J. Church

“ May the blessed spirit quicken faith to rise, and wing its way to eternal love, eternal grace, eternal mercy, and eternal kindness. This is its proper element: here we are at home; here is liberty, peace, joy, and satisfaction. Here we see infinite wisdom, contriving a time when, a place where, and a manner how merciful kindness, and melting pity should be manifested. Here we see every sweet attribute harmonize, and every grace displayed, while the cross of your dear lovely, loving Saviour appears truly glorious. ”

“ Permit me, then, just to observe, there meets in Jesus, infinite highness, and infinite humility—infinite glory, and infinite condescension—infinite grace, and infinite justice—infinite majesty, and transcendent meekness—the deepest reverence of God, and an equality with God—infinite worthiness of good, and the greatest patience under evils—wonderful obedience, and supreme dominion over heaven and earth—the most perfect resignation, and absolute sovereignty—an entire trust in God, and yet self sufficiency in himself. ”

“ I have the departure of my own beloved daughter still in mind, the thought often occurs: well, let us look up, let us take courage, we shall bless God for their loss another day; we are left to endure many a conflict, many a trial, many a grief, but the soft hand of Jesus has wiped off the tears from his little face: it is ours to suffer toil and grief, till death transmits us, burdened and tired, grieved, and tried, to that glory which never fades away ”

“ Hence, the afflicted king once said, Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit. Faith, if genuine has something to do in the furnace; but when all is calm, she is inactive, and dull; hope is languid, and love is not seen. I feel assured in my own, my right mind, that this event will be for the glory of God, and for much good to me, and to many: but enemies will no doubt, always triumph, and say, Ah! there, so we would have it! yet their joy is but as the crackling of thorns, under a pot ”

“ Whatsoever things were written afore time, were written for us, that we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge, and we have fled; trouble, guilt, sin, fear, Satan, world, and conscience has pursued; but as faith gathers strength in the person, and work of Christ, we find they cannot hurt us. Thy vengeance will not strike us here; nor Satan dares our souls invade. Frighten us he may, but reign, he never can any more. No, our hearts are bespoke. Christ is the lover, and faith, prayer, desire, and intreaty has said most sincerely, Take my poor heart! ”

“ It is surprising grace that God should ever go forth in creature acts of love to us—that he should pass by others—that he should occupy his thoughts about us, who are but mere worms, clods of earth. This is wonderful, that he should love us, though fallen, polluted, distant, and awfully rebellious—that he should ever visit, abide, and dwell with us: this is surprising grace, stupendous mercy indeed, that the Lord should ever send a promise to the heart, and make that promise good to such unbelieving, unworthy beings. ”

“ God has chosen us in Christ, this is the Father’s sealing; but the Holy Spirit in us, is the Spirit’s seal, and every gracious look, intercourse, and holy frame, is the sealing work. This is not faith, but it is the enjoyment of the object we do believe in. Faith is a radical principle, and always abides in the heart: But after ye believed ye were sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise. This sealing is the sensible enjoyment of the promised good. ”

“ The Holy Spirit illuminates the mind; reveals pardon to the conscience; and sheds abroad the love of God in the heart, plants his fear in the soul, and enables us to take the will of God for our Rule, as it is expressed in the Gospel.—This is our rule of walk, conduct, and conversation—the Lord help us to walk in this light, as God is in the light. ”

“ I pray my dear friend may be found adorned with it, when the judge shall appear in awful grandeur; when the elements shall melt with fervent heat; when the stars shall fall from their sockets, and when sun and moon; when the grand planetary orbs shall be thrown into promiscuous ruin, and all creation fly away before the face of him, who will ere long swear, that time shall be no more. ”

“ I consider the Gospel of the grace of God, the Father’s will to us, in Christ Jesus, containing Promises, Declarations of Mercy, Imitations, Precepts, and Exhortations, to be the only, and all-sufficient Rule of a Christian. These are not in opposition to the holy Law of God, but they far excel it in glory, and as many as walk according to this Rule, peace be on them. Christ is our King and our Law-giver, he has fulfilled the Law for his Church, brought in an everlasting righteousness for our justification ”

