SPIRITUAL EXERCISES OF THE HEART INDEX
SPIRITUAL EXERCISES OF THE HEART
or CHRISTIAN RETIREMENT by Thomas Reade,
PREFACE
The Bible is the sacred storehouse of heavenly wisdom. Its pages are stamped with the divine seal of eternal truth, and contain the charter of our hopes, our privileges, and our joys. Whatever tends to lead us from the love and study of the Holy Scriptures, should be dreaded as inimical to the highest interests of mankind; while every attempt, however feeble, which has for its object the promotion of the Redeemer's glory, and the good of souls, will be received with affectionate indulgence by real Christians, who well know that success in any effort of usefulness is 'from above'. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord," is a declaration at once calculated to strengthen the weak, and to humble the strong.
The simple design in publishing the following reflections, is to induce a habit of self-examination and prayer; and to excite to a more diligent perusal of the word of God. The author, therefore, desires to come in the kindly aspect of a friendly visitor; and if privileged to enter into the sacred retirement of the Christian, would there, through the blessing of God, endeavour to lead him into a closer communion with his own heart, and with Jesus, his exalted Saviour. Nothing new is here presented to the Christian. The good old way in which the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and all true believers in every age have journeyed to the heavenly Canaan, is pointed out– Jesus is the way, the only way to the Father; the living way to holiness, happiness, and heaven.
The prophet Isaiah was commanded to teach the people by line upon line, and precept upon precept; where, therefore, the same unspeakably precious truths recur again and again in these pages, their recurrence will not offend the humble believer who has tasted that the Lord is gracious. As bread and water are always pleasant to a healthy stomach, so the bread of life and the water of life are peculiarly refreshing to the soul which is hungering and thirsting after righteousness.
An original hymn is subjoined to each meditation, which, it is hoped, may assist the spirit of piety, although it can lay little claim to the charms of poetry. The Christian reader must kindly excuse the frequent lack of close connection between the hymns and the meditations to which they are attached, as they were composed before the present volume was contemplated by its author.
Should the Lord condescend to bless these humble exercises of the heart, to the guiding of some young inquirer to the Friend of sinners; to the quickening of some lukewarm professor; to the convincing of some septic; or the comforting of some afflicted believer; to the Triune God of our salvation be all the praise.
1. CHRISTIAN RETIREMENT
2. ON INSENSIBILITY TO ETERNAL THINGS
3. ON THE FALL
4. ON THE PROHIBITION IN PARADISE
5. ON UNBELIEF
6. ON THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF THE HEART
7. ON THE DECEITFULNESS OF THE HEART
8. ON KEEPING THE HEART
9. ON THE BLESSEDNESS OF A NEW HEART
10. ON THE IMMENSITY OF GOD
11. ON THE DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY
12. ON THE TWO COVENANTS
13. ON THE LOVE OF GOD
14. ON THE GIFT OF A SAVIOUR
15. ON THE DESIGN OF THE GOSPEL
16. ON PERVERTED VIEWS OF THE GOSPEL
17. ON THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY
18. ON NEGLECTING THE GOSPEL
19. ON INADEQUATE VIEWS OF HUMAN NATURE
20. ON TWO COMMON ERRORS
21. ON THE CAUSE OF SCEPTICISM
22. THE ALMOST CHRISTIAN
23. ON CONVERSION
24. ON THE NEW CREATURE
25. ON CHRISTIAN UNITY
26. ON FOLLOWING THE LORD FULLY
27. ON THE TWO GREAT INSTRUMENTS IN THE CONVERSION OF SINNERS
28. THE TWO SOURCES
29. THE TWO PILLARS
30. ON THE TWO WAYS
31. MERCY REJOICING AGAINST JUDGMENT
32. ON INTELLECTUAL AND SPIRITUAL LIGHT
33. ON KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM
34. ON PASSIVE IMPRESSIONS AND ACTIVE HABITS
35. ON UNION TO CHRIST
36. ON THE CHRISTIAN CHARACTER
37. ON CHRISTIAN MOTIVES
38. ON CHRISTIAN CONVERSATION
39. ON CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE
40. AGREEMENT NECESSARY TO COMMUNION
41. ON SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD
42. ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE
43. ON THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER
44. ON THE CAUTIONS AND WARNINGS OF SCRIPTURE
45. ON SELF-DECEPTION
46. ON LUKEWARMNESS
47. ON FORGETFULNESS OF GOD
48. ON WATCHFULNESS
49. ON THE DANGER OF RICHES
50. ON THE THORNS IN THE PARABLE
51. ON THE PARABLE OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS
52. ON THE THREE ENEMIES
53. ON INDWELLING SIN
54. ON TRIALS
55. ON AFFLICTION
56. ON THE CHARACTER OF MARTHA AND MARY
57. ON THE CHARACTER OF THE BEREANS
58. ON THE LIVING WATER
59. ON THE BURNING BUSH
60. ON ADOPTION
61. ON FAITH
62. ON HOPE
63. ON LOVE
64. ON JOY
65. ON PEACE
66. ON HUMILITY
67. ON MEEKNESS
68. ON PURITY
69. ON GODLY FEAR
70. ON THE BELIEVER'S AIM AND HOPE
71. ON TRUE HAPPINESS
72. ON TRUE RELIGION
73. ON ELECTION
74. ON SPIRITUAL VISION
75. ON HEAVEN
76. ON THE BLESSEDNESS OF THE SAINTS
77. ON CHRISTIAN OBEDIENCE