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The Poor Doubting Christian drawn to Christ (Quotes)
Thomas Prince, pastor of the famous Old South Church in Boston says this in the book’s foreword.
“I would recommend it to those desirous of having the impediments which hinder them from applying by faith to Christ, removed; and by divine help, would learn the happy way of going first to the promises of Christ, and then therewith to Christ himself; and in this way daily living on him and deriving from him all their strength and blessedness.”
There are many short and long quotes throughout the book I found helpful. Here are a few to get just a taste of the whole.
“What Scripture ever said, that the greatness of man’s sin could hinder the greatness of God’s mercy?”
“The truth is, (which I pray you’ll notice), it is not properly our unworthiness, but our pride and haughtiness that hinders us from coming to Christ; for we would have something from ourselves, and not all from him.”
“God sometimes gives, and sometimes delays to give. But God’s love is as constant when he gives not, as when he gives.”
“And a man’s faith may be somewhat strong, when his feeling is nothing at all….Therefore build not your comfort upon sense and feeling, which is to build upon the sand; but go the promise, as to the rock, for it.”
“Thus hold to the Word, and the devil will be tired, weary, and leave thee. Keep here, for if he catches you wandering after sense and feeling, you are gone.”
“O poor broken-hearted sinner, here is your Savior; he is come down from heaven to speak peace to your soul in the pardon your sins. You that hunger for a Christ, here he is to satisfy you. You that thirst for Christ, here he is to refresh thee. You that have long sought him, he says, ‘Here I am, and all my merits are yours.’”
“There is more power in God to show mercy to thee, than power in sin to destroy thee.”
“Despair has slain his thousands, but presumption his ten thousands.”
“We must not look too long, nor pore too much, or unwarrantably upon our own corruptions within, so far as to be disheartened by them from coming to the riches of God’s grace.” “It is fit, and we ought to see our sins; but we must not stay too long there. See them we must, but not fasten on them, so as to shackle us from coming to Christ.”
“The Word must ever be in your hands, and the meditation of it in your hearts.”
“The way to make the soul lean upon Christ, is to pluck away all those deceiving props.”
“To expect faith without a promise [to cling to], is as if a man should expect a crop of corn without seed; for the promise is the immortal seed of God’s Word, whereby the Spirit breeds this faith in the hearts of all that are His.”
“Whatever strength you need, fetch it from grace in Christ; and whatever comfort you lack, fetch it from Christ….Bring but an empty believing heart with you, and the oil will never run out, and the meal in the barrel will never decay, but it will continually supply thee as it did that poor widow.”
Resolve to wait upon God and don’t give up before He comes to you. “Now take heed of this. If the time seems tedious, and your heart begins to sink, and your spirit is weary; take heed of flying off, take heed of shifting for thy own comfort and looking to base ends and aims. No, hold thy mind to and keep your eye of faith upon the promise, and stay it out until God sees the time fit. And know, it is the best time, when it is God’s time.”
Quotes from other Puritans:
“He that is not a good treasurer of mercies has nothing to draw
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upon in future difficulties But he who lays up experiences and makes use of them to feed upon and draw strength from is enabled to
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depend on God in all future difficulties Samuel Bolton The
, ( , Wonderful Workings of God for His Church and People Crossville : , 2022), 84.
TN Puritan Publications
“Christ came not to make the law void but rather to explain and
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enforce it that he might render holiness more evident and raise his
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people to greater exercise in it than ever before And it should be the
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aim and design of all Christians for Christ s sake as well as their own
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and others that their graces may be resplendent in the holiness and
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universal righteousness that as the apostle directs they may adorn
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the gospel 2:10
William Williams The Danger of Not Reforming Known , , ( , : , 2022) 165. Evils and Other Works Crossville TN Puritan Publications
“ If you please yourselves in your own conceits and vain imaginations
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that are contrary to the wisdom of Christ believing that it is an easy
, thing to go to heaven and that you hope to be saved in the end
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although you are carried with the stream of the world the tide of
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your lusts the wind of Satan s suggestions and applause of the
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multitude assure yourselves that you are rebels against Christ and are
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on the path to eternal destruction Truth the Great Business of Our
, , ( , : , 2022) 90. Times by John Maynard Crossville TN Puritan Publications
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Ordinarily when we are burdened with outward afflictions we only
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think of natural helps and comforts Whereas the way for us to
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sanctify God s name to do what is acceptable to God when any
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outward affliction comes is to exercise our faith in the great promise
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of God in Jesus Christ upon the great Covenant of Grace that God
. , , has made with us in him Jeremiah Burroughs The Wonders of Jesus ( , , , 2022) 21.
