Puritans on Conversion

We have known those who having misspent their younger times in notoriously lewd and debauched courses, who after long and deep humiliation, have been raised up, through God’s mercy, to a comfortable sense of the Divine favour; and have proceeded to a very high degree of regeneration, and lived and died saints. But this is not every man’s cause…. Those, who, having from their infancy been brought up in the nurture and fear of the Lord, and from their youth have been trained up under a godly and conscionable ministry, and have, by an insensible conveyance, received the gracious operations of the Spirit of God, framing them to a holy obedience; these cannot expect to find so sensible alterations in themselves. As well may the child know when he was naturally born, as these know the instant of their spiritual regeneration.

—Joseph Hall

Can Christ be in thy heart, and thou not know it? Can one king be dethroned and another crowned in thy soul, and thou hear no scuffle?

—William Gurnall

All believers do grow in grace. And this ye know is the difference between a painted child and a living child, and though he be but little and very weak, yet he grows bigger. But a child that is painted upon a wall grows not.

—William Bridge

When the wheels of a clock move within, the hands on the dial will move without. When the heart of a man is sound in conversion, then the life will be fair in profession.

—William Secker

All the while thou delay est, God is more provoked, the wicked one more encouraged, thy heart more hardened, thy debts more increased, thy soul more endangered, and all the difficulties of conversion daily more and more multiplied upon thee, having a day more to repent of, and a day less to repent in.

—George Swinnock

Delays be dangerous, our hearts will cool, and our affections will fall down….Satan hath little hope to prevail unless he can persuade us to omit our duties when the clock strikes, and therefore his skill is to urge us to put off till another time as fitter or better. Do it anon, next hour, next day, next week (saith he); and why not next year?

—Richard Capel

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen