If you would like to be sent the Christian Quote of the
Week each week, via email, please send a request to ssper@scripturestudies.com
Past Christian Quotes of the Week:
Christian Quote of the Week:
Riches in Heaven
"Were you to take an estimate of a
man's estate, how would you value it? By what
he hath in his house, or by his land? Perhaps
he hath little money or jewels in his house, but
he is a landed man, there lies his estate. A
believer hath but little oil in the cruse, and
meal in the barrel, but he is a landed man, he
hath a title to a kingdom, and may not this
satisfy him? If a man who lived here in England,
had a great estate befallen him beyond the
seas, and perhaps had no more money at present
but just to pay for his voyage, he is content;
he knows when he comes to his estate, he
shall have money enough; thou who art a
believer, hast a kingdom befallen thee; though
thou hast but little in thy purse, yet, if thou
hast enough to pay for thy voyage, enough to
bear thy charges to heaven, it is sufficient."
-– Thomas Watson in A Body of Practical Divinity, pg. 431
Related Bible Verse:
"My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
(John 14:2-3, NIV84)
Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (A Body of Practical Divinity, by Thomas Watson)
is available at the following link, free of charge:
http://www.archive.org/details/bodyofpracticald00watsuoft
Christian Quote of the Week:
Christ, Our High Priest
"As, when king Uzziah would offer incense without a priest, God was angry with him, and struck him with leprosy (II Chron. 26:20); so, when we do not come to God in and through Christ, we offer up incense to him without a priest; and what can we expect but severe rebukes."
-– Thomas Watson in A Body of Practical Divinity, pg. 503
Related Bible Verse:
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
(John 14:6, NIV84)
Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (A Body of Practical Divinity, by Thomas Watson)
is available at the following link, free of charge:
http://books.google.com/books?id=ZsoHAAAAQAAJ&dq=thomas+watson+body+divinity&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Christian Quote of the Week:
Man's Search for Fulfillment
"What meaneth this restlessness of our nature? What meaneth this unceasing activity which longs for exercise and employment, even after every object is gained, which first roused it to enterprise? What mean those unmeasurable longings, which no gratification can extinguish, and which still continue to agitate the heart of man, even in the fulness of plenty and of enjoyment. If they mean anything at all, they mean, that all which this world can offer, is not enough to fill up his capacity for happiness - that time is too small for him, and he is born for something beyond it - that the scene of his earthly existence is too limited, and he is formed to expatiate in a wider and a grander theatre - that a nobler destiny is reserved for him - and that to accomplish the purpose of his being, he must soar above the littleness of the world, and aim at a loftier prize."
-– Thomas Chalmers in Discourses on the Application of Christianity, pg. 247
Related Bible Verse:
"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart"
(Psalm 37:4, NIV84)
Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Discourses on the Application of Christianity, by Thomas Chalmers)
is available at the following link, free of charge:
http://www.archive.org/details/worksofthomascha06chal
Faith in the Invisible
"Heavenly things are far off from carnal sense: he that will believe no more than he sees, shall be forever blind. The best things are invisible to human eyes. God is invisible... Light is invisible... Christ is invisible... The Spirit is invisible... His power is invisible... The kingdom is invisible... The best eyes see but in a riddle: 'Now we see through a glass, darkly,' I Cor. 13:12. Here faith supplies all defects; for it is the office of faith to believe what we do not see, and it shall be the reward of faith to see what we do believe (Augustine)."
-– Thomas Adams in An Exposition upon the Second Epistle General of St. Peter, pg. 105 (on II Peter 1:9)
Related Bible Verse:
"Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'"
(John 20:29, NIV84)
Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (An Exposition upon the Second Epistle General of St. Peter, by Thomas Adams)
is available at the following link, free of charge:
http://www.archive.org/details/expositionuponse00adam
Righteousness: Perspective
"So long as we do not look beyond the earth, we are quite pleased with our own righteousness, wisdom, and virtue; we address ourselves in the most flattering terms, and seem only less than demigods. But should we once begin to raise our thoughts to God, and reflect what kind of Being he is, and how absolute the perfection of that righteousness, and wisdom, and virtue to which, as a standard, we are bound to be conformed, what formerly delighted us by its false show of righteousness, will be polluted with the greatest iniquity; what strangely imposed upon us under the name of wisdom, will disgust by its extreme folly; and what presented the appearance of virtuous energy, will be condemned as the most miserable impotence."
