Continuing a Lenten series on prayer: When a man has had so much benefit from the gospel, as to know his own misery, his want of a redeemer, who he is, and how is he to be found; there everything seems to be done, both to awaken and direct his prayer, and make it a true praying in and by the Spirit. For when the heart really pants and longs after God, its prayer is a praying, as moved and animated by the Spirit of God; it is the breath or inspiration of God, stirring, moving and opening itself in the heart. For though the early nature, our old man, can oblige or accustom himself to take heavenly words at certain times into his mouth, yet this is a certain truth, that nothing ever did, or can have the least desire or tendency to ascend to heaven, but that which came down from heaven; and therefore nothing in the heart can pray, aspire, and long after God, but the Spirit of God moving and stirring in it.

If thou couldst, doctor, cast The water of my land, find her disease, And purge it to a sound and pristine health, I would applaud thee to the very echo, That should applaud you again.

The book that he has made renders its author this service in return, that so long as the book survives, its author remains immortal and cannot die.

There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.

He was gifted with the sly, sharp instinct for self-preservation that passes for wisdom among the rich.

Sancta Maria ad Nives.

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.

An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today.

If you do not wish to be lied to, do not ask questions. If there were no questions, there would be no lies.

Dusty bibles lead to dirty lives.

What maintains one vice would bring up two children.

At least when you are dead you will know what silence truly sounds like.

A mask of gold hides all deformities.

Where there are large powers with little ambition... nature may be said to have fallen short of her purposes.

Never Explain--your Friends do not need it and your Enemies will not believe you anyway.

It takes 50000 nuts to put a car together, but only one to scatter them all over the road.

Never weather-beaten sail more willing bent to shore.

A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.

Nine out of ten people who change their minds are wrong the second time too.

Even from the body's purity, the mind Receives a secret sympathetic aid.