“But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” – Job 23:10

Amy Carmichael was a missionary at the turn of the 1900’s who devoted much of her life to rescuing young girls dedicated to a life of prostitution and slavery in Indian Hindu Temples. One day, she took some of her children to see a goldsmith refining gold in the ancient manner of the Orient.

The old goldsmith sat beside a small charcoal fire. On top of the coals, lay a common red curved roof-tile, and another tile over it like a lid. This was his homemade crucible. The man had a mixture of salt, tamarind fruit, and burnt brick dust which he called his “medicine” for purifying of the gold. He dropped a lump of ore into the blistering mixture and let the fire “eat” it. After a while, the man lifted the gold out with a pair of tongs, let it cool, and studied it.

Then he replaced the gold in the crucible and blew the fire hotter than it was before. This process went on and on, the fire growing hotter and hotter. “The gold could not bear it so hot at first,” explained the goldsmith. “But it can bear it now. What would have destroyed it, has helped it.”

As the children watched with amazement as the gold was purified in the fire. One of the girls asked the man, “How do you know when the gold is purified?”

The old man answered, “When I can see my face in it [the liquid gold in the crucible], then it is purified.”

Job 23:10 says that our trials can turn to gold. God often times allows us to feel the fire of the furnace in our lives. The purpose … refinement. Refinement of our souls, refinement of our character. God allows the impurities of our life, our sin, or the sin of another against us, to be consumed by a holy fire. Trials often come and threaten to take us away with them, but God urges us to “press on for the goal that lies ahead.” (Phil 4:13). The goal again is refinement. Our loving God refuses to leave us as He found us. His work is deep and often hurts, but the end product is gold. It is in that gold that God’s character is truly reflected in us.

Amy Carmichael spent her adult life as a missionary in India. She wrote about her practical accounts of her work for children in books of spiritual guidance and poetry, born of a life steeped in prayer and the scriptures, and influenced by her wide-ranging reading of past Christian writers. Amy’s refinement allowed her to minister to the broken and lost in a country where her faith was not welcomed, except for those courageous enough to reach their hands out for God amidst the fire.

TRIALS CAUSE US TO DOUBT GOD'S FAITHFULNESS  

"Trials should not surprise us, or cause us to doubt God's faithfulness. Rather, we should actually be glad for them. God sends trials to strengthen our trust in him so that our faith will not fail. Our trials keep us trusting; they burn away our self confidence and drive us to."   

- Edmund Clowney (1917–2005) Theologian, Educator, and Pastor

HE WILL YET DELIVER US  

"For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us."  

- 2 Corinthians 1:8-10

FAILED BENEATH THE BITTERNESS OF THEIR TRIAL  

"Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life.  Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend."  

- Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) English Baptist Preacher 

REMAIN STEADFAST UNDER TRIALS  

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."  

- James 1:12

TRIALS MAY COME IN ABUNDANCE 

"In the secret of God's tabernacle no enemy can find us, and no troubles can reach us. The pride of man and the strife of tongues find no entrance into the pavilion of God. The secret of his presence is a more secure refuge than a thousand Gibraltars. I do not mean that no trials come. They may come in abundance, but they cannot penetrate into the sanctuary of the soul, and we may dwell in perfect peace even in the midst of life fiercest storms." 

- Hannah Whitall Smith (1832-1911) American Evangelist and Reformer   

DISTRESSED BY VARIOUS TRIALS  

"In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials."  

- 1 Peter 1:6-7

WHEN YOU FALL INTO ALL SORTS OF TRIALS    

"My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything."    

- James 1:2-4

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"Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." - Luke 12:27

FLOWERS SAY MORE TO US ABOUT GOD  

"Humbly serving all with their beauty, flowers say more to us about God than anything else. Each one brings a message that the Heavenly Father is right here."  

- Isaac Watts (1674-1728) English Congregational Minister 

THE SWEETEST SCENTS  

"The sweetest scents are only obtained by tremendous pressure; the fairest flowers grow amid Alpine show-solitudes; the fairest gems have suffered longest from the lapidary's wheel; the noblest statues have borne most blows of the chisel. All, however, are under law. Nothing happens that has not been appointed with consummate care and foresight."  