Crossville TN Puritan Publications
, . True repentance is never too late and late repentance is seldom true
, ’ , Charles Herle A Devotional on Our Savior s Death and Passion ( , : , 2022) 123.
Crossville TN Puritan Publications
,
What did it benefit Saul that he was a prophet or Judas that he was
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an apostle For outward duty without inward grace physical
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proximity without spiritual transformation serves only to enhance
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and dis excuse a man s damnation True and lasting benefit from knowing the Lord can only be found when you welcome him into
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your heart Charles Herle A Devotional on Our Savior s Death and
, ( , : , 2022) 132.
Passion Crossville TN Puritan Publications
;
Saving faith is always fruitful and that faith which is not fruitful is not
. , true faith The apostle does not deny that we are justified by faith
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and only by faith but he denies that faith without works is a true . ;
faith It is only an empty notion and such a faith cannot justify nor
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save a man Thomas Senior et al A Biblical Guide to Hearing and
, ( , : , 2021) Studying the Word of God Crossville TN Puritan Publications 77
Take heed that you do not suppress any good motions that are
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raised by the word Constant hearers are convicted of sin and resolve
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to leave it and attend to the soul Nourish these experiences and do
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not extinguish them They are the blessed issues of heaven David
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Clarkson et al A Biblical Guide to Hearing and Studying the Word of , ( , : , 2021) 132.
God Crossville TN Puritan Publications
. Naked speculation leads to receiving truth in regard to its evidence
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But when it has a prevailing sovereignty in the heart then we receive
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it in love When it is dearer than our dearest lust then it will stick by
. , the truth When it breaks in upon the heart with evidence and power
. , , you cannot keep both Therefore let it soak into the affections and
, . hide the word in your hearts that you may not sin against God
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Thomas Manton et al A Biblical Guide to Hearing and Studying the
, ( , : , 2021) 164.
Word of God Crossville TN Puritan Publications
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Even as true believers do not make an end of sinning so God cannot
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make an end of pardoning And as his pardoning removes our fear of , .
( , : , 2021) 42.
Crossville TN Puritan Publications
, If wicked men are blamed because God is not in their thoughts then
’ . surely God should remain consistently in the believer s thoughts
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William Bridge The Sweetness of Divine Meditation, ( , :
Crossville TN , 2021) 52.
Puritan Publications
. … The reason we meditate little is because we love God little When a man hears the word of God in public or in private but does not
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continue to meditate on it afterward it is because it has made no
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impression on him William Bridge The Sweetness of Divine Meditatio ,
n ( , : , 2021) 62.
Crossville TN Puritan Publications
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Knowledge brings us to the door of truth but meditation opens the
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door to the house and takes us into all its rooms This is the way to
. , enter into the secret places of the things of God William Bridge The Sweetness of Divine Meditation, ( , : ,
Crossville TN Puritan Publications 2021) 73.
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Between God and his people there is a league of love and
’ . repentance removes the matter of God s anger and displeasure Fire
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no longer burns if the fuel does not feed it Our sins are the fuel of
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his wrath When repentance removes them his wrath ceases Ralph
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Brownrig Repentance and Prayer ( , : ,
Crossville TN Puritan Publications 2021) 27.
. All the temptations of Satan are actions of cunning and not of power
, He may persuade and seduce us by the dexterity of his skill but he
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cannot force and compel us Though he has a great deal of power
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and strength and cunning he may circumvent us But he cannot
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powerfully overthrow us It is not in the power of Satan to force the
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will of any to yield to his temptations Ralph Brownrig Repentance and Prayer ( , : , 2021) 84.
Crossville TN Puritan Publications
’ “… , A soldier in Christ s army will not be a slave to the devil or any
’ . .” lust of his own or other men s He thinks himself too good for sin Jeremiah Burroughs
Such we are in the sight of God the Father, as is the very Son of God Himself. Let it be counted folly or frenzy or fury or whatever. It is our wisdom and our comfort; we care for no knowledge in the world but this: that man has sinned and God has suffered; that God has made Himself the sin of men, and that men are made the righteousness of God. Thomas Hooker
Thy sorrows outbid thy heart, thy fears outbid thy sorrows, and thy thoughts go beyond thy fears; and yet here is the comfort of a poor soul: in all his misery and wretchedness, the mercy of the Lord outbids all these, whatsoever may, can, or shall befall thee.
- Thomas Hooker