Fenelon: stubborn sins

Bear with yourself in your involuntary frailties as God bears, wait patiently for His appointed time of complete deliverance, and meanwhile go on quietly and according to your strength in the path before you, without losing time in looking back; sorrowing over [your sins] with humility, but putting them aside to press onwards; not looking upon God as a spy watching to surprise you, or an enemy laying snares for you, but as a Father who loves you. … Such you will find to be the path toward true liberty.

Faith in the storm

"Where is your faith?" (Luke 8:25) Well might He ask that question! Where was the profit of believing, if they could not believe in the time of need? Where was the real value of faith, unless they kept it in active exercise? Where was the benefit of trusting, if they were to trust their Master in the sunshine only, but not in storms?

JC Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospel - Luke vol.1 265

a Kempis 5

When someone in suspense - who had often wavered between fear and hope - on a certain occasion, being oppressed with grief, had prostrated himself in prayer before an altar, he said within himself - "O that I could know that I should perservere to the end!" and immediately he heard a voice reply: "And if you knew it what would you do? Do now what you would do then, and you shall be quite secure"

Chapter 25

a Kempis 4 BR (before Rick)

We ought every day to renew our resolutions, and to kindle our fervour, as though it were the very beginning of our conversion, and to say - "Assist me, O God, in this my good purpose, and in Thy Holy Service, and grant that this day I may begin perfectly, for that which I have hitherto been able to carry out is as nothing"...
....Our success depends upon the strength of our purpose; and if we would make much progress we must use much diligence...
...always let us have something definite after which we are aiming; and let our resolves turn upon those things which we feel most hinder us.

Chapter 19