Sanctification on Miscellanea

The Grace of Perception

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The first remedy against this device of Satan is, To dwell more upon one another’s graces than upon one another’s weaknesses and infirmities. It is sad to consider that saints should have many eyes to behold one another’s infirmities, and not one eye to see each other’s graces, that they should use spectacles to behold one another’s weaknesses, rather than looking-glasses to behold one another’s graces.

Righteousness by Works vs. Doctrine

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We must remind ourselves that the Catholic righteousness by good works is vastly preferable to a protestant righteousness by good doctrine. At least righteousness by good works benefits one’s neighbor, whereas righteousness by good doctrine only produces lovelessness and pride.

Exercise of Trials

Sun, 16 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

And how are you to know experimentally, either your own weakness—or the power, wisdom and grace of God, seasonably and sufficiently afforded—but by frequent and various trials? How are the graces of patience, resignation, meekness and faith, to be discovered and increased—but by the exercise of trials?

Knowledge of God vs Fear of Man

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 02:18:32 +0000

A growing knowledge of God displaces the fear of people, and it casts out our tendency to be casual with our secret sins.

Calvin on Augustine on Humility

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 14:34:45 +0000

When a certain rhetorician was asked what was the chief rule in eloquence, he replied, ‘Delivery’; what was the second rule, ‘Delivery’; what was the third rule, ‘Delivery’; so if you ask me concerning the precepts of the Christian religion, first, second, third, and always I would answer, ‘Humility.’

Whoever is truly humbled will not be easily angry

Sun, 30 Aug 2020 11:29:00 +0000

Whoever is truly humbled will not be easily angry, will not be positive and easy, will be compassionate and tender to the infirmities of his fellow sinners, know that if there be a difference it is grace that has made it, and that he has the seeds of every evil in his own heart.

And under all trials and afflictions, he will look to the hand of the Lord, and lay his mouth in the dust, acknowledging that he suffers much less than his iniquities deserve.

Easy thing to be a Christian?

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 15:59:00 +0000

It were an easy thing to be a Christian, if religion stood only in a few outward works and duties, but to take the soul to task, and to deal roundly with our own hearts, and to let conscience have its full work, and to bring the soul into spiritual subjection unto God, this is not so easy a matter, because the soul out of self-love is loath to enter into itself, lest it should have other thoughts of itself than it would have.

Tender Heart

Sun, 28 Oct 2018 11:14:47 +0000

It is only true piety which, during a long succession of years, will sustain the heart in tenderness to the poor amid trials and difficulties, and which will uphold the deacon in the unwearied, and sometimes unrequited care of the house of God.

Suffering Exposes Sin

Tue, 09 Oct 2018 11:24:08 +0000

Suffering exposes the sin in our hearts in a way few things can.

When our lives are trouble free, we can confuse personal satisfaction for faith.

On James 3:1

Fri, 25 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Peter, recognizing that Christens long for a fulfilled experience, a good life, a rich blessing from God, commands any who ‘would love life and see good days’ to ‘keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile’ (1 Pet. 3:10, quoting Ps. 34:12-13).

It would be impossible to pretend that ordinarily we see the tongue in this light.

We rarely stand alongside Genesis or Paul in finding in our speech the primary evidence of our fallen state.

Truly Biblical Sanctification

Wed, 07 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Truly biblical sanctification has no affinity with the self-complacency which ignores or fails to take into account the sinfulness of every lack of conformity to the image of him who is holy, harmless, and undefiled.

Character of a Deacon

Sun, 19 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Animated by the spirit of his ofﬁce, and acting out the character which the counsels of the Word imply, [a deacon] will not be haughty, or harsh, or suspicions, he will not be cold, and formal, and repulsive, discharging his work as if it were a burden; he will be frank and easy in his intercourse with the poor and take an interest in their avocations, their health, and welfare; kind, and tender, and sympathising, especially when in sickness; but withal ﬁrm, and not easily persuaded to what his judgment does not approve. He will also have a deep conviction of the insufﬁciency of all his efforts to beneﬁt the poor of his charge without the blessing of God, and hence he will not fail to seek the blessing in the exercise of diligent and persevering prayer for the Holy Spirit.

