CHAPTER 27
"God is a light to his people, to show them the way when they are in doubt, to comfort & rejoice their hearts when they are in sorrow."
"In God therefore let us strengthen ourselves."
"All God's children desire to dwell in God's house;"
"Those that truly desire communion with God will set themselves with all diligence to seek after it.  Proverbs 18:1."
"The safety of believers however is not in the walls of the temple, but in the God of the temple & their comfort in communion with him."
"Whatever is the matter of our joy ought to be the matter of our praise;"
"...whenever God lifts us up above our enemies, we ought to exalt him in our praises.  Thanks be to God, who always causeth us to triumph.  II Corinthians 2:14."
"If we pray & believe, God will graciously hear & answer."
"The word does us no good when we transfer it to others, & do not ourselves accept the exhortation."
"A gracious heart readily echoes to the call of a gracious God, being made willing in the day of his power."
"Those that walk by faith in the goodness of the Lord shall in due time walk in the sight of that goodness."
"Wait on the Lord by faith, & prayer, & a humble resignation to his will; wait, I say, on the Lord; whatever you do, grow not remiss in your attendance upon God."
"Those that wait upon the Lord have reason to be of good courage."

CHAPTER 28
"Nothing can be so cutting, so killing, to a gracious soul, as the want of God's favour & the sense of his displeasure."
"Good men dread the way of sinners; the best are sensible of the danger they are in of being drawn aside into it; & therefore we should all pray earnestly to God for his grace to keep us in our integrity."
"God will render to every man who persists in his evil deeds according to them."
"...we must arm ourselves against all temptations to join with the workers of iniquity, & animate ourselves against all the troubles we may be threatened with by the workers of iniquity."
"Those that pray in faith may rejoice in hope."
What we win by prayer we must wear with praise.  Has God heard our supplications?  Let us then bless his name."
"The heart that truly believes shall in due time greatly rejoice; it is joy & peace in believing that we are to expect."
"Those, & those only, whom God feeds & rules, who are willing to be taught, & guided, & governed, by him, shall be saved, & blessed, & lifted up for ever."

CHAPTER 29
"Worship God; it is the sum & substance of the everlasting gospel.  Revelation 14:6, 7."
"In the worship of God we must have an eye to his beauty, & adore him, not only as infinitely awful & therefore to be feared above all, but as infinitely amiable & therefore to be loved & delighted in above all; especially we must have an eye to the beauty of his holiness; this the angels fasten upon in their praises.  Revelation 4:8."
"There is beauty in holiness, & it is that which puts an acceptable beauty upon all the acts of worship."
"Let those that rule over men know there is a God that rules over them, that rules over all."
"Peace is a blessing of inestimable value, which God designs for all his people.  The work of righteousness is peace (great peace have those that love thy law; but much more the crown of righteousness; the end of the righteous is peace; it is endless peace.  When the thunder of God's wrath shall make sinners tremble the saints shall lift up their heads with joy."

CHAPTER 30
"We must solemnly commit ourselves, our families, & all our family affairs, to God's guidance & care, must pray for his presence & blessing, must devote ourselves & all ours to his glory, & must resolve both that we will put away iniquity from our tabernacles & that we & our houses will serve the Lord both in the duties of family worship & in all instances of gospel obedience."
"A life from the dead ought to be spent in extolling the God of our life."
"The return of his favour to an afflicted soul is as life from the dead; nothing can be more reviving.  Our happiness is bound up in God's favour;"
"If God hide his face, a good man is certainly troubled, though no other calamity befal him;"
"Prayer is a salve for every sore;"
"Those that are kept from being silent in the pit must not be silent in the land of the living, but fervent, & constant, & public, in praising God."
"Blessed are those that dwell in God's house; they will be still praising him."
Matthew Henry's Commentary:  Job To Song Of Solomon, Mac Donald, pgs. 330 - 342.

