Inspirational Quotes by Ralph Erskine
“I suppose many do not understand themselves, when they say they want assurance; for what better assurance would you have than the word of God? If you have his word, and take his word, you need no better assurance.”
topics: Assurance
“And though the assurance of sense be the sweetest, yet the assurance of faith is the surest assurance; for what you get in hand from God you may soon lose the benefit and comfort of it; but what you have upon bond in the promise, is still secure.”
topics: Assurance
“Faith, without trouble or fighting, is a suspicious faith; for true faith is a fighting, wrestling faith.”
topics: Faith
“Faith in a hearer relates to faithfulness in a speaker, and credits the word spoken.”
topics: Faith
“Faith acts upon Christ for justification, as he is a Jesus, or by receiving him as a Jesus; faith acts upon Christ for sanctification, as he is a Lord, or by receiving him as Lord.”
“His purpose of grace in saving some does not say that he is willing to destroy any; it only says that, as he is not willing that any should perish, so he is resolved that all shall not get leave to destroy themselves; as all would do, if he did not catch hold of some, and pluck them as brands out of the burning fire, and his doing so says that none are destroyed by him, unless they destroy themselves.”
topics: Grace
“The hypocrite's joy destroys his sorrow; his faith and false confidence destroys and excludes his repentance; his fear destroys his love; and his pretended love to God destroys his fear of him.”
topics: Hypocrisy
“God's justice indeed must be satisfied; and there is no way in the world to give satisfaction to God, but by believing in Christ.”
topics: Justice
“If you look at God with the eye of the lawyer, the least sin makes you ineligible for mercy; but if you look at him in Christ, or with an evangelical eye, the greatest sinner may receive mercy; yes, the sense of unworthiness makes a man the more receptive.”
topics: Mercy
“Our disobedience is the disobedience of man; but Christ's obedience is the obedience of God: therefore, our believing in Christ doth please God better than if we had continued in innocency, and never sinned.”
topics: Obedience
“It is a proud spirit, that will not let grace be exalted, but puts self, in the throne of Christ, and his righteousness. It is a filthy and abominable spirit, and pollutes the man more and more: and God abhors it, as that which contradicts his most glorious plot.”
topics: Pride
“Legal obedience hath the evil of blasphemy in it. It reproaches the righteousness of Christ, as if it were not sufficient, as if his atonement were not perfect, as if his satisfaction were not full, as if his obedience were not perfect, unless it be patched up with the rags of man's own righteousness.”
topics: Self-righteousness
“It is a great sin to think any sin little; but it is a greater sin to think the righteousness of Christ is not above all sin.”
topics: Sin
“The least sin is unpardonable without this obedience and righteousness of Christ; and the greatest is pardonable by it.”
“It is possible for you to do all things through Christ strengthening you, even to overleap the highest walls, to break bows of steel in pieces, and wade through the deepest fords in your way.”
topics: Strength
“The law breaks the hard heart, but the gospel melts it. A stone duly broken, may be still a hard stone; but the gospel melts.”
topics: The Gospel
“If your former refusals of Christ have not yet been malicious and deceitful, but rather temerarious and inadvertent, which though a grievous sin, yet not unpardonable: and now, since Christ does not yet exclude you from the gospel offer, why will you exclude yourselves?”
topics: The Gospel
“Here is a cord of love let down, and the upper end of it is fastened to Christ's heart, and the lower end of it hanging down the length of your hearts. And, O! shall not Christ's heart and yours be knit together this day. Here is a cord to bind His heart to your heart, and your heart to His heart.”
topics: The Heart
“With legal spade the gospel field he delves, Who thus drives sinners in unto themselves; Halving the truth that should be all reveal'd, The sweetest part of Christ is oft conceal'd, We bid men turn from sin, but seldom say, Behold the Lamb that takes all sin away! Christ, by the gospel rightly understood, Not only treats a peace, but makes it good. Those suitors therefore of the bride, who hope, By force to drag her with the legal rope, Nor use the drawing cord of conqu'ring grace, Pursue with flaming zeal a fruitless chase; In vain lame doings urge, with solemn awe, To bribe the fury of the fiery law: With equal success to the fool that aims By paper walls to bound devouring flames.”
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Ralph Erskine was the brother of another prominent churchman, Ebenezer Erskine. After studying at the University of Edinburgh, Ralph was ordained assistant minister at Dunfermline in 1711. He ratified the protests which his brother laid on the table of the assembly after being rebuked for his synod sermon, but he did not formally withdraw from the establishment till 1737.
He was also present at, though not a member of, the first meeting of the "associate presbytery". When the severance took place over the oath administered to burgesses, he adhered, along with his brother, to the burgher section.
His works consist of sermons, poetical paraphrases and gospel sonnets. The Gospel Sonnets have frequently appeared separately. His Life and Diary, edited by the Rev. D Fraser, was published in 1842.