Contest Among Christians

Wed, 11 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000

It would be a good contest amongst Christians, one to labour to give no offence, and the other to labour to take none.

The best men are severe to themselves, tender over others.

Yet people should not tire and wear out the patience of others: nor should the weaker so far demand moderation from others as to rely upon their indulgence and so to rest in their own infirmities, with danger to their own souls and scandal to the church.

Growth of a Believer

Mon, 02 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Remember, the growth of a believer is not like a mushroom, but like an oak, which increases slowly indeed but surely.

Many suns, showers, and frosts, pass upon it before it comes to perfection; and in winter, when it seems dead, it is gathering strength at the root.

Be humble, watchful, and diligent in the means, and endeavor to look through all, and fix your eyes upon Jesus, and all shall be well.

What Will It Profit a Man?

Mon, 10 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000

What will it profit a man if he gains his cause and silences his adversary, if at the same time he loses that humble, tender frame of spirit in which the Lord delights, and to which the promise of his presence is made?

Hears Me My Cattercisum

Thu, 30 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000

It seems to me that sundays get nicer and nicer becous Poply reads me in pilgrime progres and hears me my cattercisum, and I like it very much.

Restraint on a Christian

Mon, 30 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

The Christian is restrained from doing certain things. True!

But he is restrained from doing those things not in order that he may do nothing at all, but in order that he may do other things that are infinitely more worth while.

Sin’s Footprint

Thu, 01 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000

One of sin’s ‘fingerprints’ is its consuming passion to praise self.

Impatience in my Spirit

Sun, 06 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000

I have felt an impatience in my spirit, utterly unsuitable to my state as a sinner and a beggar, and to my profession of yielding myself and all my concerns to the Lord’s disposal.

Laying Up Treasures in Heaven

Mon, 22 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Men can endure any difficulty and danger to get estates, but they will hardly endure anything to get heaven, grace, or an interest in Christ.

The Patient Guidance of God

Sun, 21 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Indeed we may admire His patience towards us.

If we were blind, and reduced to desire a person to lead us, and should yet pretend to dispute with him, and direct him at every step, we should probably soon weary him, and provoke him to leave us to find the way by ourselves if we could.

But our gracious Lord is long-suffering and full of compassion; He bears with our forwardness, yet He will take methods to both shame and to humble us, and to bring us to a confession that He is wiser than we.

Footsteps of Christ

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Meekness, patience, forbearance, and forgiveness, hiding, covering, removing of offenses—these are the footsteps of Christ.

Do you see your brother fail? Pity him. Does he continue in it? Earnestly pray for him and admonish him.

If you are angry, vexed, rejoiced, alienated from him, then you are partner with him in evil, instead of helping him.

The Early Christians

Thu, 07 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000

The early Christians, to the astonishment of their neighbors, lived a strange new kind of life—a life of honesty, of purity and of unselfishness.

Little Sins

Sun, 26 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000

It’s through the ’little sins’ that Satan gains an entrance into our lives.

Jesus Must Increase

Tue, 21 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Your maneuvering for power, for influence, for position, for status, for wealth, for reputation of the present is a contradiction of the eschatological nature of life in Christ. Make yourself of some reputation in the arena where Christ makes himself of no reputation? What a fool!

Jesus must increase, and you must be nothing that He may be all-in-all. Enough of these Reformed egomaniacs! Give me servants of Jesus who are content to be of no reputation with their Lord.

Stay the Course

Sun, 19 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Preservation of the saints is also both gift and task. The New Testament repeatedly admonishes believers to remain faithful, to stay true to their Savior and Lord. At the same time Scripture clearly teaches that the covenant of grace does not depend on human obedience but on God’s faithfulness. God has bound himself to the covenant with a solemn oath; he cannot and will not abandon his people. Faith will never disappoint us.

Hasty and Censorious Spirit

Tue, 31 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Surely much of that hasty and censorious spirit, too often observable in young converts, arises from their having, as yet—a very imperfect acquaintance with the deceitfulness of their own hearts.