- F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) Baptist Pastor and Evangelist  

EVERY SAINT IN HEAVEN IS A FLOWER   

"Every saint in heaven is as a flower in the garden of God, and holy love is the fragrance and sweet odor that they all send forth, and with which they fill the bowers of that paradise above. Every soul there is as a note in some concert of delightful music, that sweetly harmonizes with every other note, and all together blend in the most rapturous strains in praising God and the Lamb forever."  

- Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) American Revivalist

MAN'S DAYS ARE LIKE THE GRASS  

"As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth."  

- Psalm 103:15

CHRISTIANS ARE LIKE THE SEVERAL FLOWERS 

 "Christians are like the several flowers in a garden that have each of them the dew of heaven, which, being shaken with the wind, they let fall at each other's roots, whereby they are jointly nourished, and become nourishers of each other."  

- John Bunyan (1628-1688) English Minister Writer

LIKE THE SCENT OF A FLOWER  

"A creature revolting against a creator is revolting against the source of his own powers--including even his power to revolt. It is like the scent of a flower trying to destroy the flower."  

- C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) Irish Writer and Scholar 

THE GRASS WITHERS, THE FLOWERS FADE  

"The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass."  

- Isaiah 40:7

GOD WRITES THE GOSPEL IN FLOWERS 

"God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars."  

- Martin Luther (1483-1546) German Priest, Theologian

A FLOWER TO BLOOM UNSEEN  

"As our Father makes many a flower to bloom unseen in the lonely desert, [let us] do all that we can do, as under God's eye, though no other eye ever take note of it."  

- Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) Missionary to China 

MOST FLAGRANT FLOWER OF THE SPIRIT  

"A cheerful spirit is one of the most valuable gifts ever bestowed upon humanity by a kind Creator. It is the sweetest and most fragrant flower of the Spirit, that constantly sends out its beauty and fragrance, and blesses everything within its reach. It will sustain the soul in the darkest and most dreary places of this world. It will hold in check the demons of despair, and stifle the power of discouragement and hopelessness. It is the brightest star that ever cast its radiance over the darkened soul, and one that seldom sets in the gloom of morbid fancies and forboding imaginations."  

- James H.  Aughey (1828-1911) Imprisoned American Minister

CROWNED WITH GARLANDS OF FLOWERS  

"When the Christians, upon these occasions, received martyrdom, they were ornamented, and crowned with garlands of flowers; for which they, in heaven, received eternal crowns of glory."  

- John Foxe (1516/1517-1587), English Historian and Martyrologist

ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS  

"For All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls."  

- 1 Peter 1:24 

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“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:” - Ephesians 4:26

There was a little boy who struggled with a bad temper. After an outburst of anger one day, the boy’s father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he was to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven thirty-seven nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down day by day. Over time, the boy discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally, the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed, and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence and said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar, just like these nails have.”

I once saw a sign that read, “Anger is one letter short of (D)anger.” We all experience being angry in this life. But to be angry with the right person, for the right reason, at the right time, and in the right way, is not easy. The Bible does teach us in Ephesians 4:26 that anger is permitted, but not to let our anger take us to a place of sin. We can be angry at injustice. We can be angry about a loss. We can be angry at man’s inhumanity to man, false teachings, lies, or other perversions. But the key is to be angry and to sin not!

In our humanness, we can be angry and frustrated with the reaping of a choice made many years ago. Shall we let this get the best of us? Our choice is to let it fester inside and blister the heart, or to lay it at the foot of the cross and allow his redemptive power to heal these wounds.

We have the choice to pound nails into the fence of our perceived injustices or to take our anger and frustration to the Lord, who measured the very oceans in the hallow of His hand. (Isaiah 40:12) reads, “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?” Your anger is better served by resigning it to Him than pounding nails into a fence that will only cause scars into you and others.

