Afflictions add to the saints’ glory. The more the diamond is cut, the more it sparkles; the heavier the saints’ cross is, the heavier shall be their crown.
– Thomas Watson –
Heaven – Hell
Enjoying God Forever – Charles Spurgeon
The purest and most exhilarating joy is the delight of glorifying God and anticipating the time when we will enjoy Him forever.
– Charles Spurgeon –
from Spurgeon on Praise
The Free Gift of Salvation – Richard Baxter
Let “deserved” be written on the door of hell, but on the door of heaven and life [write]: “The free gift.”
– Richard Baxter –
May I Worship and Pray to God as if … – William Law
Grant that I may worship and pray unto Thee with as much reverence and godly fear, as if I saw the heavens open and all the angels that stand around Thy throne. Amen.
– William Law –
from A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life
How You Should Speak to Others – Richard Baxter
Speak to your people as to men that must be awakened, either here or in hell. Look around upon them with the eye of faith, and with compassion, and think in what a state of joy or torment they must all be for ever; and then, methinks, it will make you earnest, and melt your heart to a sense of their condition. Oh, speak not one cold or careless word about so great a business as heaven or hell. Whatever you do, let the people see that you are in good earnest. … You cannot break men’s hearts by jesting with them, or telling them a smooth tale, or pronouncing a gaudy oration. Men will not cast away their dearest pleasures at the drowsy request of one that seemeth not to mean as he speaks, or to care much whether his request be granted or not.
– Richard Baxter –
Have a Prospect of the Journey’s End – Matthew Henry
It is pleasant in a journey to have a prospect of the journey’s end—to see that the way we are in leads directly to it, and to see that it cannot be far off; every step we take is so much nearer it, nay, and we are within a few steps of it we have a prospect of being shortly with Christ in Paradise; yet a little while, and we shall be at home, we shall be at rest, and whatever difficulties we may meet with in our way, when we come to heaven all will be well—eternally well.
– Matthew Henry –
from The Pleasantness of a Religious Life, 1714
How Not to Preach – David Wilkerson
I’m not about to put up a silly skit and preach a 15-minute message on “how to cope” to a multitude of people who are dying and going to hell. I tremble at the thought.
– David Wilkerson –
Heaven Must Be In You – George Swinnock
Heaven must be in thee before thou canst be in heaven.
– George Swinnock –
1627-1673 AD
Walk in the Way of Wisdom – Matthew Henry
Wisdom saith, “This is the way, walk in it”; and you shall not only find life at the end, but pleasure in the way. That which is the only right way to happiness we must resolve to travel, and to proceed and persevere in it, whether it be fair or foul, pleasant or unpleasant: but it is a great encouragement to a traveller, to know that his way is not only the right way, but a pleasant way: and such the way to heaven is.
– Matthew Henry –
from The Pleasantness of a Religious Life, 1714