INSIGHTS & NOTES FROM
CHAPTER 1
"Vers. 1 - 15. The book of the generation. - The lessons of Christ's genealogy: - 1. It is a proof of the reality of Christ's humanity. 2. It suggests the relation of Christ's work to the whole human race. 3. It marks the importance of the birth of Christ as a historical epoch. Let it remind us also (1) Of the shortness of human life; (2) Of the subserviency of persons of every class & character to the purposes of God's moral government." "For the setting forth the pedigree of the Messiah, lest it should be thought that He were some obscure or secret person. (R. Ward.)." "It connects Jesus & His teachings with all God's revelations & promises which had been given before." "The Lord's ancestral roll serves to identify Him in closer connection & sympathy with the race whom, as their God, He came to redeem." "Vers. 16, 17. A just man. ...Joseph's belief in the angelic communication, & OBEDIENCE TO THE DIVINE COMMAND." "Joseph: - 1. His natural suspicion, 2. His merciful determination." "Vers. 21, 22. Jesus. ...Consider IN WHAT MANNER HE SAVES HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS. 1. He redeems them by price. 2. He saves them by power. 3. He saves from the guilt of sin. 4. He saves from the love of sin. (W. Jay.)." "Christ a Saviour: - THE WORK HE IS TO ACCOMPLISH is a most great, glorious, & blessed one. 'He shall save.' ...He shall destroy. 'For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.'" "He demolishes the works of Satan because they stand in His way as Saviour. 1. He saves His people from the penalty of their sins. 2. From the dominion & practice of sin." "Some would rather that He had come to save them from poverty, pains, death; not knowing that to save from sins is to save from all these. (J. Bennet, D.D.)." "Sin is itself the greatest of all miseries. It is (1) deeper; (2) vaster; (3) more abiding; (4) the source of all other miseries." "Jesus is a WILLLING Saviour." "Jesus is a LIVING Saviour." "Jesus is a PRESENT Saviour." "Jesus is a PERSONAL Saviour." "Jesus is a SYMPATHIZING Saviour. (G. H. Smyth.)." "1. Jesus saves from sin by bestowing forgiveness - full forgiveness, free, immediate. 2. Jesus saves His people from the pollution of sin; not in their sins, but from their sins." "The name of Jesus - 'This name Jesus,' said St. Bernard, 'it is honey in the mouth, harmony in the ear, melody in the heart.'" "Salvation from sin. - You must be saved from sin, not in sin, as some seem to imagine. The latter is like saving a man from drowning by keeping him under the water which is destroying him; or like recovering a man from sickness by leaving him under the malady which constitutes the complaint. (W. Jay.)." "Vers. 23 - 25. Child. ...God can come to us in the smallest of things." "Emmanuel. - Emmanuel: ...Christ came AS GOD WITH MAN." "GOD IS WITH HIS PEOPLE. 1. He is with them in their lives. 2. In their labours. 3. In their trials & afflictions. 4. In their worship. 5. In death & in glory. (C. H. Wetherbe.)." "The birth of Christ... No other birth has ever involved such important consequences to the human race." "We come short of the full grandeur of the gospel when we take the clause, 'God with us,' as signifying only one among us - a Deity moving among individuals, outside of them all, &, however friendly & gracious, still an external Person, saving them only by a work wrought all above them." "Emmanuel, God with us" "We exist not by chance" "He is in the world, not to exhibit His power merely, but that the world of men may be redeemed" "Is Christ our Emmanuel?" "...His incarnation united to our nature - God with man - God in man. He is God with us to comfort, enlighten, protect, & defend us in time of temptation & trial, & in the hour of death, & God with us, & in us, & we with & in Him to all eternity. (A. Clarke, LL.D.)." "By the light of nature we see the eternal as a God above us: by the light of the law we see Him as a God against us; but, by the light of the gospel, we see Him as a God with us, reconciled to us, at peace with us, interested for us, interceding in our behalf. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift! (Dr. Hughes.)" CHAPTER 2 "VER. 1. Wise men from the East. - They were wise, not so much for their learning, but because they sought God diligently." "They were earnest seekers. They sought Christ reverently. God assisted them in the search." "THE SEEKERS. Magi, not magicians; astronomers, not astrologers; scientists, not wizards." "THE SIGN. 'His star.'" "God never lacks the means to guide earnest inquirers." "THE SEARCH. Earnest. Gave up friends & home, & took a wearisome journey." "THEIR ENCOURAGEMENT. 1. To see His star was a great favour. 2. It was a great responsibility. 3. They did not regard it as a matter to be rested in." "THEIR EXAMPLE. 1. They saw the young child. 2. They worshipped Him. 3. They presented gifts. (C.H. Spurgeon.)" "A remarkable illustration of God's superintending providence." "A PORTRAIT OF THE BLIND WISDOM OF WORLDLY MEN, AS SEEN IN HEROD'S PERSECUTION OF JESUS CHRIST. 1. This false wisdom is at enmity with God. 2. God is at enmity with this reprobate wisdom. What did the new-born Saviour to Herod; - 1. He troubled him. 2. Made him odious. 