“ Nothing but the love of Christ in the heart, and that love kept up, and manifested under the sacred power of the holy Spirit, can enable a person to go on in the midst of opposition, or in the summer of prosperity; for it is a well known truth, that trials have slain their thousands, but prosperity its ten thousands. I well know now, what these words mean, “It is my happiness below, not to live without the cross:” this cross galls the old man of sin, but it is the means of the spiritual growth of the new man. ”

“ May my Lord reward it another day. You have heard my poor feeble sermons with pleasure, especially when I have been enabled to point out the beauties, and glories of the Friend of guilty man. I hope I am only learning better how to extol and magnify the grace, the love, the person, and work of him, who, to a grace-taught eye, is fairer than the children of men. I have, indeed, fell into a place where two seas meet—the malice of Satan and the power of man; yet, through grace, and when it is well with me, I have this confidence, I shall arise ”

“ See the cluster of excellencies around it, hymning its praises, with harps of love. Faith begins the song; hope, full of immortality joins; loves notes are clearly heard; joy is sweetly provoked to help repentance with her deep sounding notes. Zeal most cheerfully moves her fingers on the harp, while fear, more silently, more reverently touches the strings. Patience most meekly assists, and humility sounds her simple airs; yet there is not one discordant string. Angels listen, and the redeemed p. 44above, beckon us home to the general assembly, that all may bear in the chorus. ”

“ Death indeed is very terrible to our natures, it takes away the darlings of our hearts, and the desire of our eyes, but it has transmitted yours to the enjoyment of God in human nature: this is the accomplishment of God’s design in this providence, and with holy joy you will one day say, He has done all things well. ”

“ How gracious is the Lord: when I cannot believe, still he abideth faithful—Oh! for an heart to love him, and to adore him; but though I have often rebelled, yet, how gracious and faithful he still continues towards me—surely faithfulness is the girdle of his reins. ”

“ Christ received us to the glory of God in the eternal covenant. The Father draws us to Christ, by p. 7giving us to feel our sinful state, our weakness and wants; and then by setting before us his dear Son in his ability and willingness to save. In his light we see him, desire him, move in heart after him, and long for a smile of his approbation—to feel it, and enjoy it, knowing that eternal life is in it. These workings of the mind are often attended with fears, bondage, doubts, and misgivings, and these rise as hope gets down; but as faith gathers strength, so we rise above these doubts. ”

“ My time flies fast; I dread to enter into the field of battle again. I am weaker in myself than ever I was, but perhaps the power of Christ will the more sensibly rest upon me. I hope to return with the olive branch of peace, while our adorable Noah opens the window, and puts forth his hand to receive me into the ark. I should like to come to the Lord’s family loaded; I know they are a needy people, and the Lord has provided many things for them: he keeps a good table, though the family have not always an appetite to enjoy the rich provisions of his house ”

“ Christ is the darling of the Father, and the grand object of the Spirit’s glorification: angels adore him, saints admire him, and in our poor feeble way, oh that we could love him with every power and passion, with every member and faculty of body, soul and spirit. ”

“ Some, indeed, get to land upon the broad planks of the promises, and sensible manifestations of divine love; but myself, and many more, will arrive as safe home, only by getting hold of a few scattered truths, which we love and embrace. ”

“ I find it the most blessed method in my very worst, and in my very best frame, to fall low at the feet of Jesus, and to study the love of God, to guilty man, with the joint operation of each adorable person in the trinity, on the heart. ”

“ He often changes the promise of a temporal blessing into a spiritual good; but he never changes his mind nor falsifies his word—he is the only faithful Friend on whom we can rely; all others are like glasses, they are to be used, but no weight to be put upon them. Hence the command, Trust ye not in a friend; lean not too heavy, nor build upon glass. This blessing is the gift of God, it is grace given to the friend; and it is worthy of observation, that a disposition to act friendly, is from God, and the befriended should look to Jesus through the friend, as Christ shines through them. ”

