Gurnall Quotes & Sayings

The Christian is to proclaim and prosecute an irreconcilable war against his bosom sins; those sins which have lain nearest his heart, must now be trampled under his feet. — William Gurnall

Above all sins, guard against bold or arrogant ones. You are not beyond the danger of such. If caught in the web of presumptuous sin, call quickly to God for help. If you hesitate, you only give Satan time to entangle you more tightly. But if you cry out to God in true repentance, He will come at once to rescue you. The sooner you yield to the Spirit, the less damage is done to your soul. — William Gurnall

Blind zeal is soon put to a shameful retreat, while holy resolution, built on fast principles, lifts up its head like a rock in the midst of the waves. — William Gurnall

Second. - The Christian is to walk singularly, not after the world's guise, Rom. 12:2. We are commanded not to be conformed to this world, that is, not to accommodate ourselves to the corrupt customs of the world. — William Gurnall

Mercy should make us ashamed, wrath afraid to sin. — William Gurnall

Christ will bear no equal, and Satan no superior; and therefore, hold in with both thou canst not. — William Gurnall

It is one thing to know a truth, and another thing to know it by unction. — William Gurnall

Many think they shall not pay so dear for an error in judgment as for a sin in practice. Yea, some have such a latitude, that they fancy a man may be saved in any religion - — William Gurnall

The regenerating Spirit is compared to the wind. His first attempts on the soul may be so secret that the creature knows not whence they come, or whither they tend; but, before he hath done, the sound will be heard throughout the soul. — William Gurnall

Praying is the same to the new creature as crying is to the natural. The child is not learned by art or example to cry, but instructed by nature; it comes into the world crying. Praying is not a lesson got by forms and rules of art, but flowing from principles of new life itself. — William Gurnall

He that is impatient, and cannot wait on God for a mercy, will not easily submit to Him in a denial. — William Gurnall

We have peace with God as soon as we believe, but not always with ourselves. The pardon may be past the prince's hand and seal, and yet not put into the prisoner's hand. — William Gurnall

We must not confide in the armour of God, but in the God of this armour, because all our weapons are only mighty through God. — William Gurnall

Jerusalem above is a city whose builder and maker is God. Every grace, yea, every degree of grace, is a stone in that building, the topstone whereof is laid in glory, where saints shall more plainly see, how God was not only Founder to begin, but Benefactor also to finish the same. The glory of the work shall not be crumbled and piece-mealed out, some to God and some to the creature, but all entirely paid in to God, and he acknowledged all in all. — William Gurnall

Cowards never won heaven. Do not claim that you are begotten of God and you have His royal blood running in your veins unless you can prove your lineage by His heroic spirit: to dare to be holy in spite of men and devils. — William Gurnall

Justifying faith is not a naked assent to the truths of the gospel. — William Gurnall

As the eye of the body once put out, can never be restored by the creature's art, so neither can the spiritual eye lost by Adam's sin be restored by the teaching of men or angels. It is one of the diseases which Christ came to cure. — William Gurnall

Paul was Nero's prisoner, but Nero was much more God's. — William Gurnall

And they cannot be solid Christians, that are not instructed in the grounds of Christianity. The — William Gurnall

Pride of gifts robs us of God's blessing in the use of them. — William Gurnall

Some prayers have a longer voyage than others, but they return with the richer lading at last, so that the praying soul is a gainer by waiting for an answer. — William Gurnall

No more, then, shall he infest the saints, no, nor rule the wicked, but he with them, and they with him, shall lie under the immediate execution of God's wrath. For — William Gurnall

Faith hath an incarnating virtue, as they say of some strengthening meat; it feeds upon the promise, and that 'is perfect, converting' - or rather restoring - 'the soul,' Ps. 19:7. Though — William Gurnall

Great and small, minister and people, all must wrestle; not one part of Christ's army in the field, and the other at ease in their quarters, where no enemy comes. Here — William Gurnall

Thou art translated into the kingdom of Christ, but thou art a great way from his court. That — William Gurnall

