08. Quotes 701-800
Quotes 701-800
701. The sleeping of vengeance causes the overflowing of sin, and the overflowing of sin causes the awakening of vengeance. Abused mercy will certainly turn into fury.
702. Remember that God is no curious or critical observer of the plain expressions that fall from his poor children when they are in their closet duties; ’tis not a flow of words, or studied notions, seraphical expressions, or elegant phrases in prayer, which take the ear, or delight the heart of God, or open the gate of glory, or bring down the best of blessings upon the soul; but uprightness, holiness, heavenliness, spirituality, and brokenness of heart—these are the things that make a conquest upon God, and turn most to the soul’s account.
703. God’s hearing of our prayers doth not depend upon sanctification, but upon Christ’s intercession; not upon what we are in ourselves, but what we are in the Lord Jesus; both our persons and our prayers are acceptable in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6).
704. God makes afflictions to be but inlets to the soul’s more sweet and full enjoyment of his blessed self.
705. Our union and conjunction with Christ doth neither mingle persons nor unite substances, but it conjoineth our affections, and brings our wills into a league of amity with Christ.
706. Be careful that you do not perform closet duties merely to still your consciences; you must perform them out of conscience, but you must not perform them only to quiet conscience.
707. There is no tongue that can express, or heart that can conceive the horrid sins and miseries that pride hath ushered in among the children of men. All sin will go down with a proud heart. Great sins are no sins with such a soul; he makes nothing of iniquities at which the very heathen would blush.
708. Christ is the sun, and all the watches of our lives should be set by the dial of his motion.
709. Certainly no man’s calling is a calling away from God or godliness. It never entered into the heart of God that our particular callings should ever drive out our general calling of Christianity. Those men are very ignorant or very profane who think themselves so closely tied up to follow their particular callings six days in the week, that they must not intermeddle with any religious duties during those days. God, who is the Lord of time, has reserved some part of it to himself every day. Though the Jews were commanded to labor six days of the week, yet they were instructed also to offer up the morning and evening sacrifice daily, 710. God esteems men’s deeds by their minds, and not their minds by their deeds.
711. Humility will free a man from perturbation and perplexities. That which will break a proud man’s heart, will not so much as break a humble man’s sleep.
712. Secrecy is no small advantage to the serious and lively carrying on of a private duty. Interruptions and disturbances from without, are oftentimes quench-coal to private prayer. The best Christians do but bungle when they meet with interruptions in their private devotions.
713. An idle life and a holy heart is a contradiction.
714. Some have stronger corruptions to subdue than others, and more violent temptations to withstand than others, and greater difficulties to wrestle with than others, and choicer mercies to implore than others, and higher and harder duties of religion to manage than others, and accordingly they are more strengthened in the inner man than others.
715. He who is active and agile, who works as well as wishes, who adds endeavors to his desires, will quickly be a cedar in grace.
716. Chrysostom compares the mystery of Christ, in regard of the wicked, to a written book, that the ignorant can neither read nor spell: he sees the cover, the leaves and the letters, but he understands not the meaning of what he sees. He compares the mystery of grace to an indited epistle, which an unskillful idiot receiving, cannot read; he knoweth it is paper and ink, but the sense he understands not. So unsanctified persons, though they are never so learned, and though they may perceive the bark of the mystery of Christ, yet they understand not the mystery of grace, the inward sense of the Spirit in the blessed Scriptures. Though the devil be the greatest scholar in the world, and though he have more learning than all the men in the world, yet there are many thousand mysteries and secrets in the gospel of grace, and much that is understood by the disciple, that he knows not really, spiritually, feelingly, efficaciously, powerfully, thoroughly and savingly.
717. Paul, who learned his divinity among the angels, and had the Holy Ghost for his immediate teacher, tells us plainly, "That he knew but in part, oh then, how little a part of that part do we know!
718. Many wicked men take more pains to damn their souls and go to hell than thou dost to save thy soul and go to heaven.
