September 9, 2009

“Should the whole frame of nature be unhinged, and all outward friends and supporters prove false and deceitful, our worldly hopes and schemes be disappointed, and possessions torn from us, and the floods of sickness, poverty and disgrace overwhelm our soul with an impetuous tide of trouble; the sincere lover of God, finding that none of these affects his portion and the object of his panting desires, retires from them all to God his refuge and hiding place, and there feels his Saviour incomparably better, and more than equivalent to what the whole of the universe can ever offer, or rob him of; and his tender mercies, unexhausted fullness, and great faithfulness, yield him consolation and rest; and enable him what time he is afraid, to put his trust in him.” (William Dunlop, 1654-1700)

September 8, 2009

“Be our troubles many in number, strange in nature, heavy in measure; Yet God’s mercies are more numerous, his wisdom more wondrous, his power more miraculous; he will deliver us out of all." (Thomas Adams)

September 7, 2009

"The loss of spiritual enjoyment . . . shall be the symptom that betrays the true condition of the soul. The judgment shall lose none of its light, but the heart much of its fervor; the truths of revelation, especially the doctrines of grace, shall occupy the same prominent position as to their value and beauty, and yet the influence of these truths may be scarcely felt."

(Octavius Winslow; 1808-1878)

September 6, 2009

“Behold,’ He said in effect, “here is what I understand by Christianity: an unselfish and uncalculating devotion to me as the Saviour of sinners, and as the Sovereign of the kingdom of truth and righteousness.” (Alexander Balmain Bruce, 1831-1899)

September 5, 2009

“God in the exercise of His infinite wisdom and power, so personally directs and controls the free actions of men as to determine all things in accordance with His eternal purpose.”

(E.H. Bancroft)

September 4, 2009

“The death of Christ does not benefit the man who lives and dies without faith in it.” Claude Duval Cole (First published 1944)

September 3, 2009

“We may suppose, without a doubt, that the sins of Adam after his fall affected his posterity no more than the sins of another man.” (James Madison Pendleton; 1811-1891)

September 2, 2009

“Thus when God reckons with the believer, and asks the fulfillment of the law, behold! There appears on his behalf, deposited by the hand of Christ, an obedience extensive with the very uttermost demand. God neither desires nor can receive more.” (Henry Law, 1797-1884)

September 1, 2009

“Men sit down groaning under their discouragements because they do not look further than themselves.” (Thomas Manton; 1620-1677)

August 31, 2009

“Superstition is not worshipping a false God, but worshipping the true God falsely, in a way not commanded by God. It teaches and practices for doctrines the devices and commandments of men; that is to say, it worships, not according to the will of God, but to the will of man.” Ralph Venning (1622-1674)

August 30, 2009

“An infirmity is this -when the purpose and inclination of the heart is upright, but a man wants strength to perform that purpose; when “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak’ (Matt. xvi. 41); when a man can say with the apostle, “To will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not,” (Rom. vii. 18); When the bent and inclination of the soul is right, but either through some violence of corruption or strength of temptation, a man is diverted and turned out of the way. As the needle in the seaman’s compass, you know if it be right it will stand always northwards, the bent of it will be toward the North Pole, but being jogged and troubled, it may sometimes be put out of frame and order, yet the bent and inclination of it is still northward; this is an infirmity.” James Nalton (1600-1662)

August 29, 2009

“What comfort ought this to afford under every condition! for the Lord Jesus goes before us through the desert. He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” Ridley H. Herschell (1807-1864)

August 28, 2009

“And we live beneath our privilege and fail to make the required use of the great expiation which has been wrought, and want in proper appreciation of our Saviour’s work, if we do not rise up from our prostration under the law, and cast from us forever the whole burden of its condemnation.” Joseph Augustus Seiss (1823-1904)

August 27, 2009

"To desire ease, therefore, is to embrace a deadly enemy. Who that knows his own heart will not feel it a matter, not of congratulation, but of deep and anxious prayer – ‘In all time of our wealth-Good Lord, deliver us?" (Charles Bridges, 1794-1869)

August 26, 2009

For to deny a man’s self, is to know he hath no power in himself to do any spiritual duty. (Thomas Hooker; 1586-1647)

August 25, 2009

“Thou holdest mine eyes waking.” “Oh, how wearisome a thing it is to spend the long night in tossing up and down in a restless bed, in the chase of sleep; which the more eagerly it is followed, flies so much the farther from us!” (Joseph Hall ; 1574-1656)

August 24, 2009

“Though the revelation of God in his works is sufficient to render men inexcusable, it does not follow that it is sufficient to lead men, blinded by sin, to a saving knowledge of himself. As Paul says of the law, that it was weak through the flesh, that is, insufficient on account of our corruption, so it may be said of the light of nature, that, although sufficient in itself as a revelation, it is not sufficient, considering the indisposition and inattention of men to divine things.” Charles Hodge (1797-1878)

August 23, 2009

“For never was any sinner qualified to come to Christ. He is well qualified to come to us; but a sinner out of Christ has no qualifications for Christ but sin and misery.”

