Puritan quotes

Receiving Our Strokes

2006-06-12T23:51:00.000-05:00

Flavel, speaking of the "ardent love and large pity that filled Jesus' heart towards poor sinners", says:

"O how compassionately did his heart work towards us, that when he saw the arm of justice lifted up to destroy us, would interpose himself, and receive the stroke, though he knew it would smite him dead!"

From Fountain of Life Opened Up, by John Flavel.

June 11, 1735

2006-06-11T05:42:00.000-05:00

June 11. To set apart days of meditation on particular subjects; as, sometimes to set apart a day for the consideration of the greatness of my sins; at another, to consider the dreadfulness and certainty of the future misery of ungodly men; at another, the truth and certainty of religion; and so, of the great future things promised and threatened in the Scriptures.

From The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume I.

Ah! , What a Life is the Life of a Christian

2006-04-29T00:44:00.000-05:00

This is the marriage covenant, Hosea 3:3. 'Thou shall be for me, and not for another; so will I be for thee.' Ah, what a life is the life of a Christian; Christ all for you, and you all for him. Blessed exchange!

Soul, (saith Christ) all I have is thine.

Lord, (saith the soul) and all I have is thine.

Soul, (saith Christ) my person is wonderful, but what I am, I am for thee: my life was spent in labour and travail, but lived for thee.

And Lord, (saith the believers) my person is vile, and not worth thy accepting; but such as it is, it is thine; my soul, with all and every faculty; my body, and every member of it, my gifts, time, and all my talents are thine.

From Fountain of Life Opened Up, by John Flavel.

O! Wretched Idol -- Myself

2006-04-27T21:35:00.000-05:00

"Except men martyr and slay the body of sin, in sanctified self-denial, they shall never be Christ’s martyrs and faithful witnesses. O if I could be master of that house-idol, myself, mine own, mine own wit, will, credit, and ease, how blessed were I! O but we have need to be redeemed from ourselves, rather than from the devil and the world. Learn to put out yourselves, and to put in Christ for yourselves. I should make a sweet bargain, and give old for new, if I could shuffle out self, and substitute Christ my Lord in place of myself; to say, not I, but Christ; not my will, but Christ’s; not my ease, not my lusts, not my credit, but Christ, Christ. - O wretched idol, myself, when shall I see thee wholly decourted, and Christ wholly put in thy room? O if Christ had the full place and room of myself, that all aims, purposes, thoughts and desires would coast and land upon Christ, and not upon myself."

From Fountain of Life Opened Up, by John Flavel.

holiness

2006-04-23T07:03:00.000-05:00

"Christ is so in love with holiness, that at the price of his blood he will buy it for us."

From Fountain of Life Opened Up, by John Flavel.

self-centered seeking of Christ

2006-04-22T23:25:00.000-05:00

"Self is a thing may creep into the best hearts and actions; but it only predominates in the hypocrite."

From Fountain of Life Opened Up, by John Flavel.

Whate'er My God Ordains Is Right

2006-04-22T13:53:00.000-05:00

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
His holy will abideth;
I will be still whate’er He doth;
And follow where He guideth;
He is my God; though dark my road,
He holds me that I shall not fall:
Wherefore to Him I leave it all.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
He never will deceive me;
He leads me by the proper path:
I know He will not leave me.
I take, content, what He hath sent;
His hand can turn my griefs away,
And patiently I wait His day.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
His loving thought attends me;
No poison can be in the cup
That my Physician sends me.
My God is true; each morn anew
I’ll trust His grace unending,
My life to Him commending.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
He is my Friend and Father;
He suffers naught to do me harm,
Though many storms may gather,
Now I may know both joy and woe,
Some day I shall see clearly
That He hath loved me dearly.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
Though now this cup, in drinking,
May bitter seem to my faint heart,
I take it, all unshrinking.
My God is true; each morn anew
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart,
And pain and sorrow shall depart.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
Here shall my stand be taken;
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine,
Yet I am not forsaken.
My Father’s care is round me there;
He holds me that I shall not fall:
And so to Him I leave it all.

By Samuel Rodigast (1676), translated by Catherine Winkworth.

Lindsey sent me this hymn as an encouragement. Thank you sister :)

Jesus on behalf of poor miserable souls

2006-04-19T21:46:00.000-05:00

Use 6. Hence judge, How reasonable it is that believers should embrace the hardest terms of obedience unto Christ, who complied with such hard terms for their salvation: they were hard and difficult terms indeed, on which Christ received you from the Father’s hand: it was, as you have heard, to pour out his soul unto death, or not to enjoy a soul of you. Here you may suppose the Father to say, when driving his bargain with Christ for you:

Father: My son, here is a company of poor miserable souls, that have utterly undone themselves, and now lie open to my justice! Justice demands satisfaction for them, or will satisfy itself in the eternal ruin of them: What shall be done for these souls And thus Christ returns.

Son: O my Father, such is my love to, and pity for them, that rather than they shall perish eternally, I will be responsible for them as their Surety; bring in all thy bills, that I may see what they owe thee; Lord, bring them all in, that there may be no after-reckonings with them; at my hand shalt thou require it. I will rather choose to suffer thy wrath than they should suffer it: upon me, my Father, upon me be all their debt.

Father: But, my Son, if thou undertake for them, thou must reckon to pay the last mite, expect no abatements; if I spare them, I will not spare thee.

Son: Content, Father, let it be so; charge it all upon me, I am able to discharge it: and though it prove a kind of undoing to me, though it impoverish all my riches, empty all my treasures, (for so indeed it did, 2 Cor. 8:9 "Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor”) yet I am content to undertake it.

Blush, ungrateful believers, O let shame cover your faces; judge in yourselves now, has Christ deserved that you should stand with him for trifles, that you should shrink at a few petty difficulties, and complain, this is hard, and that is harsh? O if you knew the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in this his wonderful condescension for you, you could not do it.

From Fountain of Life Opened Up, by John Flavel.

This work is a collection of 42 sermons on one topic -- Jesus Christ. This is a wonderful aid to all the saints fighting to love and treasure Christ above all things.
For more quotes from this work go here.
For a PDF of the whole work go here. Print it out and read it.

Idolatry

2006-04-19T20:02:00.000-05:00

"For he loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake."

From Confessions, by Augustine.

(i know...not a puritan)

He will wipe our tears away

2006-04-15T12:52:00.000-05:00

Mary to her Savior’s tomb
Hasted at the early dawn;
Spice she brought, and sweet perfume,
But the Lord, the Loved, was gone.

For awhile she weeping stood,
Struck with sorrow and surprise;
Shedding tears, a plenteous flood,
For her heart supplied her eyes.

Jesus, Who is always near,
Though too often unperceived
Came, His drooping child to cheer,
And inquired, Why she grieved?

Though at first she knew Him not,
When He called her by her name,
Then her griefs were all forgot,
For she found He was the same.

Grief and sighing quickly fled
When she heard His welcome voice;
Just before she thought Him dead,
Now He bids her heart rejoice:

What a change His Word can make,
Turning darkness into day!
You who weep for Jesus’ sake;
He will wipe your tears away.

He Who came to comfort her,
When she thought her all was lost;
Will for your relief appear,
Though you now are tempest-tossed:

On His Word your burden cast,
On His love your thoughts employ;
Weeping for awhile may last,
But the morning brings the joy.

Newton

Happy Easter

Edwards On Sarah, His Wife

2006-04-12T17:06:00.000-05:00

“They say there is a young lady in [New-Haven] who is loved of that Great Being, who made and rules the world, and that there are certain seasons in which this Great Being, in some way or other invisible, comes to her and fills her mind with exceeding sweet delight; and that she hardly cares for any thing, except to meditate on him—that she expects after a while to be received up where he is, to be raised up out of the world and caught up into heaven; being assured that he loves her too well to let her remain at a distance from him always. There she is to dwell with him, and to be ravished with his love and delight for ever. Therefore, if you present all the world before her, with the richest of its treasures, she disregards it and cares not for it, and is unmindful of any pain or affliction. She has a strange sweetness in her mind, and singular purity in her affections; is most just and conscientious in all her conduct; and you could not persuade her to do any thing wrong or sinful, if you would give her all the world, lest she should offend this Great Being. She is of a wonderful sweetness, calmness, and universal benevolence of mind; especially after this Great God has manifested himself to her mind. She will sometimes go about from place to place, singing sweetly; and seems to be always full of joy and pleasure; and no one knows for what. She loves to be alone, walking in the fields and groves, and seems to have some one invisible always conversing with her.”

From The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume I.

Edwards on Repentance

2006-03-22T17:21:00.000-05:00

"Though [repentance] be a deep sorrow for sin that God requires as necessary to salvation, yet the very nature of it necessarily implies delight. Repentance of sin is a sorrow arising from the sight of God's excellency and mercy, but the apprehension of excellency or mercy must necessarily and unavoidably beget pleasure in the mind of the beholder. 'Tis impossible that anyone should see anything that appears to him excellent and not behold it with pleasure, and it's impossible to be affected with the mercy and love of God, and his willingness to be merciful to us and love us, and not be affected with pleasure at the thoughts of [it]; but this is the very affection that begets true repentance. How much sovever of a paradox it may seem, it is true that repentance is a sweet sorrow, so that the more of this sorrow, the more pleasure."

From The Pleasantness of Religion (1723), published in The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards: A Reader.

