It is the distinguishing glory of Christianity not to rest satisfied with superficial appearances, but to rectify the motives, and purify the heart.
William WilberforceRead
O what a blessing is Sunday, interposed between the waves of worldly business like the divine path of the Israelites through the sea! There is nothing in which I would advise you to be more strictly conscientious than in keeping the Sabbath day holy. I can truly declare that to me the Sabbath has been invaluable.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the importance of setting aside time for rest and spiritual reflection amidst life's busyness.
William Wilberforce emphasizes the Sabbath as a sacred time to disconnect from the demands of everyday life. He compares it to a divine pathway, suggesting that it serves as a spiritual refuge that nurtures the soul and fosters moral integrity. For him, observing this holiest day is essential for maintaining one's conscience and well-being in a world filled with distractions and worldly concerns.
Themes
SabbathRestReflectionSpiritualityBusinessConscience
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon about the importance of rest, one might quote this to encourage observance of the Sabbath.
More from William Wilberforce
All quotes →God Almighty has set before me two great objects: the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners.
William WilberforceRead
The first years in Parliament I did nothing - nothing to any purpose. My own distinction was my darling object.
William WilberforceRead
In an age in which infidelity abounds, do we observe parents carefully instructing their children in the principles of faith which they profess? Or do they furnish their children with arguments for the defense of that faith? ...it is not surprising to see them abandon a position which they are unable to defend.
William WilberforceRead
No one expects to attain to the height of learning, or arts, or power, or wealth, or military glory, without vigorous resolution, strenuous diligence, and steady perseverance. Yet we expect to be Christians without labour, study, or inquiry.
William WilberforceRead
I am disturbed when I see the majority of so-called Christians having such little understanding of the real nature of the faith they profess. Faith is a subject of such importance that we should not ignore it because of the distractions or the hectic pace of our lives.
William WilberforceRead
Similar quotes
Peace of heart that is won by refusing to bear the common yoke of human sympathy is a peace unworthy of a Christian. To seek tranquility by stopping our ears to the cries of human pain is to make ourselves not Christian but a kind of degenerate stoic having no relation either to stoicism or Christianity.
Aiden Wilson TozerRead
You think that just because it's already happened, the past is finished and unchangeable? Oh no, the past is cloaked in multicolored taffeta and every time we look at it we see a different hue.
Milan KunderaRead
It provokes the desire but it takes away the performance. Therefore much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery: it makes him and it mars him; it sets him on and it takes him off.
William ShakespeareRead
One who previously made bad karma, but who reforms and creates good karma, brightens the world like the moon appearing from behind a cloud.
Gautama BuddhaRead
In addition to my other numerous acquaintances, I have one more intimate confidant. ... My depression is the most faithful mistress I have known - no wonder, then, that I return the love.
Soren KierkegaardRead
Nothing is built on stone; all is built on sand, but we must build as if the sand were stone.
Jorge Luis BorgesRead