Archibald Alexander Quotes on Faith, Grace, the Heart and Death
Archibald Alexander taught at Princeton Theological Seminary for almost forty years, and the pastors he trained remembered him most for his counsel on the Christian life. He wasn't a showy writer. His sentences are careful and plain, and the best of them come from long watching of how real people come to Christ, struggle, grow and die.
Every quotation below is copied exactly from his books in TheWay Library, with the book and chapter it comes from. His Thoughts on Religious Experience quotes many older writers at length; those lines aren't his, so they're left out here. For his life story, see who was Archibald Alexander. For a guide to his books, see Archibald Alexander books.
On grace and coming to Christ
Alexander preached a free gospel. No one has to make himself fit before he comes.
The grace of God, through Christ, is perfectly free; that is, he requires no qualification or merit in those who come.
Practical Truths, Sinners Welcome to Come to Jesus Christ
Christ is an able and willing Saviour, who will in no wise cast out any soul that comes to him.
Practical Truths, Sinners Welcome to Come to Jesus Christ
Let it be remembered that this coming to Christ is not a solitary act of the believing soul; it is one which must be continually repeated.
Practical Truths, Sinners Welcome to Come to Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ, apprehended and received by faith, is the only safe sanctuary for a soul pursued by the demands of a broken law.
Practical Truths, The Importance of Salvation
They did not first love him, but he loved them.
Practical Sermons, Christ Our Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption
On faith and justification
He held the Reformation doctrine firmly: Christ's righteousness is the ground, faith is the hand that receives it.
Christ's righteousness is the only meritorious ground; and faith is merely the instrument of reception, or the bond which unites the soul to Christ.
Practical Sermons, The One Thing Needful
As he is at first justified by faith, so he lives by faith, walks by faith, and by faith overcomes all his enemies, and brings forth the fruits of holiness and peace.
Practical Truths, Sinners Welcome to Come to Jesus Christ
The object now presented to the believing soul is Christ, as a Mediator, as exhibited in the word of God; for Christ is no where else to be found but in the word.
Practical Sermons, Receiving Christ by Faith
Whoever cordially, and unreservedly takes God for his God, Christ for his only Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit for his Sanctifier and Comforter, is in covenant with God.
Practical Sermons, The True Israelite
On true and false religion
This was his special subject. He wanted believers to know that real faith always changes the heart.
It is necessary to insist on the fact that that faith which does not produce love and other holy affections is not a genuine faith.
Thoughts on Religious Experience, Erroneous Views of Regeneration; the Correct View
The faith which is the gift of God, and which is wrought in Christians by the Holy Spirit, always works by love.
Practical Sermons, Returning to Our First Love
The soul is not depraved or holy by departments; the disease affects it as a soul, and of course all faculties employed in moral exercises must partake of their moral qualities.
Thoughts on Religious Experience, Erroneous Views of Regeneration; the Correct View
Our love to God must be pure, genuine, unadulterated love.
Practical Sermons, Love to Christ
On sin and the new heart
And not merely one, but all sin must be repented of.
Practical Sermons, Repentance and Forgiveness the Gift of Our Exalted Saviour
Man never changes his own heart from sin to holiness, until the power of God operates to take away the heart of stone.
Practical Sermons, Repentance and Forgiveness the Gift of Our Exalted Saviour
You love not the service and worship of God here, and death will make no reformation in the sinner's heart.
Practical Truths, The Importance of Salvation
On growing in grace
Men may possess unsanctified knowledge and be nothing the better for it, but they cannot grow in grace without increasing in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thoughts on Religious Experience, Growth in Grace
It is by faith that the spiritual life is made to grow; and the doctrine of free grace, without any mixture of human merit, is the only true object of faith.
Thoughts on Religious Experience, Growth in Grace
But again God pours not the rich consolations of his grace into a heart that is not broken.
Thoughts on Religious Experience, The Rich Man and the Poor; the Trials of Believers
Christ never forsakes his followers in the time of their distress; and the Holy Spirit will not leave them comfortless.
Practical Sermons, God's Grace Sufficient
On prayer
In prayer there is not only an outgoing of the soul to God, in acts of faith, love, and confidence, but there is an actual communication from God to the soul.
Practical Truths, Prayer a Privilege
On death and heaven
Alexander gave a large part of Thoughts on Religious Experience to how believers die. He was honest about the fear and full of hope.
The fear of death is not altogether the consequence of sin; the thing is abhorrent to the constitution of man.
Thoughts on Religious Experience, The Deathbed of the Believer
And when death comes let them not be afraid or dismayed; then will be the time to honour God by implicitly and confidently trusting in his promises.
Thoughts on Religious Experience, Preparation for Death; the State of the Soul after Death
There will exist no envy, nor jealousy, nor apathy; every soul will be transparent to every other, and all will see that nothing but pure love exists in every heart.
Practical Truths, Heaven
On the Bible and reason
The professor in him comes out here. He believed careful thought and real faith are friends.
It is therefore a great mistake to suppose that religion forbids or discourages the right use of reason
Evidences of the Authenticity, Inspiration, and Canonical Authority of the Holy Scriptures, The Right Use of Reason in Religion
That faith which is weakened by discussion is mere prejudice, not true faith.
Evidences of the Authenticity, Inspiration, and Canonical Authority of the Holy Scriptures, The Importance of Ascertaining the True Canon of Holy Scripture
The illumination of the Holy Spirit communicates no new truths, but enables the soul spiritually to apprehend truths, already revealed.
Evidences of the Authenticity, Inspiration, and Canonical Authority of the Holy Scriptures, The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament Were Written by the Inspiration of God
We agree, in the general, that the Bible is the Word of God, and an authoritative rule; but the momentous question immediately presents itself, what belongs to the Bible?
The Canon of the Old and New Testaments Ascertained, Introduction: The Importance of Ascertaining the True Canon of Holy Scripture
On the history of Israel
The inspired penmen do not conceal the faults of the servants of God; but, with an impartial and faithful hand, their failings as well as their virtues are exhibited.
A History of the Israelitish Nation, Preface
The only resource of the righteous, in such cases, is the providence of God.
A History of the Israelitish Nation, Part I
On revival
Many pious people among us, are not aware that the ground on which they tread has, as it were, been hallowed by the footsteps of the Almighty. And who knows, but that prayers then offered in faith, remain yet to be answered?
Biographical Sketches of the Log College, Dedication
Read Alexander in full
Most of these lines come from three books. Read Thoughts on Religious Experience for his counsel on the soul, Practical Sermons for his preaching, and Practical Truths for short readings. For the whole Bible story told straight through, read A History of the Israelitish Nation. All eight are on the Archibald Alexander author page.