Pithy gems from John Calvin

(1509-1564)

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Man's heart, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols!

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The secret things of God are not to be scrutinized.
Those things which He has revealed, are not to be overlooked.
"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law." Deuteronomy 29:29

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When God wants to judge a nation—He gives them wicked rulers!

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I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of Hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth.

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When the Bible speaks—God speaks!

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God preordained, for His own glory and the display of His attributes of mercy and justice—a part of the human race, without any merit of their own, to eternal salvation; and another part, in just punishment of their sin, to eternal damnation.

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Nothing, including human suffering, happens by chance.

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I have given up all for Christ—and what have I found?
I have everything in Christ!

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God works in His elect in two ways:
  inwardly, by His Spirit;
  outwardly, by His Word.

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No one will calmly and quietly submit to bear the cross—except those who have learned to seek their happiness beyond this world!

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Without the fear of God—men do not even observe justice among themselves!

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A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked—and yet would remain silent.

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The human heart has so many crannies where vanity hides, so many holes where falsehood works, is so decked out with deceiving hypocrisy—that it often dupes itself!

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Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard—there a church of God exists, even though it has many faults.

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For what is idolatry, if not this: to worship the gifts in place of the Giver himself?

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Scripture is like a pair of spectacles—which dispel the darkness and give us a clear view of God.

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Our physical illnesses serve us for medicines to purge us from worldly affections and what is superfluous in us.

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While all men seek after happiness—scarcely one in a hundred looks for it from God.

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The glory of God shines, indeed, in all creatures on high and below—but never more brightly than in the cross!

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My heart I give you, Lord—eagerly and entirely!

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To search for wisdom apart from Christ—is not simply foolhardiness, but utter insanity.

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To make intercession for men—is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them.

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Man with all his shrewdness, is as stupid about understanding the mysteries of God—as an donkey is incapable of understanding musical harmony.

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The blood of Christ is necessary to purge the faults clinging to our best works!

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Every one of us is, even from his mother's womb, a master craftsman of idols!

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Satan is an astute theologian!

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The excellence of the Church does not consist in multitude—but in purity.

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True wisdom consists in two things: knowledge of God—and knowledge of Self.

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We shall never be fit for the service of God—if we do not look beyond this fleeting life.

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The Bible is the scepter by which the Heavenly King rules His Church!

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A true Christian will not ascribe any prosperity to his own diligence, industry, or good fortune—but he will acknowledge that God is the author of it.

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God made world no doubt—that it might be a theater of His divine glory.

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A man who extols himself is a fool!

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All things are so governed by the secret counsel of God—that nothing happens but what He has knowingly and willingly decreed.

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The blindness of unbelievers in no way detracts from the clarity of the gospel. The sun is no less bright, because blind men do not perceive its light.

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It is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge—until he has previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation to look into himself.

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Christ's intercession is the continual application of His death to our salvation.

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It is not after we were reconciled by the blood of His Son, that God began to love us—but before the foundation of the world!

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It is a most blessed thing to be subject to the sovereignty of God!

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The sufferings of Christ are the means of forgiveness of sin and eternal glory!

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We may rest assured that God would never have allowed any infants to be slain—except those who were already damned and predestined for eternal death.

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Let us consider this settled—that no one has made progress in the school of Christ who does not joyfully await the day of death and final resurrection!

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Men will never worship God with a sincere heart, or be roused to fear and obey Him with sufficient zeal—until they properly understand how much they are indebted to His mercy.

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Let it stand as an indubitable truth—that the mind of man is so entirely alienated from the righteousness of God—that he cannot conceive, desire, or design anything but what is wicked, distorted, foul, impure, and iniquitous; that his heart is so thoroughly envenomed by sin—that it can breathe out nothing but corruption and rottenness; that if some men occasionally make a show of goodness—their mind is ever interwoven with hypocrisy and deceit, and their soul inwardly bound with the fetters of wickedness.

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The gospel is not a doctrine of the tongue—but of life. It cannot be grasped by reason and memory only—but it is fully understood when it possesses the whole soul and penetrates to the inner recesses of the heart!