“ Those whom the Lord passed by, stood in Adam only; here they sinned, fell, and became guilty: as they grow up, they evidence God has passed them by, as they live and die regardless of God, ignorant of the Saviour, and heart enemies to him; but as God did not choose the elect for any foreseen good in them, or done by them, so neither did he pass by the rest because they would be so vile, but he chose the one in the riches of his grace, and passed by the other in his divine sovereignty. ”

“ Sin works, Satan is busy, but grace still reigns. Thus we see that grace has yet the honor of the field. We have not run back, though we have often been down, the Lord raises us up again, and this motto p. 6is our privilege, “I shall arise.” Oh! what a mercy, greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world. I have cause to be thankful to the Lord that he has thus far led me; but the Devil, at times, almost drives me distracted with the carking cares of what will happen to me. Oh! lay my case before God, that I may have power to cast this burthen on the Lord. ”

“ God has laid an everlasting foundation for his dear people in the everlasting covenant; the effect of his everlasting love, the profound depth of his infinite wisdom, which has secured an everlasting salvation, by an everlasting righteousness, which will be to the everlasting praise of Jehovah, and to the everlasting joy of his dear church. ”

“ When we are in bondage of spirit, the heart is contracted, and we can feel for no one but ourselves; but when love operates, and keeps the heart open, we can then sympathize with the Lord’s afflicted ones; our hearts are enlarged to them, to their Lord, and to the truth as it is in Jesus. ”

“ Christ is the only one who can still the tempest of a distressed mind, and bring us on our knees, exclaiming, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey him. This is a comfort to me in my most dreary prospects. ”

“ And it is our mercy that we are brought from all confidence in the flesh, while a daily acquaintance with the depravity of our hearts, keeps us from trusting in self; the troubles of life keep us from making up our happiness in the world, and the hypocrisy of professors, with the weakness of God’s own children, keeps us from looking to, and idolizing the creature ”

“ Eternal life is in God’s blessing, and this life being in Christ, in blessing, God blesses us for evermore.—I trust my dear friend’s mind is often led to the Saviour, and that you prove his preciousness in his sacred person, his covenant love, his meritorious obedience, and his atoning blood—his prevalent intercession, and his advocacy with the Father. This is the glorious object of faith, and round him faith hovers, till it can gather strength enough to lay hold of him—to him it often looks, and always bends ”

“ I write not to inform my beloved friends, but only to remind them, that every event is absolutely decreed by a God of infinite wisdom; not a stroke of affliction, nor a shaft of death can possibly touch, but by Divine appointment. The nature, the kind, the time, the age, the place were all arranged in the unerring purposes of God. ”

“ Yet these are the very seasons we have most fears, most cares, and most terrors; when, in reality, we have the least reason. How then, is that text? For my thoughts are not as your thoughts, nor my ways as your ways, saith the Lord. And it is very remarkable, that the greatest part of the precious promises are made to the tried people of God. I pray the God of all grace, to strengthen our faith in his love, in his grace, in his truth, and in his word. O that when we open the Bible, we could always think we are opening, and looking into the very heart of God himself; as a God of love ”

“ I was much affected at the news of your sudden indisposition, and knew not what was the will of God concerning you, but through mercy, I trust your spared life is for the glory of God, and will be a means of your increasing in knowledge, that your mind may be better prepared for the special Service of God, and that you may be ready to take your p. 29flight as soon as the Lord, the Master cometh and calleth for you. Every attack of the constitution is a messenger sent to let us know our frailty: these tabernacles of flesh are but weak, and hang on a precarious thread ”

“ The scriptures declare that you do live there, but you want to feel it for yourself; yet, I hope you can say, from what little you do know, you depend upon Christ as God-Man and Mediator, upon his most blessed work, as your acceptance with the Father, only you want the gracious Holy Spirit to shew you so much of Christ as to cause you to love him above all things, and to give you the clearest assurance of his love to you. ”