Quote 4499
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Evil practices should also be zealously opposed, whether they appear in ourselves or others.
It is the duty of every Christian to be zealous for Jesus Christ.
Christ is in both life and death the Christian's most needed and only satisfying advantage.The Efficiency of God’s Grace
The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer.
Prayer is a matter more of the heart than the head. In prayer, it is not so much fluency prevails as fervency (James 5:16), nor is God so much taken with elegancy of speech as the efficacy of the Spirit. Humility is better than arrogance. Here the mourner is the orator; sighs and groans are the best rhetoric. Primitive Divinity
Our obedience in all the branches of it [the praise owed to the Lord in light of His providential care] should be bettered. Practical praises are the most acceptable. Our lives must witness the gratitude of our hearts. Best Refuge
Impatience is the daughter of infidelity. If a patient hath an ill opinion of the physician and conceits that he comes to poison him, he will take none of his receipts [medicinal preparations]. When we have a prejudice against God and conceit that He comes to kill us and undo us, then we storm and cry out through impatience.
Grace is beyond gifts. Thou comparest thy grace with another's gifts; there is a vast difference. Grace without gifts is infinitely better than gifts without grace. In religion the vitals are best; gifts are extrinsical, and wicked men are sometimes under the common influence of the Spirit. But grace is a more distinguishing work and is a jewel hung only upon the righteous. Hast thou, the seed of God, the holy anointing? Be content.
No discourse is so pleasant. Next to the songs of angels, the pious conference of holy men is the sweetest melody our ears can be entertained with; other things comparatively sound harsh to the things of God. Neither at the instant affect the ear with that pleasure nor afterwards leave it in that composure.
A godly man is a lover of the saints. The best way to discern grace in oneself is to love grace in others: "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren" (1 John 3:14). What is religion but religation, a knitting together of hearts; faith knits us to God, and love knits us one to another.
If you would be pure, walk with them that are pure; as the communion of saints is in our creed, so it should be in our company (Prov. 13:20). "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise"; and he that walketh with the pure shall be pure. The saints are like a bed of spices; by intermixing ourselves with them we shall partake of their savoriness. Association begets assimilation; sometimes God blesses good society to the conversion of others.
Love God in His saints and delightfully converse with Christ in them while thou hast opportunity. But remember thou livest not upon them or on their love, but upon God. And therefore desire their company but for His; and if thou hast His, be content if thou hast not theirs. He wants not man that enjoys God.
Error needs a great deal of defending to keep it from sinking into oblivion, a great deal of equivocation to hide its certain and natural consequences from being detected by honest inquiry, and a great deal of learning and rhetoric to plead its cause. But in order to embrace truth, we need only light to see it by and a heart to love it. Primitive Divinity
Error is a spiritual bastard. The devil is the father, and pride the mother. You never knew an erroneous man, but he was a proud man. Now it is good that such men should be laid open to the intent, first, that God's righteous judgments upon them may be adored (2 Thess. 2:12). Secondly, that others who are free be not infected. Primitive Divinity
Discontent is a spider that sucks the poison of unthankfulness out of the sweetest flower of God's blessings, and, by a devilish chemistry, extracts dross out of the most refined gold. The discontented person thinks everything he does for God too much, and everything God does for him too little. Oh, what a sin is unthankfulness! Primitive Divinity
Discontent is nothing else but the echo of unbelief, and remember, distrust is worse than distress. Primitive Divinity
Discontent, arising from disrespect, savors too much of pride; a humble Christian hath a lower opinion of himself than others can have of him. He that is taken up about the thoughts of his sins and how he hath provoked God, he cries out as Agur: "I am more brutish than any man" (Prov. 30:2) and therefore is contented, though he be set "among the dogs of my flock" (Job 30:1). Though he be low in the thoughts of others, yet he is thankful that he is not laid in "the lowest hell" (Ps. 86:13). A proud man sets a high value upon himself and is angry with others because they will not come up to his price. Take heed of pride. Primitive Divinity
Remember, in every loss there is only a suffering, but in every discontent there is a sin; and one sin is worse than a thousand sufferings. What! Because some of my revenues are gone, shall I part with some of my righteousness? Shall my faith and patience go too? Because I do not possess an estate, shall I not therefore possess my own spirit? O, learn to be content! Primitive Divinity
Every man is complaining that his estate is no better, though he seldom complains that his heart is no better. One man commends this kind of life, another commends that; one man thinks a country life best, another a city life. The soldier thinks it best to be a merchant, and the merchant to be a soldier. Men can be content to be anything but what God will have them. Primitive Divinity
The way for a Christian to be contented is not by raising his estate higher, but by bringing his spirit lower; not by making his barns wider, but his heart narrower. One man, a whole lordship or manor will not content him; another is satisfied with a few acres of land. What is the difference? The one studies to satisfy curiosity, the other necessity. The one thinks what he may have; the other thinks what he may spare.
A Christian of a right temper should be ever cheerful in God: "Serve the Lord with gladness" (Ps. 100:2). A sign the oil of grace hath been poured into the heart is when the oil of gladness shines in the countenance. Cheerfulness credits religion. How can the discontented person be cheerful? Discontent is a dogged sullen humor; because we have not what we desire, God shall not have a good word or look from us.Primitive Divinity, 125
As fire has various operations on things of a different nature, either to congregate or separate through burning; in the same manner, holy zeal in those hearts in which God has kindled it, into much heat for good, and against evil. And as fire which burns on the hearth, warms, the whole room; in the same manner the flame of holy zeal in the soul, is influential in its operations, through the Christians whole conversion.The Zealous Christian
would it not be a commendable Christian compassion to save such with godly fear, pulling them out of the fire, and rather scorch them with the flame of zeal, then give them liberty to go securely to hell (Jude 23)
Roman Catholic doctrine and the Pope's teaching is an abomination which brings desolation.
It is incumbent on ministers to stand as zealous champions for the doctrines of God's grace.The Zealous Christian
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2. Charles Spurgeon (135)
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