Horatius Bonar (1808-1890)

August 22, 2009

“Watcheth for his heart. The Lord identifies Himself with the cause of those who trust in Him.” (James G. Murphy; 1808-1896)

August 21, 2009

“ANTIPAS, THE FAITHFUL WITNESS OF JESUS CHRIST BURNED AT PERGAMOS IN A RED HOT BRAZEN OX. A.D. 95. (Rev. 2:12-14). Touching the time and manner of his death, there is nothing stated in Holy Writ; but some of the ancient writers maintain that he was enclosed in a red hot brazen ox, and thus burned alive with great pain, yet in steadfastness.” Thieleman J. van Braght (1625-1664)

August 20, 2009

“Perhaps God withholds what thou wouldest have, that it may be the more prized by thee when it comes: ‘Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.’" Prov. xiii. 12.” (John Bunyan; 1628 - 1688)

August 19, 2009

“For with the Lord is mercy…In myself I perceive nothing but wrath, in the devil nothing but hatred, in the world nothing but extreme fury and madness. But the Holy Ghost cannot lie, which willeth me to trust because there is mercy with the Lord, and with Him is plenteous redemption.” (J.J. Stewart Perowne; 1823–1904)

August 18, 2009

“Simple childlike faith in prayer consists not in high devotion and warm feeling; it is nothing but believing and not doubting from the bottom of the heart.” Rudolf E. Stier (1816-1862)

August 17, 2009

“We have no righteousness of our own to plead, and therefore must plead God’s righteousness, the word of promise, which he has freely given us, and caused us to hope in.” (Matthew Henry, 1662-1714)

August 16, 2009

“All things turn out according to divine predestination; not only the works we do outwardly, but even the thoughts we think inwardly. There is no such thing as chance, or fortune; nor is there a readier way to gain the fear of God, and to put our whole trust in Him, than to be thoroughly versed in the doctrine of Predestination.” (Phillip Melanchthon, 1497-1560)

August 15, 2009

“In the infinite wisdom of the Lord of all the earth, each event falls with exact precision into its proper place in this unfolding of His eternal plan; nothing, however small, however strange, occurs without His ordering, or without its peculiar fitness for its place in the working out of His purpose; and the end of all shall be the manifestation of His glory, and accumulation of His praise.” (Benjamin B. Warfield, 1851 - 1921)

August 14, 2009

“As well might man attempt to swim the ocean as to fathom the judgments of God. Man knows far too little to justify him in attempting to explain the mysteries of God’s rule.” Loraine Beottner (1901-1990)

August 13, 2009

“And one may have confessed and sincerely repented of that sin, which yet shall make him go halting to the grave. ‘You were a God that forgave them, though you took vengeance on their inventions.'” (Thomas Boston, 1677-1732)

August 12, 2009

“If God reduces you to necessities, he therein deals no otherwise with you than he has done with some of the holiest men that ever lived.” (John Flavel; 1627-1691)

August 11, 2009

“Holy hearts will be humble under the afflicting hand of God. When God’s rod is upon their backs, their mouths shall be in the dust. A good heart will lie lowest, when the hand of God is lifted highest." (Job 42:1-7; Acts 1:8); (Thomas Brooks; 1608-1680)

August 10, 2009

"I offer the following description: Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition." (Jeremiah Burroughs; 1600-1646)

August 9, 2009

“Brethren, there is much lacking to us all; and what we receive, how speedily do we lack again!” Rudolf Stier (1800-1862)

August 8, 2009

"We must learn to draw a distinction between being tempted and sinning. Thoughts will come to you and the devil may try to press you to think that because thoughts have entered your mind you have sinned. Temptation, in and of itself, is not sin. " (D. Martin Lloyd-Jones; 1899-1981)

August 7, 2009

“For his sake, not for our own, are we chosen; in him, not in ourselves, are we received by God, being accepted in the Beloved; and, therefore, in him are we blessed: he is our blessing.” Unknown (1859)

August 6, 2009

"Without a sincere attachment to the Author of eternal salvation, whatever works of morality we may perform, our obedience will be materially and essentially defective, as not flowing from a proper principle." (John Fawcett; 1740-1817)