CHAPTER 23
"It is the duty of Christians to encourage themselves in the Lord their God; & we are here directed to take that encouragement both from the relation wherein he stands to us & from the experience we have had of his goodness according to that relation."
"If God be as a shepherd to us, we must be as sheep, inoffensive, meek & quiet, silent before the shearers, nay, & before the butcher too, useful & sociable; we must know the shepherd's voice, & follow him."
"'I shall be supplied with whatever I need: &, if I have not every thing I desire, I may conclude it is either not fit for me or not good for me, or I shall have it in due time."
"We have the supports & comforts of this life from God's good hand, our daily bread from him as our Father."
"Those that feed on God's goodness must follow his direction; he leads them by his providence, by his word, by his Spirit"
"God provides for his people not only food & rest, but refreshment also & pleasure.  The consolations of God, the joys of the Holy Ghost, are these still waters, by which the saints are led, streams which flow from the fountain of living waters & make glad the city of our God."
"Though God may suffer his people to fall into sin, he will not suffer them to lie still in it."
"Many a time we should have fainted unless we had believed; & it was the good shepherd that kept us from fainting."
"...I walk through the valley of the shadow of death"
"...they shall not be lost in this valley, but get safely to the mountain of spices on the other side of it."
"Death is a king of terrors, but not to the sheep of Christ"
"A child of God may meet the messengers of death & receive its summons with a holy security & serenity of mind."
"...death cannot separate us from the love of God, & therefore it can do us no real harm; it kills the body, but cannot touch the soul."
"The gospel is called the rod of Christ's strength (ex. 2), & there is enough in that to comfort the saints when they come to die, & underneath them are the everlasting arms."
"...goodness & mercy, all the streams of mercy flowing from the fountain, pardoning mercy, protecting mercy, sustaining mercy, supplying mercy."
"...it shall follow into all places & all conditions, shall be always ready."
"We must dwell in his house as servants, that desired to have their ears bored to the door-post, to serve him for ever."
"Those that would be satisfied with the fatness of God's house must keep close to the duties of it."

CHAPTER 24
"All the parts & regions of the earth are the Lord's, all under his eye, all in his hand; so that, wherever a child of God goes, he may comfort himself with this, that he does not go off his Father's ground."
"...we should be content with our allotment in this world, & not envy others theirs;"
"The hands lifted up in prayer must be pure hands, no blot of unjust gain cleaving to them, nor any thing else that defiles the man & is offensive to the holy God."
"That is a pure heart which is sincere & without guile in covenanting with God, which is carefully guarded, that the wicked one, the unclean spirit, touch it not, which is purified by faith, & conformed to the image & will of God;"
"Those that have no regard to the obligations of truth or the honour of God's name are unfit for a place in God's holy hill."
"Let the word of the Lord come into the innermost & uppermost place in our souls;"
"It is required that the gates & doors of the heart be opened to him, not only as admission is given to a guest, but as possession is delivered in the rightful owner"
"...it is at our peril if we deny him entrance"

CHAPTER 25
"In worhipping God we must lift up our souls to him.  Prayer is the ascent of the soul to God;"
"With a holy contempt of the world & the things of it, by a fixed thought & active faith, we must set God before us, & let out our desires towards him as the fountain of our happiness."
"Those are best taught who understand their duty, & know the good things they should do.  Ecclesiastes 2:3."
"Christ is both the way & the truth, & therefore we must learn Christ."
"If God save us, he will teach us & lead us."
"When God pardons sin he is said to remember it no more, ...he forgives & forgets."
"It is God's goodness & not ours, his mercy & not our own merit, that must be our plea for the pardon of sin & all the good we stand in need of."
"We may...  depend upon God's promises; for good & upright is the Lord, & therefore he will be as good as his word."
"Faithful is he who hath promised, who also will do it."
"The devil leads men blindfolded to hell, but God enlightens men's eyes, sets things before them in a true light, & so leads them to heaven."
"If we choose wisely, God will give us grace to walk wisely."
"Those that have their eye ever towards God shall not have their feet long in the net."
"Men of the greatest merits would be undone if they had not to do with a God of infinite mercies."
"Integrity & uprightness will be a man's preservation more than the wealth & honour of the world can be."