3. Confounded his counsel. 4. Made him, in defiance of himself, subservient to the designs of providence. (Bourdalone.)." "They who are desirous of finding Christ will not miss HIm for want of direction." "We should deem no difficulties too great to encounter, no sacrifices too great to make, in seeking after Christ." "...the Christian faith is not to be viewed as exclusively embraced by the poor & illiterate." "From first to last they were divinely guided." "THE FEELINGS WITH WHICH THE MAGI CONTEMPLATED HIM. 1. With exceeding great joy. 2. With devout adoration. 3. They presented most costly offerings." "The Universal Father sooner or later has a word, a star, for all of us." "It was in BETHLEHEM. In Bethlehem, 'the house of bread,' was born the Living Bread. Before Christ was born, the world was full of starving men, hungering after pleasures, riches & honours. He Himself satisfies all men's hunger." "Ver. 2. Seen his star. - The guiding star: - It was revealed to the shepherds & then to the wise men." "The star & the wise men: - 1. Science helps religion. 2. Nature needs revelation. 3. Knowledge requires action. (T. R. Stevenson.)" "There were thousands about them who looked upon the same star, & saw no meaning in it. It lead them through the long desert to kneel before the Satisfier of their hopes." "So it is with Christ's children in this world. They see by an insight of faith what other men do not see. (W. B. Carpenter, M.A.)" "Ver. 3. Herod. ...1. Blind. 2. Luxurious. 3. Revengeful. 4. Flattered. 5. An habitual sinner. (J. M. Ashley.)" "Ver. 4. Priests & scribes. ...Numbers are within sound of 'the river of the water of life' without an actual, personal experience of its benefit. (Rev. T. R. Stevenson.)" "Ver. 6. A Governor. ...THE CHARACTER OF HIS GOVERNMENT. Divine and spiritual, Mild & equitable, Vigorous & effective, Staple, prosperous, everlasting" "Application: Let the enemies of this government tremble ...submit & find peace" "Ver. 7. Search diligently. ...Men like Herod ...endeavour to deceive the simple, allure the unsuspecting, & to beguile the weak, to answer their purposes of wickedness." "Ver. 11. Worshipped Him - Gold & frankincense & myrrh. - Action, Prayer, Sorrow." "Give the best you have to Jesus" "Ver. 13. Flee into Egypt. ...CHILDHOOD IS EXPOSED TO IMMINENT DANGERS." "Evil is never so active or persistent as when it seeks the ruin of the young." "...parental love should seek at any cost the safety of a child." "The parents of Jesus did not trust to their own wisdom." "Joseph & Mary obeyed the will of God." "...at all times, especially in peril & perplexity, IT IS THE DUTY & PRIVILEGE OF GOD'S CHILDREN TO OBEY. Obedience may for - 1. Prompt action 'Flee.' 2. It may call for sacrifice of friends & home - 'Into Egypt.' 3. It sometimes calls for patient waiting - 'Be thou there.' 4. It always brings God's further direction & blessing - 'I will bring thee word.' (T. Kelly.)" "Ver. 14. Departed into Egypt." "Ver. 16. Slew all the children. ...The tyrant's utmost endeavours are all in vain against the child." "Jesus in His cradle is mightier than Herod on his throne." "Learn the importance of having our children in close relation to Christ. (J. A. Seiss, D.D.)" CHAPTER 3 "Ver. 1. John the Baptist. - THE SPECIAL MISSION OF THE BAPTIST. 1. He was the herald of the Messiah. 2. He belonged, properly, neither to the Mosaic nor to the Christian dispensation. His was a transition ministry. 3. He was appointed to prepare for, as well as to announce, the introduction of the Gospel. ...4. His character corresponded with his office - stern. The chief SUBJECT OF HIS PREACHING. 1. The nature of repentance. 2. The duty of repentance. 3. The connection of repentance with faith in Christ. 4. The evidences of repentance." "In the wilderness his company was angels. His employment meditation & prayer." "Solitude is a good school" "Privacy is best for devotion." "Only in quiet, in solitude with God, in unbroken questioning with his own soul, can a prophet of God discover what God is saying to his spirit. (S. Brooke, M.A.)" "Repentance - after-thought & consideration; hence arises conviction, humiliation. A change of mind & heart" "What God means when He says 'Repent.' It is not remorse, sorrow, conviction, but a change of mind. You want a great change before Christ comes. (J. Vaughan. M.A.)" "The Lord treads upon no paths that are not (1) hallowed & made smooth by the sorrows & cares of contrition; (2) cleared of the impediments of sin by dereliction, & the succeeding fruits of emendation." "If only a year of life remains let that be a whole year of repentance." "The soul of a penitent man should be as FIRM AGAINST FUTURE RELAPSE as it is sorrowful for past iniquity. (Sydney Smith.)" "IT IS ONE THING FOR A MAN TO BE PRICKED IN HEART, & ANOTHER FOR A MAN TO REPENT." "Ver. 3. Prepare ye the way. ...The Forerunner: - John was Christ's forerunner, as the ploughman goes before the sower." "Ver. 4. Raiment of camel's hair. ...Locusts. ...They are roasted & eaten as butter upon loaves of bread, resembling shrimps in taste, or they are boiled in water