I was a young man with uninformed ideas. I threw out queries, suggestions, wondering all the time over everything; and to my astonishment the ideas took like wildfire. People made a religion of them.- Charles Darwin

There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact. -Mark Twain

It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible. - George Washington

To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selections, seems, I confess, absurd in the highest degree.-Charles Darwin

Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such fine graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and serious objection which can be urged against the theory.- Charles Darwin

We profess that we know God, but by works we deny Him; for
beatitude doth not consist in the knowledge of divine things,
but in a divine life, for the devils know them better than man.- Walter Raleigh (1552?-1618), The Works of Sir Walter Ralegh, Kt., v. II, Oxford: The University press, 1829, p. 32

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.- Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106 - 43 BC

We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another.- Edward R. Murrow, 1908 - 1965

A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.- Edward R. Murrow, 1908 - 1965

To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful.- Edward R. Murrow, 1908 - 1965

The keystone of Kuyper's reasoning is that all the spheres of life are independent of each other. The state is the highest, to be sure, because it "protects the individual and defines the mutual lawful relations of the visible spheres of life,"yet the states sovereignty only extends over and does not penetrate into these spheres. The sovereignty of the state is a sovereignty derived from the only real, that is to say, divine sovereignty. And just as the state has receied its sovereignty from God, all spheres possess their sovereignty by the grace of God. Science to is such a sphere. it is free from the state, because the state cannot determine what is scientific. it is likewise free from the church. The church may never rule science by telling it what it has to think. And although there is a danger here that the church may suffer damage from science, it must recognize its limits. A church that remain spiritually alert will actually have nothing to fear from science. It can in fact eve confidently urge "that science, without ever becoming a slave, maintain the sovereignty that belongs to it in its own house and grounds and flourish by the grace of God."- Van Deursen, The Distinctive Character of the Free University in Amsterdam 1880-2005 on Kuyper's inaugural address (pp. 20-21):

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. Corrie Ten Boom

Sometimes He calms the storm
With a whispered peace be still
He can settle any sea
But it doesn’t mean He will
Sometimes He holds us close
And lets the wind and waves go wild
Sometimes He calms the storm
And other times He calms His child
Scott Krippane (from CD Wild Imagination)

I would rather be poor in a cottage full of books, than a king without the desire to read. Thomas Babington Macauley

But if vengeance is God's, I want to be His instrument.-Jerry B. Jenkins (1949- ) _The Last Operative_ [2010], Chapter 6

God will either give you what you ask, or something far better.- Robert Murray M'Cheyne (1813-1843), The Life and Remains, Letters, Lectures, and Poems of the Rev. Robert Murray McCheyne, Andrew Alexander Bonar, New York: R. Carter, 1866, p. 168

Somehow liberals have been unable to acquire from life what conservatives seem to be endowed with at birth: namely, a healthy skepticism of the powers of government agencies to do good.- Daniel Patrick Moynihan, 1927 - 2003

The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself.- Daniel Patrick Moynihan, 1927 - 2003

"Christ died for the ungodly." (Romans 5:6)
O what a melting consideration is this! That . . .
out of His agony, comes our victory;
out of His condemnation, comes our justification;
out of His pain, comes our ease;
out of His stripes, comes our healing;
out of His gall and vinegar, comes our honey;
out of His curse, comes our blessing;
out of His crown of thorns, comes our crown of glory;
out of His death, comes our life! - John Flavel, "The Fountain of Life" 1671

The only thing that saves us from the bureaucracy is inefficiency. An efficient bureaucracy is the greatest threat to liberty.- Eugene McCarthy, 1916 - 2005




-----------------------------

Occupants of public offices love power and are prone to abuse it. -
George Washington, 1732 - 1799

The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments.- George Washington, 1732 - 1799

The best and sweetest things in life are things you cannot buy;
The music of the birds at dawn, the rainbow in the sky.
The dazzling magic of the stars, the miracle of light.
The precious gifts of health and strength, of hearing, speech and sight.
The peace of mind that crowns a busy life of work well done.
A faith in God that deepens as you face the setting sun,
The boon of love, the joy of friendship. As years go by,
You find the greatest blessings are the things you cannot buy. -Patience Strong

Being happy with God now means:
Loving as he loves,
Helping as he helps,
Giving as he gives,
Serving as he serves,
Rescuing as he rescues,
Being with him twenty-four hours,
Touching him in his distressing disguise.- Mother Teresa

The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that one is loved; loved for oneself, or better yet, loved despite oneself.- Victor Hugo, 1802 - 1885

That which is infinite is as much above what is great as it is above what is small. Thus God, being infinitely great, He is as much above kings as He is above beggars; He is as much above the highest angel as He is above the meanest worm.- Jonathan Edwards

When an unskillful servant gathers many herbs, flowers, and
seeds in a garden, you gather them out that are useful, and
cast the rest out of sight. Christ deals so with our
performances. All the ingredients of self that are in them on
any account He takes away, and adds incense to what remains,
and presents it to God. This is the cause that the saints at
the last day, when they meet their own duties and performances,
they know them not, they are so changed from what they were
when they went out of their hand. "Lord, when saw we Thee naked
or hungry?" So God accepts a little, and Christ makes our
little a great deal.-John Owen (1616-1683), An Exposition upon Psalm CXXX [1668], in Works of John Owen, v. VI, New York: R. Carter amp Bros., 1851, p. 603

We came equals into this world, and equals shall we go out of it.- George Mason, 1725 - 1792