719. Believer, be much in self-judging. There are none in the world who so much tremble to think evil of others, to speak evil of others, or to do evil to others, as those who make it their business to judge themselves. There are none who make such sweet constructions and charitable interpretations of men and things as those who are most careful to judge themselves. Ah, were Christians’ hearts more taken up in examining and condemning themselves, they would not be so apt to judge and censure others, and to carry it sourly and bitterly toward those who differ from them.
720. It is but a very short time between grace and glory, between our title to the crown and our wearing the crown, between our right to the heavenly inheritance and our possession of it. The short storm will end in an everlasting calm. "Sorrow may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."
721. "Sin lieth at the door." The Hebrew word signifies to lie down, or couch like some beast at the mouth of his cave as if he were asleep, but in reality is wakeful and watching, and ready to fly at all who come near him. Oh, sirs, beware of sin; it sleeps a dog’s sleep, that it may take the sinner at an advantage, and fly the more furiously in his face.
722. Example is the most powerful rhetoric. The highest and noblest example should be very quickening and provoking; and Christians have set before them the greatest, the noblest pattern of humility that was ever heard or read of (John 13:4).
723. It was a most sweet and divine saying of Bernard. "O saint, knowest thou not," saith he, "that thy husband, Christ, is bashful, and will not be familiar in company; retire thyself, therefore, by prayer and meditation into thy closet, or the fields, and there thou shalt have Christ’s presence."
724. Tears are a kind of silent prayers, which, though they say nothing, yet obtain pardon; and though they plead not a man’s cause, yet they obtain mercy at the hands of God. As we see in that great instance of Peter who, though he said nothing that we read of, yet weeping bitterly, he obtained mercy.
725. Though our private desires are ever so confused, though our private requests are ever so broken, and though our private groanings are- ever so much hidden from men, yet God eyes them, records them, and puts them upon the file of heaven, and will one day crown them with glorious answers and returns.
726. There is much of God in that soul that is, upon a gospel account, more careful and skillful to conceal the vices of weak saints than their virtues. Many in these days do justly incur the censure which that sour philosopher^ Diogenes, passed upon grammarians, that they were better acquainted with the evils of Ulysses than with their own.
727. Conscience is God’s spy in the bosom, and as a scribe, a registrar, sits in the closet of our hearts, with pen in hand, and makes a memorandum of all our secret ways and secret crimes, which are above the cognizance of men.
728. Ah, how do relapses lay men open to the greatest trials and worst temptations! How do they darken and cloud former assurances and evidences for heaven! They give Satan an advantage to triumph over Christ; they make the work of repentance more difficult; they make a man’s life a burden, and they render death very terrible to the soul.
729. It is sad in these knowing times to think how few there are who know the right way of bringing down the power of any sin. Few look so high as a crucified Christ for power against their powerful sins. One soul sits down and complains, "such a lust haunts me; I will pray it down." Another says, "such a sin follows me, I will hear it down, or watch it down, or resolve it down and so a crucified Christ is not in all their thoughts. Not but that we are to hear, pray, watch and resolve against our sins; but that, above all, we should look to the acting of faith upon our glorious Redeemer.
730. There are many that go a round of duties, as mill horses go their round in a mill, and rest upon them when they have done, using the means as mediators, and so fall short of Christ and heaven at once. Open profaneness is the broad road that leads to hell, but closet duties rested in, is a sure though cleaner path.
731. Whatever faith touches it turns into gold, that is, into our good. If faith looks upon God, it says, This God is my God for ever and ever, he shall be my guide even unto death. When it looks upon the crown of righteousness, it says, "This crown is laid up for me." Faith is a sword to defend us, a guide to direct us, a staff to support us, a friend to comfort us, and a golden key to open heaven unto us. Faith, of all graces, is the most useful grace to the soul of man. Without faith it is impossible to please God.
732. No man knows what mercies a day may bring forth, what miseries, what good, or what evil, what afflictions, what temptations, what liberty, what bonds, what good success, or what bad success a day may bring forth; and, therefore, a man need every day be in his closet with God, that he may be prepared and fitted to entertain and improve all the occurrences, successes and emergencies that may attend him in the course of his life.