CHAPTER 26
"It is a comfort to those who are falsely accused that there is a righteous God, who, sooner or later, will clear up their innocency"
"God knows every man's true character, for he knows the thoughts & intents of the heart, & sees through every disguise."
"Those certainly walk well that are followers of God as dear children."
"We must not only in our practice, avoid bad company, but in our principles & affections we must have an aversion to it."
"All God's people will be sure to wait on God's altar, in obedience to his commands & in pursuance of his favour."
"Those who love communion with God, & delight in approaching to him, find it to be a constant pleasure, a comfortable evidence of their integrity, & a comfortable earnest of their endless felicity."
"Those that will not be companions with sinners in their mirth, nor eat of their dainties, may in faith pray not to be companions with them in their misery, nor to drink of their cup, their cup of trembling."
"Those that hate the congregation of evil-doers shall be joined to the congregation of the righteous  & join with them in praising God; & it is pleasant doing that in good company; the more the better; it is the more like heaven."
Matthew Henry's Commentary:  Job To Song Of Solomon, Mac Donald, pgs. 316 - 330.

FOREWORD
Isaiah 28:11-13
"The book of Acts should absolutely be our example."
Acts 5:38-39
"...do not neglect the book of Acts."
"Today, we have precious few preachers teaching & preaching on the Holy Spirit."
"We're living in an age when Satan is doing everything within his power to compromise the gospel & devalue the Holy Spirit."
"Satan understands that the reality of Christ Jesus is much greater as He is revealed by the Holy Spirit & that once baptized in the Holy Spirit, Christians experience a new joy, enhanced praise, peace, liberty, & true happiness."
"'When the altar which has been broken down is repaired, the rain will come.'"
"...the altar has been repaired, & the rain is starting to fall - the rain of the Spirit.  Just like the book of Acts."

CHAPTER 11
"Those that truly fear God & serve him are welcome to put their trust in him, & shall not be made ashamed of their doing so."
"Good people would be undone if they had not a God to go to, a God to trust to, & a future bliss to hope for."
"...God governs the world"
"...this God perfectly knows every man's true character."
"Those who choose the Lord for the portion of their cup shall have what they choose, & be for ever happy in their choice; but those who reject his grace shall be made to drink the cup of his fury.  Jeremiah 25:15; Isaiah 51:17; Habakkuk 2:16."
"We must...  be followers of God, must love righteousness as he does, that we may keep ourselves always in his love."
"...we must encourage & engage ourselves to trust in God at all times, must depend upon him to protect our innocence & make us happy, must dread his frowns as worse than death & desire his favour as better than life."

CHAPTER 12
"When there is a general decay of piety & honesty among men the times are then truly bad (v. 1)."
"Godly men are faithful men..."
"The times are bad indeed when there is no such thing as sincerity to be met with, when an honest man knows not whom to believe nor whom to trust, nor dares put confidence in a friend, in a guide.  Micah 7:5, 6; Jeremiah 9:4, 5."
"When the poor & needy are oppressed, & abused, & puffed at, then the times are very bad."
"When wickedness abounds, & goes barefaced, under the protection & countenance of those in authority, then the times are very bad."
"When the wicked bear rule, the people mourn."
"When godly faithful people cease & fail it is time to cry Help, Lord!"
"...God will, in due time, work deliverance for his oppressed people, & shelter them from the malicious designs of their persecutors (v. 5)."
"There is a time, fixed for the rescue of oppressed innocency; that time will come, & we may be sure it is the fittest time"
"...God will secure his chosen remnant to himself"
"The church is built upon a rock, & so well fortified that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

CHAPTER 13
"The bread of sorrows is sometimes the saint's daily bread.  Our Master himself was a man of sorrows."
"We should never allow ourselves to make any complaints but what are fit to be offered up to God & what drive us to our knees."
"Lord, scatter the cloud of melancholy which darkens my eyes, & let my countenance be made pleasant."
"Nothing is more killing to a soul than the want of God's favour, nothing more reviving than the return of it."
"If we bring our cares & griefs to the throne of grace, & leave them there, we may go away like Hannah, & our countenance will be no more sad.  I Samuel 1:18."
"Though weeping endures long, joy will return."

