John Owen
We need to attend diligently to the state of our soul, and to deal fervently and effectively with God about it.Collection: Soul
Temptations and occasions put nothing into a man, but only draw out what was in him before.Collection: Men
Before the work of grace the heart is ‘stony.’ It can do no more than a stone can do to please God.Collection: Heart
Christ so loves his people that he sings with joy over them.Collection: People
The first and principal duty of a pastor is to feed the flock by diligent preaching of the wordCollection: Firsts
Great winds and storms help fruit-bearing trees. So also do corruptions and temptations help the fruitfulness of grace and holiness. The storm loosens the earth round its roots so the tree is able to get its roots deeper into the earth, where it receives fresh supplies of nourishment. But only much later will it be seen to bring forth better fruit. So corruptions and temptations develop the roots of humility, self-abasement and mourning in a deeper search for that grace by which holiness grows strong. But only later will there be visible fruits of increased holiness.Collection: Strong
If a man teach uprightly and walk crookedly, more will fall down in the night of his life than he built in the day of his doctrine.Collection: Fall
A minister may fill his pews, his communion roll, the mouths of the public, but what that minister is on his knees in secret before God Almighty, that he is and no more.Collection: Prayer
We cannot enjoy peace in this world unless we are ready to yield to the will of God in respect of death. Our times are in His hand, at His sovereign disposal. We must accept that as best.Collection: Yield
The vigour, and power, and comfort of our spiritual life depends on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh...The choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business all their days to mortify the indwelling power of sin...Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.Collection: Spiritual
What then is holiness? Holiness is nothing but the implanting, writing and living out of the gospel in our souls (Eph 4:24).Collection: Writing
The gospel shall be victorious. This is the third thing that greatly comforts and refreshes me, — that if God should give me the honour, the strength, and grace to die in this cause, my cause shall be victorious, as sure as if I had the crown in my hand.Collection: Comfort
He that is more frequent in his pulpit to his people than he is in his closet for his people, is but a sorry watchman.Collection: Sorry
To say that we are able by our own efforts to think good thoughts or give God spiritual obedience before we are spiritually regenerate is to overthrow the gospel and the faith of the universal church in all ages.Collection: Spiritual
There is not a day but sin foils or is foiled, prevails or is prevailed on; and it will be so whilst we live in this world.Collection: World
Set faith at work on Christ for the killing of thy sin. His blood is the great sovereign remedy for sin-sick souls. Live in this, and thou wilt die a conqueror; yea, thou wilt, through the good providence of God, live to see thy lust dead at thy feet.Collection: Feet
In or towards whomsoever the Holy Spirit puts forth His power, or acts his grace for their regeneration, he removes all obstacles, overcomes all oppositions, and infallibly produces the intended effect.Collection: Grace
Pardon comes not to the soul alone; or rather, Christ comes not to the soul with pardon only! It is that which He opens the door and enters by, but He comes with a Spirit of life and power.Collection: Doors
It is truth alone that capacitates any soul to glorify God.Collection: Soul
Sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be most quiet.Collection: Quiet
Christ is our best friend, and ere long will be our only friend. I pray God with all my heart that I may be weary of everything else but converse and communion with Him.Collection: Heart
God never intended for us to be left to pray on our own. God never changes His purpose, but He often does purpose a change.Collection: Doe
If we believe not with faith divine and supernatural, we believe not at all.Collection: Believe
Sin will be always acting, if we be not always mortifying, we are lost creatures.Collection: Acting
No heart can conceive that treasury of mercies which lies in this one privilege, in having liberty and ability to approach unto God at all times, according to his mind and will.Collection: Lying
Temptation is like a knife, that may either cut the meat or the throat of a man; it may be his food or his poison, his exercise or his destructionCollection: Cutting
When someone sets his affections upon the cross and the love of Christ, he crucifies the world as a dead and undesirable thing. The baits of sin lose their attraction and disappear. Fill your affections with the cross of Christ and you will find no room for sin.Collection: Bait
Let no man pretend to fear sin that does not fear temptation also! These two are too closely united to be separated. He does not truly hate the fruit who delights in the root.Collection: Hate
Unless we are thoroughly convinced that without Christ we are under the eternal curse of God, as the worst of His enemies, we shall never flee to Him for refuge.Collection: Enemy
To believe that He will preserve us is, indeed, a means of preservation. God will certainly preserve us, and make a way of escape for us out of the temptation, should we fall. We are to pray for what God has already promised. Our requests are to be regulated by His promises and commands. Faith embraces the promises and so finds relief.Collection: Believe
There is no true gospel fruit without faith and repentance.Collection: Fruit
If Scripture has more than one meaning, it has no meaning at all.Collection: Scripture
Nothing shall be lost that is done for God or in obedience to Him.Collection: Christian
See in the meantime that your faith brings forth obedience, and God in due time will cause it to bring forth peace.Collection: Causes
He who prays as he ought will endeavor to live as he prays.Collection: Christian
All that may be known of God for our salvation, especially his wisdom, love, goodness, grace and mercy on which the life of our souls depends, are represented to us in all their splendour in and through Christ. No wonder then that Christ is glorious in the eyes of believers!Collection: Eye
If we would talk less and pray more about them, things would be better than they are in the world: at least, we should be better enabled to bear them.Collection: Prayer
The purpose of our holy and righteous God was to save his church, but their sin could not go unpunished. It was, therefore, necessary that the punishment for that sin be transferred from those who deserved it but could not bear it, to one who did not deserve it but was able to bear it.Collection: Punishment
For to pretend that men may live habitually sinful lives without any attempt by the Spirit to mortify sin in them, nor with any desire for repentance, is to deny the Christian religion.Collection: Christian
Faith, if it be a living faith, will be a working faith.Collection: Life
Though we are commanded to 'wash ourselves', to 'cleanse ourselves from sins', to 'purge ourselves from all our iniquities', yet to imagine that we can do these things by our own efforts is to trample on the cross and grace of Jesus Christ. Whatever God works in us by his grace, he commands us to do as our duty. God works all in us and by us.Collection: Jesus
Christ is the meat, the bread, the food of our souls. Nothing is in him of a higher spiritual nourishment than his love, which we should always desire.Collection: Spiritual
As a tender and loving friend is grieved at the unkindness of his friend... so is it with this tender and loving Spirit, who hath chosen our hearts for a habitation to dwell in.Collection: Heart
Consider who and what you are; who the Spirit is that is grieved, what he has done for you, what he comes to your soul about, what he has already done in you; and be ashamed. Among those who walk with God, there is no greater motive and incentive unto universal holiness, and the preserving of their hearts and spirits in all purity and cleanness than this: That the blessed Spirit, who has undertaken to dwell in them, is continually considering what they give entertainment in their hearts unto, and rejoices when his temple is kept undefiled.Collection: Blessed
The most tremendous judgment of God in this world is the hardening of the hearts of men.Collection: Heart
We shall not benefit from reading the Old Testament unless we look for and meditate on the glory of Christ in its pages.Collection: Reading
The indulgence of one sin opens the door to further sins. The indulgence of one sin diverts the soul from the use of those means by which all other sins should be resisted.Collection: Mean
On Christ’s glory I would fix all my thoughts and desires, and the more I see of the glory of Christ, the more the painted beauties of this world will wither in my eyes and I will be more and more crucified to this world. It will become to me like something dead and putrid, impossible for me to enjoy.Collection: Eye
Unless men see a beauty and delight in the worship of God, they will not do it willingly.Collection: Men