Humility and Poverty of Spirit

2006-03-21T23:07:00.000-05:00

"Again, another grace that you must earnestly seek the increase of is humility and poverty of spirit. There is no grace whatsover that has so many promises of comfort and of the tokens of God's presence and favor made to it in the Scriptures as such a spirit as this. If you indulge a spirit of pride, a spirit of high conceit of your own godliness or any other qualification, or an ambitious revengeful spirit, a spirit of high resentment in your behavior among men, you will not be likely ever to obtain a steady assurance.

But if you would obtain this, you must earnestly seek that you may be meek and lowly of heart, and be more and more as a lamb, or dove, or a little child."

From I Know My Redeemer Lives (1740), published in The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards: A Reader.

The Pleasantness of Religion

2006-03-20T17:25:00.000-05:00

"There is no pleasure but what brings more of sorrow than of pleasure, but what the godly man either does or may enjoy."

"Religion brings no new trouble upon a man but what brings more of pleasure than of trouble."

From The Pleasantness of Religion (1723), by Jonathan Edwards.
This is one of the sermons that is not published in the Works Volumes. It can be found in The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards: A Reader published by Yale University Press.

St. Patrick's Day

2006-03-17T18:55:00.000-05:00

"For there is no other God, nor ever was before, nor shall be hereafter, but God the Father, unbegotten and without beginning, in whom all things began, whose are all things, as we have been taught; and his son Jesus Christ, who manifestly always existed with the Father, before the beginning of time in the spirit with the Father, indescribably begotten before all things, and all things visible and invisible were made by him. He was made man, conquered death and was received into Heaven, to the Father who gave him all power over every name in Heaven and on Earth and in Hell, so that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and God, in whom we believe. And we look to his imminent coming again, the judge of the living and the dead, who will render to each according to his deeds. And he poured out his Holy Spirit on us in abundance, the gift and pledge of immortality, which makes the believers and the obedient into sons of God and co-heirs of Christ who is revealed, and we worship one God in the Trinity of holy name."

From The 'Confessio' of St. Patrick.
(sorry, not a puritan quote)

Lo!, He Comes

2006-03-09T15:24:00.000-05:00

Lo! He comes with clouds descending,
Once for favored sinners slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending,
Swell the triumph of His train:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
God appears on earth to reign.

Every eye shall now behold Him
Robed in dreadful majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold Him,
Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
Shall the true Messiah see.

Every island, sea, and mountain,
Heav’n and earth, shall flee away;
All who hate Him must, confounded,
Hear the trump proclaim the day:
Come to judgment! Come to judgment! Come to judgment!
Come to judgment! Come away!

Now redemption, long expected,
See in solemn pomp appear;
All His saints, by man rejected,
Now shall meet Him in the air:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
See the day of God appear!

Answer Thine own bride and Spirit,
Hasten, Lord, the general doom!
The new Heav’n and earth t’inherit,
Take Thy pining exiles home:
All creation, all creation, all creation,
Travails! groans! and bids Thee come!

The dear tokens of His passion
Still His dazzling body bears;
Cause of endless exultation
To His ransomed worshippers;
With what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture
Gaze we on those glorious scars!

Yea, Amen! let all adore Thee,
High on Thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the power and glory,
Claim the kingdom for Thine own;
O come quickly! O come quickly! O come quickly!
Everlasting God, come down!

Charles Wesley

Be still, my soul

2006-02-21T19:25:00.000-05:00

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, be leaving, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

Katharina A. von Schlegel

contentment for man and wife

2006-02-13T10:52:00.000-05:00

"Many times in a family, when any affliction befalls them, Oh, what an amount of discontent is there between man and wife! If they are crossed in their possessions at land, or have bad news from across the seas, or if those whom they trusted are ruined and the like, or perhaps something in the family causes strife between man and wife, in reference to the children or servants, and there is nothing but quarrelling and discontent among them, now they are many times burdened with their own discontent; and perhaps will say one to another, It is very uncomfortable for us to live so discontented as we do. But have you ever tried this way, husband and wife? Have you ever got alone and said, 'Come, Oh let us go and humble our souls before God together, let us go into our chamber and humble our souls before God for our sin, by which we have abused those mercies that God has taken away from us, and we have provoked God against us. Oh let us charge ourselves with our sin, and be humbled before the Lord together.'? Have you tried such a way as this? Oh you would find that the cloud would be taken away, and the sun would shine in upon you, and you would have a great deal more contentment than ever you had. If a man's estate is broken, either by plunderers, or any other way; how shall this man have contentment? How? By the breaking of his heart. God has broken your estate; Oh seek to him for the breaking of your heart likewise. Indeed, a broken estate and a whole heart, a hard heart, will not join together; there will be no contentment. But a broken estate and a broken heart will so suit one another, as that there will be more contentment than there was before. Add therefore to the breaking of your estate, the breaking of your heart, and that is the way to be contented in a Christian manner, which is the third mystery in Christian contentment."

From The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, by Jeremiah Burroughs.

weeping

2006-02-08T16:15:00.000-05:00

"Such as will not weep with Peter shall weep like Judas."

From The Doctrine of Repentance, by Thomas Watson.

charge your soul with your sin

2006-02-06T20:52:00.000-05:00

"You will say, this is a strange way for a man or woman to get ease to their condition, to lay a greater burden upon them when they are already burdened? You think there is no other way, when you are afflicted, but to be jolly and merry, and get into company. Oh no, you are deceived, your burden will come again. Alas, this is a poor way to get one's spirit quieted; poor man, the burden will be upon him again. If you would have your burden light, get alone and examine your heart for your sin, and charge your soul with your sin..."

"...if you so fall to bemoaning your sin before the Lord, you shall quickly find the burden of your affliction to be lighter than it was before."

From The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, by Jeremiah Burroughs.

not my deserving

2006-02-01T00:21:00.000-05:00

Ah, Holy Jesus, How Hast Thou Offended

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast Thou offended,
That man to judge Thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by Thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.

Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon Thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone Thee.
’Twas I, Lord, Jesus, I it was denied Thee!
I crucified Thee.

Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
For man’s atonement, while he nothing heedeth,
God intercedeth.

For me, kind Jesus, was Thy incarnation,
Thy mortal sorrow, and Thy life’s oblation;
Thy death of anguish and Thy bitter passion,
For my salvation.

Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay Thee,
I do adore Thee, and will ever pray Thee,
Think on Thy pity and Thy love unswerving,
Not my deserving.

Johann Heermann, c. 1630.
Translated by Robert Bridges, 1899.

Johann Heermann is not exactly a puritan, but this is a great hymn.

secret fasting

2006-01-26T23:31:00.000-05:00

"...But particularly, his example and success with regard to one duty, in an especial manner, may be of great use to both ministers and private Christians; I mean the duty of secret fasting. The reader has seen, how much Mr. Brainerd recommends this duty, and how frequently he exercised himself in it; nor can it well have escaped observation, how much he was owned and blessed in it, and of what great benefit it evidently was to his soul. Among all the many days he spent in secret fasting and prayer, that he gives an account of in his diary, there is scarce an instance of one, but what was either attended or soon followed with apparent success, and a remarkable blessing, in special incomes and consolations of God's Spirit; and very often, before the day was ended.--But it must be observed, that when he set about this duty, he did it in good earnest; "stirring up himself to take hold of God," and "continuing instant in prayer," with much of the spirit of Jacob, who said to the angel, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me."

From The Life of David Brainerd, ed. Norman Pettit, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 7, (New Haven: Yale University Press)

birth-day

2006-01-20T05:58:00.000-05:00

“Wednesday, April 20. Set apart this day for fasting and prayer, to bow my soul before God for the bestowment of divine grace; especially that all my spiritual afflictions and inward distresses might be sanctified to my soul. And endeavoured also to remember the goodness of God to me the year past, this day being my birth-day. Having obtained help of God, I have hitherto lived, and am now arrived at the age of twenty-five years. My soul was pained to think of my barrenness and deadness; that I have lived so little to the glory of the eternal God. I spent the day in the woods alone, and there poured out my complaint to God; O that God would enable me to live to his glory for the future!"

From The Life and Diary of Rev. David Brainerd, by Jonathan Edwards. Works, Volume II.

This is a full year in the diary after the last post, not the following day.

Happy Birthday Nick - you are a blessing brother.

prayer and fasting

2006-01-19T00:46:00.000-05:00

“Monday, April 19. I set apart this day for fasting, and prayer to God for his grace; especially to prepare me for the work of the ministry, to give me divine aid and direction in my preparations for that great work, and in his own time to send me into his harvest. Accordingly, in the morning, I endeavoured to plead for the divine presence for the day, and not without some life. In the forenoon, I felt the power of intercession for precious, immortal souls; for the advancement of the kingdom of my dear Lord and Saviour in the word; and withal, a most sweet resignation, and even consolation and joy in the thoughts of suffering hardships, distresses, and even death itself, in the promotion of it; and had special enlargement in pleading for the enlightening and conversion of the poor heathen. In the afternoon, God was with me of a truth. O it was blessed company indeed! God enabled me so to agonize in prayer, that I was quite wet with perspiration, though in the shade, and the cool wind. My soul was drawn out very much for the world; for multitudes of souls. I think I had more enlargement for sinners, than for the children of God; though I felt as if I could spend my life in cries for both. I enjoyed great sweetness in communion with my dear Saviour. I think I never in my life felt such an entire weanedness from this world, and so much resigned to God in every thing. O that I may always live to and upon my blessed God! Amen, Amen."

