Augustine Quote (Righteousness)

"Our very righteousness, too, though true in so far as it has respect to the true good, is yet in this life of such a kind that it consists rather in the remission of sins than in the perfecting of virtues" (Augustine City of God Book 19:27).

Augustine Quote (Peace)

"The peace which is peculiar to ourselves we enjoy with God by faith, and shall hereafter enjoy eternally with Him by sight. But the peace which we enjoy is in this life, whether common to all or peculiar to ourselves, is rather the solace of our misery than the positive enjoyment of felicity (Augustine City of God Book 19:27).

Various Distinctions to Help the Troubled Christian in Time of Temptation

There are some fundamental distinctions between the Christian and unbeliever.

(1) A child is never under the ultimate wrath of God.
(2) What may seem as the retaliatory wrath of God to us for our sin is but the loving paternal chastening of a father.
(3) The devil or other people may be the cause of our afflictions and not God--though he may be. Regardless this is within the bounds of God's sovereignty over our lot in life.
(4) The sin of a son is not the same as the sin of one who is not. Though a sin may be the same in name it is not viewed by the Father in the same way.
(5) The believer, far from being self righteous, has the most pure righteousness of all, an imputed righteousness, equivalent in degree to that of Christ's. Indeed because it is his. The unbeliever rests on his own righteousness which is no true righteousness at all.
(6) The devil's temptations are not our sins.
(7) A Christian has never or never will be a hypocrite. A "genuine" hypocrite is an unbeliever.
(8) The worst Christian is better than the best unbeliever.
(9)The dominion of sin is so removed to the point that it is not the new creature at all that sins (Romans 7:17).
(10) All things work to the good of the believer while all things work for the destruction of the unbeliever.
(11) The weakest good work and prayer of a child is accepted by God while the greatest good work and heart felt prayer of the wicked is not.
(12) The unbeliever can do no good. The believer can do no evil(Matthew 7:17).
(13) The unbeliever and believer alike owe a sin debt to both God and man that cannot be payed in and of themselves. The child's debt is forgiven on both accounts. The unbeliever's debt is continually incuring and remains unpaid. The Christian is under grace while the other is under law.
(14) The poorest Christian is richer than the wealthiest unbeliever.

Note: In the future I hope to elaborate on these points.

Richard Sibbs Quote (The bruises of other saints are a comfort to us)

"Such bruising may help weaker Christians not to be too much discourged, when they see stronger ones shaken and bruised. Thus Peter was bruised when he wept bitterly Matt. (26:33). This reed, till he met with this bruise, had more wind in him than pith when he said,'Though all forsake thee I will not.' The people of God cannot be without these examples. The heroic deeds of those great worthies do not comfort the church so much as their falls and bruises do. " Sibbs The Bruised Reed Banner Pg. 5).

Calvin Quote (Authorities)

"But (you will say) rulers owe responsibilities in turn to their subjects. This I have already admitted. But if you conclude from this that service ought to be rendered only to just governors, you are reasoning foolishly. For husbands are also bound to their wives, and parents to their children, by mutual responsibilities. Suppose parents and husbands depart from their duty. Suppose parents show themselves so hard and intractable to their children whom they are forbidden to provoke to anger [Eph. 6:4], that by their rigor they tire them beyond measure. Suppose husbands most despitefully use their wives, whom they are commanded to love [Eph. 5:25] and to spare as weaker vessels [1 Peter 3:7]. Shall either children be less obedient to their parents or wives to their husbands? They are still subject even to those who are wicked and undutiful" (Calvin Institutes Civil Government section 29).

Jeremiah Burroughs Quote (Service)

"The Lord does not so much look at the work that is done, as at the faithfulness of our hearts in doing it" Jeremiah Burroughs The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment Pg. 199 Banner of Truth).

Obadiah Sedgwick Quote

"There are but two sorts of people in the world--good and bad--and both of them choose their lords (Sedgwick The Anatomy of Secret Sins SDG Pg. 167.)