151 quotes
John Owen Quotes
The sharpest, most searching lines from John Owen, drawn straight from the Puritan Paperbacks. Filter by theme, or browse the whole collection.
“Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”
“He that hath slight thoughts of sin never had great thoughts of God.”
“Indwelling sin always abides whilst we are in this world; therefore it is always to be mortified.”
“Sin will be always acting, if we be not always mortifying, we are lost creatures.”
“Let not that man think he makes any progress in holiness who walks not over the bellies of his lusts.”
“A man may easier see without eyes, speak without a tongue, than truly mortify one sin without the Spirit.”
“To kill sin is the work of living men; where men are dead, sin is alive, and will live.”
“All other ways of mortification are vain, all helps leave us helpless; it must be done by the Spirit.”
“Let no man think to kill sin with few, easy, or gentle strokes.”
“Sin aims always at the utmost; every time it rises up to tempt or entice, might it have its own course, it would go out the utmost sin in that kind.”
“If we do not abide in prayer, we will abide in temptation.”
“Let no man pretend to fear sin that does not fear temptation also!”
“I do not understand how a man can be a true believer unto whom sin is not the greatest burden, sorrow, and trouble.”
“Think of the guilt of sin, that you may be humbled. Think of the power of sin, that you may seek strength against it.”
“The nearer anyone is to heaven, the more earnestly he desires to be there, because Christ is there.”
“God hath work to do in this world; and to desert it because of its difficulties is to cast off His authority.”
“A man preacheth that sermon only well unto others which preacheth itself in his own soul.”
“He who prays as he ought will endeavor to live as he prays.”
“The most tremendous judgment of God in this world is the hardening of the hearts of men.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Not to be daily mortifying sin, is to sin against the goodness, kindness, wisdom, grace, and love of God, who hath furnished us with a principle of doing it.”
“Every unmortified sin will certainly do two things; first, it will weaken the soul, and deprive it of its vigour; secondly, it will darken the soul, and deprive it of its comfort and peace.”
“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.”
“It is the Spirit alone that can mortify sin; He is promised to do it, and all other means without Him are empty and vain.”
“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.”
“Mortification is the soul's vigorous opposition to self, wherein sincerity is most evident.”
“There is not a day but sin foils or is foiled, prevails or is prevailed on; and it will be so whilst we live in this world.”
“He that stands still and suffers his enemies to double blows upon him without resistance, will undoubtedly be conquered in the issue.”
“It is evident that you contend against sin merely because of how it troubles you.”