John Bunyan‏'s quotes

There is no way to kill a man's righteousness but by his own consent.

Pray often; for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan.

Oh, how happy is the man who fears God! His good thoughts, his good attempts to serve Him, and his good life please God because he fears Him.

No child of God sins to that degree as to make himself incapable of forgiveness.

When thou prayest, rather let thy heart be without words, than thy words without a heart.

Indeed this is one of the greatest mysteries in the world--namely, that a righteousness that resides with a person in heaven should justify me, a sinner on earth.

For God to adorn His Son with all this glory in His ascension, thus to make Him ride conqueror up into the clouds, thus to go up with sound of trumpet, with shout of angels and with songs of praises, and let me add, to be accompanied also with those that rose from the dead after His resurrection, who were the very price of His blood--this does greatly demonstrate that Jesus Christ, by what he has done, has paid a full price to God for the souls of sinners, and obtained eternal redemption for them.

Hope is never ill when faith is well.

Remember also that this fear of the Lord is His treasure, a choice jewel, given only to favourites, and to those who are greatly beloved.

You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed."

Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.

Sin is the dare of God's justice, the rape of His mercy, the jeer of His patience, the slight of His power, and the contempt of His love.

Prayer opens the heart to God, and it is the means by which the soul, though empty, is filled by God.

When they were got out of the wilderness, they presently saw a town before them, and the name of that town is Vanity; and at the town there is a fair kept; called Vanity Fair. At this fair are all such merchandise sold as houses, lands, trades, places, honours, preferments, titles, countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures and delights of all sorts, as whores, bawds, wives, husbands, children, masters, servants, lives, blood, bodies, souls, silver, gold, pearls, precious stones, and what not.

What is God's majesty to a sinful man, but a consuming fire? And what is sinful man in himself, or in his approach to God, but as stubble fully dry. Since the name of God is that by which his nature is expressed, and since He naturally is so glorious and incomprehensible, His name must needs be the object of our fear; and we ought always to have a reverent awe of God upon our hearts at what time soever we think of or hear his name; but most of all when we ourselves do take his Holy and fearful name into our mouths, especially in a religious manner; that is, in preaching, praying, or Holy conference. Make mention then of the name of the Lord at all times with great dread of His majesty on your hearts, and in great soberness and truth. To do otherwise is to profane the name of the Lord, and to take his name in vain.

Of all tears, they are the best that are made by the blood of Christ; and of all joy, that is the sweetest that is mixed with mourning over Christ. Oh! it is a goodly thing to be on our knees, with Christ in our arms, before God.

And thus do all those who retain the name and show of religion, but neglect the power and godly practice of it. These will live like dogs and swine in the house. They do not pray; they do not watch their hearts; they do not pull their hands out of their bosoms to work; they do not strive against their lusts, nor will they ever resist unto blood, striving against sin; they will not take up their cross or improve what they have to God's glory.

Sin and vanity are the sweet morsels of the fool, and what the carnal appetite of the flesh runs after.

He who prays not fears not God; yet he who prays not fervently and frequently fears Him not; and so he who fears Him not cannot pray.

If you have sinned, do not lie down without repentance; for the want of repentance after one has sinned makes the heart yet harder and harder.

Prayer is as the pitcher that fetches water from the brook, therewith to water the herbs; break the pitcher and it will fetch no water, and for want of water the garden withers.

Christ died and endured the wages of sin, and that without an intercessor, without one between God and Him. He grappled immediately with the eternal justice of God, who inflicted on Him death, the wages of sin; there was no man to hold off the hand of God; justice had its full blow at Him, and made Him a curse for sin.

What say you, O wounded sinners? Is not this true, as I have said? Would you not give ten thousand worlds, if you had so many, so you might be well assured that your sins shall be pardoned, and your souls and bodies justified and glorified, at the coming of Jesus Christ?