365 Quotations from Welsh Christians

... in our Prayers and Meditations (we must) conceive aright of his Divine Majesty and not according to those gross and blasphemous Imaginations which naturally arise in Men's Brains, as when they conceive God to be like an old man sitting in a chair and the blessed to be like that Tripartite Idol which Papists have painted in their Church windows Lewis Bayly 1575-1631

... if thou art persuaded that God is true, why dost thou doubt of his promises? - and if thou believest that God is beauty and perfection itself, why dost not thou make him alone the chief end of all thine affections and desires? For if thou lovest beauty, he is most fair; if thou desirest riches, he is most wealthy; if thou seekest wisdom, he is most wise. ... Lewis Bayly 1575-1631

Use, therefore, to eat and to drink, rather to sustain and refresh the weakness of nature, than to satisfy the sensuality and delights of the fles h. Eat,therefore, to live, but live not to eat. Lewis Bayly 1575-1631

... seeing that since the curse the use of all creatures ... of meat and drink is to us unclean till the same be sanctified by the word of God and prayer and that man liveth not by bread only but by the word of God's ordinance and his blessing which is called the staff of bread, sit not therefore down to eat before you pray and rise not before you give God thanks ... Lewis Bayly 1575-1631

Trust not either late repentence or long life. Not late repentance because it is much to be feared lest the repentance which the fear of death enforces dies with a man dying and the hypocrite who deceived others in his life may deceive himself in his death. God accepteth none but free will offerings and the repentance that pleaseth him must be voluntary and not of constraint. Not long life, for old age will fall upon the neck of youth and as nothing is more sure than death so nothing is more uncertain than the time of dying. Lewis Bayly 1575-1631

And it is certain that he who makes no conscience to break the Sabbath will not to serve his turn make any conscience to break any of the other commandments so he may do it without discredit of his reputation or dan ger of man's law Therefore God placed this command ment in the midst of the two tables because the keeping of it is the best help to the keeping of all the rest. Lewis Bayly 1575-1631

With one cross God makes two cures - the chastisement of sins past, and the prevention of sin to come. For though the eternal punishment of sin, as it proceeds from justice, is fully pardoned in the sacrifice of Christ, yet we are not, without serious judging ourselves, exempted from the temporal chastisement of sin; for this proceeds only from the love of God, for our good. Lewis Bayly 1575-1631

... if any injury be offered to thee, bear it as a Christian with patience. Never was an innocent man wronged but if he patiently bore his cross he overcame in the end. But if thy good name in the meanwhile is wounded, bear that also with patience for he that at the last day will give thy body a resurrection will as sure in his good time grant a resurrection to thy good name. Lewis Bayly 1575-1631

Consider how God's mercy is renewed unto thee every morning, in giving thee, as it were, a new life, and in causing the sun, after his incessant race, to rise again to give thee light. Let not, then, this glorious light burn in vain; but ... give God thanks and kneeling down at thy bedside, salute him at the day-spring with ... humble confession of thy sins, seeking the pardon of all thy faults, a thanksgiving for all his benefits, and a craving of his gracious protection to his church, thyself, and all that belong to thee. Lewis Bayly 1575-1631

Sin did never any man good and the more sin a man has committed, the more odious he has made himself to God, the more hateful to all godly men. Lewis Bayly 1575-1631