But, the old weather-beaten Christian, who has learned by sorrowful experience how weak he is in himself, and what powerful subtle enemies he has to grapple with—acquires a tenderness in dealing with bruises and broken bones, which greatly conduces to his acceptance and usefulness.

Power of Sin is Broken

Mon, 09 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

In his finished work Christ did something once for all respecting the power of sin and it is the virtue of this victory which he secured that the power of sin is broken in all those who are united to him. It is in this connection that a strand of New Testament teaching needs to be appreciated but which is frequently overlooked.

It is that not only is Christ regarded as having died for the believer but the believer is represented as having died in Christ and is being raised up with him to newness of life.

Paul’s Fervency in Prayer

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

[Paul’s] unaffected fervency in prayer is not whipped-up emotionalism but the overflow of his love for his brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. That means that if we are to improve our praying, we must strengthen our loving.

Saints' Greatest Burden

Sun, 17 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Many saints have no greater burden in their lives than that their hearts do not constantly delight and rejoice in God.

Not Perfect, Just Forgiven?

Mon, 21 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Christians are not yet perfect, but in Christ, God has forgiven them and has begun a good work in them.

Warfield to Franklin

Wed, 09 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

As you have made a pretty considerable progress in the mysteries of electricity, I would now humbly recommend to your diligent unprejudiced pursuit and study the mystery of the new-birth.

The Graces of a Good Deacon

Wed, 21 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000

To avoid friction between members, to promote happy pastorates, and to develope the grace of liberality, nothing is more important than a good deacon, one who can be patient, who can smile at unreasonable people, and speak a soft word to turn away wrath, one who is willing to give time and take trouble on himself, and make himself ‘all things to all men’.

The Second Birth

Thu, 16 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Even in anthropological perspective, the basis for being a Christian is not a decision or the appropriation of the commandment, but the second birth established in God’s mercy, the manifestation of the new being.

Serious Meditation on Truth

Tue, 27 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Remember, it is not a hasty reading, but serious meditating upon holy and heavenly truths, that make them prove sweet and profitable to the soul. It is not the bees touching of a flower that gathers honey, but her abiding for a time on the flower the draws all the sweetness. It is not he reads most, but he meditates most, that will prove the choicest, sweetest, wisest, and strongest Christian.

Strange Rugged Providences

Mon, 26 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

As all the stones that were about Stephen’s ears did but knock him the closer to Christ, the corner-stone—so all the strange rugged providences that we meet with, they shall raise us nearer heaven, and knock us nearer to Christ, that precious corner-stone.

DeYoung on Hospitality

Sun, 16 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Opening our homes takes time, but it doesn’t have to take over our lives. Christian hospitality has much more to do with good relationships than with good food. There is a fine line between care and cumber. In many instances, less ado would serve better.

Believers Motive for Law-Keeping

Thu, 23 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Instead, true saints should be psychologically motivated to fulfill God’s precepts because they know that God has given them the power to do so.

Beale on Baptism

Mon, 20 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

In this light, to think that a major people group—infants—is excluded from entry into the new-covenant community seems to go against the grain of the otherwise wider span of the NT’s inclusiveness of blessing. It is important to recall that even the baptism on condition of profession is a covenantal sign proleptically connoting both blessing and judgment, and that it is a person’s perseverance that becomes decisive for whether the blessing or the curse is applied. Thus, infants are considered not definitively ‘saved’ by baptism, but rather to be entering into the sphere where blessings or curses can come upon them depending on their response to the revelation of the covenant church community in which they grow up.

Spiritual Mindedness

Thu, 07 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Let no one suppose that spiritual mindedness comes accidentally. It is just as likely for poor person to expect to be rich without effort, before weak person to be strong without food! Godliness will not grow without hard work.

New Things Each Day

Sun, 20 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Every new day is filled up with new things, new mercies on the Lord’s part, new ingratitude on mine.

Little in Our Own Eyes

Wed, 28 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Oh! to be little in our own eyes! This is the ground-work of every grace; this leads to a continual dependence upon the Lord Jesus; this is the spirit which He has promised to bless; this conciliates us good-will and acceptance amongst men; for he that abaseth himself is sure to be honored.

