Quotes from William Gurnall

Pray often rather than very long at a time. It is hard to be very long in prayer and not slacken in our affections. Those watches which are made to go longer than ordinary at one winding do commonly lose towards the end.

An impatient soul in affliction is a bedlam in chains,

The word of God hath the power of conversion, which none but God—who is the 'God of all grace'—can produce.

The word of God—it is both seed to beget, and food to nourish, holiness begotten in the heart. Every part of it contributes to this design abundantly.

a word, in times of public calamity, when the flood of God's wrath comes rolling in upon a nation, like waves irresistibly, at the wide breach which the high crying sins of the times make, and the few righteous that are found upon the place labour to stand in the gap, by their prayers, begging the life of the nation, but God will not hear, even then sincerity will be a sweet support while we share with others in the common calamity

The heart itself is no safe sanctuary for sin to sit in. The word will take it thence—as Joab from the horns of the altar—to slay it.

It was a notable speech of Erasmus, if spoken in ear nest, and his wit were not too quick for his con science[47]—he said he desired wealth and honour no more than a feeble horse doth a heavy cloak-bag. And I think every Christian in his right temper would be of his mind.

Many think they shall not pay so dear for an error in judgment as for a sin in practice. Yea, some have such a latitude, that they fancy a man may be saved in any religion—

All these instances, and many more in Scripture, do evince, that nothing short of solid grace, and a prin ciple of divine life in the soul, will persevere. How forward soever formalists and flighty professors are to promise themselves hopes of reaching heaven, they will find it too long a step for their short-breathed souls to attain.

What Bernard saith of a hard heart I may say of an unbelieving heart, illud cor verè durum, quod non trepidat, ad nomen cordis duri—that is a hard heart indeed, saith he, that trembles not at the name of a hard heart.

No, the Christian must stand fixed to his principles, and not change his habit; but freely show what countryman he is by his holy constancy in the truth.

If he cannot shed tears, much less will he bleed for truth.

It was a sweet speech of a dying saint, 'That he was going to change his place but not his company.

The state of unregeneracy is a state of impotency.

O loosen the roots of thy affections from the world, and the tree will fall more easily.

All error dreads the light of the word, and fears more to be examined by that, than a thief does to be tried before a strict judge.

True faith is prayerful. Prayer, it is the child of faith; and as the child bears his father's name upon him, so doth prayer the name of faith.

The more our life has been corrupted with hypocrisy and unfaithfulness, the weaker our faith will be in a dying hour.

Prayer, it is the very natural breath of faith.

It is lawful to love our estate, life, liberty; but beware of sinful policy to save them. It is no wisdom to shuffle with God, by denying his truth, or shifting off our duty to keep correspondence with men.

He makes the heart new, and having made it fit for heavenly motion, setting every wheel, as it were, in its right place, then he winds it up by his actuating grace, and sets it on going, the thoughts to stir, the will to move and make towards the holy object presented; yet here the chariot is set, and cannot ascend the hill of action till God puts his shoulder to the wheel: 'to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not,' Rom. 7:18.

The bloodiest tragedies in the world have been acted on the stage of the church; and the most inhuman massacres and butcheries committed on the harmless sheep of Christ.

The saddest consequence which attends the prosperity and success of God's enemies in the world, is their pride and blasphemy against God, his truth, and church.

No more, then, shall he infest the saints, no, nor rule the wicked, but he with them, and they with him, shall lie under the immediate execution of God's wrath. For