“God is no hard master. He will not, like Pharaoh, require you to make bricks without straw. He will make sure that the path He requires us to walk is never an impossible road. He never gave commands to man which He would not give man the power to perform” (J. C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 54).

“The world is only too ready to wink at youthful sins. The world appears to think it is a matter of course that young men must “sow their wild oats.” The world seems to take it for granted that young people must be irreligious, and that it is not possible for them to follow Christ. Young men, I ask you this simple question–Where will you find anything of this in the Word of God? Where is the chapter or verse in the Bible which will support this talking and reasoning of the world? (J. C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 52-53).

“Look not too long in the face of the fire, O man! Never dream with thy hand on the helm! Turn not thy back to the compass; accept the first hint of the hitching tiller; believe not the artificial fire, when its redness makes all things look ghastly. To-morrow, in the natural sun, the skies will be bright; those who glared like devils in the forking flames, the morn will show in far other, at least gentler, relief; the glorious, golden, glad sun, the only true lamp–all others but liars! (Herman Melville, Moby Dick, 420).

“Think for a moment why you were born into the world. . . . You were placed here to train for eternity” (J. C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 50-51).

“Young men, I set before you Jesus Christ this day, as the treasury of your souls; and I invite you to begin by going to Him. Let this be your first step — go to Christ” (J. C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 48).

“If you don’t know who you are, becoming an entrepreneur is an expensive way to find out.”
                                                                                                           –Sam Wyly

“To live in Christ, to draw all from Christ, to do all in the strength of Christ, to be ever looking to Christ; this is the true secret of spiritual prosperity. “I can do all things,” says Paul, “through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13)” (J. C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 48).

“The purpose of Scripture is not merely to give us an authoritative list of things we must believe but also to exhort us, command us, inspire our imaginations, put songs in our hearts, question us, sanctify us, and so on” (John Frame, The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God, 78).

“The Bible is language. It describes itself. Not only is it preinterpreted by God (as all facts are), but it also interprets and describes its own facts. And Scripture’s self-interpretations and self-descriptions are infallible and normative; in the most important sense, they cannot be improved upon” (John Frame, The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God, 78).

Rev. Lane Keister’s recent musings on exercising discernment regarding one’s devotional reading.

We do not want Faulkner [“stream of consciousness”] theology. . . . So read books that will make you stretch. Read books where you will not automatically understand everything that is said, but where you have to grow in order to understand. Read books where you might need a dictionary of theology terms handy. Read Calvin’s Institutes, Berkhof’s Systematic Theology, Shedd’s Dogmatic Theology, and get what you can out of it, which is a lot more than you might think. Then ask questions so that you will grow. If you are not growing, then your students won’t grow either. So work through that tough bit of theology with a pipe between your teeth and a pencil in your hand! You might find your heart singing the praises of God more often than you might think.

All that to say, I haven’t read either Berkhof’s ST or Shedd’s DT. Yikes!