THOUGHTS FROM THOMAS BROOKS.
[We take the following passages from a volume entitled "Smooth Stones from Ancient Brooks," culled by Rev. C. H. Spurgeon, from the writings of Thomas Brooks.—Independent] Though Mary Magdalene was very near to Christ, yet she stood sighing, mourning, and complaining that they had stolen away her Lord, because she did not see him. Christians, though you may be very near and dear to Christ, yet till you come to see your assurance, you will spend your days in doubting, mourning, and complaining. Cold prayers are as arrows without heads, as swords without edges, as birds without wings; they pierce not, they cut not, they fly not up to heaven. Cold prayers always freeze before they reach heaven. It was a good saying of one to a great lord, upon his showing his stately house and pleasant gardens: "Sir, you had need make sure of heaven, or else when you die you will be a very great loser." It is an honor to be good betimes. A young saint is like the morning star: he is like a pearl in a gold ring. Among all the disciples, John was the youngest, and the most and best beloved. The ball in the emblem says, "the harder you beat me down, the higher I shall bound towards heaven;" so afflictions do but elevate and raise a saint's affections to heaven and heavenly things. The best way to do ourselves good is to be doing good to others; the best way to gather is to scatter. Titus Vespasian never dismissed any petitioner with a tear in his eye, or with a heavy heart; and shall we think that the God of compassions will ever dismiss the petitioners of heaven with tears in their eyes? Surely no. In the winter men gird their clothes closely about them, but in summer they let them hang loose; in the winter of adversity many a Christian girds his heart closely to God, to Christ, to the gospel, to godliness, to ordinances, to duties, who, in the summer of mercy, hangs loose from all.