- Michael Horton on sin, “the human race in Adam is now the false prophet, who misrepresents God’s word in its futile and treasonous demand for autonomy; the false priest, who corrupts God’s sanctuary instead of guarding, keeping, and extending it; and the false king, who is no longer the medium of God’s loving reign but now exercises a cruel tyranny over the earth and his fellow vice-regents.” [The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims On the Way]
-Jonathan Edwards on God-centered salvation, “The redeemed have all their good of God... It is of God that we have our Redeemer. It is of God that has provided a Saviour for us... It is of God that Christ becomes ours, that we are brought to Him, and are united to Him. It is of God that we receive faith to close with Him, that we may have an interest in Him... It is of God that we actually receive all the benefits that Christ has purchased. It is of God that pardons and justifies, and delivers from going down to hell; and into His favour the redeemed are received, when they are justified... It is if God that the redeemed receive all their true excellency, wisdom, and holiness” [God Glorified in Man’s Dependence]
-Thomas Brooks on the soul, “The soul is the breath of God, the beauty of man, the wonder of angels, and the envy of devils. It is of an angelical nature; it is an heavenly spark, a celestial plant, and of a divine offspring. So that nothing can suit the soul below God, nor nothing can satisfy the soul without God. The soul is so high and so noble a piece, that all the riches of the east and west Indies, nor rocks of diamonds, nor mountains of gold, can fill it, or satisfy it, or suit it.” [An Ark For All God’s Noah’s]
-John Bunyan on the purpose of false teachings, “It is very expedient that there should be heresies amongst us, that thereby those which are indeed of the truth might be made manifest; and also that the doctrine of God, and His Son Jesus Christ, might the more cast forth its lustre and glory. For the truth is of that nature, that the more it is opposed, the more glory it appears in; and the more the adversary objects against it, the more it will clear itself.” [“A Vindication of Gospel Truths Opened According To The Scriptures]
-Joseph Bellamy on loving God, “If we love God supremely, we shall live to him ultimately; if we love him with all our hearts, we shall serve him with all our souls; just as, on the other hand, if we love ourselves above all, then self-love will absolutely govern us in all things.” [True Religion Delineated]
-Stephen Charnock on sin, “All sin is founded in secret atheism. Atheism is the spirit of every sin... We deny his sovereignty when we violate his laws; we disgrace his holiness when we cast our filth before his face; we disparage his wisdom when we set up another rule as the guide of our actions than that law he hath fixed; we slight his sufficiency when we prefer a satisfaction in sin before a happiness in him alone; and his goodness, when we judge it not strong enough to attract us to him.” [On Practical Atheism]
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