Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Puritan Nuggets of Gold # 50

Justification

He hideth our unrighteousness with His righteousness, He covereth our disobedience with His obedience, He shadoweth our death with His death, that the wrath of God cannot find us. (Henry Smith)

God does not justify us because we are worthy, but by justifying us makes us worthy. (Thomas Watson)

By grace we are what we are in justification, and work what we work in sanctification. (Richard Sibbes)

If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the Man Christ without, and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the word of God. (John Bunyan)

Knowledge

We must know God's will before we can do it aright, there is no going to heaven blindfolded. (Thomas Watson)

In the creation, light was the first thing that was made; so it is in the new creation: knowledge is the pillar of fire that goes before us, and lights us into the heavenly Kingdom. It is the light must bring us to the "inheritance of the saints in light". (Thomas Watson)

Knowledge without wisdom may be soon discerned; it is usually curious and censorious. (Thomas Manton)

Many a man's knowledge is a torch to light him to hell. Thou who hast knowledge of God's will, but doth not do it, wherein dost thou excel the devil, "who transforms himself into an angel of light." (Thomas Watson)

A man may be theologically knowing and spiritually ignorant. (Stephen Charnock)

The bare knowledge of God's will is inefficacious, it doth not better the heart. Knowledge alone is like a winter sun, which hath no heat or influence; it doth not warm the affections, or purify the conscience. Judas was a great luminary, he knew God's will, but he was a traitor. (Thomas Watson)

Let us not satisfy ourselves with a knowledge of God in the mass; a glance upon a picture never directs you to the discerning the worth and art of it. (Stephen Charnock)

The end of all arts and sciences is the practice of them. And as this is to be confessed in all other arts, so it cannot be decried in divinity and religion. (George Downame)

Seek not so much to have thy ear tickled as thy understanding enlightened. The painful bee passeth by roses and violets, and sits upon thyme; so shouldest thou rather choose to feed on plain and wholesome doctrine, though hot and biting, than on the quirks and flowers of man's invention. In a word, learn evermore to judge that sermon best, though plain, whereby thou understandest. (Nehemiah Rogers)

Seldom was ever knowledge given to keep, but to impart. (Joseph Hall)

The end of all learning is to know God, and out of that knowledge to love and imitate Him. (John Milton)

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