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The human heart is a factory of idols. Everyone of us is, from his mother's womb, expert in inventing idols.

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A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent.

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I exhort all, who reverence the Word of the Lord—to read it, and diligently imprint it on their memory.

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All whom the Lord has chosen and received into the society of his saints—ought to prepare themselves for a life that is hard, difficult, laborious and full of countless griefs.

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No one has rightly denied himself—unless he has wholly resigned himself to the Lord, and is willing to leave every detail to His good pleasure. If we put ourselves in such a frame of mind, then, whatever may happen to us, we shall never feel miserable nor complain because of our lot.

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Tears that are shed in time of affliction, are rarely tears of penitence—but more likely they are shed out of self pity and pain or sorrow.

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If God contains the fullness of all good things in Himself like an inexhaustible fountain—then nothing beyond Him is to be sought by those who seek after the highest good and all the elements of happiness.

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It is certain that not one drop of rain falls without God's sure command.

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Justification by faith, is the hinge on which all true religion turns.

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Nearly all the true wisdom we possess consists of two parts:
the knowledge of God and of ourselves.

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The fire of affliction reveals the quality of our faith.

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If a preacher is not first preaching to himself—better that he falls on the steps of the pulpit and breaks his neck, than preaches that sermon!

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Satan, who is a wonderful contriver of delusions, is constantly laying snares to entrap ignorant and heedless people!

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There is no nation so barbarous, and no race so brutish—as not to be imbued with the conviction that there is a God.

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When a certain shameless fellow mockingly asked a pious old man what God was doing before the creation of the world—the old man aptly countered, that He had been building Hell for the curious.

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A Christian ought to keep in mind, that he has to reckon with God for every moment of his life.

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The very word baptize, signifies to immerse. It is certain that immersion was the practice of the ancient church.

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By predestination, we mean the eternal decree of God, by which He determined whatever He wished to happen with regard to every man. God by His eternal and immutable counsel, determined once and for all, those whom it was His pleasure one day to admit to salvation—and those whom, on the other hand, it was His pleasure to doom to destruction. We maintain that this counsel, as regards the elect, is founded on God's free mercy, without any respect to human worth—while those whom He dooms to destruction are excluded from access to life by a just and blameless—but at the same time incomprehensible judgment.

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Those who set up a fictitious worship—merely worship and adore their own delirious imaginations. Indeed, they would never dare so to trifle with God, had they not previously fashioned him after their own childish conceits.

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The fetus, though enclosed in the womb of its mother, is already a human being, and it is a monstrous crime to rob it of the life which it has not yet begun to enjoy. If it seems more horrible to kill a man in his own house than in a field, because a man's house is his place of most secure refuge—then it ought surely to be deemed more atrocious to destroy a fetus in the womb before it has come to light.

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Repentance is the true turning of our life to God, a turning that arises from a pure and earnest fear of Him; and it consists in the mortification of the flesh and the renewing of the Spirit.

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We shall never be clothed with the righteousness of Christ—unless we first know assuredly that we have no righteousness of our own.

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Prayer doesn't change things—yet God changes things in answer to prayer.

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There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.

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Only those who have learned well to be earnestly dissatisfied with themselves, and to be confounded with shame at their wretchedness—truly understand the Christian gospel.

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We must not think that God takes no notice of us, when He does not answer our wishes—for He has a right to determine what we actually need.

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Unless we fix certain hours in the day for prayer—it easily slips from our memory.

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When our faith is tested by suffering "as gold is tried in a furnace" and we depend with confidence on God and rely entirely on His help—we will be granted the most excellent gift of patience, and through faith we may victoriously persevere to the end.

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Our prayer must not be self-centered. It must arise not only because we feel our own need as a burden we must lay upon God—but also because we are so bound up in love for our fellow men, that we feel their need as acutely as our own. To make intercession for men, is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them.

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Our assurance, our glory, and the sole anchor of our salvation are that Christ the Son of God is ours, and we in turn are in him sons of God and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, called to the hope of eternal blessedness by God's grace, not by our worth.

