Promise Not Providence

Judge not Christ's love by providences, but by promises.  (Puritan Thomas Wilcox, Honey Out of the Rock)

Whole Price, Whole Praise

Is Christ your High-priest, and is his priesthood so indispensably necessary to our salvation? Then, freely acknowledge your utter impotency to reconcile yourselves to God by anything you can do or suffer, and let Christ have the whole glory of your recovery ascribed to him. It is highly reasonable that he who laid down the whole price should have the whole praise.

— John Flavel, The Fountain of Life

So Refresh Ourselves with His Goodness

It therefore becomes us also diligently to prosecute that investigation of God which so enraptures the soul with admiration as, at the same time, to make an efficacious impression on it. And, as  Augustine expresses it, since we are unable to comprehend Him, and are, as it were, overpowered by his greatness, our proper course is to contemplate his works, and so refresh ourselves with His goodness. (John Calvin, Institutes, Book 1, Chapter V)

Many Monster Minds

At this day, however, the earth sustains on her bosom many monster minds - minds which are not afraid to employ the seed of deity deposited in human nature as a means of suppressing the name of God. (John Calvin, Institutes, Book 1, Chapter V)

That None Might Be Excluded

Since the perfection of blessedness consists in the knowledge of God, he has been pleased, in order that none might be excluded from the means of obtaining felicity, not only to deposit in our minds that seed of religion of which we have already spoken, but so to manifest his perfections in the whole structure of the universe, and daily place himself in our view, that we cannot open our eyes without being compelled to behold him. (John Calvin, Institutes, Book 1, Chapter V)

Unless They Place Their Entire Happiness in Him

For, until men feel that they owe everything to God, that they are cherished by his paternal care, and that he is the author of all their blessings, so that nought is to be looked for away from him, they will never submit to him in voluntary obedience; nay, unless they place their entire happiness in him, they will never yield up their whole selves to him in truth and sincerity. (John Calvin, Institutes, Book 1, Chapter II)

Although There Were No Hell

Loving and revering God as his father, honouring and obeying him as his master, although there were no hell, he would revolt at the very idea of offending him. (John Calvin, Institutes, Book 1, Chapter II)

To Prevent Any Man From Pretending Ignorance

That there exists in the human mind, and indeed by natural instinct, some sense of Deity, we hold to be beyond dispute, since God Himself, to prevent any man from pretending ignorance, has endued all men with some idea of His Godhead, the memory of which He constantly renews and occasionally enlarges, that all to a man, being aware that there is a God, and that He is their Maker, may be condemned by their own conscience when they neither worship Him nor consecrate their lives to His service. (John Calvin, Institutes, Book 1, Chapter III)

After They Have Closed Their Own Eyes

As a just punishment of the wicked, after they have closed their own eyes, God makes their hearts dull and heavy, and hence, seeing, they see not. (John Calvin, Institutes, Book 1 Chapter IV)

Better Than My Earthly Dearest

To love you as I should, I must worship God as Creator.

When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. In so far as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased.(C.S. Lewis, Letters of C.S. Lewis)

Surprising Humiliation

Christianity is the only major religion to have as its central event the humiliation of its God. (Bruce Shelley, Church History in Plain Language)

Peculiar Feeling

And he commands us to assist especially the saints: for though our love ought to extend itself to the whole race of man, yet it ought with peculiar feeling to embrace the household of faith, who are by a closer bond united to us. (John Calvin on Romans 12:13, Romans commentary)

Happiness Beyond This World

No man will indeed calmly and quietly submit to bear the cross, but he who has learnt to seek his happiness beyond this world, so as to mitigate and allay the bitterness of the cross with the consolation of hope. (John Calvin, commentary on Romans 12:12, commentary on Romans)

Gift and Duty

It is only the fervency of the Spirit that can correct our slothfulness. Hence diligence in doing good requires that zeal which the Spirit of God kindles in our hearts. Why then, someone may say, does Paul exhort us to cultivate this fervency? To this I answer - that though it be the gift of God, it is yet a duty enjoined the faithful to shake off sloth and to cherish the flame kindled by heaven, as it for the most part happens, that the Spirit is suppressed and extinguished through our fault. (John Calvin on Romans 12:11, Commentary on Romans)