733. Much of this world’s goods does usually cause great distraction, great vexation, and great condemnation at last to the possessors of them. If God give them in his wrath, and does not sanctify them in his love, they will at last be witnesses against a man, and millstones for ever to sink him in that day when God shall call men to an account, not for the use, but for the abuse of mercy.
734. Christian, one smile of Christ, one glimpse of Christ, one good word from Christ, one look of love from Christ in the days of trouble and darkness, will more revive and refresh the soul than all your former service and experiences. Christ is the crown of crowns, the glory of glories and the heaven of heavens.
735. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Every new man is two men; he has contrary principles in him, the flesh and the spirit. The spirit, the noble part, is willing; but the flesh, the ignoble part, is weak and wayward.
736. A soul that is rich in grace says, "Well, ordinances are not Christ, refreshings are not Christ, meltings are not Christ, enlargements are not Christ. They are sweet, but he is more sweet; they are very precious, but he is more precious and thus, those who are spiritually rich, do outreach all others.
737. A weak Christian should be very studious to observe how his heart stands Godward; for the man is as his heart is; if that be right with Christ, then all is well; therefore says Solomon, Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.
738. Repentance is a grace, and must have its daily operations, as well as other graces. A true penitent must go on from faith to faith, from strength to strength; he must never stand still or turn back. True repentance is a continued spring, where the waters of godly sorrow are always flowing. u My sin is ever before me."
739. God expects that we should be his remembrancers, and that we should pray over his promises. Gracious promises are God’s bonds, and he loves to see his people put them in suit.
740. Joy and comfort are those dainties, those sweetmeats of heaven, that God doth not every day feast his people with; every day is not a wedding day, nor is every day a harvest day, nor every day a summer’s day.
741. A humble soul, being once in a great conflict with Satan, said thus to him, "Satan, reason not with me, I am but weak; if thou hast anything to say, say it to Christ; he is my advocate, my strength and my Redeemer; he shall plead for me." There is no surer way of vanquishing the foul fiend than this.
742. All tears will not be clean wiped from our eyes till all sin be taken out of our hearts.
743. Clothe yourselves with the silk of piety, with the satin of sanctity, and with the purple of modesty, and God himself will be a suitor to you. Let not the ornaments upon your backs speak out the vanity of your hearts.
744. Christian, whenever thou comest off from holy services, sit down and look over the spots, blots and blemishes that cleave to the choicest of them. Thou canst not be proud of them then.
745. "I have known a good old man," says Bernard, "who, when he heard of any one that had committed some notorious offense, was wont to say within himself, He fell today, so may I tomorrow." Now, the reason why humble souls keep up in themselves a holy fear of falling, is because that is the very best way to preserve them in their upward path. "Happy is the man that feareth always; but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief"
746. Cassianus reports that when a certain Christian was held captive by the infidels, and tormented by divers pains and ignominious taunts, being demanded, by way of scorn and reproach, "Tell us what Christ has done for you?" he answered, "He hath done what you see, that I am not moved at all the cruelties and contumelies you cast upon me."
747. As chickens find warmth by close sitting under the hen’s wings, so the graces of the saints are enlivened, cherished and strengthened by the sweet secret influences which their souls fall under when they are in closet communion with their God.
748. Divine love is like a rod of myrtle, which, as Pliny reports, makes the traveler who carries it in his hand so lively and cheerful that he never faints or grows weary. Ah, friends, did you but love the Lord Jesus with strong love, you would never faint or grow weary of closet duties.
749. The Lord has often uncrowned himself to crown his people’s graces, why, then, should not his people uncrown their graces to crown him? That which others attribute to your graces do you attribute to the God of grace. You must say: Though our graces are precious, yet Christ is more precious; though they are sweet, yet Christ is most sweet; though they are lovely, yet Christ is altogether lovely. Your graces are but Christ’s hands by which he works; be you therefore careful that you do not more mind the workman’s hands than the workman himself.
