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---- 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]] [[78. ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT]] [[Category:SPIRITUAL EXERCISES OF THE HEART]]