Truly Evangelical Piety

Sun, 23 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

May God by his Spirit maintain among us, and through our instrumentality revive around us, that truly evangelical type of piety which not merely tolerates facts and doctrines, but draws from them its strength and inspiration in life and service, its only comfort and hope in the hour of death.

What are all your beloveds to this Beloved?

Fri, 14 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

You that are yet in the flower of your days, full of health and strength, and, with all the vigor of your spirits, do pursue some one thing, some another, consider, I pray, what are all your beloveds to this Beloved?

Frequent and Various Trials

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

And how are you to know experimentally either your own weakness or the power, wisdom, and grace of God, seasonably and sufficiently afforded, but by frequent and various trials? How are the graces of patience, resignation, meekness, and faith, to be discovered and increased, but by exercise?

Sanctification of Sleep

Tue, 10 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Our physical existence is tied up to our spiritual well-being, to our mental outlook, to our relationships with others, including our relationship with God. Sometimes the godliest thing you can do in the universe is get a good night’s sleep—not pray all night, but sleep.

Achieving Holiness

Tue, 15 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Holiness of life, then, is achieved neither by our own unaided effort – the error of ‘moralism’ or ’legalism’ – nor by the Spirit apart from our participation – as some who insist that the key to holy living is ‘surrender’ or ’let go and let God’ would have it – but by our constant living out of the ’life’ placed within us by the Spirit who has taken up residence within.

Not to Us

Sun, 18 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Yet it is, perhaps, one of the hardest struggles of the Christian life to learn this sentence-‘Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name be glory.’ It is a lesson which God is ever teaching us, and teaching us sometimes by most painful discipline.

Mothers with a Triumphant Faith

Sat, 17 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0000

That mother through the years had endured and won in the Christian race, who had a supreme desire and joy in having her children to bear the message glorious, wrote me these words about her daughter’s decision: ‘It is great to have another one of my dear ones called into the Master’s service.’

Mothers with a triumphant faith like this are constantly needed that Christian witnessing may be continued ‘both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’

Glory of Christ

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The glory of Christ is also seen in the stability and security that is given to the whole new creation. The first creation was glorious. Everything depended on God under a covenant of obedience. Everything was brought down by the sin of angels and men. But now everything that belongs to this new creation, including every believer in the world, as well as the angels in heaven, being gathered together under this one head, are all infallibly kept from ever being ruined by sin again. In this new head all is ’established, strengthened and settled’, and that for ever.

Sanctified for Unity

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

…in Philippians, Paul affirms that unity is important and that when it is broken over issues that are not vital, the sanctity of the Christian community itself is threatened. The church in modern times, however, does not typically view unity as an element of sanctification.

Calvin's Prayer

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

By your Spirit destroy the wickedness of our heart, and restore us to a sound mind, that we may ever cleave to you with a true and sincere heart, that being fortified by your defense, we may continue safe even amidst all kinds of danger, until at length you gather us into that blessed rest, which has been prepared for us in heaven by our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Turretin on Good Works

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Good works are required not for living according to the law, but because we live by the gospel; not as the causes on account of which life is given to us, but as effects which testify that life has been given to us.

Walk Worthily

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Mark Dever on Conversion

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

It’s not reciting a creed. It’s not saying a prayer. It’s not a conversation. It’s not becoming a Westerner. It’s not reaching a certain age, attending a class, or passing through some other rite of adulthood. It’s not a journey, everyone strewn along the path at different points. Rather, conversion is turning with our whole lives from self-justification to Christ’s justification, from self rule to God’s rule, from idol worship to God worship.

Danny Hyde on the Lord's Day

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

All of this teaches us that instead of seeing the Lord’s Day as a rule that stifles our ‘weekend,’ we need to view it as a gift from God that actually structures our lives. The practice of the Lord’s Day is not legalism, but it is a part of our piety, providing us physical and spiritual rest. We sanctify the day because we belong not to this age that is passing away but to the glorious age to come.

Bunyan on Conversion

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Conversion is not the smooth, easy-going process some men seem to think it; otherwise man’s heart would never have been compared to fallow ground and God’s Word to a plough.

Love Builds Up

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Never stop reflecting on that maxim of the apostle, ‘Knowledge puffs up, love builds up.’