Preaching is the flexanima*, the allurer of the soul, by which our self-willed minds are subdued and changed from an ungodly and pagan lifestyle to a life of Christian faith and repentance.
– William Perkins –
from The Art of Prophesying, 1592
*(Flexanima is Latin for: moving, affecting, touching)
Let us beware of having our hearts too much linked to the world. The world damps zeal as earth chokes the fire.
– Thomas Watson –
from The Great Gain of Godliness, 1682
Oh what bitterness do I now find in that which Satan, the world, and my own deluded heart told me I should find sweetness in.
– Thomas Brooks –
from Heaven on Earth: A Treatise on Christian Assurance, 1654
“If any man will come after Me,” said Jesus, “the condition is that he must leave something behind,” that is to say, his right to himself. Is Jesus Christ worth it, or am I one of those who accept His salvation but thoroughly object to giving up my right to myself to Him?
– Oswald Chambers –
Keep the soul open to entertain the Holy Ghost, for he will bring in continually fresh forces to subdue corruption.
– Richard Sibbs –
from The Bruised Reed, 1630
Such is Satan’s way; he is first the tempter to draw us to sin, and then an accuser to accuse us to God for sinning.
– Samuel Bolton –
from The True Bounds of Christian Freedom, 1645
True repentance will entirely change you; the bias of your souls will be changed, then you will delight in God, in Christ, in His law, and in His people.
– George Whitefield –
There is no one beyond the reach of the tempter. Keep that in mind. Life may run smoothly for a while, but the testing time is coming.
– DL Moody –
Measure your growth in grace by your sensitivity to sin.
– Oswald Chambers –