live by opinion, example nor reason."

"True freedom is when the heart is enlarged and made subordinate to God. A man is then is a sweet frame of soul when his heart is made subject to God, and drawn out towards Him, for He having all grace sets it at liberty. God will have us make His glory our aim that He may bestow Himself upon us. True zeal and holy diligence therefore are usually attended with the joys of faith."

"Watchfulness is an exercise of all the graces of the Spirit, and these are given to keep our souls awake. We have enemies about us that are never asleep, and our worst enemy is within us, and so much the worse because so near. We live also in a world full of temptations, and wicked men are full of malice; we are passing through our enemy's country and therefore have need to be ever vigilant. The devil also watches us to spoil every good action, therefore we have need to pray always and watch that all our graces be in perpetual exercise. We should constantly watch with a fear of jealousy, taking heed of a spirit of drowsiness and laboring also to keep ourselves unspotted from such a defiling world."

"We glorify God when we exalt Him in our souls above all creatures in the world, when we give Him the highest places in our love and in our joy, when all our affections are set upon Him as our greatest good. This is seen also by opposition, when we will not offend God for any creature; when we can ask our affections, "Whom have I in heaven but thee?" (Psalm 73:25)."

"We have oftentimes occasion to bless God more for crosses than for our comforts. There is a blessing hidden in the worst things to God's children, as there is a cross in the best things to the wicked; to the saints there is a blessing in death, a blessing in sickness, a blessing in the hatred of our enemies, a blessing in all losses whatsoever. Therefore in our afflictions we should not only justify God but glorify and magnify Him for His mercies, that rather than we should be condemned with the world, He will graciously take this course."

"We may use God's creatures without scruples or superstition, as singling out one from another, but yet may we not use them just as we please. There is a difference between our right and the use of that right. The magistrate may restrain the use of that right, and so may our weak brother in case of scandal; so that though all things be ours, yet in the use of them we must be sober, not eating or drinking immoderately nor using anything uncharitably, whereby others may take offence, for though we have a right to God's bounty, yet our right and the exercise of it, must be sanctified by the Word of God and prayer."

"We must look upon Christ not only for healing, but as a perfect pattern to imitate; for wherefore else did He live so long upon the earth, but to show us an example. And let us remember that we shall be accountable for those good examples which we have from others. There is not an example of a humble, holy and industrious life, but shall be laid to our charge; for God purposely lets them shine in our eyes that we might take example by them."

"We must not only stand for the truth, but we must stand for it in a holy manner, and not as proud persons do; we must observe that rule, "Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (I Peter 3:15). We must not bring passion into God's cause nor must our lives give our tongues the lie."

"We ought not at any time to deny the truth nor yet at all times to confess it, for good actions and graces are like princes that only appear abroad on some special occasions, and so if some circumstances in our confession be wanting the action is marred. It is true of actions as of words, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver" (Proverbs 25:11), therefore wisdom must be our guide, for speech is then only good when it is better than silence."

"We see by experience that there is a succession of love; he that loves for beauty will despise when he sees a better. So it is in the soul respecting heavenly and earthly things; when the soul sees more excellency and a satisfying fullness in heavenly things, then the love of earthly things like Dagon immediately falls down."

"We should labor to agree mutually in love, for that wherein any Christian differs from another is but in petty things. Grace knows no difference. The worm knows no difference. The Day of Judgment knows no difference. In the worst things we are all alike base, and in the best things we are all alike happy. Only in this world God will have distinctions for the sake of order, but otherwise there is no difference."

"We should labor to judge ourselves before God for those things that the world takes no notice of, for spiritual, for inward things, e.g. for the motions of pride, of worldliness, of revenge, of security, unthankfulness and such-like unkindness towards God, and for our barrenness in all good duties, that we owe to God and men. Such sins the world cannot see, yet these should humble our hearts, for when we do not make conscience of spiritual sins, God gives us up to some open abominations that stain and publicly disgrace our holy profession."

"Weakness with watchfulness will stand, when strength with too much confidence fails. Weakness, with acknowledgement of it, is the fittest seat and subject for God to perfect his strength in; for consciousness of our infirmities drives us out of ourselves to him in whom our strength lies."

"What is possible to you is what you will be measured by."

"What is the gospel itself but a merciful moderation, in which Christ's obedience is esteemed ours, and our sins laid upon him, wherein God, from being a judge, becomes our Father, pardoning our sins and accepting our obedience, though feeble and blemished? We are now brought to heaven under the covenant of grace by a way of love and mercy."

"What is the reason that God's children sink not to hell when troubles are upon them? Because they have an inward presence strengthening them; for the Holy Ghost helps our infirmities, not only to pray, but to bear crosses, lightening them with some views of God's gracious countenance; for what supports our faith in prayer but inward strength from God?"

"What we are afraid to speak before men, and to do for fear of danger, let us be much more afraid to think before God; therefore we should stifle all evil ideas in the very conception, in their very rising: let them be used as rebels and traitors, be smothered at the very first."

"Whatsoever God takes away from His children, He either supplies it with a much greater favor or else with strength to bear it; God gives charge to others to take care of the fatherless and widow and will He neglect them Himself?"

"Whatsoever is good for God's children they shall have it, for all is theirs to further them to heaven; therefore, if poverty be good, they shall have it; if disgrace be good, they shall have it; if crosses be good, they shall have them; if misery be good, they shall have it; for all is ours, to serve for our greatest good."

"Whatsoever is good in a natural man is depraved by a self-end; self-love rules all his actions. He keeps within himself and makes his chief end himself, and he is a god to himself. God is but his idol. This is true of all natural men in this world; they make themselves their last end, and where the end is depraved, the whole course is corrupted."

"When God means to bestow any blessing on His church or children He will pour out upon them the spirit of prayer and, as all pray for everyone, so everyone prays for all; this is a great comfort to weak Christians when they cannot pray, that the prayers of others shall prevail for them."

"When God visits with sickness, we should think (in the use of means) our work is more in heaven with God than with men or with medicine. When David dealt directly and plainly with God and confessed his sins, then God forgave them and healed his body too."

"When Joshua cursed the man that should build the walls of Jericho, he was not in any commotion or fury but in a peaceable temper. So when cursing comes from such a one, he is only a declaratory instrument and the conveyer of God's curse. Therefore every man must not take it upon him, for men often curse when they should bless, which is an arrow shot upright that falls down upon their own heads, but those that come in the Name of the Lord and are qualified for that purpose, their curses or blessings are to be regarded, for they are a means oftentimes to convey God's blessing or His curse."

"When men can find no comfort and yet set themselves to teach and encourage weaker Christians, by way of reflection they receive frequently great comfort themselves. So does God reward the conscientious performance of this duty of mutual discourse; that those things we did not so fully understand before, by discourse we come to know and relish far better. This should teach us to be in love with holy conference, for besides the good we do to others we are much profited ourselves."

"When once the Spirit fastens the wrath of God upon the conscience of one whom He means to save, then there follow those afflicting affections of grief and shame. From thence come a dislike and hatred of sin and a divorce between the soul and the beloved sin, so that whereas there was before a scepter of sin in the soul, now God begins to dispossess that strong man. Then follows a strong desire to be better, and a holy desperation, so far, as that if God be not merciful, then the soul says, "What shall become of me?" As the Spirit lets in some terrors, so likewise He gives us some hopes, such as, "What shall I do to be saved?" implying a resignation of the will to take any course, if only he may be saved, and then all the world for one drop of God's mercy."

"When the soul admires spiritual things it is then in a holy frame, and so long it will not stoop to any base comfort. We should therefore labor to keep our souls in a state of holy admiration."