Puritanical Preaching

Depend upon it, if ever the pulpit shall cease to be a vehicle of instruction, and sink into a place for the public reading of little essays, or the utterance of fifteen minutes of rose-water sentimentalism, our people will dwindle into spiritual dwarfs, and the manhood will disappear from their piety.  [An unknown Scot at Yale University defending the puritan view of preaching in 1876]

All in all

I know my Lord is no niggard; He can, and it becometh Him well to give more than my narrow soul can recieve. If there were ten thousand millions of worlds and as many heavens full of angels and men Christ would , not be pinched to supply all our wants and to fill us all. [Samuel Rutherford]

Why do we strive?

Why should we strive? For we be Brethren, the sons of one Father, the born citizens of one mother Jerusalem…We strive as we are carnal, we dispute as we are men, we war from our lusts, we dispute from diversity of star-light and day-light. [Samuel Rutherford]

Walking in holiness

If you think you can walk in holiness without keeping up perpetual fellowship with Christ, you have made a great mistake. If you would be holy, you must live close to Jesus.  [C.H. Spurgeon]

For want of a greater measure of the Spirit

Were we but animated, led and influenced by this Spirit, what a blessed union would there be among all the churches of Jesus Christ! It is a want of more of this, that now at present disunites us. I despair therefore of a greater union, till a greater measure of the Spirit be poured from on high. Hence, therefore, I am resolved simply to preach the gospel of Christ, and leave others to quarrel by and with themselves. Love, forebearance, long-suffering, and frequent prayer to your dear Lord Jesus is the best way. [George Whitefield]

Eternal unity for the body of Christ

It is a sweet meditation to think…that though we understand not one another, yet we have one loving and living Father that understands all our meanings; and so the different languages and dialects of the members of this body make no confusion in heaven, but meet together in his heart and affection, and are one perfume, one incense, sent up from the whole Catholic Church which is here scattered on the earth. [Hugh Binning]

Peace and Truth

Peace is such a precious jewel that I would give anything for it but truth.[Matthew Henry]

Being ready and willing for Spiritual Warfare

If earthly soldiers will purchase honour with the loss of life, which is nothing else but the commendation of the Prince, or applause of the vain people; what hazzard should we undergo in fighting the spiritual combat, seeing our grand Captain the Lord of Hosts, and infinite multitude of blessed angels look upon us, and behold our combat, whose praise and approbation is our chief felicity; what peril should we fear to obtain a Crown of glory which is promised to all who overcome and to become heirs apparent to God’s Kingdom? [Christopher Love]

Blessed are the poor in Spirit

A man may be so misled as to make a merit out of his sense of sin, and may dream of coming to Jesus clothed in a fitness of despair and unbelief; this is, however, the very reverse of the conduct of one who is poor in spirit, for he is poor in feelings as well as in everything else, and dares no more commend himself on account of his humblings and despairings than on account of his sins themselves. He thinks himself to be a hardhearted sinner as he acknowledges the deep repentance which his offenses call for; he fears that he is a stranger to that saved quickening which makes the conscience tender, and he dreads lest he should in any measure be a hypocrite in the desires which he perceives to be in his soul; in fact, he does not dare to think himself to be any other than poor, grievously poor, in whatever light he may be viewed in his relation to God and his righteous law. He hears of the humiliations of true, penitents, and wishes he had them; he reads the descriptions of repentance given in the Word of God, and prays that he may realize them, but he sees, nothing in himself upon which he can put his finger, and say, “This at least is good. In me there dwells at least some one good thing.” He is poor in spirit, and from him all boasting is cut off, once for all. It is better to be in this condition than falsely to account, one’s self a saint, and sit in the chief places of the synagogue, yea, it is so sweetly safe a position to occupy, that he who, is fullest of faith in God, and joy in the Holy Ghost finds it add to his peace to retain a full consciousness of the poverty of his natural state, and to let it run parallel with his persuasion of security and blessedness in Christ Jesus. Lord, keep me low; empty me more and more; lay me in the dust, let me be dead and buried as to all that is of self; then shall Jesus live in me, and reign in me, and be truly my All-in-all!  [C.H. Spurgeon]

On Love

Let him speak of love that is taken with love; that is captivated with love, that is carried away with love. If this man speaks of it, his speaking signifies something; the powers and bands of love are upon him, and he shews to all that he knows what he is speaking of. [John Bunyan]

Note from admin

The puritannical site should be back online very shortly. The same as this site, which has been offline for several hours previously, the DNS records are updating.  But normal service shall be resumed ASAP, just as it was at this site.

God's religion

The idea which many have of religion is, that it is a most necessary and becoming thing, by means of which they hope, in course of time, to work themselves into God’s favour, and so to obtain forgiveness before they die. But this is man’s religion, not God’s. It has no resemblance to that in which God delights, and which he alone will accept. The chief feature is a direct contradiction to that which the Bible presents to us. It is an entire inversion of God’s order. It ends with securing forgiveness, whereas God’s religion begins with securing it. [Horatius Bonar]

 

Kelso Tracts

God's religion

The idea which many have of religion is, that it is a most necessary and becoming thing, by means of which they hope, in course of time, to work themselves into God’s favour, and so to obtain forgiveness before they die. But this is man’s religion, not God’s. It has no resemblance to that in which God delights, and which he alone will accept. The chief feature is a direct contradiction to that which the Bible presents to us. It is an entire inversion of God’s order. It ends with securing forgiveness, whereas God’s religion begins with securing it. [Horatius Bonar]

 

