Without the Spirit man is so infirm that he cannot, with all other means whatsoever, be enabled to think one right saving thought of God, of Christ, or of his blessed things.
John BunyanRead
Man indeed is the most noble, by creation, of all the creatures in the visible World; but by sin he has made himself the most ignoble.
Interpretation
Humans have the potential for greatness but can tarnish that potential through their actions.
This quote from John Bunyan reflects on the duality of human nature, suggesting that while humanity is created with noble qualities, individual choices, particularly sinful ones, can lead to a degradation of that nobility. It underscores the importance of moral responsibility and the impact of one's actions on their inherent value.
In practice
During a motivational speech about ethics and integrity in leadership.
Without the Spirit man is so infirm that he cannot, with all other means whatsoever, be enabled to think one right saving thought of God, of Christ, or of his blessed things.
I saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor my bad frame that made my righteousness worse; for my righteousness was Jesus Christ himself, the same yesterday and today and forever.
For to speak the truth, there are but few that care thus to spend their time, but choose rather to be speaking of things to no profit.
I saw a man clothed with rags . . . a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back.
Look how fears have presented themselves, so have supports and encouragements; yea, when I have started, even as it were at nothing else but my shadow, yet God, as being very tender of me, hath suffered me to be molested, but would with one Scripture or another, strengthen me against all; insomuch that I have often said, Were it awful, I could pray for greater trouble, for the greater comfort's sake.
There can be but one will the master in our salvation, but that shall never be the will of man, but of God; therefore man must be saved by grace.
Obscurity and a competence—that is the life that is best worth living.
I have suffered the atrocity of sunsets.
'Melancholy' is prettier than 'depression'; it connotes a kind of nocturnal grace. Makes one feel more innocently beleaguered.
Bear with the faults of others as you would have them bear with yours.
Men are the only animals that devote themselves, day in and day out, to making one another unhappy. It is an art like any other. Its virtuosi are called altruists.
I kept imagining these people, just living their daily lives, and then having them suddenly ended in unjust tragedy. When we watch the news, we grieve all of this, but when we go to the movies, we want more of it. Somehow we realize that great stories are told in conflict, but we are unwilling to embrace the potential greatness of the story we are actually in. We think God is unjust, rather than a master storyteller.
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