A Christian will part with anything rather than his hope; he knows that hope will keep the heart both from aching and breaking, from fainting and sinking; he knows that hope is a beam of God, a spark of glory, and that nothing shall extinguish it till the soul be filled with glory.

It is the very nature of grace to make a man strive to be most eminent in that particular grace which is most opposed to his bosom sin.

Sin in a wicked man is like poison in a serpent; it is in its natural place.

The sovereignty of God is that golden sceptre in his hand by which he will make all bow, either by his word or by his works, by his mercies or by his judgements.

He that will play with Satan's bait, will quickly be taken with Satan's hook.

Christ choosing solitude for private prayer, doth not only hint to us the danger of distraction and deviation of thoughts in prayer, but how necessary it is for us to choose the most convenient places we can for private prayer. Our own fickleness and Satan's restlessness call upon us to get into such places where we may freely pour out our soul into the bosom of God [Mark 1.35].

Christ is the sun, and all the watches of our lives should be set by the dial of his motion.