From The Life and Diary of Rev. David Brainerd, by Jonathan Edwards. Works, Volume II

Evangelist encourages Christian and Faithful

2006-01-14T21:03:00.000-05:00

The crown is before you, and it is an incorruptible one; so run that you may obtain it¹. Some there be that set out for this crown, and after they have gone far for it, another comes in, and takes it from them; hold fast therefore that you have, let no man take your crown². You are not yet out of the gun-shot of the Devil; you have not resisted unto blood, striving against sin³; let the Kingdom be always before you, and believe stedfastly concerning things that are invisible⁴. Let nothing that is on this side the other world get within you⁵; and above all, look well to your own hearts, and to the lusts thereof, for they are deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked⁶; set your faces like a flint; you have all power in Heaven and Earth on your side.

¹ 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27

² Revelation 3: 11

³ Hebrews 12: 4

⁴ 2 Corinthians 4:18, Hebrews 11:3

⁵ James 4: 4, 1 John 2:16

⁶ Jeremiah 17: 9

[read all Scripture texts]

From The Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan. This is a good book.

Consistency of character

2006-01-09T23:39:00.000-05:00

These Resolutions afford ample testimony how much the author had entered into the spirit of 1 Cor. x. 31. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. They also illustrate his views of the importance of consistency of character. He was not content with accurate views of truth, or any kind of outward profession, apart from holy consistency of character. He studied, he admired, and he exhibited the influence of the gospel; a walk “worthy of the vocation wherewith he was called” was the elevated object at which he ardently aimed. He well knew that the followers of Christ are required “to hold forth the word of life,” to shine as lights in the world, to instruct by their examples as well as by their words; and he desired to honour God by presenting to the view of the members of the spiritual kingdom, and also of the world, an example which might declare the reality and the beauty of religion. It is further manifest from these Resolutions, that his mind was most anxious for daily advancement in every branch of holiness. An active spiritual principle existed in him, which caused him to press forward; whatever might be the obstacles in his way. He could not be contented while one sin remained in him, while one grace was defective, or a single duty engaged in but imperfectly. He longed for the holy perfection of the heavenly world, and anticipated with joy that day when he should awake with the Divine likeness. It cannot be a matter of surprise that with these sentiments and feelings he attained an exaltation of character seldom equaled and perhaps never surpassed.

From Volume I of The Works of Jonathan Edwards (Referring to Edward's Resolutions.)

Self-loathing (Ezek. 36:31)

2006-01-06T17:40:00.000-05:00

Resolution 8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God.

Diary. Tuesday night, July 30. Have concluded to endeavor to work myself into duties by searching and tracing back all the real reasons why I do them not, and narrowly searching out all the subtle subterfuges of my thoughts, and answering them to the utmost of my power, that I may know what are the very first originals of my defect, as with respect to want of repentance, love to God, loathing of myself, - to do this sometimes in sermons. - Vid. Resolution 8. Especially, to take occasion there from, to bewail those sins of which I have been guilty, that are akin to them; as for instance, from pride in others, to take occasion to bewail my pride; from their malice, to take occasion to bewail my evil speaking: and so of other sins. Mem. To receive slanders and reproaches, as glorious opportunities of doing this.

From Volume I of The Works of Jonathan Edwards.

resolutions

2006-01-01T00:18:00.000-05:00

"Wednesday, Jan. 2. Dull. I find, by experience, that, let me make resolutions, and do what I will, with never so many inventions, it is all nothing, and to no purpose at all, without the motions of the Spirit of God; for if the Spirit of God should be as much withdrawn from me always, as for the week past, notwithstanding all I do, I should not grow, but should languish, and miserably fade away. I perceive, if God should withdraw his Spirit a little more, I should not hesitate to break my resolutions, and should soon arrive at my old state. There is no dependence on myself. Our resolutions may be at the highest one day, and yet, the next day, we may be in a miserable dead condition, not at all like the same person who resolved. So that it is to no purpose to resolve, except we depend on the grace of God. For if it were not for his mere grace, one might be a very good man one day, and a very wicked one the next. I find also by experience, that there is no guessing on the ends of Providence, in particular dispensations towards me — any otherwise than as afflictions come as corrections for sin, and God intends when we meet with them, to desire us to look back on our ways, and see wherein we have done amiss, and lament that particular sin, and all our sins, before him: — knowing this, also, that all things shall work together for our good; not knowing in what way, indeed, but trusting in God."

From DIARY in Volume I of The Works of Jonathan Edwards.
Click here to read the list of The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards.

Behold the infinite love of Christ

2005-12-25T13:22:00.000-05:00

Use one: Of instruction. (1) See here, as in a glass, the infinite love of God the Father; that when we had lost ourselves by sin, God, in the riches of his grace, sent forth his Son, made of a woman, to redeem us. And behold the infinite love of Christ, in that he was willing thus to condescend to take our flesh. Surely the angels would have disdained to have taken our flesh; it would have been a disparagement to them. What king would be willing to wear sackcloth over his cloth of gold? but Christ did not disdain to take our flesh. Oh the love of Christ! Had not Christ been made flesh, we had been made a curse; had he not been incarnate, we had been incarcerate, and had been for ever in prison. Well might an angel be the herald to proclaim this joyful news of Christ's incarnation: 'Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy; for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.'

From Christ's Humiliation in His Incarnation in Body of Divinity, by Thomas Watson.

Augustine on Christmas

2005-12-24T19:32:00.000-05:00

He, through whom time was made, was made in time;
and He, older by eternity that the world itself, was younger in age than many of His servants in the world;
He, who made man, was made man;
He was given existence by a mother whom He brought into existence;
He was carried in hands which He formed;
He nursed at breasts which He filled;
He cried like a babe in the manger in speechless infancy -- this Word without which human eloquence is speechless!

Sermon on Christmas, by Augustine of Hippo.

Again, not-puritan, but a great encouragement.

The Lion

2005-12-07T20:37:00.000-05:00

"Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again."

I know - not a puritan quote, but I just finished The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis.
Michael Lawrence from Capitol Hill Baptist Church is doing a sermon series on this - the first one is titled The True Lion. Download it here. He is also doing 2 more in the coming weeks: The Witch's End and This World's Wordrobe.

Edwards on slandering

2005-11-26T19:36:00.000-05:00

Object. But must we, in no case, speak evil of another; or may we not speak of another’s sin in any case?—

Solution 1. It is a very hard matter to speak evil of another without sin.—In one way or another, we shall dash upon the command: better let it alone.—If you speak of the failings of another, it should be with tenderness and grief; as, when they are incorrigible, and likely to infect others; or when it is for the manifest glory of God.—To them that receive the slander, he is a slanderer, who wrongs his neighbour’s credit, by upholding an ill report against him.

The Works of Jonathan Edwards. Volume I. His diary: Saturday noon, July 20.

My sincere apologies for the lack of updates. I have been occupied reading "non-puritan" books, especially C.J. Mahaney's new book: Humility - True Greatness.

no sickness unless of Love

2005-10-03T22:30:00.000-05:00

Motive #14 for repentance...

"14. The happy and glorious reward that follows upon repentance

'Being made free from sin, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life' (Rom. 6.22). The leaves and root of the figtree are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. Repentance to the fleshy part seems bitter, but behold sweet fruit: everlasting life. The Turks fancy after this life an Elysium or paradise of pleasure, where dainty dishes will be served in, and they will have gold in abundance, silken and purple apparel, and angels will bring them red wine in silver cups, and golden plates. Here is an epicure's heaven. But in the true paradise of God there are astonishing delights and rare viands served in, which 'eye hath not seen, neither have entered into the heart of man' (1 Cor. 2.9). God will lead his penitents from the house of mourning to the banqueting house. There will be no sight there but of glory, no noise but of music, no sickness unless of love. There shall be holiness unspotted and joy unspeakable. Then the saints shall forget their solitary hours and be sweetly solacing themselves in God and bathing in the rivers of divine pleasure.

O Christian, what are your duties compared with the recompense of reward? What an infinite disproportion is there between repentance enjoined and glory prepared? There was a feastday at Rome, when they used to crown their fountains. God will crown those heads which have been fountains of tears. Who would not be willing to be a while in the house of mourning who shall be possessed of such glory as put Peter and John into an ecstasy to see it even darkly, shadowed and portrayed in the transfiguration (Matt.17)? This reward which free grace gives is so transcendently great that could we have but a glimpse of glory revealed to us here, we should need patience to be content to live any longer. O blessed repentance, that has such a light side with the dark, and has so much sugar at the bottom of the bitter cup!"

From The Doctrine of Repentance, by Thomas Watson.

Forsake Not the Assembling

2005-09-17T23:27:00.000-05:00

By God's all-wise appointment, our assemblies are the food and the nourishment of our souls. It is the main way whereby we publicly identify with Christ and His Gospel. We evidence our love for Christ by our loyalty and support of one another in opposition to all false worship. Many things will rise up in competition to the diligent attendance of our assemblies. We must recognize and refuse to give into anything that is opposed to what Christ commands. The total falling away of a graceless professor always begins with this neglect, this disassociation with God's people.