with a little salt, dried in the sun, &, being deprived of their wings & legs, are packed in bags for use. They are also beaten to a powder, which is mixed with flour & water, made into little cakes, & used as a substitute for bread when flour is scarce." "Wild honey. Orientals are very fond of honey, & usually eat it in the comb." "Ver. 5. All the region round about Jordan." "Ver. 6. Baptized of Him. ...In BAPTISM we (1) give our names to Christ; (2) are matriculated & adopted into our Father's house." "Confessing their sins. - The nobility of confession" "Vanity teaches men to regard more the opinions of men than of God." "...is there anything nobler than confession of wrong done? It is a way of pleasantness & peace. Do not be afraid to confess your sin to Jesus." "Ver. 7. Wrath to come. ...The necessity of a renewal of heart." "Man has broken the law." "God is 'angry with the wicked every day.'" "'Flee from the wrath to come.'" "You should do this because the means are given for avoiding it (sin & the judgment of sin)." "FROM WHAT ARE WE TO FLEE?" "How & WHEN ARE WE TO FLEE. 1. Now. Opportunities pass away like clouds. 2. Earnestly... 3. Looking to Jesus. Eager for relief" "1. Hear the voice of warning. 2. Flee to Christ the only refuge. 3. Be in earnest. Keep close to the place of shelter. (John Johnson, M.A.)" "Ver. 8. Fruits meet for repentance. ...There are many who shed tears which seem to be those of repentance, but whose hearts remain as a adamantine rock. Their tears are those out of a rock - a rock that never crumbles." "The whole of man should be completely melted by repentance, so as to be purged of all the dross of sin & be remodeled by the plastic influences of God's Spirit, & made to bear anew the Divine image. (R. Hughes.)" "Ver. 9. Abraham to our father." "Ver. 10. Axe is laid. ...THE KIND OF FRUIT WHICH GOD REQUIRES FROM US - 'good fruit.'" "1. God has endowed you with a capacity to produce this kind of fruit. 2. In order to enable you to bring forth good fruit, God has supplied you with the gospel of His Son, which contains the means, the motives, & influences of fruitfulness. 3. God has visited you with various dispensations of providence, & with various convictions of conscience." "THE AXE IS LAID. 1. God's judgments are certain & inevitable. 2. They are near at hand when least expected, least prepared for. 3. These judgments already begin to operate. (B. Beddome.)" "Ver. 11. And with fire. ...Fire gives warmth. It comes to kindle in men's souls a blaze of enthusiastic Divine love, melting all the icy hardness of the heart" "This baptism gives cleansing by warmth. Fire purifies. The Spirit produces holiness in heart & character. All other cleansing is superficial." "God's presence in man's heart is His greatest gift; how truly it may be called a fire! It separates good from evil. It purifies. It tests." "The influence of fire (1) softens; (2) purifies; (3) sanctifies; (4) is a solace. The Holy Spirit is a Comforter through (1) grief; (2) sorrow; (3) tribulation; (4) poverty. (H.T. Day.)" "The heart of man is by nature cold - cold towards God, & cold towards his fellow-creatures. Not so the man whose heart has been touched by the Holy Spirit." "If God baptized us with fire, it is because He means to fit us for hot & tremendous work. (Dr. Talmage.)" "Ver. 12. Whose fan. ...A sifter for the sake of the truth." "Sow chaff & grain together if you choose; the chaff rots, while the vital seeds sprout & grow & yield 'some thirty, some sixty, some an hundred.' (Bishop Huntington.)" "Wheat - chaff. In the Christian Church there is a MIXTURE of nominal & real Christians." "The false are the careless or indifferent. The self-righteous or sentimental; the hollow-hearted or hypocritical. The true are penitents, believers, new creatures." "The wheat to the garner. The chaff to the fire. 1. Examine yourselves. 2. Prepare for judgment." "The TWO GREAT CLASSES into which the world is divided." "Either believers or unbelievers. No third class." "God has placed us here to glorify Him" "Ver. 13. Baptized of him. The baptism of our Saviour" "Faith is nothing else but a long-continued astonishment, which knows not how to utter itself, because the Lord hath done marvellous things for us." "What so Divine an instigation to press us all to come unto the flood of living waters, to thirst for that immortal spring of grace than this, that the Son of God Himself did not decline to be partaker of the baptism of repentance." "Ver. 15. Then he suffered Him. - When the pilot of a ship will not turn his sail to the winds, nor observe how to let a turbulent wave pass by him, he splits his vessel" "Ver. 16. Heavens were opened unto Him. ...What a practical view of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity." "God the Father planned the way of redemption. God the Son willingly came to accomplish our salvation . And God the Spirit guides us into all truth. The whole Trinity joins in man's salvation." "The HONOURS Christ received at His baptism. 1. The opening of the heavens. 2. The descent of the Spirit followed. 