CHAPTER 14
"Sin is the disease of mankind"
"Atheistical thoughts are very foolish, wicked thoughts, & they are at the bottom of a great deal of the wickedness that is in this world."
"Sin is an abomination to God"
"Whatever good is in any of the children of men, or is done by them, it is not of themselves; it is God's work in them."
"...let us lament the corruption of our own nature, & see what need we have of the grace of God;"
"Those that care not for God's people, for God's poor, care not for God himself, but live in contempt of him."
"The 2nd coming of Christ, finally to extinguish the dominion of sin & Satan, will be the completing of this salvation, which is the hope, & will be the joy, of every Israelite indeed."
Matthew Henry's Commentary:  Job To Song Of Solomon, Mac Donald, pgs. 276 - 285.

CHAPTER 7
"...let the injuries we receive from men, instead of provoking our passions, kindle & excite our devotions."
"It is the glory of God to help the helpless."
"It is a presumptuous dangerous thing for any that are guilty, & suffer justly, to appeal to God, as if they were innocent & suffered wrongly;"
"When corruption is mortified, when every wicked way & thought are forsaken, & the stream which ran violently towards the world & the flesh is driven back & runs towards God & heaven, then the wickedness of the wicked comes to an end."
"Not only, God is my defender, & I shall find him so; but I look for defence & safety in no other; my hope for shelter in a time of danger is placed in God alone; if I have defence, it must be of God."
"While God is preparing his instruments of death, he gives the sinners timely warning of their danger, & space to repent & prevent it."
"...we must sing to the praise of the Lord most high, who, when his enemies deal proudly, shows that he is above them."

CHAPTER 8
"God's glory...  How great, how illustrious, how magnificent is his name in all the earth!"
"Sometimes the power of God brings to pass great things in his church by very weak & unlikely instruments, & confounds the noble, wise & mighty, by the base, & weak, & foolish things of the world, that no flesh may glory in his presence, but the excellency of the power may the more evidently appear to be of God, & not of men.  I Corinthians 1:27, 28."
"...we must especially set ourselves to give glory to our Lord Jesus, by confessing that he is Lord, submitting to him as our Lord, & waiting till we see all things put under him & all his enemies made his footstool."

CHAPTER 9
"God expects suitable returns of praise from those for whom he has done marvellous works."
"Holy joy is the life of thankful praise, as thankful praise is the language of holy joy:  I will be glad & rejoice in thee."
"The triumph of the Redeemer ought to be the triumphs of the redeemed;"
"It is the great support & comfort of good people, when the power of the church's enemies is threatening & the posture of its affairs melancholy & perplexed, that God now rules the world & will shortly judge the world."
"The better God is known the more he is trusted."
"If we trust God we shall seek him by faithful & fervent prayer, & by a constant care to approve ourselves to him in the whole course of our conversation."
"There is a day coming when God will make inquisition for blood, when he will discover what has been shed secretly, & avenge what has been shed unjustly (abortion)"
"We are never brought so low, so near to death, but God can raise us up."
"Forgetfulness of God is the cause of all the wickedness of the wicked."
"It is a very desirable thing, much for the glory of God & the peace & welfare of the universe, that men should know & consider themselves to be but men, depending creatures, mutable, mortal & accountable."