A few years' experience will convince us that those things which at the time they happened we regarded as our greatest misfortunes have proved our greatest blessings.- George Mason, 1725 - 1792

When the same man, or set of men, holds the sword and the purse, there is an end of liberty.- George Mason, 1725 - 1792

Freedom of religion, you see, means much more than freedom of worship. Freedom of religion means you can practice your faith in public; you can educate your children in the faith, you can evangelize. Imagine that in any Muslim country today! Freedom of worship, however, is something less. It means you can worship how you please, so long as you keep it private. Citizens of the former Soviet Union could do that. And China has that law today.- Chuck Colson

The word of the Lord God of Hosts is not a plea or a request: it is a summons. ~ R. J. Rushdoony

There are two kings and two kingdoms in Scotland. There is King James, the head of the commonwealth, and there is Jesus Christ, the King of the Church, whose subject King James VI is, and of whose kingdom he is not a king nor a lord nor a head, but a member. Sir, those whom Christ hath called and commanded to watch over His church have power and authority from Him to govern His spiritual kingdom both jointly and severally, and which no Christian king should control or discharge, but fortify and assist, otherwise they are not faithful subjects of Christ and members of His church. Sir, when you were in your swaddling clothes, Christ Jesus reigned freely in this land in spite of all His enemies. His officers and ministers convened and assembled for the ruling and welfare of His church, which was ever for your welfare, defence, preservation, when those same enemies were seeking your destruction and cutting off. - Andrew Melville to King James VI of Scotland

12% of all paper used in the UK is used by the government - Douglas MacWilliams, heard on BBC Radio 4's Today 30. 10. 10.

The secret of success is honesty and fair dealing - fake that and you've got it made - Groucho Marx

That [the future] is not for us to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings

My sins are many, but, oh, it is nothing to Jesus to take them all away. - Spurgeon

Man is free at the moment he wishes to be.- François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), 1694 - 1778
(nb not true but illustrative of enlightenment folly - GJW)

The wicked can have only accomplices, the voluptuous have companions in debauchery, self-seekers have associates, the politic assemble the factions, the typical idler has connections, princes have courtiers. Only the virtuous have friends.-François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), 1694 - 1778

A minister of state is excusable for the harm he does when the helm of government has forced his hand in a storm; but in the calm he is guilty of all the good he does not do.François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), 1694 - 1778-

All men would then be necessarily equal, if they were without needs. It is the poverty connected with our species which subordinates one man to another. It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.- François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), 1694 - 1778

O Church arise, and put your armour on
Hear the call of Christ our Captain.
For now the weak can say that they are strong
In the strength that God has given
With shield of faith, and belt of truth
We’ll stand against the devil’s lies;
An army bold, whose battle cry is Love
Reaching out to those in darkness

Our call to war, to love the captive soul,
But to rage against the captor;
And with the sword that makes the wounded whole
We will fight with faith and valour.
When faced with trials on every side
We know the outcome is secure,
And Christ will have the prize for which He died
An inheritance of nations.

Come see the cross where love and mercy meet,
As the Son of God is stricken;
Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet
For the Conqueror has risen!
And as the stone is rolled away
And Christ emerges from the grave,
This victory march continues till the day
Every eye and heart shall see Him.

So, spirit come, put strength in every stride,
Give grace for every hurdle,
That we may run with faith to win the prize
Of a servant good and faithful.
As saints of old still line the way,
Retelling triumphs of His grace,
We hear their call, and hunger for the day
When with Christ we stand in glory.
Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

Conscience is a most important part of our inward man, and plays a most prominent part in our spiritual history. It cannot save us. It never yet led any one to Christ. It is blind, and liable to be misled. It is lame and powerless, and cannot guide us to heaven. Yet conscience is not to be despised. It is the minister's best friend, when he stands up to rebuke sin from the pulpit. It is the mother's best friend, when she tries to restrain her children from evil and quicken them to good. It is the teacher's best friend, when he presses home on boys and girls their moral duties. Happy is he who never stifles his conscience, but strives to keep it tender! Still happier is he who prays to have it enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and sprinkled with Christ's blood.~ J.C. Ryle Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John, volume 2, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1987], 71, 72.

The Holy Spirit [is] the source of spiritual unity! He is
the Fount of all true joy! ... We as missionaries need the
fullness of this joy. Without it our work will be a burden to
us, and we shall toil on with the hearts of slaves; and the
hearts of slaves are never strong.-Griffith John (1831-1912), "The Holy Spirit in Connection with our Work", in Records of the General Conference of the Protestant Missionaries ofChina, Shanghai: Presbyterian Mission Press, 1878, p. 36,38

I'm glad you've figured out free will or whatever. It's great to be able to figure it out but dangerous to put too much faith in your figuring.=- Flannery O'Connor

The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men. - Plato

30 Jun 10

When you add something to Jesus, you are deserting the Gospel. - Jeff Noblit

The slanderer and the assassin differ only in the weapon they use; with the one it is the dagger, with the other the tongue. The former is worse that the latter, for the last only kills the body, while the other murders the reputation - Tyron Edwards, 1809 - 1894

The best government is a benevolent tyranny tempered by an occasional assassination.
     - François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), 1694 - 1778

Dueling, though barbarous in civilized, is a highly civilized institution among barbarous people, and when compared to assassination, is a prodigious victory gained over human passions.
     - Sydney Smith, 1771 - 1845

Assassination's the fastest way.
     - Molière (Jean Baptiste Poquelin), 1622 - 1673