750. The conflict that is in the saints is in the same faculties; there is the judgment against the judgment, the mind against the mind, the will against the will, the affections against the affections; that is, the regenerate part wars against the unregenerate part in all the parts of the soul: but in wicked men, the conflict is not in the same faculties, but between the conscience and the will.
751. Humility makes a man like an angel, but pride makes an angel a devil. Pride is worse than the devil, for the devil cannot hurt thee till pride hath possessed thee. Proud souls are Satan’s apes, none imitate him to the life like these; for as face answers to face in a glass, so does a proud soul answer to Satan.
752. Fervency feathers the wings of prayers, and makes them fly to heaven. An arrow if it be drawn up but a little way flies not far; but if it be drawn up to the head it will fly far and pierce deeply. So fervent prayer flies as high as heaven and will certainly bring down blessings from ’thence.
753. If you cannot pray as you would, nor as you should, pray as well as you can.
754. It was a choice saying of Austin, "Every saint is God’s temple, and he who carries his temple about him, may go to prayer when he pleaseth."
755. Spiritual sluggards are subject to the saddest strokes. Oh, the deadly sins, the deadly temptations, the deadly judgments that spiritual sluggards will unavoidably fall under. None such an enemy to himself, none such a friend to Satan, as the spiritual sluggard.
756. Laban’s house was full of idols; great houses often are so. Jacob’s tent was little, but the true worship of God was in it. ’Tis infinitely better to live in Jacob’s tent than in Laban’s house.
757. Till we have sinned Satan is a parasite; when we have sinned he is a tyrant
758. Private prayer is so far from being an hindrance to a man’s business, that it is the way of ways to bring down a blessing from heaven upon it; as the first fruits that God’s people gave to him, brought down a blessing upon all the rest. Prayer and provender never hinder a journey.
759. "Lord," a true believer will say, "do but keep down my sins, and keep up my heart in a way of honoring thee under all my troubles, and then my troubles will be no troubles, my afflictions will be no afflictions. Though my burdens be doubled, and my troubles be multiplied, yet do but help me to honor thee by believing in thee, by waiting on thee, and by submitting to thee, and I shall sing care away; I shall say, it is enough."
760. Weak Christians are like children; they look for a great reward for a little work. Let their will be but crossed a little by servants, children, friends, or let them but suffer a little in their names or estates, and presently you will hear them sighing out, "No sorrow like my sorrow; no loss like my loss; no cross like my cross instead of remembering that an eye fixed upon encouragements, makes heavy afflictions light, long afflictions short, and bitter afflictions sweet.
761. A Christian should trade with God upon the credit of Christ. "O Lord," he should say, "I need power against such and such sins, give it me upon the credit of Christ’s blood. I need strength for such and such services, give it me upon the credit of Christ’s word. I need such and such mercies for the cheering, refreshing, quickening, and strengthening of me; give them into my bosom upon the credit of Christ’s intercession."
762. Naturalists report of the Chelidonian stone, that it will retain its virtue no longer than it is enclosed in gold. So hypocrites will keep up their duties no longer than they are fed and encouraged by the praises of men.
763. Zeal, ordered by wisdom, feeds upon the faults of offenders, not on their persons. It spends itself and its greatest heat principally upon those things which concern a man’s self.
764. A humble soul can never be good enough; it never can pray enough, or hear enough, or mourn enough, or believe enough, or love enough, or fear enough, or joy enough, or repent enough, or loathe sin enough, or be humble enough.
765. Weak Christians are usually carried out much after the poor low things of this world. Their hearts should be only in heaven, and yet they strive for earth as if there were no heaven, or as if earth were better; all which does clearly evidence that their graces are very weak, and their corruptions very strong. Men who have little of the "upper springs" within are carried out much after the springs below.
766. There is no overcoming of God but in his own strength. Jacob did more by his royal faith than he did by his noble hands; more by weeping than he did by wrestling, and more by praying than he did by all his bodily strivings.