-John Owen

communion with God

2005-09-16T01:11:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, April 28. I withdrew to my usual place of retirement in great peace and tranquillity, spent about two hours in secret duties, and felt much as I did yesterday morning, only weaker and more overcome. I seemed to depend wholly on my dear Lord; wholly weaned from all other dependences. I knew not what to say to my God, but only lean on his bosom, as it were, and breathe, out my desires after a perfect conformity to him in all things. Thirsting desires, and insatiable longings, possessed my soul after perfect holiness. God was so precious to my soul, that the world with all its enjoyments was infinitely vile. I had no more value for the favour of men, than for pebbles. The Lord was my All; and that he overruled all, greatly delighted me. I think, my faith and dependence on God scarce ever rose so high. I saw him such a fountain of goodness, that it seemed impossible I should distrust him again, or be any way anxious about any thing that should happen to me. I now enjoyed great sweetness in praying for absent friends, and for the enlargement of Christ’s kingdom in the world. Much of the power of these divine enjoyments remained with me through the day. In the evening my heart seemed to melt, and, I trust, was really humbled for indwelling corruption, and I mourned like a dove. I felt, that all my unhappiness arose from my being a sinner. With resignation I could bid welcome to all other trials; but sin hung heavy upon me; for God discovered to me the corruption of my heart. I went to bed with a heavy heart, because I was a sinner; though I did not in the least doubt of God’s love. O that God would purge away my dross, and take away my tin, and make me seven times refined!

From The Life and Diary of David Brainerd in Works of Jonathan Edwards - Volume 2.

Providence

2005-09-12T22:52:00.000-05:00

God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.

From The Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter V.

Behind a Frowning Providence

2005-09-01T16:32:00.000-05:00

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

-- William Cowper

resolutions...part 3

2005-08-29T17:50:00.000-05:00

22. Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.

28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

32. Resolved, to be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that that, in Proverbs 20:6, "A faithful man who can find?" may not be partly fulfilled in me.

From Resolutions, Works of Jonathan Edwards - Volume 1.

get good books into your houses

2005-08-26T12:44:00.000-05:00

“Get books into your houses, when you have not the spring near you, then get water into your cisterns; so when you have not that wholesome preaching that you desire, good books are cisterns that hold the water of life in them to refresh you.... So when you find a chillness upon your souls, and that your former heat begins to abate, ply yourselves with warm clothes, get those good books that may acquaint you with such truths as may warm and affect your hearts."

Thomas Watson.

...more resolutions

2005-08-25T10:06:00.000-05:00

10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.

25. Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.

From Resolutions, Works of Jonathan Edwards - Volume 1.

self-abasement

2005-08-20T14:09:00.000-05:00

8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God.

From Resolutions, Works of Jonathan Edwards - Volume 1.

God's goodness

2005-08-11T13:02:00.000-05:00

"I was eager for fame and wealth and marriage, but You only derided these ambitions. They caused me to suffer the most galling difficulties, but the less you allowed me to find pleasure in anything that was not Yourself, the greater I know, was Your goodness to me. Look into my heart, O Lord, for it was Your will that I should remember these things and confess them to you. I pray now that my soul may cling to You, for it was You who released it from the deadly snare in which it was so firmly caught. It was in a state of misery and you probed its wound to the quick, pricking it on to leave all else and turn to you to be healed, to turn to you who are above all things and without whom nothing could exist."

From Confessions, by Augustine. Book VI.
translation by R.S. Pine - Coffin.

I know, definitly NOT a "puritan" quote. But doubtless, Augustine and our puritan fathers shared the same God.

persuade yourself

2005-08-10T22:18:00.000-05:00

XXXIII. To JOHN CLARK, a parishioner

LOVING BROTHER, - Hold fast Christ without wavering and contend for
the faith, because Christ is not easily gotten nor kept. The lazy
professor has put heaven as it were at the next door, and thinketh to
fly up to heaven in his bed and in a night-dream; but, truly, that is
not so easy a thing as most men believe. Christ Himself did sweat ere
He wan this city, howbeit He was the freeborn heir. It is
Christianity, my heart, to be sincere, unfeigned, honest and upright
hearted before God, and to live and serve God, suppose there was not
one man nor woman in all the world dwelling beside you, to eye you.
Any little grace that ye have, see that it be sound and true.
Ye may put a difference betwixt you and reprobates, if ye have these
marks. -
1. If ye prize Christ and His truth so as ye will sell all and buy Him; and suffer for it.
2. If the love of Christ keepeth youback from sinning, more than the law, or fear of hell.
3. If ye be humble, and deny your own will, wit, credit, ease, honor, the world, and the vanity and glory of it.
4. Your profession must not be barren and void of good works.
5. Ye must in all things aim at God's honor; ye must eat, drink, sleep, buy, sell, sit, stand, speak, pray, read,
and hear the word, with a heart-purpose that God may be honored.
6. Ye must show yourself an enemy to sin, and reprove the works of darkness, such as drunkenness, swearing, and lying, albeit the company should
hate you for so doing.
7. Keep in mind the truth of God, that ye heard me teach, and have nothing to do with the corruptions and new guises
entered into the house of God.
8. Make conscience of your calling, in covenants, in buying and selling.
9. Acquaint yourself with daily praying; commit all your ways and actions to God, by prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving; and count not much of being mocked; for Christ Jesus was mocked before you.

Persuade yourself, that this is the way of peace and comfort which I
now suffer for. I dare go to death and into eternity with it, though
men may possibly see another way. Remember me in your prayers, and the
state of this oppressed church. Grace be with you.

Your soul's well-wisher.

From The Letters of Samuel Rutherford.

Counterfeit Repentance (part 3)

2005-07-30T22:15:00.000-05:00

The third deceit about repentance is the leaving of many sinful ways It is a great matter, I confess, to leave sin. So dear is sin to a man that he will rather part with a child than with a lust: `Shall I give the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?' (Mic. 6.7). Sin may be parted with, yet without repentance.
(1) A man may part with some sins and keep others, as Herod reformed many things that were amiss but could not leave his incest.
(2) An old sin may be left in order to entertain a new, as you put off an old servant to take another. This is to exchange a sin. Sin may be exchanged and the heart remained unchanged. He who was a prodigal in his youth turns usurer in his old age. A slave is sold to a Jew; the Jew sells him to a Turk. Here the master is changed, but he is a slave still. So a man moves from one vice to another but remains a sinner still.
(3) A sin may be left not so much from strength of grace as from reasons of prudence. A man sees that though such a sin be for his pleasure, yet it is not for his interest. It will eclipse his credit, prejudice his health, impair his estate. Therefore, for prudential reasons, he dismisses it. True leaving of sin is when the acts of sin cease from the infusion of a principle of grace, as the air ceases to be dark from the infusion of light.

From The Doctrine of Repentance, by Thomas Watson.
Read part 1 and part 2.

heart-silence

2005-07-26T22:01:00.000-05:00

As tongue-service abstracted from heart-service is no service in the account of God (Is. 29:13, Matt. 15:8,9); so tongue-silence abstracted from heart-silence is no silence in the esteem of God.

From A mute Christian under the smarting rod; With Sovereign antidotes for every case. A Christian with an olive leaf in his mouth, when under the greatest afflictions, trials, troubles, and darkest providences; with answers to questions and objections, calculated to promote submission and silence under all the changes that may be experienced in this world, by Thomas Brooks.

Psalm 19:13

2005-07-25T22:20:00.000-05:00

“Sin turns all God's grace into wantonness; it is the dare of his justice, the rape of his mercy, the jeer of his patience, the slight of his power, and the contempt of his love.”

From MR. JOHN BUNYAN'S DYING SAYINGS, The Works of John Bunyan, Volume 1

contentment

2005-07-21T17:30:00.000-05:00

"A soul that is capable of God can be filled with nothing else but God; nothing but God can fill a soul that is capable of God."

From The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, by Jeremiah Burroughs.

know and love God

2005-07-20T11:20:00.001-05:00

"Strangeness is the mother and nurse of disaffection for God"
- Stephen Charnock

God's Invincible Purpose

2005-07-16T10:09:00.000-05:00

"...the means that God has set apart for the effecting of any thing are included in the purpose that he has to bring that thing to pass."

From The Bruised Reed, by Richard Sibbes.

Affliction is the best bit of furniture in my house

2005-07-12T09:07:00.000-05:00

"It would be a very sharp and trying experience to me to think that I have an affliction which God never sent me, that the bitter cup was never filled by his hand, that my trials were never measured out by him, nor sent to me by his arrangement of their weight and quantity"

"I dare say the greatest earthly blessing that God can give to any of us is health, with the exception of sickness ... If some men, that I know of could only be favoured with a month of rheumatism, it would, by God's grace mellow them marvelously"

"I am afraid that all the grace that I have got of my comfortable and easy times and happy hours, might almost lie on a penny. But the good that I have received from my sorrows, and pains, and griefs, is altogether incalculable ... Affliction is the best bit of furniture in my house. It is the best book in a minister's library"

Charles Spurgeon

Fighting despondency

2005-07-11T20:05:00.000-05:00

"I was lying upon my couch during this last week, and my spirits were sunken so low that I could weep by the hour like a child, and yet I knew not what I wept for—"

"Brethren, despondency is not a virtue; I believe it is a vice. I am heartily ashamed of myself for falling into it, but I am sure there is no remedy for it like a holy faith in God."

"...Causeless depression is not to be reasoned with, nor can David's harp charm it away by sweet discoursings. As well fight with the mist as with this shapeless, undefinable, yet all-beclouding hopelessness. One affords himself no pity when in this case, because it seems so unreasonable, and even sinful to be troubled without manifest cause; and yet troubled the man is, even in the very depths of his spirit. If those who laugh at such melancholy did but feel the grief of it for one hour, their laughter would he sobered into compassion. Resolution might, perhaps, shake it off, but where are we to find the resolution when the whole man is unstrung? The physician and the divine may unite their skill in such cases, and both find their hands full, and more than full. The iron bolt which so mysteriously fastens the door of hope and holds our spirits in gloomy prison, needs a heavenly hand to push it back..."