3. The proclamation of the Father closed the scene of wonders. (J. Bennett, D.D.)" "WHAT GOD IS OUT OF CHRIST to the sinner. (1) An angry God; (2) a threatening God; (3) a dishonoured God; (4) a distant God." "WHAT GOD IS IN CHRIST. (1) A reconciled God; (2) a promising God; (3) a glorified God; (4) a near God. (Ralph Erskine.)" CHAPTER 4 "Ver. 1. To be tempted of the devil. ...The ship that lies at anchor in the harbour when hardly a breath of wind ripples the surface of the water, may hold to her moorings, but this is no proof of the strength & soundness of her cable, for no strain has been put upon it; but if she is out at sea, & caught in a furious storm, & drifting fast on to a lee shore, & then lets go her anchor, & it holds, there is proof enough of the quality of her cable." "All Christ's temptations came to Him from without, not from within Him." "...temptation may appeal to what is best within us, to satisfy lawful appetites by unlawful means." "...it is never the will of God we should voluntarily enter into temptation. We ought to pray that God would not 'bring' us into it. But should God lead us, as He led Christ, into temptation, then we may confidently appeal to God for grace to overcome." "Reasons why our Lord was led to be tempted: - 1. In order that the reality & glory of His Sonship might be made manifest. 2. That He might redeem man from the evil to which he was subjected by the fall of the first Adam. 3. That He might become experimentally acquainted with the evil of sin. 4. The temptation of our Lord was a chief element in His sufferings for us as our Mediator. 5. Evil is compelled to glorify God." "The TIME of the temptation." "The opening of heaven from above was followed by the opening of hell from beneath. We have to guard the treasure of grace after it is given." "We must not enter into temptation unless it be under the guidance of the Spirit of God in the way of providence." "WHY was Jesus tempted? 1. Because He was a man, 2. Because He was the Messiah." "Scripture may be misapplied to lead us into sin. Resistance of temptation is aided by familiarity with God's Word. A Divine peace follows the resistance of temptation." "HOW TO OVERCOME temptations. 1. To have God's Word in our hearts. 2. To have God's fear before our eyes." "To be tempted may cause us much pain & sorrow, but it is not sin." "In the stress & agony of the conflict, when we are tempted to yield by the fear that resistance is hopeless, let us remind ourselves that GOD HAS PROMISED GRACE TO SUPPORT us in the struggle, & a glorious reward when the victory is won." "If Satan can foil the leaders, the bands are soon overcome; smite the shepherd & the sheep will be scattered; cast down cedars, & they will crush many shrubs with their fall." "Some deny the existence of Satan. He knows that he can often work most effectually where his presence is least suspected." "Ver. 2. Fasted. ...He fasted as an example to teach us one of the means for vanquishing the tempter." "The CONDITIONS of Christ's fast." "It must be a real self-denial." "It was in secret, in the depths of the desert." "Vers. 3. If Thou be the Son of God. ...Tempted to distrust the Divine Providence. (Dr. O. Winslow.)" "Faith determines victory: - If Satan take away our root, how can our branch flourish? If he break our band, all that is bound up will shatter in pieces. If he cut off our anchor, our vessel will be driven upon the rocks. It he overcome our trust in God, he will subdue all unto himself, for this is the victory that overcometh the world (I John 4:5)." "Ver. 3. Command that these stones. An inducement to satisfy lawful needs & desires by unlawful means" "When we have bread we must still live by the Word of the Lord. 5. When we appear to be without bread the Word of the Lord can sustain us." "Ver. 4. It is written. - The infallible book" "Christ used it: - 1. To defend His Sonship; 2. To defeat temptation; 3. As a direction to His way; 4. For maintaining His own Spirit. How to handle the word: - 1. With deepest reverence. 2. Have it always ready. 3. Understand its meaning. 4. Learn to appropriate Scripture to yourself. 5. Stand by the Scriptures, whatever they may cost you. (C.H. Spurgeon.)" "Bread alone. - The bread of life" "Let me URGE UPON YOU THE HIGHER LIFE. 'Every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.' 'I have bread to eat that ye know not of.'" "Every word. - Man's spiritual food; - spiritual food adapted to man's spiritual nature, & also to its condition as guilty & impure. (Studies for the pulpit.)" "We should thankfully receive it, believingly feed upon it, grow & improve by it, constantly apply it. (Dr. Burns.)" "Ver. 5. Pinnacle of the temple. - Tempted to self-destruction." "He urged on Christ an act of self-destruction." "'If Thou be the Son of God.' The point of attack was our Lord's Sonship." "God does not promise to keep us in ways of our own choosing." "The devil may suggest; compel he cannot. (St. Chrysostom.)" "Ye who dwell in lofty places remark that Satan is ever near to take advantage of your unwatchfulness & give you a shameful fall." "Ver. 6. Angels charge. - The angelic ministers of the good: Commissioned by God. They are 'His angels' - obey His behests, carry out HIs purpose." "Ver. 7. Not tempt the Lord thy