Quotes by John Flavel

God kills thy comforts from no other design but to kill thy corruptions; wants are ordained to kill wantonness, poverty is appointed to kill pride, reproaches are permitted to destroy ambition.

— John Flavel

Wisdom

When a man begins to apprehend the first approach of grace, pardon, and mercy by Jesus Christ to his soul; when he is convinced of his utter unworthiness and desert of hell, and can never expect any thing from a just and holy God but damnation, how do the first dawnings of mercy melt and humble him!

— John Flavel

Wisdom

No friend sympathizes so tenderly with his friend in affliction as does Jesus. "In all our afflictions, He is afflicted." He feels all our sorrows, wants, and burdens as His own. Whence it is that the sufferings of believers are called the sufferings of Christ.

— John Flavel

Friendship

You are not to come to Christ because you are qualified, but that you may be qualified with whatever you want; and the best qualification you can bring is a deep sense that you have no worth or excellency at all in you.

— John Flavel

Wisdom

See that you receive Christ with all your heart . As there is nothing in Christ that may be refused, so there is nothing in you from which He must be excluded.

— John Flavel

Love

Consult the honor of religion more, and your personal safety less. Is it for the honor of religion (think you) that Christians should be as timorous as hares to start at every sound?

— John Flavel

Courage

There are three acts of faith, assent, acceptance , and assurance .

— John Flavel

Wisdom

Faith is the bond of union, the instrument of justification, the spring of spiritual peace and joy, the means of spiritual peace and subsistence.

— John Flavel

Happiness

We must not think that faith itself is the soul's rest; it is only the means of it. We cannot find rest in any work or duty of our own, but we may find it in Christ, whom faith apprehends for justification and salvation.

— John Flavel

Success

Faith, considered as a habit, is no more precious than other gracious habits are; but considered as an instrument to receive Christ and His righteousness, it excels them all; and this instrumentality of faith is noted in the phrases, "by faith," and "through faith."

— John Flavel

Wisdom

Alas! that Christians should stand at the door of eternity having more work upon their hands than their time is sufficient for, and yet be filling their heads and hearts with trifles.

— John Flavel

Love

Sometimes providences, like Hebrew letters, must be read backwards.

— John Flavel

Wisdom

How much better it is to see men live exactly than to hear them argue with subtlety!

— John Flavel

Wisdom

As the blood of Christ is the fountain of all merit, so the Spirit is the fountain of all spiritual life; and until He quickens us, imparts the principle of divine life to our souls, we can put forth no vital act of faith to lay hold upon Jesus Christ.

— John Flavel

Life

After regeneration the Spirit works upon a complying and willing mind—we work, and He assists. It is therefore an error that sanctified persons are not bound to strive in the way of duty without a sensible impulse of the Spirit.

— John Flavel

Success

They that know God will be humble, they that know themselves cannot be proud.

— John Flavel

Wisdom

The law sends us to Christ to be justified, and Christ sends us to the law to be regulated.

— John Flavel

Wisdom

The soul that rightly receives Christ is in a longing condition; never did the hart pant for the water brooks, never did the hireling desire the shadow, never did a condemned person long for a pardon more than the soul longs for Christ.

— John Flavel

Wisdom

Christ is not sweet till sin be made bitter to us.

— John Flavel

Wisdom

It is easier to declaim like an orator against a thousand sins in others than to mortify one sin in ourselves; to be more industrious in our pulpits than in our closets; to preach twenty sermons to our people than one to our own hearts.

— John Flavel

Love

Christ bounds and terminates the vast desires of the soul; He is the very Sabbath of the soul.

— John Flavel

Wisdom

Two things a master commits to his servant's care—the child and the child's clothes. It will be a poor excuse for the servant to say, at his master's return, "Sir, here are all the child's clothes, neat and clean, but the child is lost." Much so of the account that many will give to God of their souls .mw-parser-output .wst-tooltip{cursor:help;border-bottom:thin dotted cornflowerblue}.mw-parser-output .wst-tooltip-nodash{border-bottom:none} aud bodies at the great day. "Lord, here is my body; I am very grateful for it; I neglected nothing that belonged to its contents and welfare; but as for my soul, that is lost and cast away forever. I took little care and thought about it."

— John Flavel

Wisdom

Christian! thou knowest thou carriest gunpowder about thee. Desire them that carry fire to keep at a distance. It is a dangerous crisis, when a proud heart meets with flattering lips.

— John Flavel

Love

Unbelief makes a man guilty of the vilest contempt of Christ, and the whole design of redemption by Him.

— John Flavel

Wisdom