REMOVE GRIEF AND ANGER FROM YOUR HEART  

"So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting."

- Ecclesiastes 11:10

A HOT-TEMPERED MAN STIRS UP STRIFE 

"A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention."  

- Proverbs 15:18

A BAD TEMPER

“Do not say, “I cannot help having a bad temper.” Friend, you must help it. Pray to God to help you overcome it at once, for either you must kill it, or it will kill you. You cannot carry a bad temper into heaven.” 

– Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) English Baptist Preacher 

A QUICK-TEMPERED PERSON  

“A quick-tempered person does foolish things, and the one who devises evil schemes is hated.” 

- Proverbs 14:17

WHEN YOU SPEAK WITH ANGER

"No matter how just your words may be, you ruin everything when you speak with anger."

. John Chrysostom (398–404) Archbishop of Constantinople 

A HARSH WORD STIRS UP ANGER

"A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger."

- Proverbs 15:1

THE DAY OF ANGER OF THE LORD   

"Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD."  

- Zephaniah 2:3

SLOW TO ANGER AND ABOUNDING IN COMPASSION  

"Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity."  

- Joel 2:13

THE LORD IS SLOW TO ANGER    

“The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.”   

- Nahum 1:3 

COMPASSIONATE AND GRACIOUS GOD IS SLOW TO ANGER 

“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”  

- Exodus 34:6-7

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"Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." - James 5:20

REPENT THEREFORE AND BE CONVERTED

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord" 

- Acts 3:19-21

CONVERSION IS A COMPLETE SURRENDER  

"Conversion is a complete surrender to Jesus. It's a willingness to do what he wants you to do."  

- Billy Sunday (1862-1935) American Evangelist and National League Baseball Player

REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

- Acts 2:38

REJOICING OVER ONE SINNER THAT REPENTS 

"I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."  

- Luke 15:7

THE CONVERSION OF ST. AUGUSTINE  

"I was weeping in the most bitter contrition of my heart, when I heard the voice of children from a neighboring house chanting, "take up and read; take up and read." I could not remember ever having heard the like, so checking the torrent of my tears, I arose, interpreting it to be no other than a command from God to open the book and read the first chapter I should find. Eagerly then I returned to the place where I had laid the volume of the apostle. I seized, opened, and in silence read that section on which my eyes first fell: "Not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and lewdness, not is strife and envy; but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." No further would I read, nor did I need to. For instantly at the end of this sentence, it seemed as if a light of serenity infused into my heart and all the darkness of doubt vanished away."  

-  St. Augustine (354-430) Theologian and Philosopher

I CANNOT BELEIVE THEY ARE CONVERTS  

"Mere are so many stony ground hearers, who receive the Word with joy that I have determined to suspend my judgment till I know the tree by its fruits. I cannot believe they are converts till I see fruit brought back; it will never do a sincere soul any harm."  

- George Whitefield (1714-1770) Church of England Evangelist

THAT YOUR SINS MAY BE WIPED OUT  

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."  

- Acts 3:19

I GAVE IN, AND ADMITTED THAT GOD WAS GOD   

"I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England."  

- C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) Irish Writer and Scholar

NO ONE WILL BE CONVERTED BY YOU OWN POWER   

"You will win as many souls as God gives you, but no one will be converted by your own power."  

- Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) English Baptist Preacher 

IF MERCIES DO NOT CONVERT YOU  

“I tell you, brethren, if mercies and if judgments do not convert you, God has no other arrows in His quiver.”  

- Robert Murray McCheyne (1813-1843) Church of Scotland Minister

HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED THE NEW BIRTH?  

"Have you ever experienced the new birth? If not, dying in your present state--to hell you must go."  

- William Tiptaft (1803-1864) Church of England Cleric

WHEN WE ARE BORN AGAIN   

"When we are born again, a new life - the life of God - is put into us by the Holy Spirit. But the old self-life, which is called in Scripture the flesh, is not taken away. The two may coexist in the same heart. "The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh."  