God. - The essential DIFFERENCE between faith & presumption." "Proving God is different from tempting Him. (Wiseman.)" "Ver. 8. Again, the devil. - The 3rd temptation" "As an enemy that besiegeth a city will go about it, & espy where the wall is weakest, & most fit for his entrance, & there will be sure to give his strongest onset; & as a man that would strike fire with a flint will turn it about in his hand, to see what part is fittest, so is the devil: he goes about a man, &, as it were, turns him to & fro to spy out his weakness, & to what sins he is most inclined; & there he will be sure to try him often, & to assault him with the greatest violence." "Kingdoms of the world. - His aim was to induce Jesus to seek universal dominion in an easier way than the prophets had foretold, & which the Father had marked out." "It is a constant device of Satan to present to us a partial & false view of the world." "Our Lord reveals to us the true riches. (L. H. Wiseman.)" "Ver. 9. Will I give." "Ver. 10. Worship the Lord thy God. - Divine worship" "Man's natural tendency has never been not to worship; but to worship too many objects." "WE MUST WORSHIP. 1. A man can never be too reverent to God. ...The wandering eye must learn to be fastened on Him. ...Jacob, though he were not able to stand or kneel, yet leaned upon his staff, & worshipped God." "WE MUST SERVE. ...We must serve God with our sacrifices." "God must be above all. (Bishop Lancelot Andrews.)" "Ver. 11. The devil leaveth him." "He had exhausted his temptations." "...Christ tempted in all points as we are. Had Satan remained he had no more weapons to try." "The victory: 1. It was complete. 2. It was not final. 3. It was the precursor of other victories, even that of the cross. (L.H. Wiseman.)" "Angels ...Human nature stands between heavenly & Satanic influences. (W. H. Hutchings, M.A.)" "Ver. 16. Sat in darkness. ...The DEEP DARKNESS which envelops the world without the gospel." "The heathen world is in this darkness" "The UPRISING OF A GLORIOUS LIGHT for the transformation of the darkness." "The gospel is 'light,' & this marks its divinity." "The gospel offers pardon for the guilty" "A 'great light' - penetrating." "In how many dark places has 'light sprung up,'" "Has the light arisen upon your soul? Are you manifesting it in your life? Are you doing doing what you can to communicate it to others?" "Light for those who sit in darkness" "The darkness of ignorance. The darkness of error. The gloom of discomfort & sorrow, attended with fear. Hopelessness, 'sat in darkness.' In the region of death." "The true light for a soul in darkness is ALL IN CHRIST. There is light in Christ's name for a troubled sinner." "Ver. 17. Jesus began to preach." "One is 'evangelize' which means to declare good tidings" "...to declare as a herald" "...preaching is the sole agency for man's salvation. It is the unlimited privilege of all believers. (S. H. Tyng.)" "Repent. - Repentance..." "Repentance & the kingdom of God: REPENTANCE SIGNIFIES A CHANGE OF MIND. 1. There is conviction of sin. 2. Sorrow for sin. 3. Confession of sin. 4. Amendment of life." "The utter forsaking of sin." "Repentance does not only give us a future evidence for heaven, but PUTS US INTO ACTUAL POSSESSION." "Let your sorrowing for your evils demonstrate itself by departing from the evils you have used. Let your certainty of pardon of your sins through Christ, & your joy in Him be demonstrated by pursuing the good things which God's Word teacheth you." "Earnestly pursue a new life, bringing forth worthy & true fruits of repentance. (John Bradford.)" "Ver. 18. Sea of Galilee. ...THE CHIEF OBLIGATION OF MAN IS TO FOLLOW CHRIST." "...THE FOLLOWING OF CHRIST QUALIFIES A MAN TO RESCUE HIS FELLOW-MAN." "Ver. 19. Follow Me. ...Follow Christ as your Teacher. As your Example. As your Friend. If you see to the following what will Christ do?" "...successful work for Jesus must spring out of a devout imitation of Him." "Fishers of men. - Ministers fishers of men" "The world is the sea, the scene of their labours, gently, skilfully." "Be cheerfully devoted to the work. Our resources are infinite & exhaustless. (Dr. Burns.)" "Fishers of men ...You must go to the fish. (Beecher.)" "They were to leave their work that they might engage in higher work. How shall we hope to be successful? 1. We must follow Christ. 2. We must submit to His teaching & influence. 3. Christ only can qualify us for the work. (A. Thomas.)" "Ver. 21. He called them. - Jesus calls all to follow Him." "The purpose. To bring from toil to rest, from danger to safety, from nature to grace." "They left, renounced, gave up, not to return: forsook, parted with possessions, relations. The reason was to follow Him" "What remarkable faith! What ready obedience! (J. R. Taft, M.A.)" "You are called too - Renounce evil ways ...to endure loss, pain, death. (G. Venables.)" "Vers. 23 - 25. Healing all manner of sick. ...when a soul comes to God, he does not ask where you came from, or what your ancestry was. Healing for all your wounds. Pardon for all your guilt. Comfort for all your troubles. (Dr. Talmage.)" The Biblical Illustrator, Joseph. S. Exell, pgs. 1 - 42.
