And in your muddy souls you can’t see that the one perfectly divine thing, the
one glimpse of God’s paradise on earth, is to fight a losing battle – and not
lose it. ~ Mr. Desmond in “Time’s Abstract and Brief Chronicle” (Plays of G.K.
Chesterton).

Think-
Of stepping on shore and finding it Heaven;
Of taking hold of a hand and finding it God's hand;
Of breathing a new air and finding it celestial air;
Of feeling invigorated and finding it immortality;
Of passing from storm and tempest to an unbroken calm;
Of waking up, and finding it Home!
Robert E. Selle

Is it not lamentable that men will never thank God for the countless blessings
He confers upon them, and then remember Him only to complain of the evils which
they have brought upon themselves, and which are never half so great as their
misconduct deserves?-John Broadus, Christian Joy.

Christ is the Master; the Scriptures are only the servant.
The true way to test all the Books is to see whether they work
the will of Christ or not. No Book which does not preach Christ
can be apostolic, though Peter or Paul were its author. And no
Book which does preach Christ can fail to be apostolic,
although Judas, Ananias, Pilate, or Herod were its author.- Martin Luther (1483-1546), quoted in The Religions of Authority and the Religion of the Spirit, Auguste Sabatier, London: Williams & Norgate, 1904, p. 158

We may settle it in our minds, that there will be an entire change of opinion one day as to the necessity of decided Christianity. At present, we must all be aware, the vast majority of professing Christians care nothing at all about it. They have no sense of sin. They have no love towards Christ. They know nothing of being born again. Repentance, faith, grace and holiness, are mere words and names to them. They are subjects which they either dislike, or about which they feel no concern. But all this state of things shall one day come to an end. Knowledge, conviction, the value of the soul, the need of a Savior, shall all burst on men's minds one day like a flash of lightning. But alas! it will be too late. It will be too late to be buying oil, when the Lord returns. The mistakes that are not found out until that day are irretrievable.~ J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1986],