-– John Calvin in Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book I, Ch. 1, Sect. 2
Related Bible Verse:
"The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power,
in His justice and great righteousness"
(Job 37:23, NIV84)
Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Institutes of the Christian Religion, by John Calvin)
is available at the following link, free of charge:
http://www.archive.org/details/instituteschris00allegoog
Faith Before a Silent God
"So Christ made a very fair offer to the young man in the Gospel, 'Go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven.' Here Christ offers heavenly treasures for earthly treasures, unmixed treasures for mixed treasures, perfect treasures for imperfect treasures, satisfying treasures for unsatisfying treasures, lasting treasures for fading treasures; but the young man slips his opportunity, his season, and goes away sorrowful, and we never read more of him."
-– Thomas Brooks in Apples of Gold, from Works, Vol I, p. 209
Related Bible Verse:
"Jesus answered, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'"
(Matthew 19:21, NIV84)
Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks, Vol. I)
is available at the following link, free of charge:
The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks, Vol I
Faith Before a Silent God
"The Christian must trust in a withdrawing God. Let him that 'walketh in darkness, and hath no light, trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God' (Isa. 50:10). This requires a holy boldness of faith indeed, to venture into God's presence, as Esther into Ahasuerus', when no smile is to be seen on his face, no golden sceptre of the promise perceived by the soul, as held forth to embolden it to come near, then to press in with this noble resolution, 'if I perish, I perish': nay more, to trust not only in a withdrawing, but a 'killing God,' (see Job 13:15). Not when His love is hid, but when His wrath breaks forth: now for a soul to make his approaches to God by a recumbency of faith, while God seems to fire upon it, and shoot His frowns like envenomed arrows into it: this is hard work, and will try the Christian's metal to purpose."
-– William Gurnall in The Christian in Complete Armour, p. 5
Related Bible Verse:
"Who among you fears the LORD
and obeys the word of his servant?
Let him who walks in the dark,
who has no light,
trust in the name of the LORD
and rely on his God."
(Isaiah 50:10, NIV84)
Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (The Christian in Complete Armour, by William Gurnall)
is available at the following link, free of charge:
The Christian in Complete Armour
God Ready and Willing to Save
"There is nothing wanting on God’s part for the salvation of sinners' souls: no one will ever be able to say at last that it was God's fault, if he is not saved. The Father is ready to love and receive; the Son is ready to pardon and cleanse guilt away; the Spirit is ready to sanctify and renew; angels are ready to rejoice over the returning sinner; grace is ready to assist him; the Bible is ready to instruct him; heaven is ready to be his everlasting home. One thing only is needful, and that is, the sinner must be ready and willing himself."
-– J. C. Ryle in Expository Thoughts on the Gospels - St. Matthew, pp. 280-281
Related Bible Verse:
"Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.'"
(Matt. 22:1-3, NIV84)
Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels - St. Matthew, by J.C. Ryle)
is available at the following link, free of charge:
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels - St. Matthew
God's Justice Will Be Carried Out
"You think Providence does not deal righteously because the unworthy are exalted, and the worthy depressed. Do but tarry awhile, and you will have no cause to complain, or to grow weary of godliness, or to cry up a confederacy with evil men; they are never nearer their own ruin than when they come to the height of their exaltation... Who would envy those that climb up a ladder for execution?"
