Quote 4793
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A sheep may fall into a ditch, but it is the swine that wallows in it.
He who is his own teacher, is sure to have a fool for his master!
The Christian must always be at war. If he has peace with sin, he is at war with God.
If you allow your love of creature comforts — or even your pleasure in family and loved ones — to outrun your love for the Lord, you cannot be a victorious soldier for Christ.The Christian in Complete Armour, 1:72
The layman has a large field in which he may minister to his fellow man, even if he is not called to full time ministry.Christian in Complete Armour 1:300
It is an office of love here to take away the stones and to smooth the way to heaven. Therefore, we must take heed that under pretense of avoidance of disputes we do not suffer an adverse party to get ground upon the truth, for thus may we easily betray both the truth of God and souls of men.
The work of the ministry is not to contend with ghosts and opinions antiquated, but the errors and sins of the present time. Look, as it is the duty of Christians to spend the heat of their indignation on the main sin with which they are surprised: "I kept myself from mine iniquity" (Ps. 18:23); so must ministers chiefly bend their zeal and strength against the present guilt.
My dear flock, I have, according to the grace given me, labored in the course of my ministry among you to feed you with the heartstrengthening bread of practical doctrine; and I do assure you, it is far better you should have the sweet and saving impressions of gospel truths feelingly and powerfully conveyed to your hearts than only to understand them by a bare ratiocination or a dry syllogistical inference.
Those ministers that give men no rest nor quietness in their sins must expect but little rest or quietness themselves. What is it for ministers to preach home to the consciences of others but to pull down the rage of the world upon their own heads?
Let us see that our knowledge of Christ is not a powerless, barren, unpractical knowledge. Oh that in its passage from our understanding to our lips it might powerfully melt, sweeten, and delight our hearts! Remember, brethren, a holy calling never saved any man without a holy heart; if our tongues only be sanctified, our whole man must be condemned. Oh, let the keepers of the vineyard look to and keep their own vineyard! We have a heaven to win or lose as well as others.
Vinedressers are rewarded according to their diligence and faithfulness, though some vines never bear nor bring forth fruit at all. As ministers are diligent and faithful, so the reward, the crown shall be given full at last. This is many a faithful minister's grief, that he takes a great deal of pains in rubbing and washing, as it were, to make souls white and clean, pure and holy, and yet they remain, after all, as black as hell; but surely their reward shall never be the less with God. The nurse looks not for her wages from the child, but from the parent.
The worst of men are in a dead sleep, and the best of men are too often in a sinful slumber; and therefore faithful ministers have need to cry aloud, they have need to be courageous and zealous, to awaken both sinners and saints, that none may go sleeping to hell. Cowardice in a minister is cruelty; if he fears the faces of men, he is a murderer of the souls of men. Smooth Stones
Consider, what thou doest out of thy place is not acceptable to God because thou canst not do it in faith, "without which it is impossible to please God," and it cannot be in faith because thou hast no call. God will not thank thee for doing that which He did not set thee about. Possibly thou hast good intentions; so had Uzzah in staying the ark, yet how well God liked his zeal, see 2 Samuel 6:7. Christian in Complete Armour
It was a great mercy that Hannah had after her many prayers and long waiting, a son; but a greater that she had a heart to give up her son again to God, who gave him to her. To have estate, health, or any other enjoyment upon waiting on God for the same is mercy, but not to be compared with that blessing which sanctifies the heart to use them for God's glory.
God not only keeps an account of thy sins but of the mercies thou hast received, and thou must be answerable for both. Christian in Complete Armour
Joy is the highest testimony that can be given to our complacency in any thing or person. Love is to joy as fuel to the fire. If love lay little fuel of desires on the heart, then the flame of joy that comes thence will not be great.
There are three expressions of a great joy in Scripture: the joy of a woman after her travail, the joy of harvest, and the joy of him that divides the spoil. The exultation of all these is wrought upon a sad ground; many a pain and tear it costs the travailing woman, many a fear the husbandman, perils and wounds the soldier before they come at their joy, but at last are paid for all, the remembrance of their past sorrows feeding their present joys.
Keep a diary of thy family sins and mercies, that neither the one may escape thy confession and humiliation nor the other thy grateful recognition. If this were observed, we should not come with such barren hearts to the work, as now most do. Christian in Complete Armour
He is the best Christian who keeps the history of God's gracious dealings with him most carefully so that he may read it in his past experiences when at any time his thoughts trouble him and his spiritual rest is broken with distracting fears for the future. Christian in Complete Armour
Preserve thy experiences of past mercies, and thy hope will grow stronger for the future.
Ignorance, above other sins, enslaves a soul to Satan; a knowing man may be his slave, but an ignorant one can be no other. Knowledge does not make the heart good, but it is impossible that without knowledge it should be good. There are some sins which an ignorant person cannot commit; there are more which he cannot but commit.
Hypocrisy in religion springs from the bitter root of some carnal affection unmortified…. God is in the hypocrite's mouth, but the world is in his heart, which he expects to gain through his good reputation.
It is sincere faith that is the strong faith, sincere love that is the mighty love. Hypocrisy is to grace as the worm is to the oak, the rust to the iron—it weakens them because it corrupts them.
The Christian, by his sorrow, shows himself a conqueror of that sin which even now overcame him, while the hypocrite, by his pride, shows himself a slave to a worse lust than that he resists. While the Christian commits a sin, he hates it, whereas the other loves it while he forbears it.
Humility is a necessary veil to all other graces.
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1. Thomas Watson (181)
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3. J.C. Ryle (117)
4. John Calvin (107)
5. Thomas Brooks (98)
6. J.I. Packer (93)
7. John Piper (87)
8. John Flavel (87)
9. George Swinnock (83)
10. John Owen (73)
11. A.W. Pink (68)
12. William Gurnall (65)
13. Louis Berkhof (63)
14. Thomas Manton (61)
15. C.S. Lewis (59)
16. B.B. Warfield (59)
17. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (58)
18. R.C. Sproul (55)
19. Heinrich Bullinger (53)
20. Matthew Henry (51)
2. Charles Spurgeon (135)
3. J.C. Ryle (117)
4. John Calvin (107)
5. Thomas Brooks (98)
6. J.I. Packer (93)
7. John Piper (87)
8. John Flavel (87)
9. George Swinnock (83)
10. John Owen (73)
11. A.W. Pink (68)
12. William Gurnall (65)
13. Louis Berkhof (63)
14. Thomas Manton (61)
15. C.S. Lewis (59)
16. B.B. Warfield (59)
17. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (58)
18. R.C. Sproul (55)
19. Heinrich Bullinger (53)
20. Matthew Henry (51)
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