From Sermons of Charles Spurgeon.
(technically, not a puritan -- but esteemed by many as one born out of time)

Psalm 39:9

2005-07-10T21:01:00.000-05:00

"If God's hand be not seen in the affliction, the heart will do nothing but fret and rage under affliction."

From A mute Christian under the smarting rod; With Sovereign antidotes for every case. A Christian with an olive leaf in his mouth, when under the greatest afflictions, trials, troubles, and darkest providences; with answers to questions and objections, calculated to promote submission and silence under all the changes that may be experienced in this world, by Thomas Brooks.

Support the weak

2005-07-09T09:04:00.000-05:00

"Mercy to others should move us to deny ourselves in our liberties oftentimes, in case of offending weak ones. It is the `little ones' that are offended (Matt. 18:6). The weakest are most ready to think themselves despised; therefore we should be most careful to give them satisfaction. It would be a good contest amongst Christians, one to labour to give no offence, and the other to labour to take none. The best men are severe to themselves, tender over others."

helpful text : Romans 15:1

From The Bruised Reed, by Richard Sibbes.

Grace is mingled with corruption

2005-06-29T15:17:00.000-05:00

"But grace is not only little, but mingled with corruption; therefore a Christian is said to be smoking flax. So we see that grace does not do away with corruption all at once, but some is left for believers to fight with. The purest actions of the purest men need Christ to perfume them; and this is his office. When we pray, we need to pray again for Christ to pardon the defects of our prayers."

From The Bruised Reed, by Richard Sibbes.

Soul stilling

2005-06-28T00:04:00.000-05:00

"Fifthly, A holy silence takes in gracious, blessed, soul-quieting conclusions about the issue and event of those afflictions that are upon us, Lam. 3:27-34. In this choice scripture you may observe these five soul-stilling conclusions.

(1.) First, and that more generally, That they shall work for their good ver. 27, 'It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.' A gracious soul secretly concludes, as stars shine brightest in the night, so God will make my soul shine and glister like gold, whilst I am in this furnace, and when I come out of the furnace of affliction: Job 23:10, 'He knoweth the way that I take; and when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.'

Surely, as the tasting of honey did open Jonathan’s eyes, so this cross, this affliction, shall open mine eyes; by this stroke I shall come to have a clearer sight of my sins and of myself, and a fuller sight of my God, Job 33:27, 28; 40:4, 5; 13:1-7.

Surely this affliction shall issue in the purging away of my dross, Isa. 1:25.

Surely as ploughing of the ground killeth the weeds, and harrowing breaketh hard clods, so these afflictions shall kill my sins, and soften my heart, Hosea 5:15, 6:1-3.

Surely as the plaster draws out the core, so the afflictions that are upon me shall draw out the core of pride, the core of self-love, the core of envy, the core of earthliness, the core of formality, the core of hypocrisy, Pa. 119:67, 71.

Surely by these the Lord will crucify my heart more and more to the world, and the world to my heart, Gal. 5:14; Ps. 131:1-3.

Surely by these afflictions the Lord will hide pride from any soul, Job 33:14-21.

Surely these afflictions are but the Lord's pruning-knives, by which he will bleed my sins, and prune my heart, and make it more fertile and fruitful; they are but the Lord’s portion, by which he will clear me, and rid me of those spiritual diseases and maladies, which are most deadly and dangerous to my soul…

…Surely these shall increase my spiritual experiences, Rom. 5:3, 4.

Surely by these I shall be made more partaker of God's holiness, Heb. 12:10. As black soap makes white clothes, so doth sharp afflictions make holy hearts.

Surely by these God will communicate more of himself unto me, Hosea 2:14.

Surely by these afflictions the Lord will draw out my heart more and more to seek him, Isa. 26:16. Tatianus told the heathen Greeks, that when they were sick, then they would send for their gods to be with them, as Aganmemnon did at the siege of Troy, send for his ten councillors. Hosea 5:15, 'In their afflictions they will seek me early,' or as the Hebrew hath it, 'they will morning me;' in times of affliction, Christians will industriously, speedily, early seek unto the Lord.

Surely by these trials and troubles the Lord will fix my soul more than ever upon the great concernments of another world, John 14:1-3; Rom. 8:17, 18; 2 Cor. 4:16-18.

Surely by these afflictions the Lord will work in me more tenderness and compassion towards those that are afflicted, Heb. 10:34, 13:3…

…Surely these are but God's love-tokens: Rev. 3:19, 'As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.' …saith the holy Christian, O my soul! be quiet, be still; all is in love, all is a fruit of divine favour. I see honey upon the top of every twig, I see the rod is but a rosemary, branch, I have sugar with my gall, and wine with my wormwood; therefore be silent, O my soul! And this general conclusion, that all should be for good, had this blessed eject upon the church: Lam. 3:28, 'He sitteth alone, and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.’

Afflictions abase the loveliness of the world without, that might entice us; it abates the lustiness of the flesh within, which might else ensnare us! And it abates the spirit in its quarrel against the flesh and the world; by all which it proves a mighty advantage unto us."

From A mute Christian under the smarting rod; With Sovereign antidotes for every case. A Christian with an olive leaf in his mouth, when under the greatest afflictions, trials, troubles, and darkest providences; with answers to questions and objections, calculated to promote submission and silence under all the changes that may be experienced in this world, by Thomas Brooks.

Counterfeit Repentance (part 2)

2005-06-03T17:27:00.000-05:00

"Another deceit about repentance is resolution against sin.
A person may purpose and make vows, yet be no penitent. `Thou saidst, I will not transgress' (Jer. 2.20). Here was a resolution; but see what follows: `under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot'. Notwithstanding her solemn engagements, she played fast and loose with God and ran after her idols. We see by experience what protestations a person will make when he is on his sick-bed, if God should recover him again; yet he is as bad as ever. He shows his old heart in a new temptation.

Resolutions against sin may arise:
(1) From present extremity; not because sin is sinful, but because it is painful. This resolution will vanish.
(2) From fear of future evil, an apprehension of death and hell: `I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him' (Rev. 6.8). What will not a sinner do, what vows will he not make, when he knows he must die and stand before the judgment-seat? Self-love raises a sick-bed vow, and love of sin will prevail against it. Trust not to a passionate resolution; it is raised in a storm and will die in a calm."

From The Doctrine of Repentance, by Thomas Watson.

Counterfeit Repentance

2005-06-02T19:09:00.000-05:00

"The first deceit of repentance is legal terror. A man has gone on long in sin. At last God arrests him, shows him what desperate hazard he has run, and he is filled with anguish. Within a while the tempest of conscience is blown over, and he is quiet. Then he concludes that he is a true penitent because he has felt some bitterness in sin. Do not be deceived: this is not repentance. Ahab and Judas had some trouble of mind. It is one thing to be a terrified sinner and another to be a repenting sinner. Sense of guilt is enough to breed terror. Infusion of grace breeds repentance. If pain and trouble were sufficient to repentance, then the damned in hell should be most penitent, for they are most in anguish. Repentance depends upon a change of heart. There may be terror, yet with no change of heart."

From The Doctrine of Repentance, by Thomas Watson.

have you shaken hands with Christ in earnest

2005-05-30T22:32:00.000-05:00

"I fear that you have never known me well. If you saw my inner side, it is possible that you would pity me, but you would hardly give me either love or respect. Men mistake me the whole length of the heavens. My sins prevail over me, and terrors of their guiltiness. I am put often to ask if Christ and I did ever shake hands together in earnest."

From Letters of Samuel Rutherford, a letter to David Dickson.

weak souls, fly to Christ

2005-05-27T18:04:00.000-05:00

"Some again are haunted with hideous representations to their imaginations, and with vile and unworthy thoughts of God, of Christ, of the Word, which, as busy flies, disquiet and molest their peace. These are cast in like wildfire by Satan, as may be discerned by the strangeness, the strength and violence, and the horribleness of them even to corrupt nature. A pious soul is no more guilty of them than Benjamin was when Joseph's cup was put into his sack. Among other helps recommended by godly writers, such as detestation of them and diversion from them to other things, let this be one, to complain to Christ against them, and to fly under the wings of his protection, and to desire him to take our part against his and our enemy."

From The Bruised Reed, by Richard Sibbes.

Let no intrusion into your private room

2005-05-26T15:19:00.000-05:00

"It [quietness of spirit] is opposed to distracting, heart-consuming cares. A gracious heart so esteems its union with Christ and the work that God sets it about that it will not willingly suffer anything to come in to choke it or deaden it. A Christian is desirous that the Word of God should take such full possession as to divide between soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12), but he would not allow the fear and noise of evil tidings to take such a hold in his soul as to make a division and struggling there, like the twins in Rebekah's womb. A great man will permit common people to stand outside his doors, but he will not let them come in and make a noise in his closet or bedroom when he deliberately retires from all worldly business. So a well-tempered spirit may enquire after things outside in the world, and suffer some ordinary cares and fears to break into the suburbs of the soul, so as to touch lightly upon the thoughts. Yet it will not on any account allow an intrusion into the private room, which should be wholly reserved for Jesus Christ as his inward temple."

From The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, by Jeremiah Burroughs.

