Most Holy and Profitable Sayings
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A85437.0001.001
Project Note
This is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND. This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.
This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.
Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.
However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.
This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.
Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org
MOST Holy and Profitable SAYINGS OF THAT REVEREND DIVINE, Doctor Tho. Goodwin. Who departed this Life, Feb. 23. 1679./80.
WE sail to Glory, not in the salt Sea of our Tears, but in the red Sea of Christ's precious Blood.
A sanctified Heart is better than a silver Tongue.
A Heart full of Graces is better than a Heart full of Notions.
Notional Knowledge, it may make a Mans Head giddy, but it will never make a Mans Heart holy.
The Wheat and the Chaff, they may both grow together, but they shall not both lie together.
In Hell there shall not be a Saint amongst those that are terrified: And in Heaven there shall not be a Sinner amongst those that are glorified.
Will you pity a Body that is going to the Block; and will you not pity a Soul that is going to the Pit.
What a sad Visitation is that, where the Black Horse of Death goeth before, and the Red Horse of Wrath followeth after.
A Mans Condition in this Life may be honorable, and yet his State as to another Life may be damnable.
There cannot be a better Being for us, than for us to be with the best of Beings.
That which makes Heaven so full of Joy, is, that it is above all fear: And that which makes Hell so full of Horror, is, that it is below all hope.
To be a Professor of Piety, and a Practiser of Iniquity is an abomination to the Lord.
Oh! Sin is that Mark at which all the Arrows of Vengeance are shot.
Were it not for Sin, Death had never had a beginning; and were it not for Death, Sin would never have had an ending.
Oh! did Sin bring Sorrow into the world, then let Sorrow carry Sin out of the world.
Let the Cry of your Prayers out-cry the Cry of your Sins.
Nothing can quench the fire that Sin hath kindled, but the water which Repentance hath caused.
You that have filled the Book of God with your sins, should fill the Bottle of God with your Tears.
He can never truly relish the sweetness of God's mercy, who never tasted the bitterness of his own Misery.
None can promise us better than Christ can, and none can threaten us worse than Christ can.
Can any Man promise us anything better than Heaven? Or, Can any Man threaten us with any▪ thing worse than Hell?
Heaven is promised to those that love him, and Hell is to be the Portion of those that hate him.
To live without fear of Death is to die living, to labor not to die, is labor in vain.
Men are afraid to die in such and such sins, but not afraid to live in such and such sins.
Oh the Hell of horrors and terrors that attend those Souls, that have their greatest work to do when they come to Die.
Therefore as you would be happy in Death, and everlastingly blessed after Death, prepare and fit yourselves for Death.
Did Christ Die for us, that we might live with him: And shall not we desire to Die, and be with him.
A Believers Dying day is his Crowning day.
God protects Men when they are in his way, but not out of his way. Sin is never at a higher flood, than when Grace is at a low Ebb.
Though the Churches Enemies may be Waves to toss her, yet they shall never be Rocks to split her.
It is not a time for Zion's Sons to be Rejoicing, when their Mother is Mourning.
When the Churches Adversaries make long Furrowes upon her Back, we should cast in the Seed of Tears.
Many instead of sympathiseing with Believers in their Misery, they are censuring of them for their Misery.
True love to Christ can walk on the Water without drowning, and lie on the Fire without burning.
How shall we land at the Heaven of Rest, if we are not tossed upon the Sea of Trouble.
A Saint of God lives above the love of Life, and fears not the terror of Death.
None are so welcome to that Spiritual Canaan, as those that swim to it through the Red Sea of their own Blood.
Saints are not so much afraid of suffering, as they are of sinning; in suffering the offense is done to us, but in sinning the offense is done to God.