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Doctrine is not an affair of the tongue, but of the life.

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We are nowhere forbidden to laugh, or be satisfied with food, or to be delighted with music, or to drink wine.

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To be Christians under the law of grace, does not mean to wander unbridled outside the law—but to be engrafted in Christ, by whose grace we are free from the curse of the law, and by whose Spirit we have the law engraved upon our hearts.

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We should ask God to increase our hope when it is small, awaken it when it is dormant, confirm it when it is wavering, strengthen it when it is weak, and raise it up when it is overthrown.

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Nothing is more dangerous, than to be blinded by prosperity.

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Unless God's Word illumines the way, the whole life of men is wrapped in darkness and mist—so that they cannot but miserably stray.

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We are so entirely controlled by the power of sin, that the whole mind, the whole heart, and all our actions are under its influence.

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A man will be justified by faith when, excluded from righteousness of works, he by faith lays hold of the righteousness of Christ, and clothed in it, appears in the sight of God not as a sinner—but as righteous.

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We should never insult others on account of their faults—for it is our duty to show charity and respect to everyone.

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However many blessings we expect from God! His infinite liberality will always exceed all our wishes and our thoughts.

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Faith alone saves—but the faith that saves is not alone.

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If God does nothing random—then there must always be something to learn.

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The whole world is a theater for the display of the divine goodness, wisdom, justice, and power. But the Church is the orchestra, as it were—the most conspicuous part of it.

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There is nothing in afflictions which ought to disturb our joy.

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Holiness is not a merit by which we can attain communion with God—but a gift of Christ, which enables us to cling to him, and to follow him.

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All philosophy, when separated from Christ, is not only vain and confused—but is also mad, deceitful, and spurious. For, though the philosophers sometimes utter excellent sayings—yet they are mixed up with wicked and erroneous sentiments.

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Sometimes it seems things go by too quickly. We are so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us—that we don't take the time to enjoy where we are.

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The Holy Spirit is the bond by which Christ efficaciously unites us to Himself.

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When God designs to forgive us—He changes our hearts and turns us to obedience by His Spirit.

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Pagan philosophers set up reason as the sole guide of life, of wisdom and conduct. But Christian philosophy demands of us that we surrender our reason to the Holy Spirit; and this means that we no longer live for ourselves—but that Christ lives and reigns within us.

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If we believe Heaven to be our country, it is better for us to transmit our wealth thither, than to retain it here, where we may lose it by a sudden removal.

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The grace of God has no charms for men—until the Holy Spirit gives them a taste for it.

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They who prematurely put themselves forward to root out whatever is displeasing to them—overthrow the judgment of God.

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Prayer is the chief exercise of faith—and the way in which we daily receive God's benefits.

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Whomever the Lord has adopted into His family, ought to prepare themselves for a hard, toilsome, and unquiet life, crammed with very many and various kinds of trials.

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Things that are seen, are temporal.
Things that are unseen, are eternal.

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Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his sinful state—until he has compared himself with God's majesty.

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A perfect faith is nowhere to be found—so it follows that all of us are partly unbelievers.

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Let this be our rule for goodwill and helpfulness—that whenever we are able to assist others—we should behave as stewards who must someday give an account of ourselves.

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The Angels are the dispensers and administrators of the Divine beneficence toward us. They regard our safety, undertake our defense, direct our ways, and exercise a constant solicitude that no evil befall us.

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For what accords better and more aptly with faith than to acknowledge ourselves . . .
divested of all virtue—that we may be clothed by God;
devoid of all goodness—that we may be filled by him;
the slaves of sin—that he may give us freedom;
blind—that he may enlighten us;
lame—that he may cure us;
feeble—that he may sustain us;
to strip ourselves of all ground of glorying—that he alone may shine forth glorious, and we be glorified in him!

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The pastor ought to have two voices: one, for gathering the sheep; and another, for warding off and driving away wolves and thieves. The Scripture supplies him with the means of doing both.

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God would remain absolutely hidden—if we were not illuminated by the brightness of Christ.

