Samuel Smithson

“ Let us, with devotion and piety, make use of the scripture, for help and nourishment of our souls, in which we shall find the life of our Saviour Jesus Christ to be most pure and holy, we shall find him lowly, meek, humble, courteous, wise, prudent, profitable, charitable, and indeed with a million more of special graces and virtues; in which he doth strengthen the weak, comfort the afflicted, heal the lame, cure the blind, make the dumb to speak, the deaf to hear, and the dead to walk, and the infernal devils to tremble. ”

“ Secondly, Christ Jesus our blessed Redeemer is charity, for he thought it no shame nor scorn, being equal to God, exalted above the sacred quire of angels, to become man, and undergo the persecution of the tyrannical Jews, at last to suffer his precious blood to be shed, and his flesh nailed to the cross, and all this to save his people from the punishment of eternal death. ”

“ Let the door of our hearts and souls stand open, that when our Saviour Jesus knocks, he may be received with a joyful welcome: For which fulness of goodness and glory, let it be the desire of sinners earnestly to entreat our blessed Lord and Saviour to draw us with the cables of his love to himself, and place us in the bottom of his love, where we shall be made more than conquerors thro' him that loved us, John xvi. ”

“ For let none be deceived, God will not be mocked; tho' you daily like to fly with your own pleasures and vanities of the world, without repentance you will suffer the flames of punishment: From which eternal destruction, let it be the faithful desire and prayers of all people to say, Good Lord deliver us. ”

“ But alas! our hearts are frail and wicked, full of deceit, nay there are many of them that pretend and profess the most purity, love, godliness, and true religion, that do, and will the soonest of all betray you with a Judas kiss, speak you fair to the face, and cut your throat. Upon which crew of infidels, our Saviour Christ cries out, Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because ye shut up the kingdom of heaven before men, for you yourselves go not in, neither suffer ye them that would enter to come in. ”

“ Let us leave off pride and envy, covetousness and drunkenness, swearing and whoredom, and let our daily practice be in the divine worship of God, with pure devotion and unfeigned piety: Let us relieve the poor without grudging, for charity is the brightest glory both in heaven and earth. ”

“ Thirdly, the Holy Ghost is charity, for whosoever hath the faith of Christ, hath the Holy Ghost to be his Comforter. They need not fear that are stedfast in faith, what man can do to them, for man can destroy the body only, but fear God, who can cast into hell both soul and body: And our Saviour faith, Whosoever is brought before a magistrate for the testimony of the truth, needs not fear what to speak, for the Holy Ghost will teach them, Mark xiii. ”

“ Christ being thus born, and laid in a manger amongst oxen and asses, because there was no room in the inn, it might, in the first place, persuade us to be humble, and also bend our proud stubborn hearts to the will and service of God: for Christ our blessed Saviour thought it no scorn or disgrace to lie in a manger, to eat the bread and drink the water of affliction, to be buffeted, spitted at, reviled, crowned with thorns, and crucified on the cross,'to shed his precious blood for the redeeming of our lost souls ”

“ Shall we deny God, according to the words of the prophet David, The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God? No, let us be afraid to offend God, much more to deny him; for it is a fearful testimony of truth from the mouth of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, That whosoever denieth me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven, Matth. ”

“ In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. “Therefore doth the Father love me, because that I lay down my life to take it up again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down and have power to take it up again. ”

“ Then, as new born babes do thirst for the milk to nourish them, so will our souls long and thirst after the waters of righteousness, to taste of the tree of life, and to have our names recorded in the book of God, for his chosen ones, yea, his beloved ones, according to the first epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians, i.4. ”