John Welch

“ Now, let us see how Mary is excused and commended for her godly care: One thing is necessary, faith our Saviour. And what is that one thing? Even to hear the word preached, which is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth. ”

“ Whosoever believes, shall not perish. Then it is certain, that there is a perdition, there is a hell, wherein is endless perdition, Whosoever believes, shall not perish. There is life after this, there is a hell and a heaven: and however it be that the god of this world has blinded the most part, and the devil has bewitched men and women, yet it is certain that there is a God, that there is a hell, and a perdition: So it is certain that there is everlasting life. The generation before, if ye could hear them, they would all tell you this; some in endless pleasure, some in endless torment ”

“ But this is not all, the depriving of endless joy; (now, this should cause you know the necessity of believing:) but, besides this, there is an eternity of pain. To lose heaven, is no great matter; but to be cast into hell, is greater! To want the place is great, but to be flung into prison is greater. To lose the pleasure of heaven is great, but to be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the worm never dies, and the fire never goes out, into such a fire, that the violence thereof such, that there is no patience to bear it ”

“ There is a time wherein we ought to labour in our vocation and a time wherein we ought to hear the word of God; and as we may not utterly neglect our lawful calling to follow sermons, so must we not bestow the Sabbath, which is consecrated to the service of God, in following the works of our vacation. "All things have their appointed time," faith the wise man; and "every thing is seemly in his convenient season," Eccl. ”

“ Her diligence and humility may serve to condemn our negligence and contempt of Christ and his word; we do not sit at Christ's feet, nay, we set Christ at our feet, when we are so careless in hearing of the word; we are as slow to come to the church, as the raven was to come to the ark of Noah, Gen. viii. and as loath are we to spend any time in the service of God, as Pharaoh was loath to let the Israelites go to serve the Lord. If a commodity were to be seen, out of which some profit or worldly gain may arise, how careful would we be to procure it? ”

“ If ye get not that former benefit, ye will not get the last; and when thou gettest the last, then thy faith shall cease: So, except the conjunction be made between thy soul and Christ, by the Holy Ghost, and unless thou gettest the Spirit of adoption, faith will never bring thee to the last point; and if it bring thee to the first, shall bring thee to the last. So faith begins in thee life, but it makəs nothing complete till the resurrection, when soul and body shall be caught within the clouds. So look what faith works in thy heart ”

“ Unto the Levites, in the time of the law, the Lord appointed cities of refuge, Numb. xxxv. to signify thereby, that the minister's house should be the poor man's harbour, and his store their treasury. But the true ministers in these our days, have no cities of refuge for others, because they have none for themselves; they have not to relieve the wants of others, for they have not to relieve their own necessities.
Now, when Martha had once entertained Christ, as he was man, into her house, Mary began to entertain him, as he was God, into her heart ”

“ Martha is sore incumbered with much serving, when a little service had been sufficient; but Mary is attentive to hear the word of God, which never can be heard sufficiently. Mary sitteth, to hear the word, Matth. v. as Christ (illegible text) seth to sit, when he preached the word, Luke iv. to declare unto unto us, that the word is to be preached and heard with a quiet mind.—In a still night, every voice is heard; and when the body is quiet, the mind most commonly is quiet also. ”

“ Now, forasmuch as many things are so troublesome, and one thing is so very needful, let us ever be seeking that needful thing, which we must learn by hearing of the word of God whereby faith, without which it is impossible to please God, Heb. ”

“ I know the Lord is merciful, and loth to destroy his own buildings, and to pluck up the plants which he has planted; so, if the word could have done it, the work had not been done? These things that are fallen out, are not only warnings to others, but they are warnings to make you believe. Therefore think not that they are greater sinners than ye ”

“ And yet notwithstanding such is the corruption of this rusty age, that our greatest care is to provide for this present life, as did that rich man, Luke xii. that enlarged his barns, wherein to put store for many years; but we never, or very late, do provide for that life to come, like to that other man that never had thought of heaven till he was tormented in hell! ”

“ For God so loved the world, that be gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. The Lord's love and care to us has declared itself many ways, and especially in this point, that this privy conference with Nicodemas, spoken at this time for our consolation, it hath pleased the Lord to put it up in register, that it may be the consolation of many ”

“ So if there were no other hell, but to be deprived of the blessed society of the glorified saints and angels with God, it were hell enough.
Secondly, Consider, that no excuse will be adınitted that day. Friendship will do thee no good, prophesying and preaching will do thee no good. The other thing that augments it, is the loss of happiness. An unknown a benefit, when it is lost, shall not bring meikle pain with it ”

“ Absalom was no more desirable of a kingdom, than are the rich men of our time desirable of golden gain; but if it be a matter of cost and trouble unto them, if they cannot hear the word preached, without some hindrance to their worldly business, and some extraordinary charge to their purse, then, like to the Gadarenes, Luke viii. they are content to take their leave of Christ and his word, and would rather leave the heavenly pearl, than part with their worldly self, Matth. ”

“ For into whatsoever house he entereth in, he leaveth better things behind him than he findeth: He loves not to be in Zaccheus' debt for his dinner, for instead thereof he bringeth salvation to his house: Neither does he here leave his supper unpaid; for instead thereof he bestowed on them a heavenly sermon.—This should be the exercise of all faithful ministers, when they are invited to a great feast; that, as they are called the salt of the earth, (Matth. v. 18.) to make meat savoury and well seasoned, and to preserve them from putrefaction ”