CHAPTER 10
"God's withdrawings are very grievous to his people at any time, but especially in times of trouble."
"The sinner proudly glories in his power & success."
"Wicked people will not seek after God (that is, will not call upon him); they live without prayer, & that is living without God.  They have many thoughts, many projects & devices, but no eye to God in any of them, no submission to his will nor aim at his glory."
"Men will not seek after God because they think they have no need of him, their own hands are sufficient for them;"
"Let those that suffer by proud oppressors hope that God will, in due time, appear for them; for those that are abusive to them are abusive to God Almighty too."
"To whom should the injured subjects appeal but to the sovereign?  Help, my Lord, O King!  Avenge me of my adversary."
"He will put an end to the fury of the persecutors."
"He that protects us is the Lord of heaven..."
"God speaks the word Satan shall by his instruments no more deceive (Rev. 20:3), no more oppress."
Matthew Henry's Commentary:  Job To Song Of Solomon​, Mac Donald, pgs. 261 - 276.

CHAPTER 3
"Perils & frights should drive us to God, not drive us from him."
"Even our sorrow for sin must not hinder either our joy in God or our hope in God."
"True Christian fortitude consists more in a gracious security & serenity of mind, in patiently hearing & patiently waiting, than in daring enterprises with sword in hand."
"...how little fidelity & constancy are to be found among men!"
"An active believer, the more he is beaten off from God, either by the rebukes of Providence or the reproaches of enemies, the faster hold he will take of him & the closer will he cleave to him;"
"God's people can lift up their heads with joy, knowing that all shall work for good to them, they will own it as God that is the lifter up of their head, that gives them both cause to rejoice & hearts to rejoice."
"Care & grief do us good & no hurt when they get us a praying, & engage us, not only to speak to God, but to cry to him, as those that are in earnest."
"...we lie down & sleep, & awake again to the light & comfort of another day; & whence is it, but because the Lord has sustained us with sleep as with food?"
"It is a great mercy when we are in trouble to have our minds stayed upon God"
"When, at any time, the power of the church's enemies seems threatening, it is good to remember how often God has broken it; & we are sure that his arm is not shortened.  He can stop their mouths & tie their hands."
"God's people, though they may lie under the reproaches & censures of men, are surely blessed of him, who blesses indeed, & therefore can command a blessing."

CHAPTER 4
"All the notice God is pleased to take of our prayers, & all the returns he is pleased to make to them, must be ascribed not to our merit, but purely to his mercy"
"When men condemn us unjustly, this is our comfort, It is God that justifies;"
"Those that love the world, & seek the things that are beneath, love vanity, & seek lies;"
"Godly men are God's separated, sealed ones; he knows those that are his, & has set his image & superscription upon them; he distinguishes them with uncommon favours;"
"Always keep up a holy reverence of the glory & majesty of God, & a holy dread of his wrath & curse, & dare not to provoke him."
"Honour him, by trusting in him only, & not in your wealth nor in an arm of flesh; trust in his providence, & lean not to your own understanding; trust in his grace, & go not about to establish your own righteousness or sufficiency."
"We look with an eye of faith further than we can see with an eye of sense."
"When God puts grace in the heart he puts gladness in the heart;"
"True joy is God's gift, not as the world giveth.  John 14:27."
"...let us commit ourselves & all our affairs to the guidance & custody of the divine Providence, & be satisfied that all shall be made to work for good to us if we keep ourselves in the love of God."

CHAPTER 5
"...a prayer-hearing God; such he has always been ever since men began to call upon the name of the Lord, & yet is still as ready to hear prayer as ever."
"If we pray fervently, & in faith, we have reason to hope"
"The assurance God has given us of his readiness to hear prayer should confirm our resolution to live & die praying."
"Let those therefore who delight in sin know that God has no delight in them;"
"The workers of iniquity are very foolish.  Sin is folly, & sinners are the greatest of all fools;"
"God is greatly to be feared by all the worshippers."
"The mercy of God should ever be both the foundation of our hopes & the fountain of our joy in every thing wherein we have to do with him."
"...God's people.  They are the righteous (v. 12); for they put their trust in God, are well assured of his power & all-sufficiency, venture their all upon his promise, & are confident of his protection in the way of their duty; & they love his name, are well pleased with all that by which God has made himself known, & take delight in their acquaintance with him."
"Let all that are entitled to God's promises have a share in our prayers; grace be with all that love Christ in sincerity."
"...we must by faith put ourselves under God's guidance & care, & then please ourselves with his mercy & grace & with the prospect of God's triumphs at last over all his enemies & his people's triumphs in him & in his salvation."

