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True religion:

"This is certain, that flesh and blood cannot abide to take pains: if it can serve God with ease and pray with ease, that it will do. But for a man to weep before God; for a man to indict his heart before the throne of grace, to rend his bowels before his maker, to tear the caul of his heart upon his knees; for a man to vow to God and pay them; for a man to rid his hands of all the wages of iniquity; for a man to purify himself as Christ is pure; for a man to wrestle with God and to take grace from the covenant of grace, with life and power to do it in a right manner: here is religion."

~ William Fenner

A hypocrite who reproves others:

"It is an act of hypocrisy when a man goes to find fault with another before he has gone to redress his own soul, to purge his own conscience, and has shaken hands with 'the wages of iniquity' himself. Before a man has done this, it is hypocrisy to deal with another, for when a man reproves another, he takes a form upon himself of one that is zealous against sin and an enemy to all sinful practices. Now what is this but hypocrisy when a man has not this in him that he pretends to? When a man finds fault with another's pride, as if he were humble in truth, or with another's worldliness, as if he were liberal: when a man does so, he incurs the guilt of hypocrisy in reproving another."

~ William Fenner

Neglecting the occasion of salvation:

"There is a good English proverb among us, that he that neglects the occasion, the occasion will neglect him. Solomon wisely begins his Proverbs with it; for he brings in the Wisdom of his Father in these particulars: first, making a general proclamation: 'Wisdom cries without, she utters her voice in the streets.' He compares God to a crier that goes up and down the city from street to street, and from door to door, crying his commodity, even the richest that there ever was, which is a Christ: a Christ for redemption, a Christ for sanctification, a Christ to enlighten those that walk in darkness and in the shadow of death."

~ William Fenner

The beam in your own eye:

"Such a reprover who is guilty himself in that kind or in any other kind of sin can never reprove to a right end: Why do you see a moat in your brother's eye and consider not the beam in your own eye? Mat. 7:3. Why, he says, to what end? What is that which you look for? Are you severe to espy faults in your brother's eye? To what end do you reprove him? What is the reason? What is the thing you would have that you find fault with him? Why do you see a moat in your brother's eye? As if [Jesus] had said that your intent can never be good, it cannot be to do your brother good, for then you would do yourself good first. It is not because you hate sin, for then you would detest your own sin. It cannot be out of a good principle or to a good end, for either it is because you are a busybody in other men's matters or you are censorious and you love to be meddling; or because you hate your brother and would wreak your malice on him, you would be glad to shame and disgrace him and by beating him down, lift yourself up; or you would obtain a cover for your own conscience. It must be some such end and it cannot be a good end."

~ William Fenner

Easy salvation:

"Generally, people are glad when the land is swept of all the good ministers and the good servants of God. They would rather hear a fine song in a pulpit from one that preaches morally or, it may be, preaches himself, or the like. But the time will come when they will say as Solomon says, 'It is better to hear the reproof of the wise, than the song of fools,' Ecc. 7:5. People have enthusiastic love for hearing the song of fools, and when a fool comes up and preaches, 'At what time soever a sinner shall repent of his sin,' and, 'Be not just over-much,' and says, What need is there for such ado? and, Here is more puther than is needed. These abuse places and wrest Scriptures, as for example, they say: The thief on the cross was saved at the last with a word or two. And they bring the example of the Publican that cried, 'God be merciful to me a sinner,' and went justified to his house rather than the Pharisee that made long prayers. And they say, Tush, tush, what need is there for men to be so zealous and precise and puritanical when, 'Whosoever calls upon the name of God shall be saved.' People enthusiastically love such songs of fools: but the time shall come when people's eyes shall be opened and their consciences awakened, and then they will wish, Oh that we had heard the reproof of the wise."

~ William Fenner

Vain Thoughts:

"The consideration [of the multitude of our own vain thoughts] should humble us and make us low in our own eyes. Oh then think within yourself and say, Oh that my thoughts should be so base, earthly and vain. What? Have I not a God, a Christ, a heaven to think upon? Have I not excellent commandments of my God, and thousands of sweet and precious promises in Scripture to think upon? And must I be thinking on every bit of babble? of every straw not worth thinking on? Take the Apostle's exhortation: 'Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think these things.' Phil. 4:8. What? Are there not so many virtuous things, so many holy and pure things, so many admirable and glorious things, so many heavenly graces and divine promises, so many blessed passages of Holy Writ to take up my mind? And shall I spend my thoughts and time upon such vain and cursed things as will yield no profit to me? This should astonish the hearts of God's people, and greatly humble their souls."

