It is most highly delightful to receive him, and give up ourselves to him as our full suitable good, so exactly answering all the exigencies of our distressed case ; when sensibly apprehending the true state of it, the soul cries out, ” None but Christ”, and finds him present, waiting only for consent, readily offering himself,” Here I am, take me, thy Jesus, thy help, thy life” How overcomingly pleasant is this to a soul that feels its distress, and perceives itself ready to perish ; yea and that daily sees itself perishing, were it not for him.
John Howe quote taken from “Of Delighting in God,” Chapter II
The word exigencies means an urgent need or demand.
(Click on John’s name above to learn a bit about him. There are advertisements at the link that benefit me in no way. – CR)
The whole works of the Rev. John Howe Volume II pdf (550 pages)
Wings of the Wind 
Thanks, Chris, for the good passage from John Howe. It is a delight beyond words to have Jesus as Savior, Shepherd, and Mediator.
You’re welcome, Tom, and thank you for your reply. “Beyond words” is a wonderful way to describe our relationship with a holy and merciful God who is as you have noted, our Savior, Shepherd, and Mediator.
True it is most joyful to give ourself to Him and serving Him!
Amen, Pastor Jim. I appreciate your comment. I know you are a very busy person and I’m glad you stopped by! 🙂
God bless you Chris
Thank you, Pastor Jim. May God continue to bless your ministry!
You are welcome
I love this quote! Thank you! A friend of mine is a descendent of John Howland, who came over on the Mayflower. I’m wondering if you have any quotes from him?
You’re welcome, Katie, and thank you for your comment and question. I did a bit of research and found out that Mr. Howland left no known personal writings or personal quotes of note.
You probably already know this but he was an indentured servant to Governor Carver and is best known for surviving a mid-Atlantic fall overboard and for signing the Mayflower compact. Over time he held several important positions in the Plymouth colony and he was an executive assistant and personal secretary to Governor John Carver. In 1621, after Carver’s death, Howland became a freeman. The best I could do on the dates he was born and went to heaven are 1599 – February 23, 1673. There was only one other male Mayflower passenger who outlived him.
There is a quote by William Bradford about John’s survival at sea:
“[A] strapping young man (called John Howland) was, with a lurch of the ship thrown into the sea; but it pleased God that he caught hold of the ropes which hung overboard. He held his hold (though he was many feet under water) till he was hauled up…”
Here are some words from his will:
(1672): “I Doe freely and absolutly give and bequeath it all to my Deare and loveing wife Elizabeth howland whom I Doe by these prsents, make ordaine and Constitute to be the sole exequitrix of this my Last will and Testament…”
As far as I can tell he was a valuable member of both the church and community alike.
Your friend probably already knows this but it is possible that she is a descendent of one or more of the people listed at the bottom of John’s Wiki entry. To see the list go here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Howland
and scroll to the bottom. Wiki isn’t always accurate but there is other information at the link that is also interesting.
I’m sure your friend knows this and much more but I enjoyed reading a few things about his life. Thanks for sharing!
Wow Chris–Thank you so much for doing all this research on John Howland. I’m so grateful. I did, (and she also), know a bit of what you shared, but the last will and testament quote is wonderful. I am going to pass this information onto my friend. She will love it too! 🙂 Thank you again, and God bless you for your efforts!
You’re welcome, Katie. I’ve always loved history and got to teach U.S. and World History as part of my career. Now, I’m enjoying reading through some of the work of the puritans around the time that the Mayflower compact was signed and finding interesting quotes (You can probably see that by so many of my recent posts. 🙂 ) Many of the puritan “devines” ( a word used to refer to theologians or ministers within the Puritan movement) knew their Bibles very well.
I’m glad you liked this. I didn’t really have to spend much time on it and I enjoyed it. I’m sure there is someone out there who could tell you much more about John Howland but I’m glad this helped.
We have visited Plimoth Plantation and the Maylower out in Plymouth, many times—and have gone to the John Howland house in Plymouth. It is really quite the adventure of learning. Have you had the pleaure of these adventures?
No, I haven’t had the pleasure of having that experience. The closest I’ve been to Plymouth is Washington, D.C. even though I would love to see Plymouth someday.
I remembered reading about a home having something to do with the Howlands while researching about John. Evidently it was one of the last buildings of the colony still standing so I looked it up and found these two videos:
Now, if I never get to see it in person, at least I have done the second best thing!
Thank you for asking, Katie. I’m off for a nap but will watch the remainder of the second video when I’m awake.
God’s blessings…
Thank you again Chris–for these resoureces!! 🙂
You’re welcome!! 🙂
What’s striking here is the patience of the quote itself—it doesn’t rush the soul, it waits for consent. Your brief framing lets that stillness do the work, and the comments show how history and devotion can quietly serve one another.
Thank you for your comment, Livora Gracely. I found it a striking quote as well and for the same reasons. It is thoughtfully and deliberately stated, something many of the puritans did so well back during that time.