CHAPTER 6
"To the living God we must...  address ourselves, who is the only physician both of body & mind"
"It has often been the lot of the best of men to be men of sorrows; our Lord Jesus himself was so."
"Sorrow for sin ought to be great sorrow; so David's was; he wept so bitterly, so abundantly, that he watered his couch."
"'Return, O Lord!  receive me into thy favour again, & be reconciled to me."
"It is an unspeakable privilege that we have a God to go to in our afflictions, & it is our duty to go to him, & thus to wrestle with him, & we shall not seek in vain."
"Those that sincerely seek God's glory, & desire & delight to praise him, may pray in faith."
"When God has done great things for us, this should put us upon studying what we shall do for him."
"Those that will not give glory to God shall have their faces filled with everlasting shame."
"...we must give glory to God, as a God ready to hear prayer, must own his goodness to us in hearing our prayers, & must encourage ourselves to wait upon him & to trust in him in the greatest straits & difficulties."
Matthew Henry's Commentary:  Job To Song Of Solomon, Mac Donald, pgs. 247 - 261.

CHAPTER 41
"It is good to remember the battle before we engage in a war"
"As God does not inflict upon us the evils we have deserved, so he does bestow upon us the favours we have not deserved."
"It is the picture of a hard-hearted sinner, that despises the terrors of the Almighty & laughs at all the threatenings of his word."
"The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, & the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, & thus the Lord alone shall be exalted."

CHAPTER 42
"Corrupt passions & practices arise either from some corrupt principles or from the neglect & disbelief of the principles of truth; & therefore true repentance begins in the acknowledgement of the the truth.  II Timothy 2:25."
"If God's thoughts concerning us be thoughts of good, to give us an unexpected end, he cannot be withheld from accomplishing his gracious purposes, whatever difficulties may seem to be in the way."
"In true repentance there must be not only conviction of sin, but contrition & godly sorrow for it, sorrow according to God.  II Corinthians 7:9.  Such was Job's sorrow for his sins."
"It is a great mercy to have a good education, & to know the things of God by the instructions of his word & ministers."
"By the teachings of men God reveals his Son to us; but by the teachings of his Spirit he reveals his Son in us (Gal. 1:16); & so changes us into the same image.  II Corinthians 3:18."
"Self-loathing is evermore the companion of true repentance."
"Let us leave it to God to govern the world, & make it our care, in the strength of his grace, to govern ourselves & our own hearts well."
"True penitents shall find favour with God, & what they have said & done amiss shall no more be mentioned against them."
"If God says, Well done, good & faithful servant, it is of little consequence who says otherwise."
"God is often angry at that in us which we are ourselves proud of & sees much amiss in that which we think was done well."
"Satisfaction must first be made for wrong done, according as the nature of the thing requires, before we can hope to obtain from God the forgiveness of sin."
"Our quarrels with God always begin on our part, but the reconciliation begins on his."
"Peace with God is to be had only in his own way & upon his own terms, & they will never seem hard to those who know how to value the privilege, but they will be glad of it upon any terms, though ever so humbling."
"He that rightly endures temptation, when he is tried, shall receive a crown of life (Jam. 1:12), as Job, when he was tried, received all the wealth, & honour, & comfort, which here we have an account of."
"His troubles began in Satan's malice, which God restrained; his restoration began in God's mercy, which Satan could not oppose."
"God will take care that none shall lose by him."
"We know not what good times we may yet be reserved for in our latter end."
"God has ways to repair the losses & balance the griefs of those who are written childless, as Job was when he had buried all his children."
Matthew Henry's Commentary:  Job To Song Of Solomon, Mac Donald, pgs. 225 - 236.