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The first part of a good work is the will—and the second is vigorous effort in the doing of it. God is the author of both. It is, therefore, robbery from God to arrogate anything to ourselves, either in the will or the act.

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It is certain that man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked upon God's face, and then descends from contemplating him to scrutinize himself.

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Those who fall away have never been thoroughly imbued with the knowledge of Christ—but only had a slight and passing taste of it.

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Joy and patience are far above our strength. Prayer and perseverance are necessary in our daily conflicts. The best remedy to the weariness, is diligence in prayer.

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Astronomy is not only a pleasant study—but also unfolds the admirable wisdom of God.

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So great and boundless is God's wisdom, that He knows right well how to use evil instruments to do good.

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There are people who are known to be very liberal—yet they never give without scolding or pride or even insolence.

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Man falls according as God's Providence allows—but he falls by his own fault.

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There is no one so great or mighty—that he can avoid the misery that will rise up against him when he resists and strives against God.

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It is entirely the work of grace and a benefit conferred by it—that our heart is changed from a stony one to one of flesh, that our will is made new.

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To be pure in heart is to take no delight in deceit—but in all sincerity with men, express nothing, by word or look, which is not felt in the heart.

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Constant praying is the way of rejoicing perpetually—for by this means we ask from God alleviation in connection with all our distresses.

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Faith does not proceed from ourselves—but is the fruit of spiritual regeneration.

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We can experience joy in adverse circumstances by holding God's benefits in such esteem, that the recognition of them and meditation upon them shall overcome all sorrow.

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There are sons of God who do not yet appear so to us—but now do so to God. And there are those who, on account of some temporal grace, are called so by us—but are not so to God.

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Humility is the beginning of true intelligence.

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What would become of us if we did not take our stand on hope, and if our heart did not hasten beyond this world! But the present life should never be hated, except insofar as it subjects us to sin, although even that hatred should not properly be applied to life itself.

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A faithful believer will in all circumstances mediate on the mercy and fatherly goodness of God.

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Christians rejoice even while they truly sorrow—yet because their rejoicing is in the hope of Heaven. While joy overcomes sorrow, it does not put an end to it.

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Seeing that a Pilot steers the ship in which we sail, who will never allow us to perish even in the midst of shipwrecks—there is no reason why our minds should be overwhelmed with fear and overcome with weariness.

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All the arts come from God, and are to be respected as divine gifts.

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Without knowledge of self—there is no knowledge of God.

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We must make the invisible kingdom, visible in our midst.

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Faith consists in knowledge—when we recognize God as a propitious Father through the reconciliation made by Christ, and Christ as given to us for righteousness, sanctification, and life.

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If people mean that man has in himself the power to work in partnership with God's grace—they are most wretchedly deluding themselves.

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We become insolent when we imagine that we excel the rest of mankind and do not belong to the common lot; we even severely and haughtily despise others as our inferiors.

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The most educated are fools—unless they acknowledge that they have need of God for their schoolmaster all the days of their life.

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Only the elect are regenerated by the Spirit of God, and placed under His guidance. Scripture is the school of the Holy Spirit, in which, as nothing is omitted that is both necessary and useful to know—so nothing is taught but what is expedient to know.

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The torture of an accusing conscience, is the Hell of a living soul.

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Faith consists, not in ignorance—but in knowledge, and that, not only of God—but also of the divine will.

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I have not so great a struggle with my vices, great and numerous as they are—as I have with my impatience. My efforts are not absolutely useless—yet I have never been able to conquer this ferocious wild beast!

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Against the persecution of a tyrant—the godly have no remedy but prayer.

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Until men recognize . . .
that they owe everything to God,
that they are nourished by His fatherly care,
that He is the Author of their every good
— they will never yield Him willing service.
Nay, unless they establish their complete happiness in Him—they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to Him.

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Never will man pray as he ought, unless the Master guides both his mouth and his heart.

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God does not bestow His spirit on His people in order to set aside the use of His word—but rather to render it fruitful.

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Original sin, therefore, appears to be a hereditary depravity and corruption of our nature, diffused through all the parts of the soul, rendering us obnoxious to the divine wrath and producing in us those works which the scripture calls works of wrath.

