What poor, low, legal work is this, say some. We are happy in Christ without such a strife. We are perfect, fully born again, perfectly sanctified and freed from all sin; therefore our strife is at an end, say others. Alas, poor, honest, upright Christian, thou art ever in danger; on the right hand, of licentiousness; on the left hand, of pride and delusion, and also from a deceitful heart within. What with the white devil of pride, and the black devil of lust, thou art ever liable to be seduced from the truth. What a mercy to have a true touch­ stone to try men and doctrines by! The experience of Christians of old, as recorded by the Spirit of truth, affords us quite…

Such as our notions of sin and danger are, such is our judgment of salvation and deliverance. In our natural state we see only the fruits of sin in outward actions, but consider not the corrupt cursed root from whence they spring. Hence poor souls think it no great and difficult matter to be saved, especially if they have some specious show of the external adornings of sobriety, morality, and religion. Happy souls, who have escaped this dangerous rock of pride and self deceit. For when the scales of ignorance fall from the eyes, and the veil of unbelief is taken off the heart; when the true light shineth in the mind, and the purity and spirituality of God’s holy law is made manifest in…

We are loved with precious love, redeemed by precious blood, comforted by precious promises, justified by precious faith; yea, righteousness, holiness, heaven, we have all by union with a precious Jesus. Surely then ‘to them that believe he is precious.’ Say, ye sons and daughters of poverty and affliction, is not this a time when friends grow cold and desert you? But in such a season did you find one friend who visited you in your distress, who was ever saying kind things to you, ever doing all possible good for you; when in prison he sought you out, and set you at liberty; when sick he was your physician and healed you, when naked he clothed you, when in abject poverty he made you…

It is an observation of the heathens, that if virtue was to appear in human form, men would be enamoured with her beauty. But alas, this has been proved to be an idle speculation. For that glorious man Jesus, in whom every virtue centered, who was adorned with every grace, who went about doing good, and lived as never man did, yet he was despised and rejected of men. Blindness of mind is a firstborn sin. To see form and comeliness in Jesus, is peculiar to enlightened souls. To hear, love, and obey the holy precepts Christ taught, ariseth from a renewed heart. Morality and good works are at the tongue’s end of every man. The most immoral and profligate are ever ready to applaud,…

Deism, or a rejection of God’s revealed truth, is natural to us all. Hence some have said, ‘The religion of nature is the religion of Satan for it affects a spirit of pride and independence of God, and rebellion against his will. Why does a deist reject the way of salvation by Jesus? Truly, because it is contrary to his natural notions: he cannot reconcile it to the attributes and perfections of Deity. Upon the very same looting many professors abhor, with the utmost indignation, the scripture-doctrines of God’s everlasting love, unconditional election of sinners, and the final perseverance of his saints to eternal life, by Jesus. Now, both deists and pharisees pro­ ceed upon the same principles; carnal reason, pride, and self-righteousness reign in…