In the first birth—born to sin, in the next—born to holiness; in the first—partakers
of corruption, in the next—heirs of incorruption; in the first—depravity, in the
second—perfection. 398.403

If you are really born of God, the date of your new birth is interesting to curiosity but
not important to piety. 1717.237

I grant you that in many persons conversion appears to be gradual, and many things
lead up to it as by an inclined plane; but as to the new birth and the reception of the
divine life, there is a distinct line of demarkation—on that side of the line is death,
and on this side of it all is life. 1774.201

You are saying, “How can we become Christians?” Why, you can become Christians
by being created, and there is no other way. “But we cannot create ourselves,” says
one. It is even so. Stand back, and quit all pretence of being creators; and the further
you retreat from self-conceit the better, for it is God who must create you. 1829.150

What a marvellous life it is! It brings with it new perceptions, new emotions, new
desires. It has new senses: there are new eyes, with which we see the invisible; new
ears, with which we hear the voice of God, before inaudible. Then have we a new
touch, with which we lay hold on divine truth; then have we a new taste, so that we
“taste and see that the Lord is good.” This new life ushers us into a new world, and
gives us new relationships and new privileges. 1946.75

We know not what we are born to in our second birth; for, as a man is born to trouble
by his first birth, when he is born a second time, he is born to a double share of
trouble. Then, he was born to physical and mental trouble; but now that he is born
again, he is born to spiritual trouble; and as he shall have new joys, so shall he also
have a long list of new sorrows. 2798.459

“Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward;” but when we were born again,
we were born to a double set of troubles. Both our births bring us troubles; our first
birth brings us the troubles that are incident to sin, and our second birth brings us
the troubles that are incident to fighting against sin. 3012.533

Recollect that every man who is only born once will have to die twice; but the man
who is born twice will only have to die once, and even that once dying will be no
moribund experience, for it will only be the gate into eternal life. 3079.77

Some are naturally very hot-tempered, and soon boil over. These are men of great
force of character, or else of great shallowness: it is the small pot which is soon hot.
Some are malicious; they can take enmity quietly, and keep it in the refrigerator of
their cold hearts, even for years. 2248.134

If you go outside the Tabernacle, take the first turning on the left, and walk down
what is called the St. George’s Road till you come to the end, you may see asylums
built for three sorts of blind people. On your right hand you will have the Blind
School. That is for the physically blind, who have lost the sight of these outward eyes.
On the left hand you will see the Bethlehem Hospital. That is for the mentally blind,
who have lost the inner sight, and are in the more unhappy state of lunacy. Then
straight before you you will see the St. George’s Roman Catholic Cathedral. That
is for the spiritually blind, whose case is all the more pitiable, because these blind
people have blind leaders, and their deluded souls are prescribed for by physicians
who foster their delusions. 1310.469

Never talk of what you have done, but go on to something else. An officer rode up to
his general, and said, “Sir, we have taken two guns from the enemy.” “It is well,” said
the general, “take two more.” BA59

The Lord loves to use tools which are not rusted with self-conceit. BA280

The moment we glorify ourselves, since there is room for one glory only in the
universe, we set ourselves up as rivals to the Most High. ME458

Before honour is humility, but a prating fool shall fall, and when he falls very few will
be in a hurry to pick him up. PP28

There’s always time to boast—wait a little longer. PT57

I’ve known men who opened their mouths like barn doors in boasting what they
would do if they were in somebody else’s shoes. PT151

A man’s praise smells sweet when it comes out of other men’s mouths, but in his own
it stinks. PT155

Drums sound loud because there is nothing in them. Good men know themselves too
well to chant their own praises. PT156

Loud braying reveals an ass. PT156

Some men’s mouths never will be stopped, except by the coffin lid. Their motto is,
“While I live I’ll crow”; and so they will, for boasting is bred in their bone, and will
come out of them. 1289.226

So much remains to be accomplished that we have no time to consider what has been
done. 1834.201

Still waters, you know, run deep. Let me also say that deep waters run without din.
When the river is very deep, there will not be half so much noise as when it is but
shallow, and therefore rattles and raves over the stones which it scarcely covers. 2319.366

So do not destroy your own strength by taking the glory of it to yourself. 3140.188

Many persons think a great deal about the adorning of the body, but do not think
anything about the ornaments of the soul. The feeding of the physical frame
engrosses much care, but the supply of spiritual food is often neglected. Yet, O man,
thou thyself art better than thy body! Thine immortal soul is worth far more than
that poor carcase of thine which will soon become food for worms; and all the things
that thou hast, what are they compared with thine inner self,—thy real self,—thy
heart, thy soul, thy spirit? 2871.85

Oh, my brethren! bold-hearted men are always called mean-spirited by cowards. 499.149

You and I cannot be useful if we want to be sweet as honey in the mouths of men.
God will never bless us if we wish to please men, that they may think well of us. Are
you willing to tell them what will break your own heart in the telling and break
theirs in the hearing? If not, you are not fit to serve the Lord. You must be willing to
go and speak for God, though you will be rejected. 1431.488

Opposers will call your determination obstinacy; but never mind, your firmness is
the stuff of which martyrs are made. In a wrong case, a strong will creates
incorrigible rebels; but if it be sanctified, it gives great force to character, and
steadfastness to faith. 3277.556

As the profane take the liberty to force their irreligion upon you, so you take the
liberty to force your religion upon them. 3399.152

Thousands there are who are drinking of the tasteless cup of satiety every day; and
some novel invention whereby they may kill time, some new discovery whereby they
may give a fresh vent to their iniquity would be a wonderful thing to them; and if
some man should rise up who could find out for them some new fashion of wickedness,
some deeper depths in the deeps of the nethermost hell of lasciviousness, they would
bless his name for having given them something fresh to excite them. WWi29

The reason why everything else loses its freshness to us is because of its want of
variety. 2724.198

Whatever is not divine, in due time must lose its freshness. 2724.199

Perhaps our greatest weariness is weariness of ourselves. The one person that
troubles me most is the one from whom I cannot get away as long as I am here. 2726.223

“Business is business,” says somebody. Yes, I know it is, and it has no business to be
such business as it very often is. It ought to be christianized, and the Christian that
does not christianize business is a dead Christian—a savourless salt, wherewith shall
such salt be savoured when the salt itself has lost its savour? 1290.230

God forbid that you neglect your businesses, but those who do most business with
God are generally those who do their business with man best, and there is a great
saving of time in having time with God in prayer. 3322.477

If, as our proverb puts it, “Charity begins at home,” so should criticism; and criticism
concerning character had better stop there. There is so much dirty linen in our own
house needing to be washed that none of us need to take in our neighbour’s washing.
“Mind your own business,” is a command that might have been spoken by Solomon
himself, and the apostle Paul was inspired to write to the Thessalonians, “Study to
be quiet, and to do your own business;” and he and Peter very sternly condemned
those who were “busybodies in other men’s matters.” 3055.421