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Hypocrisy can plunge the mind of a man into a dark abyss—when he believes his own self-flattery instead of God's verdict.

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When pain and suffering strike, our faith is well founded if it is standing on the promises of God.

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Christ is much more powerful to save—than Adam was to destroy!

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Joy is a quiet gladness of heart, as one contemplates the goodness of God's saving grace in Christ Jesus.

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In our good works—nothing is our own.

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Man's mind is like a store of idolatry and superstition—and so much so, that if a man believes his own mind, it is certain that he will forsake God and forge some idol in his own brain.

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Peace with men, is not to be purchased by the sacrifice of the truth of God.

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Without the Gospel, everything is useless and vain.

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It behooves us to attempt what God requires of us—even when we are in the greatest despair respecting the results.

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God tolerates even our stammering, and pardons our ignorance whenever something inadvertently escapes us—yet as, indeed, without this mercy there would be no freedom to pray.

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It is faith alone that justifies—but faith that justifies can never be alone.

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For it is better, with closed eyes, to follow God as our guide, than, by relying on our own prudence, to wander through those circuitous paths which it devises for us.

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The church is the gathering of God's children, where they can be helped and fed like babies—and then guided by her motherly care, grow up to manhood in maturity of faith.

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We must remember that Satan has his miracles, too!

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He who has learned to look to God in everything he does—is at the same time diverted from all vain thoughts.

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Christ is the most perfect image of God, into which we are so renewed as to bear the image of God, in knowledge, purity, righteousness, and true holiness.

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Scripture points out this difference between believers and unbelievers. The latter, as old slaves of their incurable perversity, cannot endure the rod. The former, like children of noble birth, profit by repentance and correction.

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We explain justification simply as the acceptance with which God receives us into his favor as righteous men. And we say that it consists in the remission of sins and the imputation of Christ's righteousness.

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How do we know that God has elected us before the creation of the world? By out believing in Jesus Christ!

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The Lord has given us a table at which to feast—not an altar on which a victim is to be offered. He has not consecrated priests to make sacrifice—but servants to distribute the sacred feast.

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The whole gospel is contained in Christ.

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There is no place for faith—if we expect God to fulfill immediately what He promises.

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Since the Scriptures are the only record in which God has been pleased to consign His truth to perpetual remembrance—the full authority which they ought to possess with the faithful, is not recognized unless they are believed to have come from Heaven as directly as if God had been heard giving utterance to them.

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All the endowments which we possess, are divine deposits entrusted to us for the very purpose of being distributed for the good of others.

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The Scriptures should be read with the aim of finding Christ in them. Whoever turns aside from this object, even though he wears himself out all his life in learning—will never reach the knowledge of the truth.

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Man's only righteousness is through the mercy of God in Christ, which being offered by the Gospel, is apprehended by faith.

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Faith is not a distant view of Christ—but a warm embrace of Christ.

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That man is truly humble who neither claims any personal merit in the sight of God, nor proudly despises brethren, or aims at being thought superior to them—but reckons it enough that he is one of the members of Christ, and desires nothing more than that the Head alone should be exalted.

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Let us not cease to do the utmost, that we may incessantly go forward in the way of the Lord; and let us not despair of the smallness of our accomplishments.

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All the blessings we enjoy are Divine deposits, committed to our trust on this condition, that they should be dispensed for the benefit of our neighbors.

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When we come to a comparison of Heaven and earth, then we may indeed not only forget all about the present life—but even despise and scorn it.

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The unborn baby, though enclosed in the womb of its mother, is already a human being, and should not be robbed of the life which it has not yet begun to enjoy.

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Joy and thanksgiving expressed in prayer and praise according to the Word of God—are the heart of the Church's worship.

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The highest honor in the church is not to rule—but service.

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Faith is the evidence of divine adoption.

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Knowledge of the sciences is only so much smoke—apart from the heavenly science of Christ.

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Faith is tossed about by various doubts, so that the minds of the godly are rarely at peace.

