INSIGHTS & NOTES FROM
CHAPTER 1
“Those whom God has endued with abilities for his service ought not to be despised nor laid aside for the meanness either of their origin or of their beginnings.” “God gives warning before he strikes.” “We are chastened, that we may not be condemned.” “Though God bear long, he will not bear always, with those that provoke him” “Even royal palaces are no defence against the judgments of God, though ever so richly furnished, though ever so strongly fortified.” “God will make a full end of those that think to make a full end of his church & people.” “The fire of our anger against our brethren kindles the fire of God’s anger against us.” “Those who by violence & fraud seek to enlarge their own border will justly be expelled & excluded their own border” CHAPTER 2 “It is barbarous to abuse human bodies, for we ourselves also are in the body” “Those that deal cruelly shall be cruelly dealt with…” “…those that are led away into the error of idolatry are by that led into a multitude of other errors…” “Men’s seeking to enrich themselves by the impoverishing of others is a transgression which God will not long turn away the punishment of” “We need often to be reminded of the mercies we have received, which are the heaviest aggravations of the sins we have committed.” “Faithful ministers are great blessings to any people, & it is God that raises them up to be so, that they may justly be reckoned an honour to the families they are of.” “It is as great a blessing to any place to have eminent good Christians in it as to have eminent good ministers in it; for so they have examples to their rules.” “Those have a great deal to answer for that cannot bear faithful preaching, & those much more that suppress it.” “Those that will not submit to the convictions of the word, that will neither be won by that nor by the conversation of those about them, shall be made to sink under the weight of God’s judgments. If God load us daily with his benefits, & we, notwithstanding that, load him with our sins, how can we expect any other than that he should load us with his judgments?” “Let not the strong man then glory in his strength, nor trust in it, but strengthen himself in the Lord his God, for in him is everlasting strength.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary: Isaiah to Malachi, Mac Donald, pgs. 1224 – 1233.
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CHAPTER 2
“It is the work of ministers to give warning from the word of God of the fatal consequences of sin, & to reveal his wrath from heaven against the ungodliness & unrighteousness of men.” “When God’s judgments are abroad they make a great noise; & it is necessary for the awakening of a secure & stupid world that they should do so.” “When God sends forth his command on earth his word runs very swiftly.” God’s judgments too, when they come with commission, cannot be kept out with bars & bolts; they will find or force their way.” “What is the matter of our pride & pleasure God can soon make the matter of our pain.” “God brings us into straits, that he may bring us to repentance & so bring us to himself.” “Rending the heart is that which God looks for & requires; that is the broken & contrite heart which he will not despise, Psalms 51:17.” “We must be thoroughly converted to our God, & come home to him when we fall out with sin.” “Our fasting & weeping are worth nothing if we do not with them turn to God as our God.” “When the heart is rent for sin, & rent from it, then it is prepared to turn entirely to God, & to be devoted entirely to him, & he will have it all or none.” “We must turn to the Lord our God, not only because he has been just & righteous in punishing us for our sins, the fear of which should drive us to him, but because he is gracious & merciful, in receiving us upon our repentance, the hope of which should draw us to him.” “The goodness of God, if it be rightly understood, instead of emboldening us to go on in sin, will be the most powerful inducement to repentance.” “They are here called to a public national repentance, to be exercised in the solemn assembly, as a national act, for the glory of God & the excitement of one another” “Ministers must themselves be affected with those things wherewith they desire to affect others.” “…God’s promises are real answers to the prayers of faith, because with him saying & doing are not 2 things.” “It is a good sign that God has mercy in store for a people when he sends them teachers of righteousness, pastors after his own heart.” “When God restores to us plenty after we have known scarcity, as it is doubly pleasant to us, so it should make us the more thankful to God.” “The joy of harvest & the joy of a feast must both terminate in God, whose love we should taste in all the gifts of his bounty, that we may make him our chief joy, as he is our chief good, & the fountain of all good to us.” “When God gives to his people plenty, & peace, & joy, upon their return to him, he thereby gives them to understand that he is pleased with their repentance, that he has pardoned their sins, & that he is theirs as much as ever…” “God will reveal himself by dreams & visions both to young & old.” “Those that sincerely call upon God: Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord, whether Jew or Gentile… shall be delivered. This calling on God supposes knowledge of him, faith in him, &, as an evidence of the sincerity of all this, a conscientious obedience to him; for without that, crying Lord, Lord, will not stand us in any stead. It is the praying remnant that shall be the saved remnant.” “Those only shall be delivered in the great day that are now effectually called from sin to God, from self to Christ, from things below to things above.” CHAPTER 3 “God’s people are his heritage, his peculiar, his portion, his treasure, above all people” “…he has a good action against those that trespass upon them.” “Those that contend with God will find themselves unable to make their part good with him. He will recompense them suddenly, when they little think of it, & have not time to prevent it; if he take them to task, he will soon effect their ruin.” “It is certain that none ever hardened his heart against God, or his church, & prospered long” “When God’s cause is to be pleaded, either by the law or by the sword, he has those ready that shall plead it effectively, witnesses ready to appear for him in the court of judgment, soldiers ready to appear for him in the field of battle.” “The greatness of men’s wickedness makes them ripe for God’s judgment.” “When God comes to pull down & destroy his enemies, & make them all his footstool, though heaven & earth should stand up in defence of them & undertake their protection, it shall be all in vain.” “Those know best the goodness of God who have tasted & seen it, & have found him good to them.” “The innocent blood of God’s people is very precious to him, & not a drop of it shall be shed but it shall be reckoned for.” “Though the refining & reforming of the church is work that goes on slowly, & still there is something we complain of that is not cleansed, yet there is a day coming when every thing that is amiss shall be amended, & the church shall be all fair, & no spot, no stain in her; & we must wait for that day.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary: Isaiah to Malachi, Mac Donald, pgs. 1208 – 1223. CHAPTER 1
