Oh, the remembrance of my great sins, of my great temptations, and of my great fears of perishing forever! They bring afresh into my mind the remembrance of my great help, my great support from Heaven, and the great grace that God extended to such a wretch as I. Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners
we must recognize that God's basic institution throughout Scripture, starting from the Garden of Eden, is the covenant family. From a biblical point of view, all modern forms of government are variations on monarchism, of rule from the top down, whereas in Scripture, the family is the central social government.Mission of God, 67
It is profitable for Christians to be often calling to mind the very beginnings of grace with their souls.Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (Authentic Original Classic) (Kindle Locations 71-72). Destiny Image. Kindle Edition.
There is but one family which ought to be reckoned, both in heaven and on earth, both among angels and among men—if we belong to the Body of Christ. For outside of Him there is nothing but dispersion
The spirit, or soul, or life of Antichrist, is that spirit of error, that wicked, that mystery of iniquity, that under colour and pretence of verity, draweth men from truth to falsehood. The body or flesh of Antichrist, is that heap of men, that assembly of the wicked, that synagogue of Satan that is acted and governed by that spirit.
[C]oncerning the spiritual state of his family; [the father] ought to be very diligent and cautious, doing his utmost both to increase faith where it is begun, and to begin it where it is not. Therefore, he must diligently and frequently bring before his family the things of God, from His Holy Word, in accordance with what is suitable for each person. And let no man question his authority from the Word of God for such a practice.
in the economy of human life, the family lays the foundation for human society for the believer and the non-believer alike and is the nursery of knowledge, worship, government, and all social order. Thus, when the family collapses, all society breaks down.Mission of God, 67
There is that of God to be seen in such a day as cannot be seen in another. His power in holding up some, his wrath in leaving of others; his making of shrubs to stand, and his suffering of cedars to fall; his infatuating of the counsels of men, and his making of the devil to outwit himself; his giving of his presence to his people, and his leaving of his foes in the dark; his discovering [disclosing] the uprightness of the hearts of his sanctified ones, and laying open the hypocrisy of others, is a working of spiritual wonders in the day of his wrath, and of the whirlwind and storm.... We are apt to overshoot, in the days that are calm, and to think ourselves far higher, and more strong than we find we be, when the trying day is upon us.... We could not live without such turnings of the hand of God upon us. We should be overgrown with flesh, if we had not our seasonable winters. It is said that in some countries trees will grow, but will bear no fruit, because there is no winter there.
Learn to pity and bewail the condition of the enemy... Never grudge them their present advantages. 'Fret not thy self because of evil men. Neither be thou envious at the workers of iniquity' (Prov. 24:19). Fret not, though they spoil thy resting place. It is God that hath bidden them do it, to try thy faith and patience thereby. Wish them no ill with what they get of thine; it is their wages for their work, and it will appear to them ere long that they have earned it dearly.... Bless God that thy lot did fall on the other side.... How kindly, therefore, doth God deal with us, when he chooses to afflict us but for a little, that with everlasting kindness he may have mercy upon us (Isa 54:7–8).
It is not what enemies will, nor what they are resolved upon, but what God will, and what God appoints; that shall be done.... No enemy can bring suffering upon a man when the will of God is otherwise, so no man can save himself out of their hands when God will deliver him up for his glory.
Conversion is not the smooth, easy-going process some men seem to think.... It is wounding work, of course, this breaking of the hearts, but without wounding there is no saving.... Where there is grafting there is a cutting, the scion must be let in with a wound; to stick it on to the outside or to tie it on with a string would be of no use. Heart must be set to heart and back to back, or there will be no sap from root to branch, and this I say, must be done by a wound.
My heart hath been so wrapped up in the glory of this excellent work, that I counted myself more blessed and honored of God by this, than if I had made me the emperor of the Christian world, or the lord of all the glory of the earth without it.
When Mr. Standfast had thus set things in order, and the time had come for him to depart, he also went down to the river. There was a great calm on the river at that time. So Mr. Standfast went out into the water, stood awhile, and talked to his companions gathered on the shore: "This river," he said, "has been a terror to many. Yes, and the thoughts of it have also frightened me. But now I stand easy. My feet are fixed upon that on which the priests stood, who bore the ark of the covenant when Israel went over Jordan. The waters, indeed, are to the palate bitter, and to the body cold; yet the thought of what I am going to and of the convoy that awaits me on the other side lies like a glowing coal on my heart.Pilgrims Progress Part 2
I do confess myself one of the old-fashion professors, that covet 'to fear God, and honour the king.' I also am for blessing of them that curse me, for doing good to them that hate me, and for praying for them that despitefully use me , and persecute me.
o how great a task is it, for a poor soul that becomes sensible of sin, and the wrath of God, to say in Faith, but this one word, Father! I tell you, however hypocrites think, yet the Christian, that is so indeed, finds all the difficulty in this very thing, it cannot say, God is its Father.
only by the Spirit can a person think rightly of the One to whom he prays. They then, not being able to conceive aright of God to whom they pray, of Christ through whom they pray ... how shall they be able to address themselves
to God, without the Spirit help this infirmity?
Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God hath promised or, according to the Word, for the good of the
church, with submission, in faith, to the will of God
Be often remembering what a blessed thing it is to be saved, to go to heaven to be made like angels, and to dwell with God and Christ to all eternity.Bunyan's Catechism
Temptations, when we meet them at first, are as the lion that reared upon Samson; but if we overcome them, the next time we see them we shall find a nest of honey within them.
First, God created the family to give structure and order to the human beings that He made in His image. Second, the family provides the essential labor of teaching and preparation of children for churches, communities, cultures, and nations. Third, God created the family in order to pass the gospel from one generation to the next. Finally, God designed the family to be a living demonstration of various aspects of the glory of the gospel and the embodiment of biblical truths.A Theology of the Family, 36