James Renwick

“ 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 schoolmaster; as Priest, through 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. ”

“ 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, second epistle of John, 10 verse) 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 ”

“ First, They live righteously, beginning all things with God, referring all things to God. Secondly, They do all things by the warrant of the 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 will be 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. ”

“ If it be yet in vain.' There are many of yon 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 to do 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. ”

“ 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 rest only upon Jesus Christ, for justification and sanctification. True faith hath two voices. First, it calls and cries, O sinner, lean not to thyself, rest not there. Secondly, O sinner, rest on Jesus Christ, and lean unto himself.
Use. Now O believers, search and try yourselves, set about it earnestly, this is your work, and it will not be done slumbering and sleeping. ”

“ God will give gifts unto persons, for the behoof and advantage of others; but when he gives grace, it is ay for their own advantage; yea, the devil is better gifted, and hath more knowledge than all of you have. ”

“ 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: Nay, I tell you as the Apostle says, I Cor. xiii. 'Though ye should bestow all your goods to feed the poor, tho' I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing;' Yea, the same Apostle supposeth, Gal. ”

“ His invitation is unto all; every one come, he that thirsteth, come, he that hath no money, "come." Isaiah lv. 1. Now, why will ye be so ill to yourselves, as to debar yourselves? For he doth not do it; ye may as well, and as rationally say, that ye are not a body, as to say, he debars you. His invitation is to every one. Now, assent to this, and then, before you except yourself out thereof, you must first 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. ”

“ When the Lord is coming out of his place, to sit in judgment 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, where they are to be hid and preserved. ”

“ All hypocritical convictions only put them the further away from the physician; so it is with judgement, which should put folk to their duties, they are thereby put from it. When the Lord furbishes his glittering sword of justice, then it is to drive his own children unto his own hand, 'Come my people,' &c. ”

“ Secondly, if ye find not what formerly ye have found, labour more to renew the same, than to seek a fight of the old. Thirdly, Do not try yourselves in the hour of temptation. Fourthly, When ye find marks and evidences, do not rest upon them, for though ye have them, they may soon be gone. Fifthly, Do not, pursue so much to satisfy your sense for the present, as to have a solid well grounded assurance for the time to come. Sixthly, Be not so desirous to know what ye are, as what ye should do. ”

“ Ninthly, When there is a serious wrestling against corruption, tho' not meeting with any sensible victory, yet acst not away your hope. Paul tells you, Rom. vii. How far a child of God may be enslaved by a body of sin.
Tenthly, Remember ye have to do with God in a covenant of grace. Now, what more shall we say? Must we end as we began? Oh! come away, come away to Christ, this Prince of delights, come, and enter into these chambers. Motive, First, Come away and enter, then your condition will be honourable with Christ. Secondly, comfortable. All your debts are paid. Thirdly, Rich. ”

“ 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 stand not to hold down his kingdom, by upholding of his enemies. Thirdly, You must (if ye would enter into these chambers) close with all the inconveniencies 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. ”

“ First, "There is both ability and willingness in the Lord, to give you whatsoever your necessity requires."
'Ability,' What would you have? Salvation and deliverance, then 'He is able to save to the uttermost, all that come unto him,' Heb vii 25. Lift up your eyes and behold a wonder, which ye cannot behold, behold a wonder which you cannot know, and put forth this question, Ifa. ”

“ Now the Lord hath men prepared with slaughtering weapons in their hands to kill a sacrifice at Bozrah in Scotland, of prelates and malignants, and of backsliding ministers and professors; he is coming to be avenged on that cursed throne, and the supporters thereof, for the cruelty done against him, and of ministers and professors, for their heinous treachery towards him ”

“ O take heed, 'except ye repent and amend, ye shall all likewise perish.'
Secondly, These come not unto Christ, who tho' 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 ”