Fragments

There are two ways in which we learn the knowledge of God -by enjoying Him-or by our needs, to which He ministers. At present it is chiefly the latter: by and bye it will be the former.
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, note the Father's love in falling on the son's neck, and kissing him in all his rags; then introducing him into the house, clothed in the best robe. It would have been discreditable to the Father, had his son been in his house in rags.
An ambassador is not of the country into which he is sent: so we, having to bear witness for Christ down here, should do so according to the glory in which he has set us: and, as being born from above, carry out into the daily details of our conversation the great and heavenly principles, of that country, to which by our new birth we belong.
All through the gospel of John we find Christ occupied with putting His disciples in the same place with Himself, before God and before the world.
Fragments
It is the saint or the church rather, which gives Christ His character before the world-the epistle of Christ to the world. We may know how to distinguish and understand how inadequate the representation; but the world, the infidel, judges of what Christianity is, by what Christians are.
Christ must be known by faith to the individual himself, in order that he may be changed into the same image: no ordinance can do this.
Fragments
There is no fear when we see Christ in the glory above, because every ray of this glory says to me, no condemnation. I is because the sin is put away that He is up there.
Stephen was a true epistle of Christ, when he looked up into heaven, saw Jesus there, and said of his murderers, lay not this sin to their charge. If any man loveth, he is born of God. In no other way than by being made a partaker of the divine nature could he know what loving is.
A perfectly humble man would be one who was always thinking of the Lord Jesus, and never of himself.
God made man the center of a system. Hence fallen man always seeks to make himself the center of things: this is what we call selfishness. But now God has made Christ the center of a system of blessing, and it is sin to make anything else the center.
Fragments
The Christian has got a nature which all the motives in the world can never touch: which knows and is constrained by the love of Christ; but we are apt to let a quantity of little earthly motives creep in again. Hence the charge, "Thou hast left thy first love."
In confessing Christ, we often fail through not keeping "grace and truth" in their proper harmony: both came by Jesus Christ: and in Him we never see them in collision.
Trial may force our thoughts to desire the coming of Christ; but if we knew its full blessedness, we should love that "blessed hope " for its own sake.
Testimony for Christ must always flow from intercourse with Him-not simply doing things because we desire to bear testimony for Him, for then our hearts will be thinking about our testimony, instead of about Him.
In every Christian there is the grace which was in the Lord Jesus Christ: not indeed fully developed: even as in the heart of man there is every evil thing, though more or less developed.
No word of commandment can produce fruit: but the Spirit leads us as partakers of the divine nature to bring forth fruit.
Fragments
The worship of the Heathen amounted to this-bribing their gods to countenance sin. All their offerings had this character upon them.
The Church ought to have been a witness for God in the world, exhibiting that "God is light," "God is love," and "God is one."
Nicodemus comes to Christ as a teacher; but he must be sent to the brazen serpent to learn the secret of life for the dead sinner before he can be taught anything else.
Fragments
The saints have often very imperfect thoughts about the blessing of Christ Himself being theirs. When God tells Abraham, "I am thine exceeding great reward," Abraham asks, "What wilt thou give me?"
God acts in grace as One above all the evil, and places His children in a position to do so too.
The Christian's confidence is in the living God-the worldly man's in Providence. The Christian is taught, that the God of Providence is his Father.
Man may think he can do better than Christ in making men love God; but the result of His manifestation of the Father was, "The world hath not known Thee." The Gospel is powerful not to improve the world, but to bring out the Church.
The miraculous restoration of the sick, etc., was a little sample of what Christ will do when He returns to the earth, and sets all creation in order-destroying the works of the devil: hence they are called, " The powers (miracles) of the world to come."
Those who are enjoying a constant settled happiness, do not, except when it is a new thing, talk much about it; they talk out of it.
God begins with His grace with that which is farthest off-"enemies in your minds" by wicked works: other things follow.
In Isaiah you find Israel as the servant, up to chap. 49; afterward, Christ is the Servant.
If man be a sinner, you may polish a sinner; but he is a sinner still.
Fragments
Faith is faith in the person of Christ - not faith that I am forgiven.
God is the Sovereign. God can let Satan loose to suit his own blessed purpose: but he does not entrust to his saints to allow evil that good may come.
The temptation now is not to give up the name of Jesus, but to connect something else with that name.
The golden calf was not to put aside Jehovah. When Aaron saw it, he said, "Let us make a feast to Jehovah."
Fragments
Who is to judge of the word of God? Nobody: the word is to judge you and me. When this is felt, God takes His proper place in the matter.
One's own heart wants blessing. If always occupied with the contemplation of the evil, I could not get on and keep my heart tender. We must be occupied with the power of God in blessing, in connection with the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Law says, thou shalt; but does not give the motive.
The gift of tongues was not the restoration of the condition of things which existed before the curse of Babel; but it was the demonstration of God's power in blessing in the midst o1 the evil.