Discern your claim to Christ's mercy

2005-05-26T15:03:00.000-05:00

"This may serve for a trial to discern who may lay just claim to Christ's mercy. Only those that will take his yoke and count it a greater happiness to be under his government than to enjoy any liberty of the flesh; that will take whole Christ, and not single out of him what may stand with their present contentment; that will not divide Lord from Jesus, and so make a Christ of their own, may make this claim. None ever did truly desire mercy for pardon but desired mercy for healing. David prays for a new spirit, as well as for a sense of pardoning mercy (Psa. 51:10)."

From The Bruised Reed, by Richard Sibbes.
(apologies for the lack of updates, i've not had internet for a while)

hate sin

2005-05-08T21:52:00.000-05:00

"...there is a hatred or loathing of abominations: 'Ye shall loathe yourselves for your iniquities' (Ezek. 36.31). A true penitent is a sinloather. If a man loathe that which makes his stomach sick, much more will he loathe that which makes his conscience sick. It is more to loathe sin than to leave it. One may leave sin for fear, as in a storm the plate and jewels are cast overboard, but the nauseating and loathing of sin argues a detestation of it. Christ is never loved till sin be loathed. Heaven is never longed for till sin be loathed. When the soul sees an issue of blood running, he cries out, Lord, when shall I be freed from this body of death? When shall I put off these filthy garments of sin and have the fair mitre of glory set upon my head? Let all my selflove be turned into selfloathing (Zech. 3.4-5). We are never more precious in God's eyes than when we are lepers in our own."

From The Doctrine of Repentance, by Thomas Watson.

The Awakened Sinner

2005-05-07T20:43:00.000-05:00

O my forgetful soul,

Awake from thy wandering dream;
turn from chasing vanities,
look inward, forward, upward,
view thyself,
reflect upon thyself,
who and what thou art, why here,
what thou must soon be.
Thou art a creature of God,
formed and furnished by him,
lodged in a body like a shepherd in his tent;
Dost thou not desire to know God’s ways?

O God,
Thou injured, neglected, provoked Benefactor
when I think upon thy greatness and thy goodness
I am ashamed at my insensibility,
I blush to lift up my face,
for I have foolishly erred.
Shall I go on neglecting thee,
when every one of thy rational creatures
should love thee,
and take every care to please thee?
I confess that thou hast not been in all my thoughts,
that the knowledge of thyself as the end of
my being has been strangely overlooked,
that I have never seriously considered
my heart-need.
But although my mind is perplexed and divided,
my nature perverse,
yet my secret dispositions still desire thee.
Let me not delay to come to thee;
Break the fatal enchantment that binds
my evil affections,
and bring me to a happy mind that rests in thee,
for thou hast made me and canst not forget me.
Let thy Spirit teach me the vital lessons of Christ,
for I am slow to learn;
And hear thou my broken cries.

From The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions.

O Lord, break the snare!

2005-05-05T19:01:00.000-05:00

"If thou be one whose heart is eagerly set upon this vain world, I beseech thee take heed, lest it interpose itself betwixt Christ and thy soul, and so cut thee off from him for ever. O beware, lest the dust of the earth, getting into thine eyes, so blind thee, that thou never see the beauty or necessity of Christ. The god of this world so blinds the eyes of them that believe not. And what are sparkling pleasures that dazzles the eyes of some, and the distracting cares that wholly divert the minds of others, but as a napkin drawn by Satan over the eyes of them that are to be turned off into hell? 2 Cor. 4: 3, 4.

Some general aims, and faint wishes after Christ you may have; but alas! the world has centered thy heart, intangled thy affections, and will daily find new diversions for them from the great business of life; so that, if the Lord break not this snare, thou wilt never be able to deliver thy soul."

From The Fountain of Life opened up: or, A Display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory, by John Flavel.

The everlastingly delicious Christ

2005-04-29T09:25:00.000-05:00

"And such is the deliciousness of this subject, that, were there ten thousand volumes written upon it, they would never cloy, or become nauseous to a gracious heart. We use to say, one thing tires, and it is true that it does so, except that one thing be virtually and eminently all things, as Christ is; and then one thing can never tire; for such is the variety of sweetness in Christ, who is the deliciae humani generis, the delights of the children of men, that every time he is opened to believers from pulpit or press, it is as if heaven had furnished them with a new Christ; and yet he is the same Christ still."

From The Fountain of Life opened up: or, A Display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory, by John Flavel.

Methodical head and a well ordered heart

2005-04-28T22:05:00.000-05:00

“And as it [order] serves to render the mind more judicious, so it causes the memory to be more tenacious, and retentive of truths. The chain of truth is easily held in the memory, when one truth links in another; but the loosing of a link endangers the scattering of the whole chain. We use to say, order is the mother of memory; I am sure it is a singular friend to it: hence it is observed, those that write of the art of memory, lay so great a stress upon place and number. The memory would not so soon be overcharged with a multitude of truths, if that multitude were but orderly disposed. It is the incoherence and confusion of truths, rather than their number, that distracts. Let but the understanding receive then regularly, and the memory will retain them with much more facility. A bad memory is a common complaint among Christians: all the benefit that many of you have in hearing, is from the present influence of truths upon your hearts; there is but little that sticks by you, to make a second and third impression upon them. I know it may be said of some of you, that if your affections were not better than your memories, you would need a very large charity to pass for Christians. I confess it is better to have a well ordered heart, than a methodical head; but surely both are better than either. And for you that have constantly attended these exercises, and followed us through the whole series and deduction of these truths, from text to text, and from point to point; who have begun one sabbath where you left another, it will be your inexcusable fault, if these things be not fixed in your understanding and memories, as nails fastened in a sure place: especially as providence has now brought to your eyes, what has been so often sounded in your ears, which is no small help to fix these truths upon you, and prevent that great hazard of them, which commonly attends bare hearing; for now you may have recourse as often as you will to them, view and review them, till they become your own.

But though this be a great and singular advantage, yet is not all you may have by a methodical understanding of the doctrines of Christ: it is more than a judicious understanding them, or faithful remembering them, that you and I must design, even the warm, vital, animating influences of these truths upon our hearts, without which we shall be never the better; yea, much the worse for knowing and remembering them.”

From The Fountain of Life opened up: or, A Display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory, by John Flavel.

O fair, fair, ever fair Lord Jesus!

2005-04-27T09:13:00.000-05:00

"Look often upon Christ in this glass; he is fairer than the children of men. View him believingly, and you cannot but like and love him. 'For (as one well saith) love, when it sees, cannot but cast out its spirit and strength upon amiable objects and things loveworthy. And what fairer things than Christ! O fair sun, and fair moon, and fair stars, and fair flowers, and fair roses, and fair lilies, and fair creatures! but, O ten thousand, thousand times fairer Lord Jesus! Alas, I wronged him in making the comparison this way. O black sun and moon; but O fair Lord Jesus! O black flowers, and black lilies and roses; but O fair fair, ever fair Lord Jesus! O all fair things, black, deformed, and without beauty, when ye are set beside the fairest Lord Jesus! O black heaven, but O fair Christ! O black angels, but O surpassingly fair Lord Jesus.'”

From The Fountain of Life opened up: or, A Display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory, by John Flavel.

How does the world appear to our eyes?

2005-04-26T21:16:00.000-05:00

"I hope you have not, nor ever will forget how vain the world appeared to your eye, when you looked back (as it were over your shoulder) and saw how it shrunk away from you; nor will you ever forget the awful apprehensions of eternity that then seized your spirit, or the value you then had for Christ; which things, I hope, still do, and ever will remain with you."

From The Fountain of Life opened up: or, A Display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory, by John Flavel.

Peerless pearl

2005-04-26T21:14:00.000-05:00

"Dear Sir, Christ is the peerless pearl hid in the field, Mat. 13: 46. Will you be that wise merchant, that resolves to win and compass that treasure, whatever it shall cost you? Ah, Sir, Christ is a commodity that can never be bought too dear."

From The Fountain of Life opened up: or, A Display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory, by John Flavel.

Let us be a nauseated people

2005-04-24T06:48:00.000-05:00

“Yes, wo is me! how do I every day behold reasonable souls most unreasonably disaffected to my lovely Lord Jesus! denying love to One, who is able to compel love from the stoniest heart! yea, though they can never make so much of their love (would they set it to sale) as Christ bids for it.

It is horrid and amazing to see how the minds of many are captivated and ensnared by every silly trifle; and how others can indifferently turn them with a kind of spontaneity to this object, or to that (as their fancy strikes) among the whole universe of beings, and scarce ever reluctate, recoil, or nauseate, till they be persuaded to Christ. In their unconverted state, it is as easy to melt the obdurate rocks into sweet syrup, as their hearts into divine love.”

From The Fountain of Life opened up: or, A Display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory, by John Flavel.

Alas!, we have done nothing

2005-04-23T08:32:00.000-05:00

"What shall I say of Christ? The excelling glory of that object dazzles all apprehension, swallows up all expression. When we have borrowed metaphors from every creature that has any excellency or lovely property in it, till we have stript the whole creation bare of all its ornaments, and clothed Christ with all that glory; when we have even worn out our tongues, in ascribing praises to him, alas! we have done nothing, when all is done."

From The Fountain of Life opened up: or, A Display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory, by John Flavel.

Christ

2005-04-22T04:32:00.000-05:00

"But let me tell you, the whole world is not a theatre large enough to show the glory of Christ upon, or unfold the one half of the unsearchable riches that lie hid in him."

