Jeremiah Burroughs on Believers and the Word of God

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , , | Posted On Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 7:00 AM


"A gracious heart so esteems its union with Christ and the work that God sets it about that it will not willingly suffer anything to come in to choke it or deaden it.  A Christian is desirous that the Word of God should take such full possession as to divide between soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12), but he would not allow the fear and noise of evil tidings to take such a hold in his soul as to make a division and struggling there, like the twins in Rebekah's womb."
Jeremiah Burroughs


Samuel Rutherford on Believers in the World

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , , | Posted On Monday, April 29, 2013 at 7:00 AM


"If ye were not strangers here, the dogs of the world would not bark at you."
Samuel Rutherford


Thomas Watson on Prayer

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , | Posted On Friday, April 26, 2013 at 7:21 AM

"Prayer that is faithless is fruitless"
Thomas Watson


John Arrowsmith on God

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , | Posted On Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 6:53 AM

"A heathen philosopher once asked:  "Where is God?"  The Christian answered: "Let me first ask you, where is He not?"
John Arrowsmith
(1602-1659)

William Gurnall on Chastisement

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , | Posted On Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 11:52 AM

"God's wounds cure, sin's kisses kill."
William Gurnall


Thomas Watson on Affliction

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , | Posted On Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 7:26 AM

"When God lays men upon their backs, then they look up to heaven."
Thomas Watson


Thomas Brooks on Sin

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , | Posted On Monday, April 22, 2013 at 7:41 AM


"Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.' His high esteem of every precept raised up in him a holy indignation against every evil way. A holy man knows that all sin strikes at the holiness of God, the glory of God, the nature of God, the being of God, and the law of God; and therefore his heart rises against all; he looks upon every sin, as the Scribes and Pharisees that accused Christ; and as that Judas that betrayed Christ; and that Pilate that condemned Christ; and those soldiers that scourged Christ; and as those spears that pierced Christ; and therefore his heart cries out for justice upon all. He looks upon every sin as having a hand in the death of his Saviour, and therefore he cries out, Crucify them all, crucify them all; he looks upon every sin as a grieving of the Spirit, as a vexing of the Spirit, and as a quenching of the Spirit; and so nothing will satisfy him but the ruin of them all."
Thomas Brooks


Thomas Brooks on Affliction and the Believer

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , | Posted On Friday, April 19, 2013 at 7:00 AM


“Consider that the trials and troubles, the calamities and miseries, the crosses and losses that you meet with in this world, are all the hell that ever you shall have.”
Thomas Brooks


James W. Alexander on Diluting God's Word

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , | Posted On Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 7:00 AM


“Men have thought themselves more prudent than the All-wise. The Law has been lowered lest sinners should call it hard; the way has been hedged up, lest the blind, and the halt, and the lame, should find it too easy; the Church has been barricaded with walls of ceremony, and garrisoned with ranks of officials, lest some of its riches should be pilfered by dissent; and the blessed Gospel, free as the air of Paradise, has been laden with conditions and restrictions, lest faith should be too simple. In every one of these, and in a thousand like ways, men show their distrust of divine revelation.”
James W. Alexander
(1804-1859)


Ezekiel Hopkins on The Bible

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , | Posted On Wednesday, April 17, 2013 at 7:14 AM

"The Bible is the statute-book of God's Kingdom, wherein is comprised the whole body of heavenly law, the perfect rules of a holy life, and the sure promises of a glorious one."
Ezekiel Hopkins


William Secker on Confession

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , | Posted On Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 7:22 AM

"Many blush to confess their faults, who never blush yo commit them."
William Secker


William Secker on the Examples of Men

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , | Posted On Monday, April 15, 2013 at 7:32 AM

"Great men's vices are more imitated than poor men's graces."
William Secker


William Gurnall on SIn

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , | Posted On Friday, April 12, 2013 at 7:47 AM

"To forsake sin, is to leave it without any thought reserved of returning to it again."
William Gurnall


John Flavel on the Minister and Sin

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , , | Posted On Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 8:17 AM

"Brethren, it is easier to declaim against a thousand sins of others, than to mortify one sin in ourselves."
John Flavel


Richard Sibbes on Conversion and the Hatred of Sin

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , , | Posted On Wednesday, April 10, 2013 at 7:00 AM


"If we would make it evident that our conversion is sound, we must loathe and hate sin from the heart.  Now, a man shall know his hatred of evil to be true, first, if it be universal; he that hates sin truly hates all sin.  

