His Eye Affected His Heart - Matthew Henry

As (Jesus) drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. (Luke 7:12-15 ESV)

 

His eye affected his heart.

 

Taken from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible

by Matthew Henry 1662-1714

How Many People - Oswald Chambers

How many people have you made homesick for God?

 

Taken from the book The Quotable Oswald Chambers  

Oswald Chambers 1874-1917

The Rejoicing of Hope - William Gurnall

Hope fills the afflicted soul with such inward joy and consolation, that it can laugh while tears are in the eye, sigh and sing all in a breath; it is called "the rejoicing of hope". (Hebrews 3:6)

 

William Gurnall 1617-1679 Quoted in the book A Puritan Golden Treasury

Beware Of No Man More Than - Charles Spurgeon

Beware of no man more than of yourself, for we often carry our worst enemies within us.

 

Taken from the book The Complete John Ploughman

by Charles Spurgeon  1834-1892

Is This The Happiness You Promise Yourself

You fly to company, to vain amusements, or the cares of this world to stifle the voice of conscience. Why do you strive to stifle her voice? Alas! it is because you know that conscience witnesses against you. But though you endeavor to drown her voice, yet you know that now and then she speaks in a tone of terror. And is this the happiness you promise yourself in the ways of sin?

 

 

Taken from the tract Warning Voice in the book The Publications of the American Tract Society

Tracts are from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries

What Would All That Profit Thee Without - Thomas A Kempis

What will it avail thee to dispute profoundly of the Trinity, if thou be void of humility, and art thereby displeasing to the Trinity? Surely high words do not make a man holy and just; but a virtuous life maketh him dear to God.

I had rather feel compunction, than undersatnd the definition thereof. If thou didst know the whole Bible by heart, and the sayings of all the philosphers, what would all that profit thee without the love of God and without grace? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God, and to serve him only.

Taken from the book The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis 1380-1471

The Holiest Saint - JC Ryle

How true it is that the holiest saint is in himself a "miserable sinner," and a debtor to mercy and grace to the last moment of his existence!

Taken from the book Holiness by JC Ryle 1879

The Word Most Dwells Richly In - Thomas Brooks

Private prayer is a golden key to unlock the mysteries of the Word to us. The knowledge of many choice and blessed truths is but the outcome of private prayer. The Word most dwells richly in their hearts who are most in pouring out their hearts before God in their closets.

Taken from the book The Secret Key To Heaven by Thomas Brooks 1665

The Law May Chain Up the Wolf - Samuel Bolton

The law may chain up the wolf, but it is the Gospel that changes the wolfish nature.

 

Taken from the book The True Bounds of Christian Freedom by Samuel Bolton 1645

When They Compare Themselves With Others - Ralph Venning

There are some poor souls, and I believe there are some among the Corinthians, that are apt to become discouraged when they compare themselves with others.  When a dwarf stands by a giant, a man of low stature by a tall one, as David by Goliath, he seems to be nobody; yet he is a man, a perfect man, in spite of the vast difference between them. 

Many poor souls, when they see themselves outstripped in knowledge, faith, love and patience by some that came into Christ long after them, are apt to think that they are not saints because they are not saints such as those.

 Taken from the book Learning in Christ's School by Ralph Venning 1675

The Sweeter Are Our Reliefs - John Flavel

The more prayers and searchings of heart come between our needs and supplies, our afflictions and reliefs, the sweeter are our reliefs and supplies thereby made to us. 'Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will rejoice and be glad in his salvation' (Isaiah 25:9).

Taken from the book The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel 1678

And Yet, Grace Can Make - William Burns

 William Burns worked as a missionary in China at the same time as Hudson Taylor. This was a portion of a letter written when he and Taylor were working together.

January 26, 1856

 

The harvest here is indeed great, and the laborers are few and imperfectly fitted, without much grace, for such work. And yet, grace can make a few feeble instruments the means of accomplishing great things – things greater even than we can conceive.

 

Taken from the book Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret Hudson Taylor 1832-1905

 

Preparation is Not - Oswald Chambers

Preparation is not something suddenly accomplished, but a process steadily maintained.  It is easy to imagine that we get to a settled state of experience where we are complete and ready; but in work for God it is always preparation and preparation.

 

Taken from the book The Quotable Oswald Chambers  

Oswald Chambers 1874-1917

Cause Me to Draw Near - Richard Baxter

By thy blood we have "boldness to enter into the holiest, by a new and living way consecrated for us" (Heb 10:19-20).  Cause me to draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith. Thy name is faithful and true.

                   

Taken from the book Dying Thoughts by Richard Baxter 1683

Beware Of Harking Back - Oswald Chambers

Beware of harking back to what you once were when God wants you to be something you have never been.

 

Taken from the book The Quotable Oswald Chambers  

Oswald Chambers 1874-1917

 

The Soft Pillow of Ease - Thomas Watson

How soon we are broken upon the soft pillow of ease! Adam in paradise was overcome, when Job on the dunghill was a conqueror.

 

Taken from the book Extracts from the Writings of Thomas Watson

Thomas Watson 1620-1686

 

Hope Is Never Ill When - John Bunyan

Hope is never ill when faith is well.

 

John Bunyan 1628-1688

 

He Who Knows and Trusts God - Andrew Murray

Learn to believe in God, take hold of God, let God take possession of your life, and it will be easy to take hold of the promises. He who knows and trusts God will find it easy to trust the promises too.

 

Taken from the book Teach Me To Pray by Andrew Murray 1828-1917

 

Oh, For The Old Fire Again - Charles Spurgeon

Oh, for the old fire again! The Church will never prosper till it comes once more. Oh, for the old fanaticism, for that indeed was the Spirit of God making men's spirits in earnest! Oh, for the old doing and daring that risked everything and cared for nothing, except to glorify him who shed his blood upon the cross! May we live to see such bright and holy days again!

 

Charles Spurgeon 1834-1892

By Partaking of the Holy Spirit - Jonathan Edwards

 John 4:14 states, "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." Compare this with John 7:38-39: "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive." It is by partaking of the Holy Spirit that the saints have communion with Christ in His fullness.

 

Taken from the book The Best of Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards 1703-1758

 

Beware Of Resting On Your First Conversion - George Whitefield

 My dear friends beware of resting on your first conversion. You that are young believers in Christ, you should be looking out for fresh discovering of the Lord Jesus Christ every moment; you must not build upon your past experiences, you must not build upon a work within you, but always come out of yourselves to the righteousness of Jesus Christ without you; you must be always coming as poor sinners to draw water out of the wells of salvation; you must be forgetting the things that are behind, and be continually pressing forward to the things that are before. My dear friends, you must keep up a tender, close walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Taken from the book Select Sermons of George Whitefield

by George Whitefield 1714-1770

 

They Are an Earthly Representative - George Macdonald

 "Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 19:14

 

Brother, sister, have you found our King? There He is, kissing little children and drawing them to Himself with utmost affection. There He is at a table with the head of a fisherman lying on His bosom, and somewhat heavy at heart that even he, the beloved disciple, cannot yet understand Him well. The mothers and fathers who show the greatest care, compassion, and sympathy for their children are but an earthly representative of our all-loving God.

 

Taken from the book The Best of George Macdonald George Macdonald 1824-1905

 

His Whole Constitution - Andrew Murray

To someone asking for some means to get more strength in his arms and hands to be able to seize and hang on to things, a physician would say that his whole constitution must be built up and strengthened. So the cure of a weak faith is only found by revitalizing our whole spiritual life through close fellowship with God.

 

Taken from the book Teach Me To Pray by Andrew Murray 1828-1917