From The Fountain of Life opened up: or, A Display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory, by John Flavel. (This work is Flavel's own compilation of 42 of his sermons).

God's judgement

2005-04-21T16:41:00.000-05:00

"The most tremendous judgment of God in this world is the hardening of the hearts of men."

From a sermon entitled The advantage of the kingdom of Christ in the shaking of the kingdoms of the world, by John Owen.

The Word of God

2005-04-20T13:01:00.000-05:00

"The Word of God alone is to be preached, in its perfection and inner consistency. Scripture is the exclusive subject of preaching, the only field in which the preacher is to labour. 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them' (Luke 16:29); 'The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat [that is, they teach the doctrine of Moses, which they confess]. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do' (Matt. 23:2-3)."

"The Word of God is God's wisdom revealing from heaven the truth which is according to godliness. 'But the wisdom, which is from above is first pure...' (James 3:17); 'Paul, a bondservant of God...according to...the acknowledgement of the truth which accords with godliness' (Titus 1:1). The exceptional qualities of the Word, both in its nature and its effects, evoke our admiration."

From The Art of Prophesying, by William Perkins.

Christ, An Ocean of Pleasure

2005-04-14T21:06:00.000-05:00

"As all the rivers are gathered into the ocean, which is the meeting-place of all the waters in the world, so Christ is that ocean in which all true delights and pleasures meet."

From Christ Altogether Lovely, by John Flavel.

Christ, the blood spending Advocate

2005-04-12T05:27:00.000-05:00

"He pleads the cause of believers by his blood. Unlike other advocates, it is not enough for him to lay out only words, which is a cheaper way of pleading; but he pleads for us by the voice of his own blood, as in Heb. 12:24, where we are said to be come 'to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.' Every wound he received for us on earth is a mouth opened to plead with God on our behalf in heaven. And hence it is, that in Rev. 5:6 he is represented standing before God, as a lamb that had been slain; as it were exhibiting and revealing in heaven those deadly wounds received on earth from the justice of God, on our account. Other advocates spend their breath, Christ spends his blood."

From Christ Altogether Lovely, by John Flavel.

Let us weep with Joannes Mollius

2005-04-11T17:04:00.000-05:00

"I have read of one Joannes Mollius, who was observed to go often alone, and weep bitterly; and being pressed by a friend to know the cause of his troubles, said 'O! it grieves me that I cannot bring this heart of mine to love Jesus Christ more fervently.'"

From Christ Altogether Lovely, by John Flavel.

Heart-work

2005-04-09T18:38:00.000-05:00

"Heart-work is hard work indeed. To shuffle over religious duties with a loose anal heedless spirit, will cost no great pains; but to set thyself before the Lord, and tie up thy loose and vain thoughts to a constant and serious attendance upon him; this will cost thee something. To attain a facility and dexterity of language in prayer, and put thy meaning into apt and decent expressions, is easy; but to get thy heart broken for sin, while thou art confessing it; melted with free grace while thou art blessing God for it; to be really ashamed and humbled though the apprehensions of Godís infinite holiness, and to keep thy heart in this frame, not only in, but after duty, will surely cost thee some groans and pains of soul. To repress the outward acts of sin, and compose the external part of thy life in a laudable manner, is no great matter; even carnal persons, by the force of common principles, can do this: but to kill the root of corruption within, to set and keep up an holy government over thy thought, to have all things lie straight and orderly in the heart, this is not easy."

From On Keeping the Heart, by John Flavel.

Sin

2005-04-07T18:13:00.000-05:00

"Sin aims always at the utmost; every time it rises up to tempt or entice, might it have its own course, it would go out to the utmost sin in that kind. Every unclean thought or glance would be adultery if it could; every covetous desire would be oppression, every thought of unbelief would be atheism, might it grow to its head... it is like the grave, that is never satisfied (Prov. 27:20)"

From Mortification of Sin, by John Owen.

Be killing sin!

2005-04-06T13:31:00.000-05:00

"...the choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business all their days to mortify the indwelling power of sin...Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you. Your being dead with Christ virtually, your being quickened with him, will not excuse you from this work."

From Mortification of Sin, by John Owen.

Natural man's inability to escape the enslavement of sin

2005-04-05T12:38:00.000-05:00

"He is 'sold under sin,' Rom. 7:14, and brought 'into captivity to the law of sin,' ver. 23. 'Law of sin:' that sin seems to have a legal authority over him; and man is not only a slave to one sin, but many, Tit. 3:3, 'serving divers lusts.' Now when a man is sold under the power of a thousand lusts, every one of which has an absolute tyranny over him, and rules him as a sovereign by a law; when a man is thus bound by a thousand laws, a thousand cords and fetters, and carried whither his lords please, against the dictates of his own conscience and force of natural light; can any man imagine that his own power can rescue him from the strength of these masters that claim such a right to him, and keep such a force upon him, and have so often baffled his own strength, when he attempted to turn against them?"

From The Chief of Sinners Objects of the Choicest Mercy, by Stephen Charnock.

On self-righteousness

2005-04-04T22:00:00.000-05:00

"...naturally it is a harder matter to part with self-righteousness than to part with gross sins; for that is more deeply rooted upon the stock of self-love, a principle which departs not from us without our very nature. It has more arguments to plead for it; it has a natural conscience, as a patron for it. Whereas a great sinner stands speechless at reproofs, an outward law-keeper has the strong reinforcement of natural conscience within his own breast. It was not the gross sins of the Jews against the light of nature, so much as the establishing the idol of their own righteousness, that was the block to hinder them from submitting to the righteousness of God (Rom. 10:8)."

From The Chief of Sinners Objects of the Choicest Mercy, by Stephen Charnock.

Knowledge without repentance

2005-04-02T22:30:00.001-05:00

"Some bless themselves that they have a stock of knowledge, but what is knowledge good for without repentance? It is better to mortify one sin that to understand all mysteries. Impure speculatists do but resemble Satan transformed into an angel of light. Learning and a bad heart is like a fair face with a cancer in the breast. Knowledge without repentance will be but a torch to light men to hell."

From The Doctrine of Repentance, by Thomas Watson.

Sin is infinitely hateful

2005-03-31T16:29:00.000-05:00

"As sin in its own nature is infinitely hateful, so in its natural tendency it is infinitely dreadful. It is the tendency of all sin, eternally to undo the soul. Every sin naturally carried hell in it! Therefore, all sin ought to be treated by us as we would treat a thing that is infinitely terrible. If any one sin, yea, the least sin, does not necessarily bring eternal ruin with it, this is owing to nothing but the free grace and mercy of God to us, and not to the nature and tendency of sin itself."

From Temptation and Deliverance, by Jonathan Edwards. (In Works, Volume 2)

Fighting sin

2005-03-30T11:39:00.000-05:00

"The present trouble in conflict against sin is not so much as that disquiet which any corruption favoured will bring upon us afterward."

From The Bruised Reed, by Richard Sibbes.

Encouragement for the weak...

2005-03-29T12:04:00.000-05:00

"A Christian complains he cannot pray. 'Oh, I am troubled with so many distracting thoughts, and never more than now!' But has he put into your heart a desire to pray? Then he will hear the desires of his own Spirit in you. 'We know not what we should pray for as we ought' (nor how to do anything else as we ought), but the Spirit helps our infirmities with 'groanings which cannot be uttered' (Rom. 8:26), which are not hid from God. 'My groaning is not hid from thee' (Psa. 38:9). God can pick sense out of a confused prayer. These desires cry louder in his ears than your sins. Sometimes a Christian has such confused thoughts that he can say nothing but, as a child, cries, 'O Father', not able to express what he needs, like Moses at the Red Sea. These stirrings of spirit touch the heart of God and melt him into compassion towards us, when they come from the Spirit of adoption, and from a striving to be better."

From The Bruised Reed, by Richard Sibbes.

Presuming upon mercy

2005-03-28T09:13:00.000-05:00

"Infirmities are a ground of humility, not a plea for negligence, nor an encouragement to presumption."

From The Bruised Reed, by Richard Sibbes.

Christ's love for His own

2005-03-27T06:33:00.000-05:00

"How wonderful is the love that is manifested in giving Christ to die for us. For this is love to enemies. 'While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.' How wonderful was the love of God the Father, in giving such a gift to those who not only could not be profitable to him, but were his enemies, and to so great a degree! They had great enmity against him; yet so did he love them, that he gave his own Son to lay down his life, in order to save their lives. Though they had enmity that sought to pull God down from his throne; yet he so loved them, that he sent down Christ from heaven, from his throne there, to be in the form of a servant; and instead of a throne of glory, gave him to be nailed to the cross, and to be laid in the grave, that so we might be brought to a throne of glory.

How wonderful was the love of Christ, in thus exercising dying love towards his enemies! He loved those that hated him, with hatred that sought to take away his life, so as voluntarily to lay down his life, that they might have life through him. 'Herein is love; not that we loved him, but that he loved us, and laid down his life for us.'"

From a sermon entitled Men naturally are God's enemies, by Jonathan Edwards.

Men's natural hatred against God

2005-03-26T15:18:00.000-05:00

"They are mortal enemies to God; i.e. they have that enmity in their hearts, that strikes at the life of God. A man maybe no friend to another, and may have an ill spirit towards him; and yet not be his mortal enemy. His enmity will be satisfied with something short of the death of the person. But it is not so with natural men, with respect to God. They are mortal enemies. Their imbecility is no argument that this is not the tendency of the principle.