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CHAPTER 1
"...God intended, whatever reproofs should be given them, to reconcile them to his love" "As many as I love I rebuke & chasten." "God's people need to be often reminded of his love them." "Those that are taken into covenant with God, that have the lively oracles & the means of grace committed to them, have reason to look upon these as tokens of his love." "Those that walk contrary to God will findd that he will walk contrary to them; for who ever hardened his heart against God & prospered?" "Deliverances out of trouble are to be reckoned proofs of God's good-will to his people" "...one way or other, God will have honour from his professing people." "The Lord be magnified, Psalms 35:27." "It is a thing to be justly complained of, & lamented, that God is so little feared & honoured even by those that own him for their Father & Master. Where is his honour? Where is his fear?" "God's name was of small account with them." "God will not only overcome, but will be clear, will be justified when he judges" "Those are highly injurious both to God & themselves, who are weary of his service & worship, & snuff at it." "Humble yourselves for your sin, cry mightily to God for pardon, & make up in the faith & fervency of your prayers what has been wanting in the worth & value of your sacrifices" "Those who have by their sins helped to kindle a fire are highly concerned by their repentance, prayers, & personal reformation to help to quench it." "Those who think to put a cheat upon God will prove, in the end, to have put a damning cheat upon their own souls. Hypocrites are deceivers, & they will prove self-deceivers & so self-destroyers." "The consideration of God's universal dominion, & the universal acknowledgment of it, should restrain us from all irreverence in his service." CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 11
"The falls of the wise & good into sin, & the falls of the rich & great into trouble, are loud alarms to those that are every way their inferiors not to be secure." "It is sad with a people when those who should be as shepherds to them are as young lions to them." "When those who have power proudly abuse their power, &, instead of being shepherds, are as young lions, they may expect that the righteous God will humble their pride & break their power." "Those have their minds woefully blinded indeed who do ill & justify themselves in doing it; but God will not hold those guiltless who hold themselves so." "What is got honestly we ought to give God thanks for, & to bless him whose blessing makes rich & adds no sorrow with it." "...Christ preached his gospel to the poor, Matthew 6:5." "Their provocations even wore out his patience, & he was weary of that faithless & perverse generation." "There is a mutual enmity between God & wicked people; they are hateful to God & haters of God." "Those that reject Christ will be certainly & justly rejected by him" "...those that wait upon Christ, that sit at his feet, to hear & receive his words, shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, John 7:17." "When iniquity abounds love waxes cold." "An unchurched people will soon be an undone people." "He leaves the flock when they most need his care, leaves them destitute & flees, because he is a hireling;" "Those that have gifts which qualify them to do good, if they do not do good with them, shall be deprived of them" "...those that should have been watchmen, but were sleepy & would never look about them, will justly have their eye blinded." CHAPTER 12 "God's church is a cup of consolation to all her friends (Isaiah 66:11), but a cup of trembling to all that would either debauch her by errors & corruptions or destroy her by wars & persecutions." "It is the glory of God to strengthen the weak, that most need his help, that see & own their need of it, & will be the most thankful for it." "In Christ's first coming, he sought to destroy him that had the power of death, & did destroy him, bruised the serpent's head, & broke all the powers of darkness that fought against God's kingdom among men & against the faithful friends & subjects of that kingdom; he spoiled them, & made a show of them openly. In his second coming, he will complete their destruction, when he shall put down all opposing rule, principality, & power, & death itself shall be swallowed up in that victory." "When God intends great mercy for his people the first thing he does is to set them a praying" "Ask, & it shall be given." "Wherever the Spirit is given as a Spirit of grace, he is given as a Spirit of sanctification. Wherever he is a Spirit of adoption, he teaches to cry, Abba, Father." "Those that truly repent of sin look upon Christ as one whom they have pierced, who was pierced for their sins & is pierced by them;" "The genuine sorrows of a penitent soul flow from the believing sight of a pierced Saviour. Looking by faith upon the cross of Christ will set us a mourning for sin after a godly sort." "Christ is our King; our sins were his death, &, for that reason, ought to be our grief." "In times of general tribulation & humiliation the Lord's ministers are concerned to weep between the porch & the altar (Joel 2:17), & not only there, but in their houses apart;" CHAPTER 13 "For Christ is exalted to give both repentance & remission of sins; & where he gives the one no doubt he gives the other." "And those who look upon Christ pierced, & mourn for their sins that pierced him, & are therefore in bitterness for him, may look again upon Christ pierced & rejoice in him, because it pleased the Lord thus to smite this rock, that it might be to us a fountain of living waters." "...sin is uncleanness; it defiles the mind & conscience, renders us odious to God & uneasy in ourselves, unfit to be employed in the service of God & admitted into communion with him, as those who were ceremonially unclean were shut out of the sanctuary." "Behold, there is a fountain opened for us to wash in, & there are streams flowing to us from that fountain, so that, if we be not made clean, it is our own fault. The blood of Christ, & God's pardoning mercy in that blood, revealed in the new covenant, are (1) A fountain... (2) A fountain opened; for, whoever will, may come & take the benefit of it" "Through Christ all that believe are justified, are washed from their sins in his blood, that they may be made to our God kings & priests, Revelation 1:5, 6." "He takes away teh dominion of sin by the power of his grace" "...as they are justified, so they are sanctified" "...holy zeal for God & godliness will make