A Puritan at Heart

Calvinism say the papists, make men melancholy.You who fear you shall be abridged of your joys and delights in the world, consider that the duties of religion will not extirpate and nullify your joys, but only regulate them; not remove but raise your delights. Religion is not a mattock to dig up your joys by the roots but a pruning hook to pare and cut off your branches."As the Apostle says: "Believing, ye rejoice, with joy unspeakable and full of glory. It is not spoken of the joy which shall be in Heaven but of the joy which believers have in this world. Love to Jesus Christ fills the souls with joy and glory in this life. You may tell the dimensions of an outward joy, but the joy of a believer is joy unspeakable. [Christopher Love From his sermons on the flesh and the Spirit]

"I am made this day a spectacle unto God, angels and men; and among men I am made a grief to the godly, a laughing stock to the wicked, and a gazing stock to all, yet, blessed be my God, not a terror to myself. Although there is but little between me and death, yet this bears up my heart; there is but little between me and Heaven. There is a lesser way between me and my Father's house, but two steps between me and glory. It is but lying down upon the block, and I shall ascend upon the throne. I am this day sailing towards the ocean of eternity, through a rough passage to my haven of rest, through a Red Sea to the promised land. I think hear God say to me as He did to Moses, "God up to Mount Nebo, and die there." Beloved I am this day making a double exchange. I am changing a pulpit for a scaffold and a scaffold for a throne; and I might add a third; I am changing this numerous multitude on Tower Hill, for the innumerable company of saints and angels in Heaven, the holy hill for Zion; I am changing a guard of soldiers for a guard of angels which will receive and carry me into Abraham’s bosom. This scaffold is the best pulpit that ever I preached in. In my church pulpit, God through His grace, made me an instrument to bring others to heaven, but in this pulpit He will bring me to Heaven." Excerpts from the speech of Christopher Love upon the scaffold immediately before martyrdom

Though you cannot perform duty without infirmity, yet you do perform duty without known hypocrisy. Though you offend in the manner of performance, yet you would not be false in the end principle of doing. The sincerity of your heart herein maybe your comfort, and from such, though the spirit may withdraw for a while yet it will not be long before He returns again. To humble you, He may for awhile withdraw in anger, yet He will return again. 'In a little moment have I hid my face and forsaken thee, but I will gather thee with everlasting mercy.' [Christopher Love from Sermon 6 on the Flesh and the Spirit.]

"I am persuaded that, if many men knew distinctly the torments of hell, they would never walk in a way of sin that leads to hell as they do. I persuade myself that if this doctrine of hell were well-studied and better known by the people, they would take more care to avoid hell and vainglory than they do. If men knew that they who live and die unrepenting, who lie burning in their lusts, shall one day burn in fire; if they but knew that they who swallow bowls of wine and drink to excess shall one day drink drafts of brimstone in hell; if men knew that they who grind their teeth through hatred and indignation against the godly here shall one day gnash their teeth in ehll hereafter; if men knew that they who oppress the people of God by persecution and haul them into prison shall one day be dragged into an everlasting prison and hauled by devils into hell; that those who could ot endure the company of saints on earth should be with devils and damned spirits in hell; if men knew this doctrine well, t hey would not be so profane and sinfully wicked as they are nowadays." From the first sermon on hell's Terror–Christopher Love