Robert Murray M'Cheyne

It is as easy with God to make Christ rise on many souls as upon one. Show him that it is for his glory that a nation be born in a day. Give him no rest till he pour down the Spirit on all our families, till there be a g…

Do not forget the culture of the inner man,—I mean of the heart. How diligently the cavalry officer keeps his sabre clean and sharp; every stain he rubs off with the greatest care. Remember you are God’s sword,—his instr…

I see a man cannot be a faithful minister, until he preaches Christ for Christ's sake—until he gives up striving to attract people to himself, and seeks only to attract them to Christ.

I am persuaded that I shall obtain the highest amount of present happiness, I shall do most for God's glory and the good of man, and I shall have the fullest reward in eternity, by maintaining a conscience always washed…

Read the Bible for your own growth first, then for your people.

Take heed to thyself. Your own soul is your first and greatest care.

A calm hour with God is worth a whole lifetime with man.

Live near to God, and so all things will appear to you little in comparison with eternal realities.

Unfathomable oceans of grace are in Christ for you. Dive and dive again, you will never come to the bottom of these depths.

I feel it is far better to begin with God—to see his face first—to get my soul near Him before it is near another.

Learn much of the Lord Jesus. For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ. He is altogether lovely. Such infinite majesty, and yet such meekness and grace, and all for sinners, even the chief! Live much in the s…

You must be content then to lean all your weight upon Christ. Cast the burden of temporal things upon him. Cast the care of your soul upon him. If God be for us, who can be against us? They that wait upon the Lord shall…

In travelling, you never think of making a house in the wilderness. So, dear friends, do not take up your rest here, we are journeying. Let all your endeavours be to get on in your journey.

Sabbath-days are like milestones — marking our way; or rather they are like the wells we used to come to at evening. Every real Christian is making progress. Dear Christians, you should be advancing, getting higher, near…

It is far happier to be in Christ than to be out of Christ. Is it not an awful thing to be happy when you are unsaved? Would it not be dreadful to see a man sleeping in a house all on fire? And is it not enough to make o…

The Sabbath is the great day for gathering in souls — it is Christ's market-day. It is the great harvest-day of souls. I know there is a generation rising up that would fain trample the Sabbath beneath their feet; but pr…

Do you really delight in the Sabbath-day? If not, you are no child of God. Dear believers, oppose these ungodly practices with all your might. The more others dishonour God's holy day, the more do you honour it, and shew…

When I was laid aside from the ministry, I felt it was to teach me the need of prayer for my people. I used often to say, Now God is teaching me the use of prayer.

Sweet rod that drives the soul into such a precious resting place! Remember Edwards' magnificent resolution, 'Resolved to improve afflictions to the uttermost.' Spread the sail when the breeze of adversity blows, and let…

I ought to flee all temptation, according to Prov. iv. 15 — 'Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.'

Whatever I see to be sin, I ought from this hour to set my whole soul against it, using all scriptural methods to mortify it — as, the Scriptures, special prayer for the Spirit, fasting, watching.

Guard against all ambition to excel one another in expression. Remember the most spiritual prayer is a 'groan which cannot be uttered,' Rom. viii. 26; or a cry of 'Abba, Father,' Gal. iv. 6.

This is the best way of knowing the meaning of the Bible, and of learning to pray. In prayer confess your sins by name — going over those of the past day one by one. Pray for your friends by name — father, mother, &c. If…

You read your Bible regularly, of course; but do try and understand it, and still more, to feel it. Read more parts than one at a time. For example, if you are reading Genesis, read a Psalm also; or, if you are reading M…

Pray that the Holy Spirit would not only make you a believing and holy lad, but make you wise in your studies also. A ray of Divine light in the soul sometimes clears up a mathematical problem wonderfully.

Beware of the atmosphere of the classics. It is pernicious indeed; and you need much of the south wind breathing over the Scriptures to counteract it. True, we ought to know them; but only as chemists handle poisons — to…

Do every thing in its own time. Do every thing in earnest — if it is worth doing, then do it with all your might. Above all, keep much in the presence of God. Never see the face of man till you have seen his face who is…

It is the mark of a hypocrite to be a Christian every where except at home.

If only we had Arabic, we might sow beside all waters!

I will remember the faces of those men at the judgment-seat.

I fear I will need to be a swift witness against many of my people in the day of the Lord, that they looked to me, and not to Christ, when I preached to them.

I am not at all unwilling to spend and be spent in God's service, though I have often found that the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.

Perhaps there are many souls that would never have been saved under my ministry, who may be touched under yours; and God has taken this method of bringing you into my place. His name is Wonderful.

A minister will make a poor saviour in the day of wrath.

The only cure for a cold heart is to look at the heart of Jesus.

Without personal holiness, I never can be there.

Make me Christ-like in all things, should be my constant prayer.

I am persuaded that nothing is thriving in my soul unless it is growing.

The only way to be kept from falling is to grow. If you stand still you will fall.

I declare to you that I had rather be one hour with God, than a thousand with the sweetest society on earth or in heaven. All other joys are but streams; God is the fountain.

About fifty die every minute; nearly one every second entering into an unchangeable world!

Oh! shall we be less earnest to save their never-dying souls, than we would be to save their bodies?

If we would win souls, we must point clearly the way to heaven, while we cry, Flee from the wrath to come.

Oh, brother, cry for the breath of heaven. Remember a moral sinner will lie down in the same hell with the vilest.

Take heed to thyself and to thy doctrine.

Give yourself to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.

Get your texts from God, your thoughts, your words, from God.

Hell is as deep and as burning as ever. Unconverted souls are as surely rushing to it. Christ is as free—pardon as sweet as ever! Ah! how we shall be amazed at our coldness when we do get to heaven!

Woe be unto us if we preach not the Gospel.

You are given in answer to prayer; and these gifts are, I believe, always without exception blessed. I hope you may be a thousand times more blessed among them than ever I was.