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The true wisdom of man consists in the knowledge of God the creator and Redeemer.

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It is no small honor that God for our sake has so magnificently adorned the world, in order that we may not only be spectators of this beauteous theater—but also enjoy the multiplied abundance and variety of good things which are presented to us in it.

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Prayers will never reach God—unless they are founded on His free mercy.

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The real proof of spiritual poverty is to patiently endure the loss of worldly goods without any regret—when it pleases our heavenly Father that we should be despoiled of them.

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To have a proper understanding of the gospel, we must recognize that we need to lean entirely upon the Lord Jesus Christ and his mercy alone as our only hope of salvation.

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The effect of our knowledge rather ought to be, first, to teach us reverence and fear; and, secondly, to induce us, under its guidance and teaching, to ask every good thing from [God], and, when it is received, ascribe it to him. For

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How can the idea of God enter your mind without instantly giving rise to the thought, that since you are his workmanship—you are bound, by the very law of creation, to submit to his authority—that whatever you do ought to have reference to him.

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The Lord commands us to do good unto all men without exception, though the majority are very undeserving when judged according to their own merits.

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The principle exercise which the children of God have, is to pray. For in this way, they give true proof of their faith.

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While sin is overflowing—grace pours itself forth so exuberantly, that it not only overcomes the flood of sin—but wholly absorbs it.

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Because I know that I am not my own master, I offer my heart as a true sacrifice to the Lord.

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There is no inconsistency in saying that God rewards good works—provided we understand that nevertheless men obtain eternal life gratuitously.

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Men are undoubtedly more in danger from prosperity than from adversity—for when matters go smoothly, they flatter themselves, and are intoxicated by their success.

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We should not anxiously strive for riches and honors by relying on our own diligence or cleverness, or by depending on the favor of men, or by trusting in the notion of good luck—but that we should always expect the Lord to direct us to the lot he has provided for us.

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To crave wealth and honor, to demand power, to pile up riches, to gather all those vanities which seem to make for pomp and empty display—that is mankind's furious passion and our unbounded desire. On the other hand, we fear and abhor poverty, obscurity, and humility, and we seek to avoid them by all possible means.

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Since we are all naturally prone to hypocrisy—any empty semblance of righteousness is quite enough to satisfy us.

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In knowing God—each of us also knows himself.

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The door is closed to prayer—unless it is opened with the key of trust.

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We are not all equally afflicted with the same disease, or all in need of the same severe cure. This is the reason why we see different persons disciplined with different crosses. The heavenly Physician takes care of the well-being of all his patients. He gives some a milder medicine, and purifies others by more difficult treatments—but He omits none of His children.

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The happiness promised us in Christ does not consist in outward advantages—such as leading a joyous and peaceful life, having rich possessions, being safe from all harm, and abounding with delights such as the flesh commonly longs after. No, our happiness belongs to the heavenly life!

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We know by experience that song has great force and vigor to move and inflame the hearts of men to invoke and praise God with a more vehement and ardent zeal.

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There is no wisdom, but that which is focused on the fear of God.

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All men were created to busy themselves with the labor for the common good.

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Our true wisdom is to embrace with meek docility, and without reservation—whatever the holy Scriptures have delivered.

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Every Christian should regard himself as the steward of God, in all things which he possesses.

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The more closely we see ourselves being watched by our enemies—the more time intent we should be to avoid their slanders.

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Nobody seriously believes the universe was made by God—without being persuaded that He takes care of His works.

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All things being at God's disposal, and the decision of salvation or death belonging to Him—He orders all things by His counsel and decree in such a manner, that some men are born devoted from the womb to certain death, that His name may be glorified in their destruction.

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It is not lawful for you to attempt to fulfill part of your duties—and to omit others at your own pleasure.

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The whole life of Christians ought to be an exercise of piety, since they are called to holiness.

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Prayer unaccompanied by perseverance, leads to no result.

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The gospel is not a doctrine of the tongue—but of life.

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As far as sacred Scripture is concerned, however much wicked men try to gnaw at it—nevertheless it clearly is crammed with thoughts that could not be humanly conceived.

