18th-century Clergy Quotes

George Crabbe

John Newton

Reginald Heber

Richard Harris Barham

Sydney Smith

William Ellery Channing

Charles Simeon

The great object of the Christian is duty; his predominant desire to obey God. When he can please the world consistently with these, he will do so; otherwise it is enough for him that God commands, and enough for them that he cannot disobey.

Gardiner Spring

Blest be the gracious Power, who taught mankind
To stamp a lasting image of the mind!
Beasts may convey, and tuneful birds may sing,
Their mutual feelings, in the opening spring;
But Man alone has skill and power to send
The heart's warm dictates to the distant friend;
'Tis his alone to please, instruct, advise
Ages remote, and nations yet to rise.

Progress, the growth of power, is the end and boon of liberty; and, without this, a people may have the name, but want the substance and spirit of freedom.

William Ellery Channing

The religion of a sinner stands on two pillars; namely, what Christ did for us in the flesh, and what he performs in us by his Spirit. Most errors arise from an attempt to separate these two.

The longer I live, the more I am convinced that the apothecary is of more importance than Seneca; and that half the unhappiness in the world proceeds from little stoppages; from a duct choked up, from food pressing in the wrong place, from a vexed duodenum, or an agitated pylorus.

The flowers of Spring may wither, the hope of Summer fade, The Autumn droop in Winter, the birds forsake the shade; The winds be lull'd—the Sun and Moon forget their old decree, But we in Nature's latest hour, O Lord! will cling to Thee.

All shall work together for good; everything is needful that He sends; nothing can be needful that He withholds.

Tis not her coldness, father, That chills my labouring breast; It's that confounded cucumber I've ate and can't digest.

Richard Harris Barham

Boucher admits that the use of slavery in the British colonies is better regulated than in other countries, but notes that:

"it is surely worse in this, that here, in one sense, it never can end. An African slave, even when made free, supposing him to be possessed even of talents and of virtue, can never, in these colonies, be quite on terms of equality with a free white man."

Jonathan Boucher

The highest exercise of charity is charity towards the uncharitable.

Joseph Stevens Buckminster

I have never thought that the circumstance of God's having forgiven me was any reason why I should forgive myself.

We cannot keep thieves from looking in at our windows, but we need not give them entertainment with open doors.

There is not a single spot between Christianity and atheism, upon which a man can firmly fix his foot.

Nathaniel Emmons

Kitty: Shikspur? Shikspur? Who wrote it? No, I never read Shikspur.
Lady Bab: Then you have an immense pleasure to come.