767. Wise men give their choicest and richest gifts in secret; and so doth Christ give his loved ones the best when they are all alone. But as for such as cannot spare time to seek God in secret, they sufficiently manifest that they have little friendship or fellowship with Him to whom they so seldom come.
768. Believer, the more worldly business lies upon thy hand, the more need thou hast to keep close to thy closet. Much business lays a man open to many sins, many snares, and many temptations.
767. When God hears our prayers, ’tis neither for our own sakes, nor yet for our prayer’s sake; but it is for his own sake, and his glory’s sake, and his promise sake.
768. Happy is that soul, and to be equaled with angels, who is willing to suffer, if it were possible, as great things for Christ as Christ hath suffered for him.
769. He who casts off private prayer under any pretense whatsoever, casts off the authority and dominion of God, and this may be as much as a man’s life and soul are worth.
770. Believer, you cannot have too frequent communion with God, or too frequent intercourse with Jesus. You cannot have your heart too frequently filled with joy unspeakable, and full of glory, and with that peace which passes understanding. You cannot have heaven too often brought down into your hearts, or your hearts too often carried up to heaven, and therefore you cannot be too frequent in closet prayer.
771. Pride, passion, and other vices, in these days go armed. Touch them never so gently, yet, like the nettle, they will sting you; and if you deal with them roundly, roughly, and cuttingly, they will turn and taunt you, as the Hebrew did to Moses, "Who made thee a judge over us?"
772. There is wisdom required to present Christ freely to souls, in opposition to all unrighteousness, and to all unworthiness in man. There is wisdom required to suit things to the capacities and conditions of poor souls, to make dark things plain, and hard things easy. Ministers must not be like him in the emblem, who gave straw to the dogs, and a bone to the ass, but they must suit all their discourses to the conditions and capacities of poor creatures, or else all will be lost, time lost, pains lost, God lost, heaven lost, and souls lost forever.
773. This age is full of monsters who envy every light that outshines their own, and who throw dirt upon the graces and excellencies of others, that themselves only may be honored.
774. Prayer is nothing but the breathing that out before the Lord, that was first breathed into us by the Spirit of the Lord.
775. The children of God have always cause to exercise faith and hope on him in their darkest condition, though they have not always actual joy and consolation; the Comforter always abides with the saints, though he doth not always comfort them.
776. As every sacrifice was to be seasoned with salt, so every mercy is to be sanctified by prayer. As gold sometimes is laid, not only on cloth and silk, but also upon silver, so prayer is that golden duty that must be laid, not only upon all our natural and civil actions, as eating, drinking, buying, and selling, but also upon all our silver duties, upon all our most religious and spiritual performances.
777. God will forever keep house with the humble soul; when once they meet, they never part. There is no such way to be rich, as to be poor and low in our own eyes. This is the way to enjoy His company in whom all treasures are.
778. Those years, months, weeks, days, and hours, that are not filled up with God, with Christ, with grace, and with duty, will certainly be filled up with vanity and folly. The neglect of one day, of one duty, of one hour, would undo us, if we had not an Advocate with the Father.
779. The poorest servant in a family hath a soul more precious than heaven and earth; and the greatest work that lies upon his head in this world, is to look to the eternal safety and security of that treasure, for if that be safe, all is safe, if that be well, all is well, but if that be lost, all is lost.
780. Weak Christians are apt to sit down troubled and disheartened by the sin within. But they should remember, to strengthen them against all discouragements, that their persons stand before God clothed with the righteousness of their Saviour, and so God owns them, and looks upon them with great delight.
781. Parents who have but some drops of that love and tender affection which is in God to his people, yet accept of a very little service from their weak children, and will not "Our Father?" In time of strength God looks for much, but in the time of weakness God will bear much, and overlook much, and accept of a little, yea, of a very little. Noah’s sacrifice could not be great, yet it was greatly accepted by God. In the time of the law God accepted a handful of meal for a sacrifice, and a grip of goat’s hair for an oblation; and, certainly, he has lost none of his affection to poor souls since the time of the Gospel.