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Although the stars do not speak—even in being silent, they cry out.

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Integrity is the best of all protectors. We cannot be more secure than when fortified by a good conscience.

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The majesty of God in itself goes beyond the capacity of human understanding, and cannot be comprehended by it. We must adore its loftiness—and not remain overwhelmed by so great a splendor.

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All truth is God's truth.

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We are surrounded by God's benefits. The best use of these benefits, is an unceasing expression of gratitude.

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Faith and patience are exceptional virtues in those that suffer. Patience is the fruit and evidence of faith.

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Prayers belong strictly to the worship of God. Fasting is a subordinate aid, which is pleasing to God no farther than as it aids the earnestness and fervency of prayer.

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There is no true knowing, which does not begin with knowing God.

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Whenever the Lord holds us in suspense, and delays His aid—He is not therefore asleep—but, on the contrary, regulates all His works in such a manner that He does nothing but at the proper time.

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The Creation is quite like a spacious and splendid house, provided and filled with the most exquisite, and at the same time, the most abundant furnishings. Everything in Creation tells of God!

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On the one hand, undeserved success gives no satisfaction. On the other hand, well-deserved failure gives no satisfaction either.

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We must observe that the knowledge of God which we are invited to cultivate—is not that which, resting satisfied with empty speculation, only flutters in the brain—but a knowledge which will prove substantial and fruitful whenever it is duly perceived and rooted in the heart.

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Let us be as peaceable as we can.
Let us relent of our own rights.
Let us not strive for worldly goods, honor and reputation.
Let us bear all wrongs and outrages.
But in the meanwhile, let us fight for God's truth with tooth and nail!

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All our words ought to be filled with true sweetness and grace.

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Only a perverse and treacherous man would wound the good name of another—when he has no opportunity of defending himself.

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Faith and hope are the wings by which our souls, rising above the world, are lifted up to God.

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Where God's Spirit does not reign, there is no humility—and men ever swell with inward pride.

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We cannot claim God's promises, if we do not obey his commandments.

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Unless men establish their complete happiness in God—they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to Him.

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Let us fall before the majesty of our great God, acknowledging our faults, and praying that He will make us ever more conscious of them.

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There is no action in creatures, but they are governed by God's secret plan in such a way that nothing happens except what is knowingly and willingly decreed by Him.

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Let our chief goal, O God, be your glory, and to enjoy You forever!

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The Lord has not redeemed you so you might enjoy pleasures and luxuries, or so that you might abandon yourself to ease and indolence—but rather so you should live for His glory.

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They babble and talk absurdly who, in the place of God's providence, substitute bare permission—as if God sat in a watchtower awaiting chance events, and His judgments thus depended upon human will.

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Where riches hold the dominion of the heart, God has lost His authority.

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The one condition for spiritual progress, is that we remain sincere and humble.

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Though Satan instills his poison, and fans the flames of our corrupt desires within us—yet we are not carried by any external force to the commission of sin—but our own flesh entices us, and we willingly yield to its allurements.

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In forming an estimate of sins, we often imagine that the more hidden they are—the less heinous they are.

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If we want tranquility in our lives, we should resign ourselves and all that we have, to the will of God; and at the same time we should surrender our affections to Him as our Conqueror and Master.

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Every person imagines that he is really better than others.

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The Scriptures obtain full authority among us—only when we regard them as having sprung from Heaven, as if there the living words of God were heard!

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Every Christian is consecrated and dedicated to God. That means that we may think, speak, meditate, or do anything—only with a view to His glory.

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Our constant efforts to lower our estimate of the present world, should not lead us to hate life or to be ungrateful toward God. For this life, though it is full of countless miseries—deserves to be reckoned among the divine blessings which should not be despised. Therefore, if we discover nothing of God's goodness in it, we are already guilty of ingratitude toward Him.

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The denial of ourselves which Christ has so diligently commanded his disciples, will at last dominate all the desires of our heart.

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I consider looseness with words—no less of a defect than looseness of the affections.

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We must resist wandering thoughts in prayer, setting aside all irrelevant thoughts.