- F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) Baptist Pastor and Evangelist  

NOT WANTING ANYONE SHOULD PERISH 

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."  

- 2 Peter 3:9

RETURN TO ME DECLARES THE LORD ALMIGHTY  

"Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.  

- Zechariah 1:3

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"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." - John 14:27

PERFECT FAITH

"A perfect faith would lift us absolutely above fear."

- George MacDonald (1824-1905) Scottish Christian Minister, Author

AFRAID TO TELL EVEN HIMSELF

"There are things which a man is afraid to tell even to himself, and every decent man has a number of such things stored away in his mind."

- Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) Russian Novelist, Imprisoned Devout Orthodox

JESUS DRIVES AWAY FEAR

"How sweet the name of Jesus sounds, In a believer’s ear! It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear." 

- John Newton (1724-1807) Slave Trader Turned Preacher

IT'S GOOD TO REMIND OURSELVES

"It is good to remind ourselves that the will of God comes from the heart of God and that we need not be afraid."

- Warren Wiersbe (1929-2019) American Christian Clergyman

LET US FACE OUR FEARS HONESTLY

A lady once came to D. L. Moody and said, "I've found a verse to help me conquer my fear--Psalm 56:3. "Moody replied, "I'll give you a better verse--Isaiah 12:2." Psalm 56:3 tells us that when we're afraid, we'll trust." 

BE NOT AFRAID!

“Whatever troubles come to you, of mind, body, or estate, from within or from without, from chance or from intent, from friends or foes - whatever your trouble be, though you be lonely, O children of a heavenly Father, be not afraid!” 

– J. H. Newman (1801-1890) English Theologian

DO NOT BE AFRAID

“Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

- Joshua 1:9

NEITHER LET THEM BE AFRAID

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

- John 14:27

WHEN YOU LIE DOWN

“When you lie down, you will not be afraid, when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.” 

- Proverbs 3:24

TAKE COURAGE, IT IS I

"But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

- Mark 6:49-50

TRUST AND NOT BE AFRAID

"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation."

- Isaiah 12:2

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"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." - James 1:19

WHEN WE LISTEN

"When we listen to the Spirit, we hear a deeper sound, a different beat. ...Living a spiritually mature life requires listening to God's voice within and among us."

- Henri J. M. Nouwen (1932-1996) Dutch Catholic Priest, and Theologian

HUMBLE ENOUGH TO LISTEN

"To assume you have it all figured out is a warning signal that you aren't humble enough to listen to God and to others. If you refuse to chisel away at arrogant attitudes, trouble lies ahead. You know very little if you claim to have all the answers."

- Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471) Christian Theologian

TURN YOUR EAR TO MY WORDS

"My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart."

- Proverbs 4:20-22 

LOVE OF GOD BEGINS WITH LISTENING TO GOD'S WORD

"The first service one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as love of God begins in listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them. It is God’s love for us that He not only gives us His Word but lends us His ear. So it is His work that we do for our brother when we learn to listen to him."

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1900-1940) German Christian Executed by Nazis

IF ANYONE HEARS MY VOICE AND OPENS THE DOOR

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."

- Revelation 3:20

WHEN NO ONE THERE

"When church is over and there's no one there to listen except the only One who matters, do you still have that same passionate joy in your spirit, just to be alone with the Living God?"

- Keith Green (1953-1982) American Christian Singer, Songwriter

DO NOT MERELY LISTEN TO THE WORD

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

- James 1:22

MAN MUST BE LISTENING

"Where God and man are in relationship, this must be the ideal. God must be the communicator, and man must be in the listening, obeying attitude. If men and women are not willing to assume this listening attitude, there will be no meeting with God in living, personal experience."

- A. W. Tozer (1897-1963) American Pastor and Missionary

WE NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL

"We need to be very careful to go to the pages of the Scripture to learn about God's will and the leading of the Spirit, and not simply to listen to the popular teachings of the Christian subculture in which we live."

