John Owen Quotes

Christ greatly delights in his people and they greatly delight in him

There is no broader way to apostasy than to reject God's sovereignty in all things concerning the revelation of himself and our obedience.

Mortification from a self-strength, carried on by ways of self-invention, unto the end of a self-righteousness, is the soul and substance of all false religion in the world.

See in the meantime that your faith brings forth obedience, and God in due time will cause it to bring forth peace.

He that is more frequent in his pulpit to his people than he is in his closet for his people, is but a sorry watchman.

What then is holiness? Holiness is nothing but the implanting, writing and living out of the gospel in our souls (Eph 4:24).

Whatever vices and corruptions men see in the lives of their ministers will not be attributed to the depravity of their old nature which still abides in them, but to the gospel.

Christ so loves his people that he sings with joy over them.

No heart can conceive that treasury of mercies which lies in this one privilege, in having liberty and ability to approach unto God at all times, according to his mind and will.

Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.

So great an advantage is given to sin and Satan by your temper and disposition, that without extraordinary watchfulness, care, and diligence, they will prevail against your soul.

Sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be most quiet.

The pretended desires of many to behold the glory of Christ in heaven, who have no view of it by faith while they are here in this world, are nothing but self-deceiving imaginations.

Then are we servants of God, then are we the disciples of Christ, when we do what is commanded us and because it is commanded us.

It is evident that you contend against sin merely because of how it troubles you.

We ought as much to pray for a blessing upon our daily rod as upon our daily bread.

Free will is "corrupted nature's deformed darling, the Pallas or beloved self-conception of darkened minds"

All spiritual acts well-pleasing unto God, as faith, repentance, obedience, are supernatural; flesh and blood revealeth not these things.

He works in us and with us, not against us or without us; so that his assistance is an encouragement to the facilitating of the work, and no occasion of neglect as to the work itself.

All attempts, then, for mortification of any lust, without an interest in Christ, are vain.

He that hath slight thoughts of sin, never had great thoughts of God.

The mortification of indwelling sin remaining in our mortal bodies, that it may not have life and power to bring forth the works or deeds of the flesh is the constant duty of believers.

It is truth alone that capacitates any soul to glorify God.

The custom of sinning takes away the sense of it, the course of the world takes away the shame of it.

Christ by his death destroying the works of the devil, procuring the Spirit for us, hath so killed sin, as to its reign in believers, that it shall not obtain its end and dominion.

The choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business all their days to mortify the indwelling power of sin.

This day was yesterday to-morrow nam'd: To-morrow shall be yesterday proclaimed: To-morrow not yet come, not far away, What shall to-morrow then be call'd? To-day.

It is often those who are despised and trampled on that bear up the weight of a whole nation.

Labour to grow better under all your afflictions, lest your afflictions grow worse, lest God mingle them with more darkness, bitterness and terror.

All other ways of mortification are vain, all helps leave us helpless; it must be done by the Spirit.

All things I thought I knew; but now confess The more I know, I know, I know the less.

God never intended for us to be left to pray on our own. God never changes His purpose, but He often does purpose a change.

Christ is our best friend, and ere long will be our only friend. I pray God with all my heart that I may be weary of everything else but converse and communion with Him.

A man may easier see without eyes, speak without a tongue, than truly mortify one sin without the Spirit.

The root of an unmortified course is the digestion of sin without bitterness in the heart.

You have your season, and you have but your season; neither can you lie down in peace, until you have some persuasion that your work as well as your life is at an end.

A natural man hath no such thing as free-will at all, if you take it for a power of doing that which is good and well-pleasing unto God in things spiritual.

The vigour, and power, and comfort of our spiritual life depends on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh.

In the divine Scriptures, there are shallows and there are deeps; shallows where the lamb may wade, and deeps where the elephant may swim.

When we have communion with God in the doctrine we contend for-then shall we be garrisoned by the grace of God against all the assaults of men.

He that loves works out good to those that he loves, as he is able. God's power and will are equal; what He wills He works.

When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone.

That wisdom which cannot teach me that God is love, shall ever pass for folly.

He who finds not opposition from sin, and who sets not himself in every particular to its mortification, is at peace with it, not dying to it.

Selfishness is the making a man's self his own centre, the beginning and end of all he doeth.

Assurance encourateth us in our combat; it delivers us not from it. We may have peace with God when we have done from the assaults of Satan.

Temptation gains power where we see it prevail in others we know and we express neither shock or hatred of them and their ways nor pity and prayer for their deliverance.

Let not that man think he makes any progress in holiness who walks not over the bellies of his lusts. He who doth not kill sin in this way takes no steps toward his journey's end.

Now nothing can prevent this but mortification; that withers the root and strikes at the head of sin every hour, so that whatever it aims at it is crossed in.

Hatred of sin as sin, not only as galling or disquieting, a sense of the love of Christ in the cross, lie at the bottom of all true spiritual mortification.