HeadTheology

Ch. 7 - The Godly Should Speak of God
From The Great Gain of Godliness, by Thomas Watson

“Indeed, where there is gratia infusa [grace poured in], it will be effusa [poured out]; grace changes the language, and makes it spiritual.” -62

“Had they any love to God, or had they ever tasted how sweet the Lord is, their mouth would ‘talk of his righteousness’.” -63

“Let this cause blushing among Christians, that their meetings are so unprofitable, because they leave God out of their discourse.” -64

“A fiery spirit is unsuitable to the Master we serve, the Prince of Peace; and to his ambassage, the ‘gospel of peace.’” -65

“When men break forth in unsavoury speeches it show the heart is profane.” -66

“It is the sign of the hypocrite to censure others and commend himself.” -67

“What makes a communion of saints but good conversation?” -69

“Have you a friend who has redeemed you, and never speak of him.” -69

“The more spiritual we are in our speeches, the more we resemble Christ.  Should not the members be like the Head?  Christ will not be our Saviour unless we make him our pattern.” -71

“Verba sunt speculum mentis - Words the looking glass of the mind (Bernard).  As you may judge of a face by the mirror, whether it be fair or foul; so by the words we may judge of the heart.” -71

“One single coal is apt to die, but many coals put together keep in the heat.  Christians by their heavenly talk may ‘blow up’ one another’s grace into a flame.” -72

“A Christian by divine discourse may enlighten another when he is ignorant, warm him when he is frozen, comfort him when he is sad, confirm him when he is wavering.” -72

“A good life adorns religion, a good tongue propagates it.” -72

“What men delight in, they will be speaking of.” -74

Ch. 6 - Is the Fear of God in Our Hearts?
From The Great Gain of Godliness, by Thomas Watson

“Sin is worse than all penal evils: there is more evil in a drop of sin, than in a sea of affliction.” -37

“There is justice in hell, but sin is the most unjust thing.  It would rob God of his glory, Christ of his purchase, the soul of its happiness.” -38

“By avoiding the act of sin we preserve our peace; by avoiding the appearance of it we preserve our fame.” -39

“Such as revere the divine majesty dare not go near the borders of sin.” -40

“Gain is the golden bait with which Satan fishes for souls.” -41

“A godly man is assured that a full purse is but a poor recompense for a wounded conscience.” -41

“A man may think himself into hell.  Wat were the apostate angels damned for, was it fore any more than proud thoughts?” -42

“A God-fearer directs the rudder of his life according to the compass of the Word.” -43

“If a good man be providentially placed among the wicked, he will not coalesce with them, but in his deportment displays a majesty of holiness.” -44

“When men restrain prayer, they cast off the fear of God.” -45

“How far are they from the fear of God who are hard-hearted to Christ’s poor!” -46

“He who fears God knows it is best to keep in with God; he is the surest Friend, but the sorest Enemy.” -46

“Necessity will not excuse impiety.” -47

“A godly man, knowing there is a spice of this deceit in his heart, fears himself.” -49

“The heart’s deceit is seen in flattering us.  It will make us believe we are not so bad as we are.” -50

“Evangelical repentance works a change of heart.  It produces sanctity.” -51

“Now it is good for the godly so to fear hell as to fear to be in the number of those who shall go to hell.” -59

Ch. 5 - The Excellence of the Fear of God
From The Great Gain of Godliness, by Thomas Watson

“He who fears God considers how vain the world is, and therefore dares not love it; how short time is, and therefore dares not lose it; how precious salvation is, and therefore dares not neglect it.” -27

“The very heart is the temple of God, and fear sweeps and cleanses this temple that it may not be defiled.” -31

“Where the fear of God rules the heart, it expels fleshly fear.” -32-33

“‘He who pampers his body and neglects his soul, is like him who feasts his slave and starves his wife.” -32-33

From Thomas Watson’s, The Great Gain of Godliness

“Faith procures assurance (Eph. 1:13), fear preserves it.” -19

“The godly fear and sin not. The wicked sin and fear not.” -19

“[Those who do not] fear not God’s justice shall not taste his mercy.” -21

“Those who are the least safe are most confident.” -22

Timmy Brister over at P&P proposed a Puritan challenge this year to read 12 Puritan Paperbacks in 2008.  I’ve already read a few of these but hope to finish the challenge by reading the rest.  Though this year will be busy I hope to post my favorite quotes from each book during the month they being read.

Here’s the schedule:
January: The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes (128 pp)
February: The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel (221 pp)
March: The Godly Man’s Picture by Thomas Watson (252 pp)
April: Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks (253 pp)
May: Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ by John Bunyan (225 pp)
June: The Mortification of Sin by John Owen (130 pp)
July: A Lifting Up for the Downcast by William Bridge (287 pp)
August: The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (228 pp)
September: The True Bounds of Christian Freedom by Samuel Bolton (224 pp)
October: The Christian’s Great Interest by William Guthrie (207 pp)
November: The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter (256 pp)
December: A Sure Guide to Heaven by Joseph Alleine (148 pp)

For more visit Timmy Brister at P&P.

