“Now, truly there is nothing suitable to the immortal spirit
of man but God; and, therefore, all its happiness or misery must be measured by
the access or recess, nearness or distance, of that infinite goodness.”—Hugh
Binning.
The Goodness of God
“Labor to attain to this estate of being spiritually convinced of the goodness of God, that we may by experience say, ‘It is good for me to draw near to God,’ . . . the more we are convinced of God’s goodness, the better we are; for God’s goodness, tasted and felt by the soul, does ennoble it, as a pearl set in a gold ring makes it the more rich and precious.”—Richard Sibbes (1577–1635) in “The Saints Happiness.”
Contentment
“I will always account myself happy in the favor
of God, although I should have no earthly thing to give me any satisfaction.”—Dr. Cotton Mather.
Resolutions: A Collection of Wisdom.
Resolutions: A Collection of Wisdom.
Spiritual Motivation
“Thus may the terror of the Lord make a Pharisee; but only
the sweet voice of mercy in the gospel, can make a Christian.”—William
Cowper.
Memoir of the Early Life of William CowperWhen God is Near
“When we see and feel that nothing but his favor can make us
happy; then we may be sure the Lord is near.”—John Newton, Twenty-One Letters to Elizabeth Catlett.
Full Assurance
A debtor to Mercy alone,
Of covenant Mercy I sing;
Nor fear, with thy Righteousness on,
My Person and Off ’ring to bring:
The Terrors of Law, and of God,
With me can have nothing to do;
My Saviour’s Obedience and Blood
Hide all my Transgressions from view.
—Augustus Toplady
Blessedness
“I saw my blessedness did not chiefly lie in receiving good
and comfort from God, and in God, but in holding forth the glory of God and his
virtues.”—Thomas Shepard.
Attitude for Prayer
“Let us consider who this glorious Being is, that invites us to this fellowship with himself; how awful in majesty! how terrible in righteousness! how irresistible in power! how unsearchable in wisdom! how all-sufficient in blessedness! how condescending in mercy! Let us again consider, who are we that are invited to this correspondence: How vile in our original! how guilty in our hearts and lives! how needy of every blessing! how utterly incapable to help ourselves! and how miserable for ever, if we are without God! And if we have sincerely obeyed the call of his gospel, and have attained to some comfortable hope of his love; let us consider, how infinite are our obligations to him, and how necessary, and how delightful it is to enjoy his visits here, with whom it will be our happiness to dwell for ever. When we feel our spirits deeply impressed with such thoughts as these are, we are in the best frame, and most likely way to pray with grace in our hearts.”
—Isaac Watts, A Guide to Prayer.
—Isaac Watts, A Guide to Prayer.
The Hardest Time of All
But at last we learn the lesson
That God knows what is best;
For with wisdom comes patience,
And of patience comes rest;
Yea—a golden thread is shining
Through the tangled woof of fate;
And our hearts shall thank Him meekly,
That He taught us how to wait.
—from The Hardest Time of All by Sarah Doudney
That God knows what is best;
For with wisdom comes patience,
And of patience comes rest;
Yea—a golden thread is shining
Through the tangled woof of fate;
And our hearts shall thank Him meekly,
That He taught us how to wait.
—from The Hardest Time of All by Sarah Doudney
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