What is Jordan that I should wash in it? What is the preaching that I should attend on it, while I hear nothing but what I knew before? What are these beggarly elements of water, bread, and wine? Are not these the reasonings of a soul that forgets who appoints the means of grace? — William Gurnall

Christ counts it his honour, that he is a king of a willing people, and not of slaves. He comes to make you free, not to bring you into bondage, to make you kings, not vassals. None — William Gurnall

Hope fills the afflicted soul with such inward joy and consolation, that it can laugh while tears are in the eye, sigh and sing all in a breath; it is called "the rejoicing of hope" (Hebrews 3:6). — William Gurnall

If thou beest ever so exact in thy morals, and not a worshiper of God, then thou art an atheist. — William Gurnall

Indeed all the saints are taught the same lesson - to renounce their own strength, and rely on the power of God; their own policy, and cast themselves on the wisdom of God; their own righteousness, and expect all from the pure mercy of God in Christ, which act of faith is so pleasing to God, that such a soul shall never be ashamed. — William Gurnall

Art thou a magistrate? now it will be soon seen on whose side thou art. If indeed thou hast renounced allegiance to Satan, and taken Christ for thy prince, declare thyself an enemy to all that bear the name of Satan, and march under his colours. Study — William Gurnall

It is not only our duty to pray for others, but also to desire the prayers of others for ourselves. — William Gurnall

We live by faith, and faith lives by exercise. — William Gurnall

To forsake sin, is to leave it without any thought reserved of returning to it again. — William Gurnall

Of all creatures in this visible world, light is the most glorious; of all light, the light of the sun without compare excels the rest. — William Gurnall

And therefore you who think so basely of the Gospel and the professors of it, because at present their peace and comfort are not come, should know that it is on the way to them, and comesto stay everlastingly with them; whreas your peace is going is going from you every moment, and is sure to leave you without any hope of returning to you again. Look not how the Christian begins, but ends. — William Gurnall

The storm may be tempestuous, but it is only temporary. — William Gurnall

When God intends a mercy for his people, he stirs up the spirit of prayer in them. Fervency unites the soul and directs the thoughts to the work at hand. It will not allow diversions and denies all foreign thoughts seeking to intrude. Pray fervently or you do nothing. Cold praying is no more prayer than a painting of fire is fire. How can prayers that do not even warm your own heart move God's? A fervent prayer will never find a cold reception with God. Elijah's prayer called fire down from heaven because it carried fire up to heaven. — William Gurnall

It is no policy to let thy lusts have arms, which are sure to rise and declare against thee when thine enemy comes. — William Gurnall

one affirmative from God's mouth for thy pardoned state, carries more weight, though of old date, than a thousand negatives from Satan's. David's — William Gurnall

Set a strong guard about thy outward senses: these are Satan's landing places, especially the eye and the ear. — William Gurnall

The Christian in prayer comes up close to God, with a humble boldness of faith, and takes hold of him, wrestles with him; yea, will not let him go without a blessing ... They are only a few noble-spirited souls, who dare take heaven by force, that are fit for this calling. — William Gurnall

Count on the strength of your own godly attributes, and you will grow lax in your duties for Christ. Knowing you are weak keeps you from wandering too far from Him. When you see that your own cupboard is bare and everything you need is in His, you will go often to Him for supplies. But a soul who thinks he can take care of himself will say, "I have plenty and to spare for a long time. Let the doubting soul pray; my faith is strong. Let the weak go to God for help; I can manage fine on my own." What a sad state of affairs, to suppose that we no longer need the moment-by-moment sustaining grace of God.
Not only does overestimating the strength of our own goodness make us shun God's help, but it also makes us foolhardy and venturesome. You who boast about your spirituality are likely to put yourselves in all kinds of dangerous situations, then brag that you can handle them. — William Gurnall

Pray often rather than very long at a time. It is hard to be very long in prayer, and not slacken in our affections. — William Gurnall

We must come to good works by faith, and not to faith by good works. — William Gurnall