In reading The Great Gain of Godliness by Thomas Watson, these are my favorite quotes from chapter 3 titled ‘Reasons To Fear God’.

“He who is under the eye of his earthly prince will be careful of doing anything that would offend him.” -17

“As not to praise God is to wrong him, so not to fear God is to slight him.” -17

“We are apt to fear men who have power in their hand to hurt us, but what is their power to God’s?  They threaten prison, God threatens hell.  They threaten our life, God threatens our soul, and shall we not tremble before him?” -18

“We must not fear God with such a fear as the wicked do.  They fear him as a Turkish slave does his master; they fear him in such a way as to hate him, and wish there were no God.  We must not serve God with this hellish fear, be we must serve him with an ingenuous fear sweetened with love.” -18

Here are my favorite quotes from chapter two of Thomas Watson’s, The Great Gain of Godliness.

“Fear makes men change their religion as the chameleon does her colours.” -12

“Fear is the leading grace, the first seed God sows in the heart.  When a Christian can say little of faith, and perhaps nothing of assurance, yet he dares not deny that he fears God (Neh. 1:11).  God is so great that the Christian is afraid of displeasing him, and so good that he is afraid of losing him.” -13

“Fear is as lead to the net, to keep a Christian from floating in presumption, and faith is as cork to the net, to keep him from sinking in despair.” -15

“He who fears God has the serpent’s eye in the dove’s head.” -15

In reading The Great Gain of Godliness by Thomas Watson, these are my favorite quotes from chapter 1.

“The more outrageous other are in sin, the more courageous we should be for truth.” -5

“Almost all will court the Gospel Queen when she is hung with jewels.  But to own the ways of God when they are decried and maligned, to love a persecuted truth, this evidences a vital principal.” -6

“Sin is never the better because it is in fashion, nor will this plea hold at the last day, that we did as the most.  God will say, Seeing you sinned with the multitude, you shall go to hell with the multitude.” -7

“Though others wonder we do not sin after the rate that they do, yet remember, it is better to go to heaven with a few than to hell in the crowd.” -9

“If anyone ask what Christ died of, it may be answered, He died of love.” -10

“Reproaches for Christ are ensigns of honour, badges of adoption (I Pet. 4:14), the high honours of accusations, Chrysostom.” -11

“Be not laughed out of your religion.  If a lame man laugh at you for walking upright, will you therefore limp?” -11

I’ve picked up The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter again partially because I finished another Puritan Paperback (if you don’t know what I am talking about check them out here) and because I am going to start leading a Community Group at my church this fall. I am about a third through it and all I can say is Baxter provides such a warmth and warning to those who would dare lead in the church at all. The warmth comes from a God centeredness, in statements like,

“As you may render him more service, so you may do him more disservice than others. The nearer men stand to God, the greater dishonor hath he by their miscarriages; and more will they be imputed by foolish men to God himself.” (78)

and the warning to live holy lives because people are watching all the more,

“Take heed to yourselves, lest your example contradict your doctrine, and lest you lay such stumbling-blocks before the blind, as may be the occasion of their ruin, lest you unsay with your lives, what you say with your tongues; and be the greatest hinderers of the success of your own labours.” (63)

I hope in the future to post my favorite quotes from The Reformed Pastor as I did from the The Mortification of Sin.

Those of you who are fans of Richard Sibbes (or the Puritans in general) here are a few resources I found on that are available on full view and PDF download at Google Books. If you haven’t read his The Bruised Reed I highly recommend it.

Richard Sibbes - The Complete Works, Vol. IV
It includes:
-A Christian’s Portion (a.k.a. The Christian’s Charter)
-The Spiritual Man’s Aim
-The Right Receiving
-Judgment’s Reason
-Yea and Amen (a.k.a. Precious Promises)
-A Glance of Heaven (a.k.a. A Precious Taste of a Glorious Feast)
-The Excellency of the Gospel Above the Law
-Exposition of II Corinthians chapter 4
-The Church’s Riches

Richard Sibbes - The Complete Works, Vol. V
It includes:
-The Christian Work
-Of The Providence of God
-Exposition Of Philippians 3
-The Redemption Of Bodies
-The Art of Contentment
-The Power of Christ’s Resurrection
-The Hidden Life
-The Spiritual Jubilee
-The Privileges of the Faithful
-The Christian’s End
-Christ’s Exaltation Purchased by Humiliation
-The Life of Faith
-Salvation Applied
-A Fountain Sealed
-The Fountain Opened