us hate sin, & dread temptation" "When we are convinced that we have gone out of the way of our duty we must evince the truth of our repentance by returning to it again, though it be the severest mortification to us." "He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, in the decree & counsel of God" "...God spared not his own Son." "Those whom God sets apart for himself must pass through a probation & purification in this world; they must be tried that their faith may be found to praise & honour (I Peter 1:6, 7)" "They must be tried, that both those that are perfect & those that are not may be made manifest. They must be refined from their dross; their corruption must be purged out; they must be brightened & bettered." "Their communion with God is their triumph; They shall call on my name, & I will hear them." "Their covenant with God is their triumph; 'I will say, It is my people, whom I have chosen & loved, & will own; & they shall say, The Lord is my God, & a God all-sufficient to me; & in me they shall boast every day & all the day long. This God is our God for ever & ever.'" CHAPTER 14 "When the refiner puts his gold into the furnace he stands by it, & has his eye upon it, to see that it receive no damage; so when Jerusalem, God's gold, is to be refined, he will have the oversight of it." "Jerusalem shall be a spring of living waters to the world" "Living waters shall go out from Jerusalem" "Where the gospel goes, & the graces of God's Spirit go along with it, there living waters go; those streams that make glad the city of our God make glad the country also, & make it like paradise, like the garden of the Lord, which was well watered." "The gospel shall spread into all parts of the world, into some that be remote from Jerusalem one way & others that lie as far off another way; for the dominion of the Redeemer, which was thereby to be set up, must be from sea to sea (Psalms 72:8), & the earth must be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea, & as the waters that in various channels run to the sea." "Those who are employed in spreading the gospel may find themselves work both winter & summer, & are to serve the Lord therein at all seasons, Acts 20:18." "All false gods shall be abandoned, & all false ways of worship abolished" "The gospel of Christ, where it comes in its power, levels the ground; mountains & hills are brought low by it, that the Lord alone may be exalted." "Those that fight against the city of God, & his people, will be found fighting against God, against whom none ever hardened his heart & prospered" "Those that aim to destroy the church are often made to destroy one another" "The wealth of the sinner if often laid up for the just, & the Israel of God enriched with the spoil of the Egyptians." "They shall no longer worship the Molochs & Baals, the kings & lords, that the Gentiles worship, the creatures of their own imagination, but the King, the Lord of hosts, the everlasting King, the King of kings, the sovereign Lord of all." "...those who neglect the duties of gospel-worship shall be reckoned with for their neglect" "The gifts of common providence are justly denied to those that neglect & despise instituted ordinances." "If we omit or postpone the duties he expects from us, it is just with him to deny the favours we expect from him." "Those who think themselves least indebted to, & depending on, the mercy of heaven, cannot therefore think themselves guarded against the justice of Heaven." "All Christians shall be living temples, & spiritual priests, dedicated to the honour of God & employed in his service." "In gospel-times the true worshippers shall worship God in spirit & in truth, & neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem, John 4:21. One place shall be as acceptable to God as another (I will that men pray every where); & one vessel shall be as acceptable as another." Matthew Henry's Commentary: Isaiah to Malachi, Mac Donald, pgs. 1452 - 1475. CHAPTER 7
"In prayer we must set ourselves as before the Lord, must see his eye upon us & have our eye up to him." "When we offer up our requests to God it must be with a readiness to receive instructions from him..." "Those that would know God's mind should consult God's ministers, & in doubtful cases ask advice of those whose special business it is to search the scriptures." "They had not an eye to God in their fasting: Did you at all fast unto me, even to me?" "To fast, & not fast to God, was to mock him & provoke him, & could not be pleasing to him." "Nothing is so hard, so unmalleable, so inflexible, as the heart of a presumptuous sinner" "The words of the prophet were not regarded by them, though they were words which the Lord of hosts sent & directed to them, though he sent them immediately by his Spirit in the prophets; so that in despising them they affronted God himself & resisted the Holy Ghost." "Great sins against the Lord of hosts, whose authority is incontestable, bring great wrath from the Lord of hosts, whose power is irresistible." "Iniquity, regarded in the heart, will certainly spoil the success of prayer, Psalms 66:18." "The desolations of a land are owing to the wickedness of its inhabitants, Psalms 107:34." CHAPTER 8 "...God's providence would as loudly call them to joy & gladness as ever it called them to fasting & mourning." "Those that profess... relation to God, must study to adorn their profession by all instances of godliness & honesty." "...God would renew his covenant with them, would be faithful to them & make them so to him: They shall be my people & I will be their God." "Those & those only, that are employed for God, may expect to be encouraged by him; those who lay their hands to the plough of duty shall have them strengthened with the promises of mercy; & those who avoid their fathers' faults, not only cut off the entail of the curse, but have it turned into a blessing." "Those that throw off the love of God forfeit the comfort of brotherly love." "...those whom God plainly blesses as his own, shows favour to & puts honour upon, we ought also to respect & be kind to." "We must not only keep our hands from doing evil, but we must watch over our hearts, that they imagine not any evil against our neighbour, Proverbs 3:29. Injury & mischief must be crushed in the thought, in the embryo." "...those that in sincerity humbled themselves before God, & sought his face, have here a comfortable assurance given them of a large share in the happy times approaching." "...when God comes towards us in ways of mercy, we must meet him with joy & thankfulness" "...those who sow in tears with