James Renwick

“ Think upon what David says, Psalm xvii. 14, 'From men which are thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world, which have their portions in this life, and whose belly thou fillest 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,' Ecl. ”

“ All hypocritical convictions only put them the further away from the Physician, so it is with judgment, which should put folk to their duties, they are thereby put from it. When the Lord furnishes his glittering sword of justice, then it is to drive his own children into his own hand, Come my people, enter thou into thy chambers. ”

“ 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 sword allegiance to the devil and come, and swear a new allegiance to Jesus Christ, and ye shall never rue it; ye who compear before their courts and pay them fines, whereby 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: ye who go to the indulged, leave these traitors to God. ”

“ Remember this, ye who turn not to make up all Christian duties with you; ye think it enough ye babble over two or three words at night and at morn to yourselves, though you set not up the worship of God in your families, and if you do that, ye think that enough though you neither put to your hand to act with the Lord, nor sympathize with his afflicted people, nor embody yourselves in society with them, to cry for all the abominations of the land. ”

“ We are not so far out as ye trow; the 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 so this is a free market. We must invite all to come, ye who are enemies, lay down your arms against him, and come; ye who are upholding his enemies, and complying with them in their sinful courses and abominations, by paying them cess and locality, and by furnishing them meat and drink, which is more than a bidding them God speed, which the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of John, forbids, 2d Epistle of John, verse 10. ”

“ Ye know, Ezekiel ix. the Lord sends forth, first, A man clothed in linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side, to set a mark upon the foreheads of them that sigh and cry, for all the abominations that be done in the earth ”

“ 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. ”

“ Spend not your time in questioning your state, as ye do, but use the means of real union and communion with Christ: This is the shortest and surest way. 7thly, Judge not yourselves by the measure of your graces, but by the sincerity of them. 8thly, Compare not yourselves too much to the saints, but judge yourselves by the word.
Ninthly, When there is a serious wrestling against corruption, though not meeting with any sensible victory, yet cast not away your hope. Paul tells you, Rom. vii, how far a child of God may be enslaved by a body of sin. ”

“ If it could be determined how great a length hypocrites may come, we think it would be 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. 1st, it calls and cries, O sinner, lean not to thyself, rest not there. 2dly, O sinner, rest on Jesus Christ and lean unto himself. ”

“ Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat, yea, come, buy wine and milk without money, and without price. He opens up precious and rich ware, and says to his buyers and merchants, the commodity is good, come away, we shall not cast out about the price; if ye have hearts to receive, I have a heart to give: Come away then, hearty good-fellows, we will never stand upon it; for 'tis not with him as with the men of the world, for they count them the best good-fellows, who give most and freeliest ”

“ These are they who live righteously, who walk so as Christ walked. O! how few righteous livers are among you, and these only are his people, righteous persons, righteous livers, and it is these whom the Lord hath chambers for.
Now, Sixthly, we proceed to the rules how to apply these evidences. 1st, Though you find them not all, yet if ye find one or more of them really then comfort yourselves. 2dly, If you find not what you have formerly found, labour more to renew the same, than to seek a sight of the old. 3dly, Do not try yourselves in the hour of temptation. ”

“ These come not to Christ, who think all is right with them, because they are not challenged in their consciences. O mad fools, whose hearts are sealed with obduration, the saddest place in all the scripture holds forth your case. ”

“ Now these who are righteous, are these who have fled unto Christ, and they indeed live righteous!y. Yea, to make it more clear, we shall in short tell you who they are who live righteously; These to wit, in a word, 'Who walk as he walked.' The life of Christ can teach us all things. ”

“ Take heed to this, ye who care not though a tyrant possess his throne, and as it were, spoil him from his princely robes; take heed to this, ye who stand, not to hold down his kingdom, by upholding his enemies.— 3dly, 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. For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it. ”

“ First, They live righteously, beginning all things with God, referring all things to God. 2dly, 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. 3dly, They walk holy, 'Be ye holy as I am holy,' John iii. 3. 'Every man, that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself even as he is pure. 4thly, They walk fruitfully, they go about doing good ”

“ Tenthly, These come not unto Christ, who suffer many things materially for the truth, and have some seeming fruits thereof, and rest there; do not think that your suffering your goods to be spoiled, and yourselves cast out of your habitation before ye comply with the enemy, is a ground, from which ye may conclude all to be right ”

“ Now, O believers, search and try yourselves, set about it earnestly, this is your work, and it will not be done slumbering and sleeping: There are many of you here this day, who are not come the length of some of these steps, which we have named ”

“ O take heed, 'except you repent and amend, ye shall all likewise perish.'
Secondly, These come not unto Christ, who though they may come a great length; not to be chargeable by man, neither with omission nor commission, yet rest there; all that will not take them to heaven. Paul, before his conversion, he reports of himself, Phil. iii. 6 'was touching the righteousness, which is in the law blameless.' He was as trim a legalist as the best of you ”