Fall to the work God sets thee about, and thou engagest his strength for thee. The way of the Lord is strength. Run from thy work, and thou engagest God's strength against thee; he will send some storm or other after thee to bring home his runaway servant. How oft hath the coward been killed in a ditch, or under some hedge, when the valiant soldier stood his ground and kept his place got off with safety and honor? — William Gurnall

God would not rub so hard if it were not to fetch out the dirt that is ingrained in our natures. God loves purity so well He had rather see a hole than a spot in His child's garments. — William Gurnall

For a beggar to live at court is not so much as the King to dwell with him in his cottage. — William Gurnall

One Almighty is more than all mighties — William Gurnall

Godliness is the child of truth, and it must be nursed by its own mother. — William Gurnall

Compare Scripture with Scripture. False doctrines, like false witnesses, agree not among themselves. — William Gurnall

When thou art come to thyself to own and blush at the brutish ignorance of thy mind, thou art fit to be admitted into Christ's school. If — William Gurnall

Truly, hope is the saint's covering, wherein he wraps himself, when he lays his body down to sleep in the grave: "My flesh," saith David, "shall rest in hope." — William Gurnall

Bid faith look through the key-hole of the promise, and tell thee what it sees there laid up for him that overcomes; bid it listen and tell thee whether it cannot hear the shout of those crowned saints, as of those that are dividing the spoil, and receiving the reward of all their services and sufferings here on earth. — William Gurnall

They say stars have greatest influences when they are in conjunction with the sun; then sure the graces of a saint should never work more powerfully than in prayer, for then he is in the nearest conjunction and communion with God. That — William Gurnall

You see when a soul comes over from Satan's quarters unto Christ, and has but once the experience of that sweetness which is in his service, there is no getting him back to his old drudgery; as — William Gurnall

The Christian's life should put his minister's sermon in print. — William Gurnall

The devil had as good have let Paul alone, for he no sooner comes into prison but he falls a preaching, at which the gates of Satan's prison fly open, and poor sinners come forth. — William Gurnall

A pilot without his chart, a scholar without his book, and a soldier without his sword, are alike ridiculous. But, above all these, it is absurd for one to think of being a Christian, without knowledge of the word of God and some skill to use this weapon. - William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour — William Gurnall

Compare not thyself with those that have less than thyself, but look on those that have far exceeded thee. — William Gurnall

We are justified, not by giving anything to God,
what we do,
but by receiving from God, what Christ hath done for us. — William Gurnall

God is very precise in this point; he will say to such as invent ways to worship him of their own, coin means to mortify corruption, obtain comfort in their own mint: 'Who hath required this at your hands?' This is truly to be 'righteous over-much,' as Solomon speaks, when we will pretend to correct God's law, and add supplements of our own to his rule. — William Gurnall

Weak faith will as surely land the Christian in heaven as strong faith, for it is impossible the least dram of true grace should perish — William Gurnall

The Word of God is too sacred a thing, and preaching too solemn a work, to be toyed and played with. — William Gurnall

There is no less wickedness potentially in the tamest sinner on earth, than in the devils themselves, and that one day thou, whoever thou art, wilt show to purpose, if God prevent thee not by his renewing grace. Thou — William Gurnall

Godliness, as well as the doctrine of our faith, is a mystery. — William Gurnall

God hath made it a debt which one saint owes to another to carry their names to a throne of grace. — William Gurnall

Many lose heaven because they are ashamed to go in a fool's coat thither. — William Gurnall

Can Christ be in thou heart and thou not know it? Can one king be dethroned and another crowned in thy soul and thou hear no scuffle? — William Gurnall

And while God had work for Paul, he found him friends both in court and prison. Let persecutors send saints to prison, God can provide a keeper for their turn. — William Gurnall

The longer a soul hath neglected duty, the more ado there is to get it taken up. — William Gurnall

It is the image of God reflected in you that so enrages hell; it is this at which the demons hurl their mightiest weapons. — William Gurnall

In heaven we shall appear, not in armour, but in robes of glory. But here these are to be worn night and day; we must walk, work, and sleep in them, or else we are not true soldiers of Christ. — William Gurnall

