What They Said

“The mercy of God is as sufficient for the pardon of the greatest sins as for the least, because His mercy is infinite.“

"Pride is...the greatest disturber of the soul's peace and of communion with Christ.  It...often creeps insensibly into the midst of religion, even sometimes under the disguise of humility itself."

"Envy is a spirit of dissatisfaction or opposition to the prosperity or happiness of other people."

“(Pride) often creeps insensibly into the midst of religion, even, sometimes, under the disguise of humility itself.”

“Jesus Christ has true excellency, and so great an excellency, that when you come to truly see him, you look no further, but your mind rests there.”

"What is the earnest, and beginning of glory, but grace itself, especially in the more lively and clear exercises of it? It is not prophecy, nor tongues, nor knowledge, but that more excellent divine thing, "charity that never faileth," which is a prelibation and beginning of the light, sweetness and blessedness of heaven, that world of love or charity. It is grace that is the seed of glory and dawning of glory in the heart, and therefore it is grace that is the earnest of the future inheritance.”

“Just as all Christian affections flow from true divine love, so in the same way, other false affections flow naturally from a counterfeit love. In both cases, love is the fountain, and the other affections are the streams. The various faculties, principles, and affections of human nature are, as it were, many channels from one fountain. If there is sweet water in the fountain, then sweet water will flow from there out into those various channels; but if the water in the fountain is poisonous, then poisonous streams will also flow out into all those channels.”

“The duty of singing praises to God seems to be appointed wholly to excite and express religious affections. No other reason can be assigned for why we should express ourselves to God in verse, rather than in prose, and do it with music – except that such is our nature and frame, that these things have a tendency to move our affections.”

“God sent the Lord Jesus Christ into the world to be the light of the world, the head of the whole church, and the perfect example of true religion and virtue for imitation by all. He is the Shepherd whom the whole flock should follow wherever he goes. And he was a person of a remarkably tender and affectionate heart. His virtue was expressed very much in the exercise of holy affections.”

“For love is not only one of the affections, but it is the first and chief of the affections; and it is the fountain of all the affections. From love arises hatred of those things which are contrary to what we love, or which oppose and thwart us in those things that we delight in.”

“The Author of the human nature has not only given affections to men, but He has made them very much the spring of men’s actions. Just as the affections not only necessarily belong to the human nature, but are a very great part of it – so holy affections not only necessarily belong to true religion, but are a very great part of it (inasmuch as, by regeneration, persons are renewed in the whole man, and sanctified throughout). Just as true religion has a practical nature, and God has so constituted the human nature that the affections are very much the spring of men’s actions, this also shows that true religion must consist very much in the affections.”

"If love is the sum of Christianity, surely those things which overthrow Christian love, are exceedingly unbecoming Christians.  An envious Christian, a malicious Christian, a cold and hard-hearted Christian, is the greatest absurdity and contradiction.  It is as if one should speak of dark brightness, or a false truth!”

"Persons by their example may be an occasion of others being led into sin whom they never conversed with;  their evil ways may be propagated from one to another, like an infectious distemper, and may descend to successive generations."

 "In order to men's being true Christians, it is necessary that they prosecute the business of religion, and the service of God, with great earnestness and diligence, as the work to which they devote themselves, and make the main business of their lives.  All Christ's peculiar people, not only do good works, but are zealous of good works, Tit. ii. 14.  No man can do the service of two masters at once. They who are God's true servants, give up themselves to his service, and make it as it were their whole work, therein employing their whole hearts, and the chief of their strength; Phil. iii. 13.  " This one thing I do."  Christians in their effectual calling, are not called to idleness, but to labour in God's vineyard, and spend their day in doing a great and laborious service.  All true Christians comply with this call, (as is implied in its being an effectual call,) and do the work of Christians; which is every where in the New Testament compared to those exercises, wherein men are wont to exert their strength with the greatest earnestness, as running, wrestling, fighting.  All true Christians are good and faithful soldiers of Jesus Christ, and fight the good fight of faith: for none but those who do so, ever lay hold on eternal life. -Those who fight at those who beat the air, never win the crown of victory."