A Puritan at Heart

Wheresoever God works with power for salvation upon the minds of men, there will be some discoveries of a sense of sin, of the danger of the wrath of God, and the all-sufficiency of his  Son Jesus to relieve us under all our spiritual wants and distresses [Isaac Watts & John Guyse]

The most successful method of preaching is that which aims at thorough and radical convictions of sin. The law must be applied with power to the conscience, or the preciousness of grace will be very inadequately known. [James Henley Thornwell]

It is the manner of God before He bestows any signal mercy on the people, first to prepare them for it. [Johnathan Edwards]

When ye look upon a looking glass, ye see three things, the glass, yourself, and all the other things, persons, stools or pictures that are in the room. So in looking upon Scripture…ye see the truths that are therein contained concerning God and Christ. There is God seen especially, and Christ seen; there also you see yourself and your own dirty face; there also you see the creatures that are in the room with you and their emptiness. [William Bridge]

Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge of Satan. [John Bunyan]

Oh let our souls be overcome with thoughts of this love of Christ…When it shall have its proper affect upon us, to make us to desire more earnestly to be like our beloved! If we have at any time experienced the more lively and full incomes of this Spirit of Christ, how did it set the heart on fire! Did we never experience what this meaneth? Then let the sweetness of the remembrance of it, renew us. [John Janeway]

Live as those that are going to the grave…spend every day in preparation for death; and in all your business remember, whither you are going and where you must dwell forever. [Richard Baxter]

Let us have right notions of the omnipresence of God; wheresoever we move, we are in God. As there is not a moment but we are under his mercy, so there is not a moment that we are out of his presence. Let us therefore look on nothing without thinking who stands by, without reflecting on him in whom it lives, moves, and has its being. No thought is hid, no lust is secret, but the eye of God beholds this, and that, and the other…We may exclude the sun from peeping into our solitudes, but not the eye of God from beholding our actions. To deny God knowledge is to dash out the Scripture and demolish the Deity.  [Stephen Charnock]

The…way of erecting an idol is, when God is worshipped otherwise, and by other means than He hath revealed in the Word. For when men set up a devised worship they set up also, a devised God…The second point is the role of Worship: and that is that nothing may go under the name of worship of God, which , He hath not ordained in His own Word, and commanded to us as His own worship. For we are forbidden under pain of the curse of God either to add or to take anything from the precepts of God in which  He prescribes His own worship. Again, the Lord forbids us in HIs worship to follow after our own hearts and eyes or to walk in the ordinance of our forefathers, but only in  His commandments. And He holds it a vain thing, to teach His worship, and fear, by the precepts of men…All voluntary religion and will-service is utterly condemned. [William Perkins]

If we give to reason, memory, study, books, methods, forms, etc, but their proper place in subordination to Christ and His Spirit, they are so far from being quenchers of the Spirit, that they are necessary in their places and such means as we must use, if ever we will expect the Spirit’s help. [Richard Baxter]

Great sins do draw out great grace; and where guilt is most terrible and fierce there the mercy of God in Christ, when showed to the soul, appears most high and mighty. [John Bunyan]

Psalm One

If the hairs of every man’s head fall under his sovereign care, the calling of every man, wherein he is to glorify God, and serve his generation…falls under his dominion…Though our callings are our work, yet they are by God’s order, wherein we are to be faithful to our great master and ruler.  [Stephen Charnock]

Satan hath no absolute power, but a power by permission to try us: against which we must arm ourselves by faith, which will assure us that either the Lord mitigate our temptation…or else if he enlarge the trial he will increase our strength…We must also pray that the Lord give not out that measure of leave to the devil which we give out to sin..but that he would rather make Satan a surgeon to show us our sins than a sergeant to confound us in them. [Satan] tries to persuade many that the weakness of their body, the feeblnesss of their brain proceedeth of their temptations, when indeed it cometh of their own unstayed minds, wandering too much after the motions of the devil, in that they are not resting on the Word, nor depending on Christ, nor contenting themselves to be tried; nor comforting themselves by meditation, attend too much and confer too  much often with the devil’s illusions and temptations and they complain of the effects and not of the causes of the temptations being more grieved for their present sufferings, than for their sins past. The root of this worldly shame is pride…[Richard Greenham]

That man is a blessed man, whose chastisements are joined with divine teachings; or, it is a blessed thing when correction and instruction go together. The rod and the Word make up a complete blessing. [Thomas Case]

This reverential fear begets a holy care and watch in the soul, suspecting and crying out to God to keep His Citadel there…’Tis a holy frame of spirit that keeps us always in reverent awe and dread of the great Majesty of God, and in an humble posture of soul before Him, yet cuts  not off, but aggravates our delight in Him, our joy and our singing before Him. [Lucy Hutchinson-Puritan wife]

