Tid-Bit

Surprising work of God in the salvation of a sinner:

One woman was converted through reading a single page of one of Spurgeon's sermons wrapped around some butter she had bought.

Witnessing to the Indifferent

Following is a story in Spurgeon's own words of sharing the gospel with someone who agreed with everything he said but was not a believer:

"I had once to deal with a man who assented to everything I said. When I talked about the evil of sin, he agreed with me, and said that I was very faithful. When I set before him the way of salvation, he assented to it, but it was evident that his heart was not affected by the truth. I could almost have wished that he had flatly denied what I said, for that would have given me the opportunity of arguing the matter with him, and pressing him to come to a decision. At last, I felt that it was quite hopeless to talk to hint any longer, so I said, 'The fact is, one of these days you will die, and be damned,' - and I walked away without saying another word. As I expected, it was not very long before he sent for me, and when I went to him, he begged me to tell him why I had said such a dreadful thing to him. I answered, 'It seems quite useless for me to talk to you about the salvation of your soul, for you never appear to feel the force of anything that I say. I might almost as well pour oil down a slab of marble as expect you to be impressed by the truth that I set before you, and my solid conviction is that you will be damned.' He was quite angry with me for speaking so plainly; and I went away again, leaving him very cross. Before many hours were over, he was in all awful state of mind; the Holy Spirit had convinced him of his state as a sinner, and he was in an agony of soul. That sharp sentence of mine was like the hook in a fish's gills, but that fish was landed all right. The man was brought to repentance and faith; he was baptized, joined the church, and a few years ago went home to Heaven"

Sabbath

From the Puritan Lewes Bayly:

The Sabbath day is God’s market-day for the week’s provision, wherein He will have us to come unto him, and buy of him without silver or Money, the Bread of Angels, and Water of life, the Wine of the Sacraments, and Milk of the Word to feed our souls: tried Gold, to enrich our Faith: precious Eyesalve, to heal our spiritual blindness: and the white Raiment of Christ’s Righteousness, to cover our filthy nakedness.

Noah

How was it that Noah persevered in building the ark? He stood alone amidst a world of sinners and unbelievers. He had to endure scorn, ridicule and mockery. What was it that nerved his arm, and made him patiently work on and face it all? It was faith. He believed in a wrath to come. He believed that there was no safety, excepting in the ark that he was preparing. Believing, he held the world's opinion very cheap. He counted the cost by faith, and had no doubt that to build the ark was gain.

J. C. Ryle

Blanche Gamond

Blanche Gamond, a Huguenot sufferer in the 17th century, tells of her trials (from the book Stories of the Huguenots):

One day my mother was taken to the bishop, who offered her a large sum of money, saying, "Promise me that you and your family will change your religion, and this shall be yours". But my mother did not yield. Soon afterwards he sent his steward, who did his best to persuade us. "It grieves me", he said, "to see the injury that has been done to you. Believe me, the Bishop is willing to make it all up to you; and he will, moreover, grant one hundred francs to each member of your family".
I answered him; "thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. We have not been redeemed with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, which is an infinite price. When vineyards or fields are exchanged, it is the possessor of the property which is worth least who has to give money into that bargain. Your religion must therefore be worse than ours, as you offer money to make up the value. When Christ sent out his apostles, He commanded them to take neither purse nor scrip nor sword. You go from house to house with money in your hand, and then send your soldiers to strangle us. That is not quite the way to make good Catholics".
When he found that he could not gain us over, he left us to the dragoons (soldiers), and our sufferings increased. I was considered the most obstinate of the heretics. A neighbor said one day to one of the soldiers, "Do your best to convert that girl. She is more determined in her religion than any one else in our town. If I were you, I would carry her off to church by force". I overheard this conversation, and from that time devoted myself more zealously to the reading of the Holy Scriptures and to meditation, that I might be able to answer my enemies.

Contentment

Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.
—Jeremiah Burroughs

Heart-Work

Heart-work is hard work indeed. To shuffle over religious duties with a loose and careless spirit, will cost no great difficulties; but to set yourself before the Lord, and to tie up your loose and vain thoughts to a constant and serious attendance upon him: this will cost you something. To attain ease and dexterity of language in prayer and to be able to put your meaning into appropriate and fitting expressions is easy; but to get your heart broken for sin while you are actually confessing it; melted with free grace even while you are blessing God for it; to be really ashamed and humbled through the awareness of God's infinite holiness, and to keep your heart in this state not only in, but after these duties, will surely cost you some groans and travailing pain of soul.

JOHN FLAVEL