James Renwick

“ O we tremble to think upon the multitude that pray themselves into hell; This is David indeed, who kills his ten thousands. What shall I liken you to? Ye are like a man that diggeth deep down, and casts out the old earth, brings new earth of his own mould, but goes not the length of the rock. ”

“ No, no, he must either have it all on his back, or else he will have none of it, therefore take heed to yourselves. Secondly, You must close with full Christ, as Prophet, Priest and King; as a Prophet to teach you his will; he must be your school-master; as Priest, thro' whose sacrifice only, the Father must accept you, and who continually makes intercession at his right hand for you; and as King to sway a sceptre in your souls to rule you according to his own law, and to cast down, and to cast out every thing exalting itself against his kingdom within you. ”

“ If it be in vain.’ There are many of you that are suffering this day materially for Christ; materially, we say, and not formally; for hypocrites never win to sincerity in their doings and sufferings, nor do to them as to God; and yet ye will get hell to suffer in throughout all eternity; yea, a man when his credit is straitly engaged, he may give his life for the cause, and yet get hell for his reward. ”

“ From men which are thy hand, O Lord, from men of the World, which have their portions in this life, and whose belly thou filled with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.’ ‘None knoweth love or hatred by all that is before him,’ Eccl. ”

“ Quit the putting the sword in God’s enemies’ hands, and come; ye who have given bonds to the adversary break your ‘covenant with hell and death,’ and come: break your sworn allegiance to the devil, and come, and swear a new allegiance to Jesus Christ and ye shall never rue it; ye who compear before the their courts and pay them fines, where by both ye acknowledge them robbers of God, and call your duty your sin, quit these courses and come ye, who go to the curates, leave these perjured blind guides and come ”

“ If it could be determined how great a length hypocrites may come, we think it would first here. O what shall we say of it! do what they will, and come as great a length as they can, they never come unto Christ, who are not fully denied, to 'themselves, and positively only rest upon Jesus Christ, for justification and sanctification. True faith hath two voices. First, It calls and cries, O sinner, lean not to myself, rest not there. Secondly, O sinner, rest on Jesus Christ and lean unto himself. ”

“ In a word, it is they who are righteous, and who live righteously. They who are righteous, are these who have fled Christ for his righteousness, and have gotten themselves clothed therewith. But that ye may more clearly take up, who these are that come to Christ; before we give you some marks of those and some rules how to apply these marks, we first declare who it is that come not.
⁠First, These come not unto Christ, who cannot from all sin. ”

“ We are not so far out, as ye trow; invitation is to his people, to enter into their chambers.’ and to all, who will come and become his people, to ‘ enter into their chambers,’ and; this is a free market. We must invite all to come ye who are enemies, lay down your arms against him, and come ”

“ They that sleep in Christ, perish not. Tenthly, In the day of judgement, boldness: O come away, the chambers are every way pleasant, and every way safe, come away, the indignation shall not overtake you. ”

“ Secondly, They do all things by the warrant of his word, contemning their own wills, that they might do the Lord’s: 'Not my will, but thy will be done,’ they must lose their life, before they lose their obedience. Thirdly, they walk holily, ‘Be ye holy as I am holy,’ John iii. 3. ‘Every man, that hath this hope in him, purifith himself even as he is pure.’ Fourthly, They walk fruitfully, they go about doing good; O sad! not only the unfruitful walking of this generation, but even the stumbling that they are. Fifthly, They walk justly, not wronging any ”

“ And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.’ And if this, and each sweet invitations will not prevail, he makes taws to ship his own, to himself: terrors within, and judgements without, and he never lays on a blow, but he is still provoked to it, and when be lays it in the tears are in his eyes, because he must do it, Lam. ”

“ When the Lord is coming out of his palace, to sit in judgement upon the inhabitants of the earth, and to give out sentence upon them, according to their doings, and to punish them for their iniquities, he calls his own people to himself, 'there they are to be bid and preserved. ”

“ Take heed to this, ye who care not tho’ a tyrant possess his throne, and as it were, spoil him of his princely robes; take heed to this, ye who hand, not to hold down this kingdom, by upholding his enemies. Thirdly, Ye must (if ye would enter into these chambers) close with all the inconveniences that follow him, his cross must be taken up, Luke ix. 23, 24. ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. ”

“ T H I S is the way that folk undo themselves, and forsake their own mercies that which ought to chase them to God, chases them out from All hypocritical convictions only put them further away from the physician : so it is with testament, which should put folk to their duties, are thereby put from it. When the Lord wishes his glittering sword of justice, then it is drive his own children into his own hand, Come my people, &c. ”

“ His word and Spirit on his part, and faith and love on their part. Now we lay, how will that be known? Well, we will give you these marks; therefore try yourselves. For,
{{em}First, If ye be come to Christ, then ye will find in you, a hatred of all sin naturally, and a desire to all good, though often ye may fail in the performance, Rom. vii. 15. Paul says, ‘That which I do, I allow not, for what I would, that I do not, but what I hate that I do.’ 1 John in. 6. Whosoever abideth in him sinnieth not;’ to wit, First, supposedly, Secondly Willingly, thirdly. ”

“ Ye know, Ezek. ix. the Lord sends forth, adrift, “ A man clothed in linen, with a writer’s ink-horn by his side, to set a mark upon the forehead of them that sigh and cry, for all the abominations that be done in the earth,” and commands, his men, with the slaughtering weapons in their hands, to go after, “And smite, and not spare nor pity, but to slay utterly, old and young, both maids, little children and women ”

“ His invitation is to every one. Now, assent to this and then, before you except yourself out the most you must then not have a being, neither of soul nor body. We say for you to think that he excepts you, it is all one as to deny yourself to be the children of Adam. ”