Quotes from Horatius Bonar

Toil on, and in thy toil rejoice; For toil comes rest, for exile, home; Soon shalt thou hear the bridegroom's voice, The midnight peal: "Behold, I come."

Yes, for me, for me He careth With a brother's tender care; Yes, with me, with me He shareth Every burden, every fear.

In the day of prosperity we have many refuges to resort to; in the day of adversity, only one.

Thou must be true thyself, If thou the truth wouldst teach; Thy soul must overflow, if thou Another's soul would'st reach! It needs the overflow of heart To give the lips full speech. Think truly, and thy thoughts Shall the world's famine feed; Speak truly, and each word of thine Shall be a fruitful seed; Live truly, and thy life shall be A great and noble creed.

For we are not saved by believing in our own salvation, nor by believing anything whatsoever about ourselves. We are saved by what we believe about the Son of God and His righteousness. The gospel believed saves; not the believing in our own faith.

It is not opinions that man needs: it is TRUTH. It is not theology; it is God. It is not religion: it is Christ. It is not literature and science; but the knowledge of the free love of God in the gift of His only-begotten Son.

Faith is the acknowledgment of the entire absence of all goodness in us, and the recognition of the cross as the substitute for all the want on our part. Faith saves, because it owns the complete salvation of another, and not because it contributes anything to that salvation.

We are forgiven, that we may be like Him who forgives us.

It is forgiveness that sets a man working for God. He does not work in order to be forgiven, but because he has been forgiven, and the consciousness of his sin being pardoned makes him long more for its entire removal than ever he did before.

Bold preaching is the only preaching that is owned of God.

The divine order then is first pardon, then holiness; first peace with God, and then conformity to the image of that God with whom we have been brought to be at peace.

It is forgiveness that sets a man working for God. He does not work in order to be forgiven, but because he has been forgiven, and the consciousness of his sin being pardoned makes him long for its entire removal than ever he did before. An unforgiven man cannot work. He has not the will, nor the power, nor the liberty. He is in chains. Israel in Egypt could not serve Jehovah. "Let my people go, that they may serve Me." was God's message to Pharaoh (exodus 8:1) first liberty, then service.

Stripe for stripe is human law; "by His stripes we are healed" is superhuman, the result of a legislation as gracious as it is divine.

Sin is too great an evil for man to meddle with. His attempts to remove it do but increase it, and his endeavours to approach God in spite of it aggravate his guilt.

Remember how Paul and Barnabas urged this upon the Jews of Antioch, 'persuading them to continue in the grace of God' (Acts 13:43; Gal. 5:4; Titus 2:11; 1 Peter 5:12).

Be Strong In The Grace That Is In Christ Jesus It was this grace or free love which first began with you, and with which you began. It was this which you at first 'apprehended,' or rather, which 'apprehended' you; and your special character is that of men who 'know the grace of God' (Col. 1:6); who have 'tasted that the Lord is gracious' (1 Pet. 2:3); men on whom God has had compassion (Rom. 9:15); men to whom He has shown His forgiving love. Such is your name.

The believed gospel saves; but it is the believed promise that assures us of this salvation.

Love of novelties has been the shipwreck of many a soul.

The voice from the tree did not summon them to do, but to be satisfied with what was done.

Go, labour on while it is day, The world's dark night is hastening on. Speed, speed thy work, cast sloth away-- It is not thus that souls are won.

How many souls have been lost for lack of earnestness, solemnity, and love in the preacher, even when the words uttered were precious and true!

A man may be free from all scandal in either creed or conduct but may be a most grievous obstruction in the way of all spiritual good to his people. He may be a dry and empty cistern in spite of his orthodoxy. He may be freezing or blasting life at the very time he is speaking of the way of life. He may be repelling men from the cross even when he is proclaiming it in words. He may be standing between his flock and the blessing even when he is outwardly lifting up his hand to bless them.

How much more would a few good and fervent men effect in the ministry than a multitude of lukewarm ones!" said Oecolampadius, the German Reformer

How could you speak of life and death with such a heart? How could you preach of heaven and hell in such a careless, sleepy manner? Do you believe what you say? Are you in earnest or in jest? How can you tell people that sin is such a thing, and that so much misery is upon them and before them and not be more affected with it? Shouldn't you weep over such a people, and shouldn't your tears interrupt your words?