James Slade

“ You dwell, not with the tear of sharp regret for a ministry slighted, for opportunities unregarded and lost; but with tears of grateful love, in the remembrance of one, who was ordained by God to lighten your darkness, and to be the messenger of peace to your soul. And while you are gathering here the plentiful fruits of righteousness, you are looking forward to the far more glorious harvest in the end of the world ”

“ But every follower of Christ is called out of the world, effectually called and chosen and delivered: he has another mind, another spirit, another view. He cannot live for himself: it is not merely against his conviction, his sense of propriety, his professed and deliberate principle, it is against his new nature: he is born of God, with new affections, new desires, new purposes, new prospects; the Spirit of the living God dwells within him ”

“ There is no true disciple of the Lord Jesus, who makes earthly interest, gain or pleasure, ambition or lust, his ruling and absorbing object. Such is the character of the degenerate and lost world: there is no fitter description of a worldly man than this, that he lives to gratify his own humour, and carry out the schemes of his own wilfulness, and promote his own prosperity during his little career: earth is his sphere of action, and all centres in self. ”

“ He keeps them by His almighty power, keeps them in His wisdom and mercy, till they are ripe for glory. None can delay and none can hasten his work. And what faithful soul would desire it? Nay, Lord, come and call when Thou wilt ”

“ Each of them still, while in the body, attentive to the duties of his own calling: no earthly business or occupation, belonging to their respective conditions, despised or neglected; but all “done heartily as unto the Lord, and not as unto men:” all earthly desires so regulated, all earthly plans so formed, all earthly objects so pursued, as not to interrupt, much less to stifle, the life of God in the soul.
Having lived unto the Lord, we shall die unto the Lord: having continued His property through life, He will claim us as His own in death. ”

“ But few are daily conscious, as they ought to be, either of their dependence or their responsibility. Their creed is not in their heart; they live chiefly and practically under a system of self-government; grievously forgetting the dominion of the Lord who created and redeemed them. ”

“ A proud spirit is, as it has been from the beginning, the bane of man: he fell through impatience of his Maker’s mild yoke, and an intolerance of his Maker’s superiority: and the poison, thus whispered into his ear by the evil one, still lurks within him; corrupting his feeling and principle, and rendering him greatly insensible to the divine superintendence and blessing.
p. 4This pride and selfishness however the gospel is designed to humble and correct; and it does produce the mighty change in the heart of every sincere believer ”

“ If you have not received the word and the spirit of grace, if you have not laid the doctrine to your soul, if you have not in earnest begun the goodly work, if you are not far advanced, the fault is not with the departed: you will not seek to charge him with neglect. ”

“ The rich man has no other protection, and no other does the poor man need; Christ is “all in all,” and “none can pluck them out of His hand;” dwelling together, as in a strong tower; “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” ”

“ Then, when ye are sickened with such scenes, repair to the bedside of a departing saint, and see how a Christian can die. Go and study a lesson, more instructive and more precious than all your pages of human lore and learning; go and learn from a lovely example, how to live and how to die. ”

“ Such are all the sincere followers of the Lamb, the faithful and elect of God: all in their various spheres of life, high and low, rich and poor; living in the same Spirit and by the same gospel, unto the same redeeming Lord; and travelling together in one way to the same everlasting kingdom. They are all brethren ”

“ For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
The text refers to the foregoing verse: “None of us liveth unto himself; and no man dieth to himself.” ”

“ We are very apt to feel and act, as if we were independent creatures. Perhaps if examined, as to our particular creed, we should readily confess ourselves to be placed under the sovereignty of the Almighty ”

“ If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people: Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.” The trumpet has sounded in your ears, long and loud; the clear, thrilling, evangelical trumpet. The herald of God has done his duty ”

“ This is the character, the certain and essential and distinguishing character of all who belong to Christ: they live not, in any regard or in any matter, for themselves.
Nor do they die unto themselves. They die not, p. ”