A Puritan at Heart

God…will not lightly or easily lose His people. He has provided well for us; blood to wash us in; a Priest to pray for us, that we may be made to persevere; and, in case we foully fall, an Advocate to plead our cause. [John Bunyan]

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

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

Weep not for me, but for yourselves. I go to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will, no doubt, through the mediation of his blessed Son, recieve me, though a sinner; where I hope we ere long shall meet, to sing the new song, and remain everlastingly happy, world without end. [John Bunyan]

If we would live in peace, let us remember our relations to God — as children to a father, and to each other as brethren. Will not the thoughts that we have one Father quiet us, and the thoughts that we are brethren unite us? It was this that made Abraham propose terms of peace to Lot (Genesis 13): ‘Let there be no strife,’ saith he, ‘between us, for we are brethren.’ And we read of Moses, in Act. 7:26, using this argument to reconcile those that strove together, and to set them at one again: ‘Sirs,’ saith he, ‘ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?’ A deep sense of this relation, that we are brethren, would keep us from dividing. [John Bunyan]

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]

Sin is the dare of God’s justice, the rape of His mercy, the jeer of His patience, the slight of His power, and the contempt of His love. [John Bunyan ]

God…will not lightly or easily lose His people. He has provided well for us: blood to wash us in; a Priest to pray for us, that we may be made to persevere; and, in case we foully fall, an Advocate to plead our cause. [John Bunyan]

God…will not lightly or easily lose His people. He has provided well for us: blood to wash us in; a Priest to pray for us, that we may be made to persevere; and, in case we foully fall, an Advocate to plead our cause. [John Bunyan]

O! what acclamations of joy will there be, when all the children of God shall meet together, without fear of being disturbed by the antichristian and Cainish brood! [John Bunyan]

I had also this consideration, that I if I should now venture all for God, I engaged God to take care of my concernments; but if I forsook Him and His ways for fear of any trouble that should come to me or  mine, then I should not only falsify my profession but should count also that my concernments were not so sure…This was a smarting consideration, and was as spurs unto my flesh. {John Bunyan]

What is God’s majesty to a sinful man, but a consuming fire? And what is sinful man in himself, or in his approach to God, but as stubble fully dry. Since the name of God is that by which his nature is expressed, and since He naturally is so glorious and incomprehensible, His name must needs be the object of our fear;and we ought always to have a reverent awe of God upon our hearts at what time soever we think of or hear his name; but most of all when we ourselves do take his Holy and fearful name into our mouths, especially in a religious manner; that is, in preaching, praying, or Holy conference. Make mention then of the name of the Lord at all times with great dread of His majesty on your hearts,and in great soberness and truth. To do otherwise is to profane the name of the Lord, and to take his name in vain.- [John Bunyan]

What is God’s majesty to a sinful man, but a consuming fire? And what is sinful man in himself, or in his approach to God, but as stubble fully dry. Since the name of God is that by which his nature is expressed, and since He naturally is so glorious and incomprehensible, His name must needs be the object of our fear;and we ought always to have a reverent awe of God upon our hearts at what time soever we think of or hear his name; but most of all when we ourselves do take his Holy and fearful name into our mouths, especially in a religious manner; that is, in preaching, praying, or Holy conference. Make mention then of the name of the Lord at all times with great dread of His majesty on your hearts,and in great soberness and truth. To do otherwise is to profane the name of the Lord, and to take his name in vain.- [John Bunyan]

God breaks some mens hearts for sin; namely, because he would not have them die in it, but rather come to God, that they might be saved. Behold, therefore, in this, how God resolved as to the saving of some men’s soul! He will have them, he will save them. He will break their hearts, but he will save them; he will kill them, that they may live; he will wound them, that he may heal them. And it seems by our discourse that now there is no way left but this; fair means as we say, will not do; good words, a glorious gospel, entreating, beseeching with blood and tears, will not do. Men are resolved to put God to the utmost of it; if he will have them, he must fetch them, follow them, catch them, lame them, yea, break their bones, or else he shall not save them. [John Burnayn]

God breaks some mens hearts for sin; namely, because he would not have them die in it, but rather come to God, that they might be saved. Behold, therefore, in this, how God resolved as to the saving of some men’s soul! He will have them, he will save them. He will break their hearts, but he will save them; he will kill them, that they may live; he will wound them, that he may heal them. And it seems by our discourse that now there is no way left but this; fair means as we say, will not do; good words, a glorious gospel, entreating, beseeching with blood and tears, will not do. Men are resolved to put God to the utmost of it; if he will have them, he must fetch them, follow them, catch them, lame them, yea, break their bones, or else he shall not save them. [John Burnayn]

Do not even such things as are most bitter to the flesh, tend to awaken Christians to faith and prayer, to a sight of the emptiness of this world, and the fadingness of the best it yield? Doth not God by these things (ofttimes) call our sins to remembrance, and provoke us to amendment of life? How then can we be offended at things by which we reap so much good?…. Therefore if mine enemy hunger, let me feed him; if he thirst, let me give him drink. Now in order to do this, (1) We must see good in that, in which other men can see none. (2) We must pass by those injuries that other men would revenge. (2) We must show we have grace, and that we are made to bear what other men are not acquainted with. (4) Many of our graces are kept alive, by those very things that are the death of other men’s souls…. The devil, (they say) is good when he is pleased; but Christ and His saints, when displeased. [John Bunyan ]

A broken heart is of great esteem with God, because it is a thankful heart for that sense of sin and of grace it has received. The broken heart is a sensible heart. This we touched upon before. It is sensible of the dangers which sin leadeth to; yea, and has cause to be sensible thereof, because it has seen and felt what sin is, both in the guilt and punishment that by law is due thereto. As a broken heart is sensible of sin, in the evil nature and consequences of it; so it is also sensible of the way of God’s delivering the soul from the day of judgment; consequently it must be a thankful heart. Now he that praises me, glorifies me, saith God; and God loves to be glorified. God’s glory is dear unto him; he will not part with that (Psa 50:23; Isa 42: [John Bunyan]