Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Puritan Nuggets of Gold # 38

Guidance (continued)

The manner of God's revealing His will to men is (also) very different. Some have had special, personal, and peculiar discoveries of it made to them. So had Samuel about the choice of the person whom he should anoint king. But now, all are tied up to the ordinary standing rule of the written Word. The way we now have to know the will of God concerning us in difficult cases, is to search and study the Scriptures, and where we find no particular rule to guide us in this or that particular case, thee we are to apply general rules.

If therefore, in doubtful cases, you would discover God's will, govern yourselves in your search after it by these rules:

1. Get the true fear of God upon your hearts; be really really afraid of offending Him.

2. Study the Word more, and the concerns and interests of the world less.


3. Reduce what you know into practice, and you shall know what is your duty to practice.


4. Pray for illumination and direction in the way that you should go.


5. And this being done, follow Providence as far as it agrees with the Word, and no further. [Always follow the leading of the Holy Spirit! - added by me, a Disciple of Christ.] (John Flavel)

Take God into thy counsel. Heaven overlooks hell. God at any time can tell thee what plots are hatching there against thee. (William Gurnall)

Heaven

John Bunyan was once asked a question about heaven which he could not answer, because the matter was not revealed in the Scriptures; and he thereupon advised the inquirer to live a holy life and go and see. 

In heaven is no warfare, but all well-fare. (John Boys)

 [Heaven] Where the unveiled glories of the Deity shall beat full upon us, and we for ever sun ourselves in the smiles of God. (Ezekiel Willan)

Heaven begins where sin ends. (Thomas Adams)

The sea enters into the rivers before the rivers can run into the sea. In like manner, God, comes to us before we go to Him; and heaven enters into our souls before we can enter into heaven. (Peter Drelincourt)

Love puts a man upon the full use of all means to enjoy the thing loved. He that loves the world, how active is he! He will break his peace and sleep for it. He that loves honor, what hazards will he run! He will swim to the throne in blood. Love heaven, and you cannot miss it; love breaks through all opposition - it takes heaven by storm. (Thomas Watson)

Heaven must be in thee before thou canst be in heaven. (George Swinnock)

Heaven is large but the way to heaven must be narrow. (Henry Smith)

In the way to heaven, there are three narrow and hard passages, the entrance into the new birth; herein a man must leave behind him sinful self; the entrance into assurance; therein a man must leave and deny religious self; and lastly, the gate of death, then a man must part with natural self, religious self, and sinful self. The first two I have experienced, the last I expect. (Vavasor Powell)

He that keeps earth by wrong, cannot expect heaven by right. (William Gurnall)

He that  will be knighted must kneel for it, and he that will enter in at the strait gate must crowd for it - a gate made so on purpose, narrow and hard in the entrance, yet, after we have entered, wide and glorious, that after our pain our joy may be the sweeter. (Thomas Adams)

Nothing is more contrary to a heavenly hope than an earthly heart. (William Gurnall)


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