-– Thomas Manton in Sermons on 119th Psalm, Vol. 2, pg. 543
Related Bible Verse:
"Surely You place them on slippery ground; You cast them down to ruin"
(Psalm 73:18, NIV84)
Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Sermons on 119th Psalm, Vol. 2, by Thomas Manton)
is available at the following link, free of charge:
Sermons on 119th Psalm, Vol. 2
Acknowledging Christ
"There are [those] that secretly approve of religion, and in religious company will profess it, who, at other times, to be neighbour-like, are ashamed to own it; so weak are they, that they are blown over with the wind of the wicked's mouth. A broad laughter, an impious jest, a scoffing jeer out of a profane mouth, is to many an unanswerable argument against religion and seriousness; for, in the cause of religion, they are as silly as doves without heart. O that such would consider that weighty word: 'Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels' (Mark 8:38)."
-– Thomas Boston in Human Nature in its Fourfold State, pg. 34
Related Bible Verse:
"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
(Mark 8:38, KJV)
Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Human Nature in its Fourfold State, by Thomas Boston)
is available at the following link, free of charge:
http://www.archive.org/details/humannatureinit01bostgoog
The Work of God in Christ
"It was in Christ that God tore up the foundations of the devil's empire, disarmed all the curses of the law, overthrew the false conceits of the world, knocked off the fetters of their captivity, demolished the power of death, snatched souls from the flames of hell, unbarred the gates of heaven, prepared everlasting mansions, 'laid His beams in the waters', the foundations of an happy eternity, in the misery, afflictions, death, blood of His only Son. He restored man to glory by
weakness, to wisdom by foolishness; he made the law lose its sting in the
sides of him whom it struck, took away our captivity by misery, flung death
to the ground by death, quenched hell by its own flames, opened heaven by
a cross, cemented an everlasting habitation by blood, and condemned sin
by a sacrifice for it."
-– Stephen Charnock in Discourses on the Knowledge of God, from Works, Vol. IV, pg. 153
Related Bible Verse:
"...Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God"
(I Cor. 1:24, NIV84)
Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Discourses on the Knowledge of God, by Stephen Charnock)
is available at the following link, free of charge:
http://www.archive.org/details/completeworksofs04char
Eventual Regret of Non-Believers
"Note, the day is coming, when carnal hypocrites would gladly be found in the condition of true Christians. Those who now hate the strictness of religion, will, at death and judgment, wish for the solid comforts of it. Those who care not to live the life, yet would die the death, of the righteous. The day is coming when those who now look with contempt upon humble contrite saints, would gladly get an interest in them, and would value those as their best friends and benefactors, whom now they set with the dogs of their flock"
– Matthew Henry in Commentary on the Whole Bible, Vol. V, pg. 377 (commenting on Matt. 25:8)
Related Bible Verse:
"The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'"
(Matt. 25:8, NIV84)
Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Commentary on the Whole Bible, by Matthew Henry)
is available at the following link, free of charge:
http://www.studylight.org/com/mhc-com/
Abiding in the Lord
"We have not come to the full of what our Lord has a right to expect of us till, having given from our stores to Him, by benefiting His poor and aiding His cause, we deliberately open the doors of our entire being to Him, and install Him in our souls as an honoured guest. We must not be satisfied with giving Him cups of cold water, or morsels of bread; but we must constrain Him, saying, 'Abide with us.'"
– C. H. Spurgeon in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol. 30, pg. 2
Related Bible Verse:
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what
you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7, NKJV)
Abiding in the Lord
“God created the earth for beasts to inhabit, the sea for fish,
the air for fowls, the heavens for angels and stars, man therefore hath no
place to dwell and abide in, but the Lord alone.”
– Picus Mirandula, cited by George Swinnock (1627-1673) in “The Christian
Man’s Calling”, from Works, Vol
I, pg. 47.
Related Bible Verse:
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what
you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7, NKJV)
Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Works, vol. I, by George Swinnock)
is available at the following link, free of charge (courtesy of
archive.org, and the Princeton Theological Seminary):
http://www.archive.org/details/worksofgeorgeswi01swin
If you would like to be sent the Christian Quote of the
Week each week, via email, please send a request to ssper@scripturestudies.com
