there were to be not only lightnings, but thunders--not only
illuminations, but a great seizing of the heart with the dread and
majesty of God, to the effectual turning of the sinner to him.

Lightnings without thunder are in this case dangerous, because they
that receive the one without the other are subject to miscarry: they
were once enlightened, but you read of no thunder they had, and they
were subject to fall into an irrecoverable state. Paul had thunder
with his lightning, to the shaking of his soul; so had the three
thousand, so had the jailer: they that receive light without
thunder, are subject to turn the grace of God into wantonness; but
they that know the terror of God will persuade men. So then, when he
decrees to give the rain of his grace to a man, he makes a way for
the lightning and thunder; not the one without the other, but the
one following the other.

We have had great lightnings in this land of late years, but little
thunders; and that is one reason why so little grace is found where
light is, and why so many professors run on their heads in such a
day as this is, notwithstanding all they have seen.

The method of God is to kill and make alive, to smite and then heal.

He that hath not seen his lost condition, hath not seen a safe
condition; he that did never see himself in the devil's snare, did
never see himself in Christ's bosom.

Grace proceeds from the throne, from the throne of God and of the
Lamb. Wherefore, sinner, here is laid a necessity upon thee; one of
the two must be thy lot: either thou must accept of God's grace, and