We Cannot Even Trust What We See

"The astronomer nowadays uses light to space out the distances he measures. Light travels at 186,000 miles a second. It takes a second and a third to reach us from the moon and eight minutes from the sun. Yet the sun is quite close, compared with the other stars. The nearest of them is over four light-years away, which means that the light we now see it by was emitted by the stsr over four years ago. The remotest parts of the universe at present known to astronomers are thousands of millions of light-years away." - H.G. Wells, The Outline of History, pg. 15

In other words, we cannot trust our senses.

Pride produces Ignorance

"Ignorance is the first penalty of pride." - H.G. Wells, The Outline of History, Pg. 13

On Living, and Others

"Nina. What are you writing?
Trigorin. Nothing, just a note. An idea for a plot. [Putting his book away.] A plot for a short story. A young girl like you has lived all her life by a lake. Like a seagull, she loves the lake, and she's happy and free like a seagull. But a man happens to come along and wrecks her life for want of anything better to do. As happened to this seagull." - Anton Chekhov, The Seagull, Act 2, pg. 91

Only in Christ do we have confidence

"The mediation then of Jesus Christ, is not only an argument which, and on which we may plead with God; but it is the mean by which only we must approach to God, and the light wherein we see, and know savingly the God we worship." - Robert Traill, Sermons Concerning the Throne of Grace, pg. 92

On the toils of life

"Ivanov. That's how things are, Sasha. I used to work hard and think hard, I never got tired. Now I do nothing and think of nothing, but I'm tired, body and soul. I feel so conscience-stricken all the time. I feel terribly guilty, but just where I went wrong I can't see. Now there's my wife's illness, my money troubles, this non-stop back-biting, gossip and idle chit-chat -- and that ass Borkin. I'm sick and tired of my home, and living there's sheer hell. Frankly, Sasha, I can't even stand having my loving wife about. You're an old friend and won't be annoyed if I speak my mind. I came here to enjoy myself, but I'm bored here too, and feel like going back. Excuse me, I'll just slip away." - Anton Chekhov, Ivanov, Scene 6, pg. 29

Salvation by Christ alone for those whom He died for

One of the greatest things about being a fallen human being versus a fallen angel is that of knowing Christ, the Son of God, as saviour of sin.

"They that never hear of Christ, must perish. It is an idle dream, that the efficacy of Christ's death may be applied, and profitable to the saving of adult persons that never heard of him. There is no salvation for men but by Jesus Christ; there is no knowing of it, or partaking of it, but by the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation, Eph 1.13. Christ and his name go together: Acts 4.12." - Robert Traill, Sermons Concerning the Throne of Grace, pg. 44

Natural man cannot agree with God about Man's Impotence, and God's Omnipotence

"The utter impotence of nature, and omnipotence of grace, in the business of man's salvation, are stumbling-blocks to all the ungodly, but are foundations in Christian doctrine." - Robert Traill, Sermons Concerning the Throne of Grace, pg. 40

Scripture alone not Pope alone

"You should read and study your Bible daily. 'Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read' Isaiah 34:16. You are not to rely on some minister, elder, seminary, public school teacher, parent, wife, husband, confession, Hollywood movie, popular author (alive or dead), pope, priest, or any other sinful person/institution to tell you what the Bible teaches." - Monty L. Collier, A Unique Kind of Righteousness, pg. 100

Don't stay in your room too long

"And do you know, Sonia, that low ceiling and tiny rooms cramp the soul and the mind?" -Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment, pg. 206

Praise God that He determines all things

"We thank God almighty that the Bible does not teach the lie that man has free will. We are grateful to God that the Bible reveals to us that Jehovah determines all things, especially the will of man - and that no created being has free will. The Bible says: 'Every man's judgment cometh from the Lord' Proverbs 29:26. This simple and clear declarative verse from the Book of Proverbs teaches Biblical determinism. Notice that this verse does NOT say: 'Although every man has free will, every man's judgment also cometh from the Lord.' No, the Bible will not, and does not contradict itself - despite the claims of Van Tilians and Compatibilist." - Monty L. Collier, A Unique Kind Of Righteousness, pg. 84

Salvation is God's gracious work not ours

"We do not contribute anything to our salvation, even our faith is the free gift of God, which passively receives and appropriates the imputed righteousness of Christ alone. It is the only object of our faith which justifies us before God - never the act of faith. The only object of our faith is the Gospel of Jesus Christ alone, the saving Gospel promises. Again, the object of our faith is not our works or anything in us, for we are justified by an alien righteousness, the covering righteousness of Christ alone." - Monty L. Collier, A Unique Kind of Righteousness, pg. 5

The Gospel saves some and hardens others

"I shall end this postscript with observing, that when the popular preachers can find no other way of showing their contempt of the simple belief of the truth, as the sole requisite to justification, they call it the faith of devils. Yet, however keen the intended reproach be, it can have weight with none but those who are swayed by sound instead of sense. For, according to the Scripture, the same truth which saves Christ's people, torments the devils. So we find them saying, 'what have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?' They believe, they hate, and yet they tremble at that truth which Christ's people believe, love, and find salvation in." - Robert Sandeman, Theron And Aspasio, Pg. 346

Civil government cannot be obeyed at all

"If your officer commands you to kill your neighbor's child, to kill your father or your mother, would you obey? If you would not obey, the whole argument falls to the ground, for if you can disobey the governors in one case, where do you draw the line up to which you can obey them? There is no line than that laid down by Christianity, and that line is both reasonable and practicable." - Leo Tolstoy, The Kingdom of God is Within You, pg. 15