- R. C. Sproul (1939-2017) American Reformed Theologian

IF YOU DO NOT LISTEN

“If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name, says the Lord Almighty, I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.”

- Malachi 2:2

LISTEN TO THE WORDS OF GOD

"Quit playing, start praying. Quit feasting, start fasting. Talk less with men, talk more with God. Listen less to men, listen to the words of God. Skip travel, start travail."

- Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994) English Christian evangelist

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"Precious in the Sight of the Lord is the Death of His Saints." - Psalm 116:15

This passage should give comfort to every Christian that is facing death or who has recently lost a loved one. The Lord considers it "precious" in His sight the death of His people.  The word "precious" means "precious, highly valued, and is used in the in describing precious stones or jewels."

The death of the saints is precious in God's eyes for it brings the saints immediately into His presence; for to be absent out of the body, is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). 

This passage is a reference to the watchful care of God during the deaths of His people and God comforts them in their deaths. 

LAST WORDS OF DYING CHRISTIANS

“Weep not for me, but for yourselves. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, through the mediation of His blessed Son, receives me, though a sinner. We shall meet to sing the new song and remain everlastingly happy.”

-  John Bunyan 1628-1688 English Christian Writer

I AM GOING INTO ETERNITY

“I am going into eternity; and it is sweet to me to think of; the endlessness of it makes it sweet. But oh! What shall I say of the future of the wicked! The thought is too dreadful!”

-  David Brainerd 1718-1747 Missionary American Indians

I GO WITH GLADNESS

  
“I go with the gladness of a boy bounding away from school. I feel so strong in Christ.”

- Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) American Missionary

DO NOT BE CONCERNED ABOUT DYING

"The waters are rising, but so am I. I am not going under, but over. Do not be concerned about dying; go on living well, the dying will be right.”

- Catherine Booth (1829-1890) Co-Founder of the Salvation Army

A LIFE SPENT IN THE SERVICE OF GOD

"You have been used to take notice of the sayings of dying men. This is mine: that a life spent in the service of God, and communion with Him, is the most comfortable and pleasant life that anyone can live in this world."

- Mathew Henry (1662-1714) Nonconformist Minister

IF THIS IS DYING

“If this is dying, it is the pleasantest thing imaginable.”

-  Lady Glenorchy (1741-1786) Missionary Scotland 

THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST

“The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. That is the verse on which I am now dying. One wants no more.”

-  Brownlow North (1741–1820) Church of England.

WHAT I WAS IN THIS LIFE

"What I was as an artist seemed to be of some importance while I lived; but what I really was as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only thing of importance to me now.”
 

-  John Bacon (1740–1799) Sculptor.

SEE IN WHAT PEACE

"See in what peace a Christian can die."

- Joseph Addison 1672-1719) English essayist, Politician.
 

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"Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup." - 1 Corinthians 11:28

LET US TEST AND EXAMINE OUR WAYS    

"Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD!"  

- Lamentations 3:40

EXAMINE YOURSELVES, WHETHER  

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?"  

- 2 Corinthians 13:5

YOU EXAMINE HIM EVERY MORNING

"What is man that You magnify him, and that You are concerned about him, That You examine him every morning And try him every moment?"

- Job 7:17-18 “

IN SELF-EXAMINATION  

"In self-examination, take no account of yourself by your thoughts and resolutions in the days of religion and solemnity, but examine how it is with you in the days of ordinary conversation and in the circumstances of secular employment."  

- Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667) Church of England Cleric

JUDGING AND EXAMINING HIMSELF 

"In judging of others, a man laboreth in vain, often erreth and easily sinneth; but in judging and examining himself, he always laboreth fruitfully."  

- Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) German Christian Theologian

EXAMINING TRUTH  

"Some persons believe everything that their kindred, their parents, and their tutors believe. The veneration and the love which they have for their ancestors incline them to swallow down all their opinions at once, without examining what truth or falsehood there is in them. Men take their principles by inheritance, and defend them as they would their estates, because they are born heirs to them."  

- Isaac Watts (1674-1728) English Congregational Minister  

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