Are you heartily willing to take God for your portions and had you rather live with Him in Glory, in His favour and fullest love, with a soul perfectly cleansed from all sin, and never more to offend Him, rejoicing with His Saints in His everlasting praises, than to enjoy the delights of the flesh on earth in a way of sin and without the favour of God? Are you heartily willing to take Jesus Christ as He is offered in the Gospel, that is to be your only Saviour and Lord, and to give you pardon by HIs blood shed and to sanctify you by His Work and Spirit and to govern you by His laws? Note that to be willing to be ruled by His laws both to heart and outward actions, that they command a Holy, Spiritual, Heavenly life, that they command things so cross and unpleasing to the flesh that the flesh will be ever murmuring and striving against obedience; particuarly, they command things quite cross to the inclinations of the flesh as to forgive wrongs, to love enemies, to forbear malice and revenge, to restrain and mortify lust and passion, to abhor and mortify pride and to be low in our own eyes, and humble and meek in spirit. These are the laws of Christ which you must know before you can determine whether you are indeed unfeignedly willing to obey them. [Richard Baxter]

Thou mayest, though a child of God be under fresh guilt and defilement yet unrepnted of. Now in this case–God can shut His door upon His own child. As a saint, thou hast a right to all the promises of the Covenant: but as a saint under guilt or the defilement of any sin that thou hast not yet repented of, thou art not fit to enjoy what thou hast a right to as a saint. God doth not disinherit thee, indeed, but He sequesters the promise from thee, and the rents of it shall not be paid to thee till thou renewest thy repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus for the pardon of it. Thy God will choose a fitter time than this to signify His love to thee. [William Gurnall]

Consider the mercy of the covenant, how it overflows; it is not only stinted to their persons, but runs over to their children; they are beloved for our sake! Oh, fear the Lord not only for your own sakes, but for your children’s sake! This will be the best way to provide for your children; not to heap up wealth and honour for them, but to leave them the honour and wealth and privileges of the covenant. It is true, the election shall obtain; sanctification and regeneration doth not descend from the parents to their children; yet in outward mercies they have their share, if they have nothing else. Though you have nothing to leave them, yet leave them God’s love, and that will be enough.[Thomas Manton]

Look over all the Lord’s love, turn over all the leaves of it. The Lord has called me. Why? Because Christ has redeemed. And why that? Because the Father has chosen. And why me? To glorify His grace. And why me rather than another? No reason, but He would. This, I doubt not, will be the work of heaven, I am glorified because called, because redeemed, because elected. [Thomas Shephard]

Let us now learn to hold all the passions of impatience in bondage, both by comparing our evils with the wonderful mercies of God, and our small suffering with the intolerable conflicts of our forefathers. For there is no greater cause of our despairing under the cross than when Satan persuadeth us that never any were handled so roughly…Wherefore, lest our infirmities should over-master us…let us call to mind the Saints of God…to the end that by them we may learn that, according as God dealeth forth the gifts of the Spirit, thereafter doth he send greater afflictions, both to make them the more esteemed, and also to cause a more plentiful fruit of their faith. [Richard Greenham]]

They will receive nothing, practice nothing, own nothing in his worship but what is of his appointment. They know that from the foundation of the world, he never did allow nor ever will, than in anything the will of the creatures should be the measure of his honour, or the principle of his worship, either as to matter or to manner…

They readily embrace, recieve, and practice everything that the Lord Christ hath appointed. They inquire diligently into his mind and will, that they may know it. They go to him for directions, and beg him to lead them in the way they have not known…This I say they are tender in. Whatever is of Christ, they willingly submit unto, and accept of, and give up themselves to the constant practice hereof. Whatever comes on any ohter account they refuse. [John Owen]

O! the heavy wrath of God on a world of poor, blind ignorant men that have no hope, no hope of Christ, no hope of glory unless a flattering dead hope. What a sad thing it is to think of a number of men that are buried in the world, and never to awaken till they see Christ in the clouds of heaven coming to be revenged on them. O! methinks I see them down before the Judgement Seat and crying out, "O! that we had known of this day! O! Alas that I had hope! but not such an hope, but am now decieved." O! It is otherwise with saints; they shall find that they hoped for, and infinitely more…behold the Lord cometh that shall deliver and redeem them! O! see their blessedness and let it draw you to make up a match with Christ, that never did it yet. He has been wooing of you, longing for you… Give thyself this day to Him and take Him only, when nothing thou hast can be so pleasing as Him. And now you may look and believe what one day you shall feel to your everlasting comfort.[Thomas Shepard]

Faith is the spring in the watch that sets all the golden wheels of love, joy, comfort and peace a-going. [Thomas Brooks]

Our spiritual estate standeth upon a sure bottom, the beginning is from God the Father, the dispensation from the Son, and the application from the Holy Ghost…It is free in the Father, sure in the Son, ours in the Spirit; the Father purposeth, the Son ratifieth, the Spirit gives the enjoyment of all…Election is ascribed to God the Father, sanctification to the Spirit, and reconciltion to Jesus Christ…This is the chain of salvation and never a link of this chain must be broken. The Son cannot die for them whom the Father never elected, and the Spirit will never sanctify them whom the Father hath not elected nor the Son redeemed. [Thomas Manton]

Christ’s blood-shedding was special blood-shedding, not for all, but for you many, Matthew 26:28. Sanctification is a special sanctification, not for all, for of you, John 17:9. Justification is a special justification, not of all, but of you only, his elect, Romans 8:33. Christ’s purchasing was a special purchasing, not of all, but of you his church, Acts 20:28. Christ’s prayer is a special prayer, not for all, but for you, John 17:9.[William Fenner]