782. Cold prayers bespeak a denial, but fervent supplications offer a sacred violence to the kingdom of heaven. Lazy prayers never procure noble answers. Lazy beggars may starve for all their begging.
783. Some there are who sin away shame, instead of being ashamed of sin.
784. The more infirmities and weaknesses that hang upon us the more cause have we to keep close and constant to our closet duties. If grace be weak, the omission of private prayer will make it weaker. If corruptions are strong, the neglect of private prayer will make them stronger. The more the remedy is neglected, the more the disease is strengthened.
785. Pride is like certain flies, which alight especially upon the fairest wheat and the loveliest roses. A proud cardinal, in Luther’s time, said, "A reformation is indeed needful and to be desired, but that Luther, a rascally friar, should be the man to do it, is intolerable."
786. He that hath no heart to pray for a mercy he needs, hath no ground to believe that God will ever give him that mercy. There is no receiving without asking, no finding without seeking, no opening without knocking.
787. You had better be a poor man and a rich Christian, than a rich man and a poor Christian. You had better do anything, bear anything, and be anything rather than be a dwarf in grace.
788. God, saith Calvin, often recompenses the shadows and seeming appearances of virtue, to show the complacency he takes in the ample rewards that he hath reserved for true and sincere piety.
789. Full vessels will bear many a knock, many a stroke, and yet make no noise; so Christians, who are full of Christ and full of the Spirit, will bear many a blow, many a stroke without murmuring.
790. Every Christian has three advocates pleading for him. The first is that divine love which is in the bosom of the Father, the second is the Lord Jesus, who is at the right hand of the Father, and the third is the Holy Spirit, who is one with the Father.
791. Christians, fix yourselves under the ministry of one who gives the Father his due, the Son his due, and the Spirit his due; who makes it his business to open the treasures and the riches both of the one and the other, and to declare to you the whole will of God; for many there are who withhold the word in unrighteousness, and who will only acquaint you with some parts of the will of God, keeping you ignorant of the rest, whose condemnation will be great as well as just.
792. Sinful omissions lead to sinful commissions.
793. ’Twas an excellent saying of Ambrose, "If thou canst not hide thyself from the sun, which is God’s minister of light, how impossible will it be to hide thyself from him whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter than the sun! Though a sinner may baffle his conscience, yet he cannot baffle the eye of God’s omnisciency.
794. "Pride," saith Hugo, "was born in heaven, but forgetting by what way she fell therefrom, she could never find her way thither again."
795. The gospel drops nothing but marrow and fatness, love and sweetness; and therefore God looks in these days that men should grow up to a greater height of holiness, heavenliness and spirituality than what they attained to in those dark days wherein the sun shone but dimly.
796. A Christian’s whole life should be a visible representation of Christ. The heathens had this notion among them, as Lactantius reports, that the way to honor their gods was to be like them. Sure I am that the best way of honoring Christ is to be like him (1 John 2:6) : "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked." Oh, that this blessed Scripture might always lie warm upon our hearts.
797. Although Christians do not share in the honors, profits, pleasures and advantages of the world; yet this should be their joy and crown, that Christ and their souls are sharers in those things that are most eminent and excellent, most precious and glorious; and the serious remembrance hereof should bear up their heads, hopes and hearts above all the troubles, temptations and afflictions that come upon them in this world.
798. That Christian, or that minister who, in private prayer, lies most at the feet of Jesus, shall certainly understand most of the mind of Christ in the gospel, and he shall have most of heaven and the things of his own peace brought down into his heart.
799. No man can make sure or happy work in prayer but he who makes heart work of it. When the soul is separated from the body, the man is dead; and so when the heart is separated from the lip in prayer, the prayer is dead.
800. Believer, consider this: living up to your graces carries with it the greatest evidence of the truth of grace. That man who lives not up to his grace, let him be strong or weak, wants one of the best and clearest demonstrations that can be to evidence the truth of his grace. If you would be sure that that little love, that little faith, that little zeal you have is true, then live up to that love, live up to that faith, live up to that zeal that you have, and this will be evidence beyond all contradiction.