Natural men are enemies to the dominion of God; and their nature shows their good-will to dethrone him if they could! Yea, they are enemies to the being of God, and would be glad if there was no God. And therefore it necessarily follows, that they would cause that there should be none, if they could. Psa. 14:1, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” This implies, not only an aptness to question the being of God; but, that he inclines it should be so. His heart says, i.e. his inclination says. The words in the original are, “The fool hath said in his heart, No God.” That is, I would have none, I do not desire any, I wish there was none; that would suit my inclination best. Let the world be emptied of a God, he stands in my way. And hence he is an atheist in his heart....

...The divine nature being immortal, and infinitely out of our reach, there is no other trial possible, whether the enmity that is naturally in the heart against God, be mortal or no, but only for God to take on him the human nature, and become man; so as to come within man’s reach. There can be no other experiment. And what has been the event? Why, when once God became man, and came down to dwell here, among such vipers as fallen men, they hated and persecuted him; and never desisted till they had imbrued their hands in his blood. There was a multitude of them that appeared combined in this design. Nothing would do, but he must be put to death. All cry out, Crucify him, crucify him. Away with him. They had rather Barabbas who greatly deserved death, should live, than he should not die. Nothing would restrain them from it; even all his preaching, and all his miracles. But they would kill him. And it was not the ordinary kind of execution that would satisfy them; but it must be the most cruel and most ignominious they possibly could invent. And they aggravated it as much as they could, by mocking him, and spitting on him, and scourging him. This shows what the nature and tendency of man’s enmity against God is; here it appeared in its true colors."

From a sermon entitled Men naturally are God's enemies, by Jonathan Edwards.

Short, but sober meditation on time

2005-03-25T20:50:00.000-05:00

"...time ought to be esteemed by us very precious, because we are uncertain of its continuance."

From a sermon entitled The preciousness of time and the importance of redeeming it, by Jonathan Edwards.

Preciousness of Time

2005-03-25T01:09:00.000-05:00

"...second, time is short, which is another thing that renders it very precious. The scarcity of any commodity occasions men to set a higher value upon it, especially if it be necessary and they can not do without it.....James 4:14....Time is so short, and the work which we have to do in it is so great, we have none of it to spare...."

From a sermon entitled The preciousness of time and the importance of redeeming it, by Jonathan Edwards.

Christ's tenderness towards His own

2005-03-23T11:44:00.000-05:00

"If the sweetness of all flowers were in one, how sweet must that flower be? In Christ all perfections of mercy and love meet. How great then must the mercy be that lodges in so gracious a heart? Whatever tenderness is scattered in husband, father, brother, head, all is but a beam from him; it is in him in the most eminent manner."

From The Bruised Reed, by Richard Sibbes.

Justification

2005-03-22T10:14:00.000-05:00

"The first and chief ground of our comfort is that Christ as a priest offered himself as a sacrifice to his Father for us. The guilty soul flies first to Christ crucified, made a curse for us."

From The Bruised Reed, by Richard Sibbes.

Hypocrites

2005-03-20T07:15:00.000-05:00

"Repentance is needful for hypocrites. I mean such as allow themselves in the sin. Hypocrisy is the counterfeiting of sanctity. The hypocrite or stageplayer has gone a step beyond the moralist and dressed himself in the garb of religion. He pretends to a form of godliness but denies the power (2 Tim. 3.5). The hypocrite is a saint in jest. He makes a magnificent show, like an ape clothed in ermine or purple. The hypocrite is like a house with a beautiful facade, but every room within is dark. He is a rotten post fairly gilded. Under his mask of profession he hides his plaguesores. The hypocrite is against painting of faces, but he paints holiness. He is seemingly good so that he may be really bad. In Samuel's mantle he plays the devil. Therefore the same word in the original signifies to use hypocrisy and to be profane. The hypocrite seems to have his eyes nailed to heaven, but his heart is full of impure lustings. He lives in secret sin against his conscience. He can be as his company is and act both the dove and the vulture. He hears the word, but is all ear. He is for templedevotion, where others may look upon him and admire him, but he neglects family and closet prayer Indeed, if prayer does not make a man leave sin, sin will make him leave prayer. The hypocrite feigns humility but it is that he may rise in the world. He is a pretender to faith, but he makes use of it rather for a cloak than a shield. He carries his Bible under his arm, but not in his heart. His whole religion is a demure lie (Hos 11.12).

But is there such a generation of men to be found? The Lord forgive them their holiness! Hypocrites are 'in the gall of bitterness' (Acts 8.23). O how they need to humble themselves in the dust! They are far gone with the rot, and if any thing can cure them, it must be feeding upon the salt marshes of repentance.

Let me speak my mind freely. None will find it more difficult to repent than hypocrites. They have so juggled in religion that their treacherous hearts know not how to repent. Hypocrisy is harder to cure than frenzy. The hypocrite's imposthume in his heart seldom breaks. If it be not too late, seek yet to God for mercy.

Such as are guilty of prevailing hypocrisy, let them fear and tremble. Their condition is sinful and sad. It is sinful because they do not embrace religion out of choice but design; they do not love it, only paint it. It is sad upon a double account. Firstly, because this art of deceit cannot hold long; he who hangs out a sign but has not the commodity of grace in his heart must needs break at last Secondly, because God's anger will fall heavier upon hypocrites. They dishonour God more and take away the gospel's good name. Therefore the Lord reserves the most deadly arrows in his quiver to shoot at them. If heathens be damned, hypocrites shall be doubledamned. Hell is called the place of hypocrites (Matt. 24.51), as if it were chiefly prepared for them and were to be settled upon them in feesimple."

From The Doctrine of Repentance, by Thomas Watson

On Reading...and prayer

2005-03-17T13:07:00.000-05:00

"Read and pray. He that makes not conscience of praying over what he reads, will find little sweetness or profit in his reading. No man makes such earnings of his reading, as he that prays over what he reads. Luther professeth that he profited more in the knowledge of the Scriptures by prayer, in a short space, than by study in a longer. As John by weeping got the sealed book open, so certainly men would gain much more than they do by reading good men's works, if they would but pray more over what they ready Ah, Christians! pray before you read, and pray after you read, that all may be blessed and sanctified to you."

From the preface to A mute Christian under the smarting rod; With Sovereign antidotes for every case. A Christian with an olive leaf in his mouth, when under the greatest afflictions, trials, troubles, and darkest providences; with answers to questions and objections, calculated to promote submission and silence under all the changes that may be experienced in this world, by Thomas Brooks.

Application

2005-03-16T22:42:00.001-05:00

"Read and apply. Reading is but the drawing of the bow, application is the hitting of the white. The choicest truths will no further profit you than they are applied by you; you were as good not to read, as not to apply what you read. No man attains to health by reading of Galen, or knowing Hippocrates, his aphorisms, but by the practical application of them; all the reading in the world will never make for the health of your souls except you apply what you read. The true reason why many read so much and profit so little is because they do not apply and bring home what they read to their own souls."

From the preface to A mute Christian under the smarting rod; With Sovereign antidotes for every case. A Christian with an olive leaf in his mouth, when under the greatest afflictions, trials, troubles, and darkest providences; with answers to questions and objections, calculated to promote submission and silence under all the changes that may be experienced in this world, by Thomas Brooks.

On reading...and testing

2005-03-15T23:58:00.000-05:00

"Read, and try what thou readest; take nothing upon trust, but all upon trial, as those 'noble Bereans' did, Acts 17:11. You will try and tells and weigh gold, though it be handed to you by your fathers; and so should you all those heavenly truths that are handed to you by your spiritual fathers. I hope upon trial you will find nothing, but what will hold weight in the balance of the sanctuary; and though all be not gold that glitters"

From the preface to A mute Christian under the smarting rod; With Sovereign antidotes for every case. A Christian with an olive leaf in his mouth, when under the greatest afflictions, trials, troubles, and darkest providences; with answers to questions and objections, calculated to promote submission and silence under all the changes that may be experienced in this world, by Thomas Brooks.

Not knowing "as you ought to know"

2005-03-14T19:55:00.000-05:00

"How many knowledgeable persons are ignorant? They have illumination, but not sancitfication. Their knowledge has no powerful influence upon them to make them better. If you set up a hundred torches in a garden they will not make the flowers grow, but the sun is influential."

From The Godly Man's Picture Drawn with a Scriptural Pencil, by Thomas Watson.

Hypocrisy

2005-03-14T01:44:00.000-05:00

"He who has only a painted holiness shall have a painted happiness."

From The Godly Man's Picture Drawn with a Scriptural Pencil, by Thomas Watson.

God the Father's love for His children

2005-03-12T21:32:00.000-05:00

"Eye the Father as love; look not on him as an always lowering father, but as one most kind and tender. Let us look on him by faith, as one that has had thoughts of kindness towards us from everlasting. It is misapprehension of God that makes any run from him, who have the least breathing wrought in them after him. “They that know thee will put their trust in thee.” Men cannot abide with God in spiritual meditations. He loseth soul’s company by their want of this insight into his love. They fix their thoughts only on his terrible majesty, severity, and greatness; and so their spirits are not endeared. Would a soul continually eye his everlasting tenderness and compassion, his thoughts of kindness that have been from of old, his present gracious acceptance, it could not bear an hour’s absence from him; whereas now, perhaps, it cannot watch with him one hour. Let, then, this be the saints’ first notion of the Father, — as one full of eternal, free love towards them: let their hearts and thoughts be filled with breaking through all discouragements that lie in the way."

From Of Communion with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, by John Owen.