~ William Fenner

Out of your own mouth you may be condemned:

"Your own mouth shall condemn you: you find fault with another man's pride and it seems he is to be condemned for it, then God condemns you for your pride. Your pride is a fair mark for God's justice because you condemn another. Do you find fault with another's hardness of heart and ill-will and backwardness to anything that is good, and yet you are backward? You expose your own soul to the judgment of God; you have taught (as it were) Almighty God how to condemn you for you own lusts and corruptions."

~ William Fenner

Merciful reproof:

"A man that is to reprove another, a master that will reprove his servant or a father his children, or a minister that will reprove his people, or a magistrate that will reprove those that are committed to his charge, or any brother that will reprove another must do it with a spirit of compassion, with bowels of pity, with sense and feeling because there is a great deal of wisdom and discretion to be observed in this act."

~ William Fenner

Outward religion vs. the godly heart:

"It is possible that a wicked man goes to hell though he performs the same things, for the matter of them, that a godly man does. A godly man comes to church, so does a wicked man. A godly man prays in his family, so does a wicked man. A godly man reads the Scriptures, so does a wicked man. A godly man repeats sermons and confers with others on good things, so does a wicked man. There is no work, that is performed by outward act, that a godly man does and a wicked man may not do the same. Here is the only difference: in the manner of working."

~ William Fenner

Repent today:

"When the Lord sends you sermon upon sermon and preacher after preacher, you are called often, day by day, as you are here now. This is the infinite goodness of God toward your souls, therefore your sin is infinitely great if you do not amend, as the wise man says, 'He that hates reproof shall surely die.' Prov. 15:10. There is no remedy for that man. That man who puts off repentance, he is reproved by God from day to day, on the sabbath day and on the week days. A man goes to this minister and there he is reproved, and to another and there he is reproved, and yet he goes on in his deadness and formality in the ordinances of God. That man shall surely die and there is no remedy, he sins against the infinite mercy of God."

~ William Fenner

Repentance and the Lord's Table:

"But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.' It is as if the Apostle had said: Unless a man examines himself, and searches his own heart, and finds out his sins, and dives into the secrets of his soul to bring out his hidden corruptions, confessing them and judging himself for them before the Lord, let him never presume to come to this holy sacrament. Therefore if you eat and drink unworthily, coming in your sins and resolved to go on in them, so that, as you were proud before you came to the Sacrament, so you are still; as you were choleric, angry, and impatient before, so you are still; as you were lukewarm and dead-hearted in God's service before, so you remain still, then remember, I pray you, that as often as you have come to the communion in those, your sins, you have made yourself guilty of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ."

~ William Fenner

The grace of the Lord's Table:

"Not unto you, Oh drunkards and swaggerers; not to you adulterers and unclean persons that wallow in ungodliness, I say not unto you, but unto the poor afflicted soul and the contrite spirit that lies bleeding and gasping under the weight of his or her sin and who trembles and fears, being oppressed with the sense of its own unworthiness, who pants after Christ Jesus, and earnestly petitions the throne of grace for mercy and forgiveness, unto you only belongs this comfort, and therefore take it home to yourself and know it for yourself. Are you troubled with a hard heart and an unbelieving soul, and are even wearied and tired out with your many sins and infirmities? Come with comfort to this holy Communion, for you will be sure to find saving good by it; to you it will be a spiritual medicine to heal all your diseases and to cure all your strong and prevailing corruptions. And if you come to this holy Table of the Lord, it will make you able to suffer martyrdom and to get victory over all your unruly affections, yea, at last you will tread Satan, your archenemy, under your feet. Therefore, be not dismayed, for the Lord Jesus invites you to come."

~ William Fenner

Rejecting reproof:

"There is an excellent place in Prov. 12:1: 'He that puts off reproof is brutish.' He that hates reproof is a brute, that man has no reason in him. Are you a swearer and are reproved for it? Your brother tells you that you will be damned for it. Do you chafe at that man? You are a beast and have no more understanding than an ox or an ass."

~ William Fenner

God's mercy:

"God's reproofs flow in their origin from love to men, whereby he would have them lay aside their wretched ways and avoid the judgments."

~ William Fenner