Secondly, where there is true hatred it is unappeasable; there is no appeasing of it but by abolishing the thing it hates. 

Thirdly, hatred is a more rooted affection than anger; anger may be appeased, but hatred is against the whole kind. 

Fourthly, if our hatred be true, it hates all ill in ourselves first, and then in others; he that hates a toad, hates it most in his own bosom. Many, like Judah, are severe in censuring of others, but are partial to themselves. 

Fifthly, he that hates sin truly, hates the greatest sin in the greatest measure; he hates it in a just proportion. 

Sixthly, our hatred is right if we can endure admonition and reproof for sin, and not be in rage with him that tells us of it; therefore those that swell against reproof hate not sin; only with this caution, it may be done with such indiscretion and self-love, that a man may hate the proud manner. 

Therefore in discovering our hatred of sin in others, we must consider, our calling. It must be done in a sweet temper, with reserving due respect of those to whom we show our dislike, that it may be done out of true zeal, and not out of wild-fire.""
Richard Sibbes

Thomas Watson on Friendship

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , | Posted On Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at 6:41 AM


"There is a necessary commerce with men in buying and selling, or, as the apostle says, we must go out of the world—but do not voluntarily choose the company of the wicked. 1 Cor 5:10. "I have written unto you not to keep company." 1 Cor 5:11. Do not incorporate into the society of the wicked, or be too much familiar with them. The wicked are God-haters. "Should you love those who hate the Lord?" 2 Chron 19:2. A Christian is bound, by virtue of his oath of allegiance to God in baptism, not to have intimate converse with such as are God's sworn enemies. What company can Christ's doves have—among birds of prey? What company can virgins have—among harlots? The company of the wicked is very defiling, it is like going among those who have the plague.

"They mingled among the pagans and adopted their evil customs." Psalm 106:35. If you mingle bright armor with rusty, the bright armor will not brighten the rusty—but the rusty armor will spoil the bright. By mixing with the wicked—you are apt to receive hurt. The bad will sooner corrupt the good, than the good will convert the bad. Pharaoh taught Joseph to swear—but Joseph did not teach Pharaoh to pray. There is a strange attractive power in evil company to corrupt and poison the best dispositions; they damp good affections. Throw a fire-ball into the snow—and it is soon quenched. Among the wicked, the heat of zealous affections is lost. By holding familiar correspondence with the wicked, they will dissuade us from strict godliness, and debar us our liberty and pleasure. "This sect everywhere is spoken against." Acts 28:22."
Thomas Watson

Charles Spurgeon on What We Deserve

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , , | Posted On Monday, April 8, 2013 at 9:08 AM


"In truth, there is nothing due from God to you but that he should let you perish in your sin; that is all he owes you." 
Charles Spurgeon


John Owen on the New Birth

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , , | Posted On Friday, April 5, 2013 at 7:02 AM

"Let them pretend what they please, the true reason why any despise the new birth is because they hate a new life."
John Owen


Thomas Manton on Sin

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , | Posted On Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 7:32 AM

"It is Satan's custom by small sins to draw us to greater, as the little sticks set the great ones on fire, and a wisp of straw kindles a block of wood."
Thomas Manton


Thomas Watson on Faith and Works

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , , | Posted On Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at 6:49 AM

"Faith is full of good works.  It believes as if it did not work, and it works as if it did not believe."
Thomas Watson


John Flavel on the Will of God

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , | Posted On Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at 6:55 AM


"As to the Will of God, it falls under a twofold consideration, to wit of his secret, and revealed Will.  This distinction is found in that Scripture, Deut. xxix. 29.  "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things -which are revealed belong unto us, &c."  The first is the Rule of his own Actions; the latter, of ours:  ………..

This revealed Will of God is either manifested to us in his Word, or in his Works.  The former is his commanding Will, the latter his effecting or permitting Will; the one versant about Good, the other about Evil."
John Flavel


Leonard Ravenhill on Entertainment

Posted by Bluegrass Endurance | Labels: , , , | Posted On Monday, April 1, 2013 at 7:00 AM


“Entertainment is the devil’s substitute for joy”
Leonard Ravenhill