“Those that outdo their predecessors in sin may justly expect to fall under greater & sorer judgments than any of their predecessors knew.” “It is just with God to take away those comforts which are abused to luxury & excess” “Those that will not be roused out of their security by the word of God shall be roused by his rod” “Sanctify a fast; let some time be set apart from all worldly business to be spent… in the expressions of repentance & other extraordinary instances of devotion.” “With all the marks of sorrow & shame sin must be confessed & bewailed, the righteousness of God must be acknowledged, & his favour implored.” “When God says, You shall fast, it is time to say, We will fast.” “When we cry in our affliction we must cry to the Lord; this is fasting to him, Zechariah 7:5.” “In time of trouble we must not only pray, but cry, must be fervent & importunate in prayer; & to God, from whom both the destruction is & the salvation must be, ought our cry to be always directed.” Matthew Henry's Commentary: Isaiah to Malachi, Mac Donald, pgs. 1202 - 1207. CHAPTER 12
“Those that make creatures their confidence make fools of themselves” “Men’s being in the right in some things, in the main things, will not exempt them from correction” “Prayers & tears are the weapons with which the saints have attained the most glorious victories.” “Let those that are converted to him walk with him in all holy conversation & godliness” “Let those that walk with God be encouraged to live a life of dependence upon him” “To oppress is bad enough, but to love to do so is much worse.” “Carnal hearts are often confirmed in a good opinion of their evil ways by their worldly prosperity & success in those ways.” “…God sees not as man sees; he judges not as man judges.” “When sinners perish their blood is left upon them.” “Shameful sins shall have shameful punishments.” “The benefit we have had by the word of God greatly aggravates our sin & folly if we put any slight upon the word of God.” “God keeps an account, whether we do or no, of the sermons we hear; & those that have long enjoyed the means of grace in purity, plenty, & power, that have been frequently, faithfully, & familiarly, told the mind of God, will have a great deal to answer for another day if they persist in a course of iniquity.” CHAPTER 13 “God did what was fit to be done to keep them close to himself; what could have been done more?”’ “Those that humbles themselves, especially that humble themselves before God, shall be exalted.” “Deserting God is the death of any person or persons.” “The way of idolatry, as of other sins, is down-hill, & men cannot easily stop themselves. It is the sad case of all those who have forsaken God that they sin yet more & more.” “The Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God, & will not give his glory to another” “No solid lasting comfort is to be expected any where but in God.” “Worldly prosperity, when it feeds men’s pride, makes them forgetful of God; for they remember him only when they want him.” “Despised patience will turn into fury.” “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, let us be persuaded to make peace with him; for are we stronger than he?” “Wilful sinners are self-destroyers.” “Those that rebel against their God destroy themselves, for they make him their enemy for whom they are an unequal match.” “Those may justly be reckoned their own destroyers who defer & put off their repentance, by which alone they might help themselves.” “…wise & happy are those who have laid up their treasure in heaven, & in the pleasant things of that world, which cannot be spoiled” “Those destroy themselves who are not pleased with what God does for them, but think they can do better for themselves.” “Christ has abolished death, has broken the power of it & altered the property of it, & so enabled us to triumph over it.” “Thanks be to God therefore who gives us the victory.” CHAPTER 14 “Sin is a fall; & it concerns those that have fallen by sin to get up again by repentance.” “It is the great concern of those that have revolted from God to return to God, & so to do their first works. ‘Return to him from whom thou hast fallen, & who alone is able to raise thee up.’” “When we are in affliction we should be more concerned for the forgiveness of our sins than for the removal of our trouble.” “God’s gracious acceptance, & the blessed fruits & tokens of that acceptance, are to be earnestly desired & prayed for by us in our returning to God.” “Our prayers for pardon & acceptance with God should be always accompanied with sincere purposes & vows of new obedience.” “We cannot expect that God should take it away by forgiving it if we do not put it away by forsaking it.” “True repentance takes us off from trusting to an arm of flesh, & brings us to rely on God only for all the good we stand in need of.” “Those may expect to find help in God that are truly sensible of their helplessness in themselves & are willing to acknowledge it.” “It is a great encouragement to our faith & hope, in returning to God, that it is his glory to father the fatherless& the helpless.” “Though backslidings from God are the dangerous diseases & wounds of the soul, yet they are not incurable, for God has graciously promised that if backsliding sinners will apply to him as their physician, & comply with his methods, he will heal their backslidings. He will heal the guilt of their backslidings by pardoning mercy & their bent to backslide by renewing grace.” “Grace is the perfume of the soul” “The God of heaven takes cognizance of the penitent reflections & resolutions of returning sinners.” “God will be to all true converts both a delight & a defence; under his protection & influence they shall both dwell in safety & dwell at ease.” “The same sun softens wax & hardens clay.” Matthew Henry's Commentary: Isaiah to Malachi, Mac Donald, pgs. 1185 - 1202. |
AuthorCross Preaching Pentecostal Pastor. Husband to Tonia, Father to 3 beautiful girls, Monica, Zoe & Briana, & Grandfather to Wesley & Elliott Archives
September 2023
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