Joseph Alleine > Quotes

“O miserable man, what a deformed monster has sin made you! God made you "little lower than the angels"; sin has made you little better than the devils”

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― Joseph Alleine

“The unsound convert is willingly ignorant, loves not to come to the light. He is willing to keep such or such a sin, and therefore is loathed to know it to be a sin, and will not let in the light at that window. Now, the gracious heart is willing to know the whole latitude and compass of his Maker’s law. He receives with all acceptation the Word which convinceth him of any duty that he knew not, or minded not before, or which discovereth any sin that lay hid before.”
― Joseph Alleine, An Alarm to the Unconverted: A Serious Treatise on Conversion

“Here, again, you find the unsoundness of many professors who consider themselves good Christians; they are partial in the law, and take up with the cheap and easy duties of religion, but go not through with the work. It may be you find them exact in their words, punctual in their dealings, but then they do not exercise themselves unto godliness; and as for examining themselves and governing their hearts, to this they are strangers. You may see them duly at the church; but follow them to their families, and there you shall see little but the world minded; or if they have family duties, follow them to their closets, and there you shall find their souls are little looked after. It may be they seem otherwise religious, but bridle not their tongues, and so “all their religion is vain.” It may be they come up to closet and family prayer; but follow them to their shops, and there you find them in the habit of lying, or some covert and fashionable way of deceit. Thus the hypocrite goes not throughout in the course of his obedience.”
― Joseph Alleine, An Alarm to the Unconverted: A Serious Treatise on Conversion

“Almsgiving is not a service of God, but of vain-glory, if it spring not from divine love.”
― Joseph Alleine, An Alarm to the Unconverted: A Serious Treatise on Conversion

“In every sound convert the judgement is brought to approve of the laws and ways of Christ, and subscribe to them as most righteous and reasonable; the desire of the heart is to know the whole mind of Christ; the free and resolved choice of the heart is determined for the ways of Christ, before all the pleasures of sin, and prosperities of the world; it is the daily care of his life to walk with God.”
― Joseph Alleine

“Let me see you, O Light of my eyes. Come, O Joy of my spirit; let me behold you, O Gladness of my heart. Let me love you, O Life of my soul. Appear unto me, O my great delight, my sweet comfort, O my God, my life, and the whole glory of my soul. Let me find you, O Desire of my heart; let me hold you, O Love of my soul. Let me embrace you, O Heavenly Bridegroom. Let me possess you.”
― Joseph Alleine, A Sure Guide to Heaven

“Now the soul says, ‘Lord, where shall I go? You have the words of eternal life.’ [John 6: 68] Here he centers, here he settles. It is the entrance of heaven to him; he sees his interest in God.”
― Joseph Alleine, An Alarm to the Unconverted

“Conversion turns the bias of the WILL both as to means and end. The intentions of the will are altered. Now the man has new ends and designs. He now intends God above all, and desires and designs nothing in all the world, so much as that Christ may be magnified in him. He counts himself more happy in this than in all that the earth could yield, that he may be serviceable to Christ, and bring Him glory. This is the mark he aims at, that the name of Jesus may be great in the world.”
― Joseph Alleine, An Alarm to the Unconverted

“Christ keeps not his subjects in by force, but is King of a willing people. They are, through his grace, freely devoted to his service; they serve out of choice, not as slaves, but as the son or spouse, from a spring of love and a loyal mind. In a word, the laws of Christ are the convert’s love, delight, and continual study.”
― Joseph Alleine, An Alarm to the Unconverted: A Serious Treatise on Conversion

“Here, again, you find the unsoundness of many professors who consider themselves good Christians; they are partial in the law, and take up with the cheap and easy duties of religion, but go not through with the work. It may be you find them exact in their words, punctual in their dealings, but then they do not exercise themselves unto godliness; and as for examining themselves and governing their hearts, to this they are strangers.”
― Joseph Alleine, An Alarm to the Unconverted: A Serious Treatise on Conversion

“God finds nothing in man to turn His heart, but enough to turn his stomach.”
― Joseph Alleine, A Sure Guide to Heaven