What They Said

“This book is a most precious jewel which Christ hath bestowed upon his church in the latter days; and it is our great duty to look into it, and read it, and study it, open it, and expound it, that all the people may be acquainted with it; especially in these times.”

“There is no doubt but that the most unhappy and discouraged Christian today are those who do not exercise their senses with respect to this Word of God.”

“The Word generates faith and regenerates us.”

"Why is it that some Christians, although they hear many sermons, make but slow advances in the divine life? Because they neglect their closets, and do not thoughtfully meditate on God's Word.  They love the wheat, but they do not grind it; they would have the corn, but they will not go forth into the fields to gather it; the fruit hangs upon the tree, but they will not pluck it; the water flows at their feet, but they will not stoop to drink it."

"All grace grows as Love to the Word of God grows."

"Read the Scriptures, not only as a history, but as a love-letter sent to you from God."

“When men feed on the word, it is turned into a principle of life, spiritual strength, and growth within; which a taste of it only will not give. As food, when it is digested, turns into flesh and blood and spirits, so doth the word, and Christ therein, unto the souls of men spiritually.”

“The door of the Word can only be unlocked and opened by the key of diligence.”

"Meditation and careful thought, exercise us and strengthen the soul for the reception of the yet more lofty truths. We must meditate.  The Word of God is always most precious to the man who met lives upon it."

"The reason we come away so cold from reading the Word, is because we do not warm ourselves at the fire of meditation."

"It often astonishes me that I did not see the importance of meditation upon Scripture earlier in my Christian life. As the outward man is not fit for work for any length of time unless he eats, so it is with the inner man. What is the food for the inner man? Not prayer, but the Word of God-not the simple reading of the Word of God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water runs through a pipe. No, we must consider what we read, ponder over it, and apply it to our hearts."

“Go to God by prayer, for a key to unlock the mysteries of His word. It is not the plodding, but the praying soul, that will get this treasure of scripture knowledge.”

“We learn more, and more effectually, by one minute's communication with Him through the medium of His written Word, than we could from an assembly of divines, or a library of books.”

“The Word of God is not to be used as a lottery; nor is it designed to instruct us by shreds and scraps, which is detached from their proper places, have no determinate import; but it is to furnish us with just principles, right apprehensions to regulate our judgments and affections, and thereby to influence and direct our conduct.”

“Let us bear these rules in mind every Sunday morning before we go to hear the Word of God preached. Let as not rush into God's presence carelessly, recklessly, and unprepared, as if it did not matter how we approach Him. Let us carry with us faith, reverence, and prayer. If these three are our companions, we will benefit as we listen and will give back praise.”

“The Bible is a book which calls not so much for the exertion of our intellect as it does for the exercise of our affections, conscience and will. God has given it to us not for our entertainment, but for our education, to make known what He requires from us. It is to the the traveler’s guide as he journeys through the maze of tis world, the mariner’s chart as he sails the sea of life”

“O Lord! deepen my reverence for Thy word! Confirm my faith in its divinity, increase my experience of its power, and deepen my sense of its preciousness. May I stand in awe of its solemn revelations, walk in the holiness of its precepts, live more simply upon its promises, and increasingly find it sweeter than honey, yea, than the honeycomb, to my taste.”

“Fly to the Word of God, then, in every sorrow. You will know more of the mind and heart of God than you, perhaps, ever learned in all the schools before. We must be experimental Christians, if Christians at all. A bare notionalist, a mere theorist, an empty professor of religion, is a fearful deception. Study to know God's Word from a heartfelt experience of its quickening, sanctifying, comforting power.”