Puritan Nuggets of Gold # 60

The Moralists

God can love nothing but Himself and what he finds of Himself in the creature. All services without something of God's image and Spirit in them are nothing. As the product of a million of cyphers: though you still add to them, signifies nothing; but add one figure, an unit, the Spirit, grace, it will make the product to be many millions of high account with God. All the significancy depends upon the figure without which, if absent, the rest would be nothing. All moral perfections, without a new nature, are but cyphers in God's account: "Without faith it is impossible to please Him." (Stephen Charnock)

Dost thou not think that thou needest Christ as much as any other? There is a generation of men in the world who because their corruptions have not left such a brand of ignominy upon their name, as some others lie under, but their conversations have been stewed with some flowers of morality, whereby their names have kept sweet among their neighbors, therefore they do not at all listen to the offers of Christ, neither do their consciences much check them for this neglect. Oh, remember, proud man, who thou art, and cease thy vain attempt. Art not thou of Adam's seed? Hast thou not traitor's blood in they veins? If "every mouth be stopped" how darest thou open thine? If "all the world become guilty before God, that by the deeds of the law, no flesh can be justified in His sight;" where then shalt thou stand to plead thy innocency before Him who sees thy black skin under thy white feathers, thy foul heart through thy fair carriage? It is faith in Christ that alone can purify thy heart, without which thy washed face and hands will never commend thee to God. (William Gurnall)

Works make not the heart good, but a good heart makes the works good. (Stephen Charnock)

Morality and Christianity differ specifically: the moralist works from nature, a little refined by education; the Christian from nature, thoroughly renewed by the Holy Spirit. (George Swinnock)

Obedience

God commands nothing but what is beneficial. "O Israel, what doth the Lord require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, and to keep His statutes, which I command thee this day, for thy good?" To obey God, is not so much our duty as our privilege. (Thomas Watson)