Quote 493
I must preach the Gospel of Christ, and this I cannot now do without speaking of election.
George Whitefield
Dallimore, Whitefield, II, p. 4122.1K
Other Quotes from the Author & Topic
Works? Works? A man get to heaven by works? I would as soon think of climbing to the moon on a rope of sand! Sep 29, 1770 Newburyport, Massachusetts. From the sermon: "How willingly would I live forever to preach Christ, but I die to be with him."
If you could be brought once to love secret prayer, and to converse feelingly with God in his word, your heaven will begin on earth; you will enjoy more pleasure than in all manner of riches.
I desire to cast my crown at the feet of Jesus, and to cry grace! grace! Dear Sir, what a charming word is that? I am sure I can freely own, that all my salvation is of grace, unmerited, distinguishing, electing grace!
if Jacob had been elected because of his future merits, then his election would no longer be from grace: and so he was not elected by God because of what he was going to become, but he became such because of his election.The Sentences, Book 1, Dist 41
I'll tell you a story. The Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 1675 was acquainted with Mr. Butterton the [actor]. One day the Archbishop . . . said to Butterton . . . 'pray inform me Mr. Butterton, what is the reason you actors on stage can affect your congregations with speaking of things imaginary, as if they were real, while we in church speak of things real, which our congregations only receive as if they were imaginary?' 'Why my Lord,' says Butterton, 'the reason is very plain. We actors on stage speak of things imaginary, as if they were real and you in the pulpit speak of things real as if they were imaginary.' Stout, Divine Dramatist (239-240)
For my part I cannot see how true humbleness of mind can be attained without a knowledge of [the doctrine of election]; and though I will not say, that every one who denies election is a bad man, yet I will say, with that sweet singer, Mr. Trail, it is a very bad sign: such a one, whoever he be, I think cannot truly know himself; for, if we deny election, we must, partly at least, glory in ourselves; but our redemption is so ordered, that no flesh should glory in the Divine presence; and hence it is, that the pride of man opposes this doctrine, because, according to this doctrine, and no other, "he that glories must glory only in the Lord. Haykin, ed., Revived Puritan, pp. 97-98
Live above the world, and underneath you shall be God's Everlasting Arms.
O poor New England! There is a deep laid plot against your civil and religious liberties, and they will be lost. Your golden days are at an end. You have nothing but trouble before you. . . . Your liberties will be lost.
If one evil thought, if one evil word, if one evil action, deserves eternal damnation, how many hells, my friends, do every one of us deserve, whose whole lives have been one continued rebellion against God!
Congregations are lifeless because dead men preach to them.
People want to recommend themselves to God by their sincerity; they think, 'If we do all we can, if we are but sincere, Jesus Christ will have mercy on us.' But pray what is there in our sincerity to recommend us to God? ... therefore, if you depend on your sincerity for your salvation, your sincerity will damn you.
If you are going to walk with Jesus Christ, you are going to be opposed.... In our days, to be a true Christian is really to become a scandal.
Lord, help me to begin to begin.
One great matter is to know what particular office and to what particular part Jesus Christ has called each of you... Different persons have different gifts and graces. Some have popular gifts fit for large auditories. Others move best in a more contracted sphere, and may be exceedingly useful in the private Societies. Those who are called out to act in a public manner, I think ought to give themselves wholly to the work... Others who can only serve privately, may mind their secular employ and give their leisure time to the service of the Church.Original letter in the British Museum, 29960. b. Lot 368.
We make our election sure by making our calling sure: "God hath chosen you to salvation through sanctification." By the streams we come at last to the fountain. If we find the stream of sanctification running in our souls, we may by this come to the springhead of election. I do not look up into the secret of God's purpose, yet I may know I am elected by the shining of sanctifying grace in my soul. Whosoever he be that can find the word of God transcribed and copied out into his heart may undeniably conclude he is elected of God.
It is true that God, before the foundation of the world, fully determined with Himself whom to choose to salvation by grace, to which also He ordained them, and whom to pass by and leave in their sins, for which He determined in His just wrath to condemn them. But who these be is a secret which even the elect themselves cannot know until they be effectually called—nay, nor being called, until by some experience and proofs of their faith and holiness, they do understand the witness of the Spirit, which testifies to their spirits that they are the children of God and do make their calling and election, which was always sure in God, sure to themselves.
God did choose some rather than others out of His mere good pleasure. There was no cause, motive, or condition in the party chosen moving the Lord to choose Him and pass by others. But whereas God might have utterly rejected all, of His free grace and mercy He had compassion on some. Thus, the apostle teacheth that he did predestinate us according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace (Eph. 1:5). If He had chosen some (as Peter, for example) because He foresaw they would be good and die in the faith and had refused others (as Judas) because He foresaw they would be wicked and obstinate despisers of His gospel, this had not been an act of grace; it had not set forth the glory of that attribute but rather of His distributive justice.
Election indeed is first in order of divine acting—God chooses before we believe, yet faith is first in our acting—we must believe before we can know we be elected; yea, by believing we know it. The husbandman knows it is spring by the sprouting of the grass, though he hath no [astronomy] to know the position of the heavens; thou mayest know thou art elect as surely by a work of grace in thee as if thou hadst stood by God's elbow when He writ thy name in the Book of Life. It had been presumption for David to have thought he should have been king till Samuel anointed him, but then none at all.
Election, I say, is expressed to us by all that God means to bestow upon us actually to eternity, forever and ever, which He "hath prepared for them that love him"; so the phrase is (1 Cor. 2:9). And verse 12: "We have received…the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God"—that is, given us when He first set His heart upon us. My brethren, when God first began to love you, He gave you all that He ever meant to give you in the lump, and eternity of time is that in which He is retailing of it out.
The counsel of God concerning election is secret. The minister knows not who are the objects of it and therefore must preach to all, according to his commission. The Lord deals in this as in the matter of lots. Saul was foreappointed to be king, yet all Israel must come together and lots must be cast on the whole nation, as if the person were yet undesigned (1 Sam. 9:16; 10:20–21). The falling of the lot was wholly contingent as to men; another might have been taken as well as he it fell upon. But the Lord disposed it and casts it on the right person (Prov. 16:33). So, touching the gospel: it is sent to a place where, perhaps, but one or very few elect persons are, and those only shall be taken by it; and yet it must be published to the whole city promiscuously.Practical Discourses
being a doctrine of so great importance, be not indifferent about it. Put yourself on the trial touching your interest in it and bring forth your evidences for it. Observe what are the properties of God's elect, and see if they stand on your side. Practical Discourses
Heaven was made at the beginning of the world, but election was before. Practical Discourses
Election is absolute. In this are two things of great import— irrevocableness and independency. The decree is irrevocable on God's part, and independent as to human performances. The Lord will not go back from His to save His people, nor shall their unworthiness or averseness make void or hinder His most gracious intendment. And hence those various expressions of the same thing— namely, predestinate, ordain, prepare, appoint—have nothing subjoined that is like a conditional. There is, indeed, a kind of conditions, or rather qualifications, that must and always do precede the final completement of election, as "repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ," which, therefore, may be called conditionals of salvation, but not so to election.
Our election passively is God's actively. God's eternal purpose [is] to reconcile us. But how should this be made sure unto our hearts without their believing and considering that God has eternal purposes about that matter?
Now we have many enemies, but at death they are all lost; they cannot follow us beyond the grave.
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