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We know that the kingdom of God will be filled with splendor, joy, happiness and glory—yet when these things are spoken of, they remain utterly remote from our perception, and as it were, wrapped in obscurities, until that day.

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No one in this earthly prison of the body, has sufficient strength of his own to press forward with a due degree of watchfulness. The great majority of Christians are kept down with such great weakness, that they stagger and halt and even creep on the ground, and so make very slight advances.

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Without knowledge of self—there is no knowledge of God. Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other.

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Any person, when deprived of the Word of God, is given up unarmed to the devil for destruction.

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It is only the goodness of God sensibly experienced by us, which opens our mouth to celebrate His praise.

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In the maxims of the law—God is seen as the rewarder of perfect righteousness and the avenger of all sin. But in Christ—His face shines out, full of grace and gentleness to poor, unworthy sinners.

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What rashness it is for worms of the earth to make new laws—as though God had not been wise enough in giving us His Word!

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Mingled vanity and pride appear in this, that when men seek after God, instead of ascending higher than themselves as they ought to do, they measure Him by their own carnal stupidity, and fly off to indulge their curiosity in vain speculation.

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Free-will cannot will good—and of necessity serves sin.

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It is impossible for any man to obtain even the minutest portion of right and sound doctrine—without being a disciple of Scripture!

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The invention of the arts, and other things which serve the common use and convenience of life—is a gift of God by no means to be despised, and a faculty worthy of commendation.

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Distinction between virtuous and wicked actions, has been engraved by the Lord in the heart of every man.

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We have nothing of the Spirit, except through regeneration. Everything, therefore, which we have from nature—is flesh.

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In the past fifty years—it is clear that God has raised up new diseases resulting from sexual immorality. From where do these diseases come—if not from the hand of God? The world was astounded, and people were terrified—but they have not, to this day, observed the hand of God in these diseases.

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The evil in our desires typically does not lie in what we want—but that we want it too much.

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If we are proud of our abilities—we betray our lack of gratitude to God. We ought always to beware of making the smallest claim for ourselves.

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Whoever the Lord has adopted into His family, ought to prepare themselves for hard, toilsome and unquiet living.

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We must always speak of the efficacy of the ministry in such a manner, that the entire praise of the work may be reserved for God alone.

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Our Lord Jesus Christ is our Advocate, and without Him we cannot approach God.

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The Fanaticism which discards the Scripture, under the pretense of resorting to immediate revelations is subversive of every principle of Christianity. For when they boast extravagantly of the Spirit—the tendency is always to bury the Word of God so they may make room for their own falsehoods.

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Without Christ, sciences in every department are vain. The man who knows not God is vain—though he should be conversant with every branch of learning. Nay more, we may affirm this too with truth, that these choice gifts of God—expertness of mind, acuteness of judgment, liberal sciences, and acquaintance with languages, are in a manner profaned in every instance in which they fall to the lot of wicked men.

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The worship of God must be spiritual—in order that it may correspond with His nature.

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Can true repentance exist without faith? By no means. But although they cannot be separated—they ought to be distinguished.

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There are babies a span long in Hell.

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Faith is like an empty, open hand stretched out towards God—with nothing to offer and everything to receive.

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The vices of which we are full—we carefully hide from others—and we flatter ourselves with the notion that they are small and trivial. We sometimes even embrace them as virtues!

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There is also an old proverb, that they who pay much attention to the body, generally neglect the soul.

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Where is our acknowledgment of God—if our thoughts are fixed on the glamour of our garments?

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Even if this earth is only a vestibule, we ought undoubtedly to make such a use of its blessings, that we are assisted rather than delayed in our journey.

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When we see that the whole sum of our salvation, and every single part of it, are comprehended in Christ—we must beware of deriving even the minutest portion of it from any other quarter.

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Faith is a knowledge of the benevolence of God toward us, and a certain persuasion of His veracity.

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Again I ask whence it happened that the fall of Adam involved, without remedy, in eternal death so many nations, together with their infant children—except because it so seemed good to God? A solemn decree, I confess, and yet true.