Puritan Nuggets of Gold # 7

Assurance of Life Eternal (continued)

Assurance of better things makes the soul sing care away, as that martyr said, "My soul is turned to her rest; I have taken a sweet nap in Christ's lap, and therefore I will now sing care away, and will be careless according to my name." (Thomas Brooks)

If a loving heart is without fear of the day of judgment, he is without fear of falling away. (John Cotton)

A soul under assurance is unwilling to go to heaven without company. (Thomas Brooks)

Assurance and comforts are desirable, but fruitfulness is absolutely necessary. The end why the Lord offers us comfort and assurance of His love, is to make us cheerful in His service, and to encourage us in His work, and engage our hearts in it thoroughly. (David Clarkson)

The greatest thing that we can desire, next to the glory of God, is our own salvation; and the sweetest thing we can desire is the assurance of our salvation. All saints shall enjoy a heaven when they leave this earth; some saints enjoy a heaven while they are here on earth. ( Joseph Caryl)

Assurance will assist us in all duties; it will arm us against all temptations; it will answer all objections; it will sustain us in all conditions. (Edward Reynolds)

Atheism

Unless the being of a God be presupposed, no tolerable account can be given of the being of any thing. (Ezekiel Hopkins)

Now, if according to the impiety of atheists, there is no God, why do they invoke Him in their adversities? If there be, why do they deny Him in their prosperity? (William Bates)

There is a conscience in man; therefore there is a God in heaven. (Ezekiel Hopkins)

When we see wicked ones prosper in the world, and godly men crushed and destroyed in the way of righteousness and integrity, it may tempt us to think there is no advantage by religion, and all our self-denial and holiness to be little better than lost labor. "Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency." This irreligious inference carnal reason was ready to draw from the dispensation of outward prosperity to wicked men; but now, if we would heedfully observe, either the signal retributions of Providence to many of them in this world, or to all of them in the world to come, O what a full confirmation is this to our faith! (John Flavel)

Men may have atheistical hearts without atheistical heads. (Stephen Charnock)