God brings his grace into the heart by conquest. — William Gurnall

Our enemies are on every side, so must our armour be. — William Gurnall

the Christian who seems to be so overmatched, is yet so unconquerable, II Cor. 12:9; James 5:11. — William Gurnall

A minister, without boldness, is like a smooth file, a knife without an edge, a sentinel that is afraid to let off his gun. If men will be bold in sin, ministers must be bold to reprove. — William Gurnall

He that loves the Word and the purity of its precepts cannot turn traitor. — William Gurnall

Truth lies deep, and must be digged for. Since — William Gurnall

Satan with all his wits and wiles, shall never vanquish a soul armed with true grace; nay, he that hath this armour of God on shall vanquish him. Look — William Gurnall

The sins of teachers are the teachers of sin. — William Gurnall

The mightier any is in the word, the more mighty he will be in prayer. — William Gurnall

The more public thy place, Christian, and the more eminent thy service for God, the more thou must look that the devil will have some more dangerous design or other against thee; and therefore, if every private soldier needs armour against Satan's bullets of temptation, then the commanders and officers who stand in the front of battle much more. — William Gurnall

Whoever hath a seed time of grace pass over his soul, shall have his harvest time also of joy. — William Gurnall

Thou mayest, poor soul, when accused by Satan, molested by his terrors, say, It is God that justifies; I have his hand to it, that I should have my life given me as soon as I laid down my arms and submitted to him, which I desire to do. Behold, the gates of my heart are open to let the Prince of peace in, and is not the Almighty able to perform his promise? I commit myself to him as unto a faithful Creator. — William Gurnall

Bless God, O ye saints, who upon the former trial, can say you are translated into the kingdom of Christ, and so delivered from the tyranny of this usurper. There — William Gurnall

God, to prevent all escape, hath sown the seeds of death in our very constitution and nature, so that we can as soon run from ourselves, as run from death. We need no feller to come with a hand of violence and hew us down; there is in the tree a worm, which grows out of its own substance, that will destroy it; so in us, those infirmities of nature that will bring us down to the dust. — William Gurnall

All the plots of hell and commotions on earth have not so much as shaken God's hand to spoil one letter or line he has been drawing. — William Gurnall

Say not that thou hast royal blood in thy veins; say not that thou art born of God if thou canst not prove thy pedigree by daring to be holy! — William Gurnall

Sometimes, perhaps, thou hearest another pray with much freedom and fluency, whilst thou canst hardly get out a few broken words. Hence thou art ready to accuse thyself and admire him, as if the gilding of the key made it open the door the better. — William Gurnall

They love truth flourishing, who do not love it when it is confuting. They dare handle and look on the sword with delight when in a rich scabbard, who would run away to see it drawn. — William Gurnall

The grace thou hast will soon be less, if thou addest not more to it. — William Gurnall

Satan's power is ministerial, appointed by God for the service and benefit of the saints. It — William Gurnall

Grace in a decay is like a man pulled off his legs by sickness; if some means be not used to recover it, little service will be done by it, or comfort received from it. Therefore — William Gurnall

Sometimes the soul is questioning whether it [has] any patience, any faith, till God comes and puts him into an afflicted estate, where he must exercise this faith or perish. Then it [the soul] appears like one that thinks he cannot swim, yet being thrown into the river, then uniting all his strength, he makes a shift to swim to land, and sees what he can do. How [often] have we heard Christians say, 'I thought I could never have endured such a pain, trusted God in such a straight! But now God [has] taught me what he can do for me, what he wrought in me. — William Gurnall

The providences of God to his saints here, while on this low bottom of earth, are mixed and parti-coloured, as was signified by the 'speckled' horses, Zech. 1:8, in — William Gurnall

Faith and repentance will be good doctrine to preach and hear to the end of the world; you — William Gurnall

Humble souls are fearful of their own strength. — William Gurnall

Few are made better by prosperity, whom afflictions make worse. — William Gurnall

The Christian must trust in a withdrawing God. — William Gurnall