Kelso Tracts

The power of Spirit-filled preaching

The Spirit in me doth kindle a reverence in the spirit of the hearer; and if it be not in me, the spirit of the hearer will discern me not to be sent, but only to have the word of the commission, and not to have the power; for the power is the evident argument that a man is sent. Therefore,many start to teach the Word, who are not sent…and therefore the flock of God remains without edification, and the kingdom of God is not built up, because they have only the word of commission and lack the power of the Spirit that should make the Word effectual to the hearer. [Robert Bruce]

Pray unceasingly for sanctification

Pray unceasingly for the progress of His work in your heart…Never let go your aspirings..Oh! with what unceasing progress towards perfection should we be enabled to advance did we cast all self-seeking and self-confidence away from us–did we consent to be altogether guided by His strength, and be altogether accepted in His pure and unspotted righteousness. [Thomas Chalmers]

Soul and conscience–Inseparable companions

Our conscience is born with us, is natural to us, and is left in the soul of every man and woman…The body shall leave the soul, and the soul shall leave the body; but conscience shall never leave the soul; but wherever the soul goes, to the same place shall the conscience repair; and in whatsoever state thy conscience is when thou diest, in the self-same state shall it meet thee in the great day.  [Robert Bruce]

Christ's Grand Design

Christ hath a great design of free grace to these lands; but his wheels must move over mountains and rocks. He never yet wooed a bride on earth, but in blood, in fire and in the wilderness. [Samuel Rutherford]

Christ's Grand Design

Christ hath a great design of free grace to these lands; but his wheels must move over mountains and rocks. He never yet wooed a bride on earth, but in blood, in fire and in the wilderness. [Samuel Rutherford]

The fountain of comfort

The foundation of the Christian’s peace is everlasting; it is what no time, no change, can destroy. It will remain when the body dies; it will remain when the mountains depart and the hills shall be removed, and when the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll. The fountain of his comfort shall never be diminished, and the stream shall never be dried. His comfort and joy is a living spring in the soul, a well of water springing up to everlasting life. [Johnathon Edwards]

The folly of re-wounding our consciences

Because, before a man had that peace he felt the bitterness of sin, for God never speaks peace till that be felt. Now, that is an argument even to sense never to return to it again, which a fool will be warned by: a burnt child dreads the fire; even a child will take heed, being taught by sense. When a man shall be in great distress, and his conscience shall suggest to him, as Jer. iv. 18, ‘Thy ways and thy doings have procured these things to thee: this is thy wickedness,’ – a speech like that when you say to your children, when they have gotten any harm, or cold, or sickness, This is your playing, and gadding, and going in the snow, and your eating of fruit, &c., – so doth God speak there to them when they were in distress, ‘This is your wickedness, for it is bitter, it reacheth to the heart;’ it woundeth the conscience, the wounding of which, of all else, is the greatest misery. When once a man after this hath peace restored to him, and he comes newly out of such a distress, ask him then how he likes turning to such a sin again, and he will tell you it is the greatest folly in the world: ask David if he will murder any I more after his bones have been broken and set again.  [Thomas Goodwin]

The return of prayers ; The tidings of peace ; and The folly of relapsing

Being content with little

Though the wisdom of Providence has ordered you a lower and poorer condition than others, yet consider how many there are that are lower than you in the world. You have but little of the world, yet others have less. Read the description of those persons (Job 30:4, etc).If God has given you but a small portion of the world, yet if you are godly He has promised never to foresake you (Heb 13:5). Providence has ordered that condition for you which is really best for your eternal good. If you had more of the world than you have, your heads and heart might not be able to manage it to your advantage. A small boat must have but a narrow sail. You have not lacked hitherto the necessities of life, and are commanded ‘having food and rainment (though none of the finest) to be therewith content.’ ‘A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.’ (Psalm 37:16): better in the acquisition, sweeter in the fruition, and more comfortable in the account. [John Flavel]

It is proper that brethren should be alike

We are predestinated to be conformed to Christ. He is the first among many brethren (Rom 8:29) The chief brethren must be alike. Being predestined to salvation, it was fitting we should be conformed to our elder brother, that brethren might be of one nature and disposition. [Richard Sibbes]

Providence Perfected

O how ravishing and delectable a sight will it be to behold at one view the whole design of Providence and the proper place and use of every single act, which we could not understand in this world! What Christ said to Peter is as applicable to some Providences in which we are now concerned as it was to that particular action: ‘What I do, thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter,’ (John 13:7). All the dark intricate, puzzling providences at which we were sometimes so offended, and sometimes amazed, which we could neither reconcile with the promise nor with each other, nay, which we so unjustly censured and bitterly bewailed, as if they had fallen out quite against our happiness we shall then see to be to us, as the difficult passage through the wilderness was to Israel, ‘the right way to a city of habitation.’ (Ps. 107.) [John Flavel]

Being overly taken-up by outward comforts

We find the best hearts, if God bestow any comfortable enjoyment upon them, too apt to be over-heated in their affections towards it, and to be too much taken up with these outward comforts. this also shows the great power and strength of corruption in the people of God, and must be some means or other be mortified in them. [John Flavel]

Being allowed continuance should give us zeal

But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day. [Deut 4:4]

This serveth not so much to make the people glad; as to shew them that seeing they be so greatly bound and beholden to their God, they ought to serve him with greater zeal. Moses then telleth the people thus: Ye have seen God’s wrath; and what hath preserved you from it hitherto? For ye might have been overthrown and destroyed as well as they that worhsipped Beelphegor. Know ye therefore that you continuing unto this day, is through the free favour of God. And therfore look that ye serve and honour him as he deserveth, seeing he hath maintained you after such a fashion, and against all hope. [John Calvin]

 

Sermons on Deuteronomy (Sixteenth-Seventeenth Century Facsimile Editions)