Zion shall reap in joy with her; those who submit to the restraints of her solemn fasts while they continue shall share in the triumphs of her cheerful feasts when they come" "Let the truths of God rule in your heads, & let the peace of God rule in your hearts." "As iron sharpens iron, so may good men sharpen the countenances & spirits one of another in that which is good." "It is the privilege of the saints that they have God with them, have him among them - the knowledge, & fear, & worship of him; they have his favour & gracious presence, & this should invite us into communion with them. It is good being with those who have God with them, & those who join themselves to the Lord must join themselves to his disciples; if we take God for our God, we must take his people for our people, cast in our lot among them, & be willing to take our lot with them." CHAPTER 9 "Nothing is too hard for the grace of God to do." "God would preserve a remnant even of these nations, that should be the monuments of his mercy & grace & be set apart for him" "In Christ Jesus there is no distinction of nations, but all are one in him, all alike welcome to him." II Chronicles 16:9 "A sinful state is a state of bondage; it is a spiritual prison; it is a pit, or a dungeon, in which there is no water, no comfort at all to be had. We are all by nature prisoners in this pit; the scripture has concluded us all under sin, & bound us over to the justice of God. God is pleased to deal upon new terms with these prisoners, to enter into another covenant with them; the blood of Christ is the blood of that covenant, purchased it for us & all the benefits of it; by that blood of the covenant effectual provision is made for the sending forth of these prisoners upon easy & honourable terms, & proclamation made of liberty to the captives & the opening of the prison to those that were bound" "The best & bravest of men are but what God makes them, & do no more service than he enables them to do." "Those are safe whom God saves." "God's people are his glory; so he is pleased to make them, so he is pleased to reckon them. He sets them up as a banner upon his own land, waging war against those who hate him" "What good gifts God bestows upon us we serve him cheerfully with, & must trace the streams up to the fountain, &, when we are refreshed with corn & wine, must say, How great is his goodness!" CHAPTER 10 "Those that wandered after strange gods were made to wander into strange nations." "It is God that makes us what we are..." "...we are engaged to the utmost diligence in using the strength God gives us; & yet, when all is done, God must have the glory of all. God is our strength, & so becomes both our song & our salvation." "Those whom Christ has redeemed by his blood God will gather by his grace, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings." "Strength is treasured up for us in Christ, & from him it is communicated to us. It is through Christ strengthening us that we can do all things, & without him we can do nothing." "To us to live must be Christ; &, whatever we do in word or deed, we must do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, that we receive not the strengthening grace of God in vain. Psalms 80:17, 18." Matthew Henry's Commentary: Isaiah to Malachi, Mac Donald, pgs. 1429 - 1452. CHAPTER 3
"Guilt & corruption are our 2 great discouragements when we stand before God. By the guilt of the sins committed by us we have become obnoxious to the justice of God; by the power of the sin that dwells in us we have become odious to the holiness of God." "The devil is the accuser of the brethren, that accuses them before God day & night, Revelation 12:10." "When we stand before God to minister to him, or stand up for God to serve his interests, we must expect to meet with all the resistance that Satan's subtlety & malice can give us. Let us then resist him that resists us & he shall flee from us." "It is the happiness of the saints that the Judge is their friend; the same that they are accused to is their patron & protector, & an advocate for them" "...those that belong to Christ have him ready to appear vigorously for them when Satan appears most vehement against them." "A converted soul is a brand plucked out of the fire by a miracle of free grace, & therefore shall not be left to be a prey to Satan." "When God forgives our sins he causes our iniquity to pass from us, that it may not appear against us, to condemn us; it passes from us as far as the east is from the west. When he sanctifies the nature he enables us to put off the old man, to cast away from us the filthy rags of our corrupt affections & lusts, as things we will never have any thing more to do with" "...those whom Christ makes spiritual priests are clothed with the spotless robe of his righteousness & appear before God in that, & with the graces of his Spirit, which are ornaments to them." "When iniquity is taken away, (1) We reap precious benefits & privileges from our justification , more precious than the products of the vine or the fig-tree, Romans 5:1. (2) We repose in a sweet tranquility & are quiet from the fear of evil." CHAPTER 4 "We need the Spirit of God, not only to make known to us divine things, but to make us take notice of them. He wakens morning by morning, he wakens my ear, Isaiah 50:4." "The candle is God's; the church is but the candlestick, but all of gold, denoting the great worth & excellence of the church of God." "...those that would be taught of God must see & acknowledge their own ignorance, & their need to be taught, & must apply to God for instruction." "God will teach the meek & humble, not those that are conceited of themselves & lean on the broken reed of their own understanding." "When instruments fail, let us therefore leave it to God to do his work himself by his own Spirit." "When the work is finished it must be thankfully acknowledged that it was not by any policy or power of our own that it was brought to perfection, but that it was grace that did it - God's good-will towards us & his good work in us & for us." "...God will not forsake the work of his own hands." "In God's work the day of small things is not to be despised." "Those that know much of the things of God cannot but have a humble desire to know more." CHAPTER 5 "The world is full of sin in great variety" "The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked, Proverbs 3:33." "Sin is the ruin of houses & families." "Blindness has happened unto Israel, & they are settled upon the lees of their own unbelief" CHAPTER 6 "We could as soon grasp the mountains in our arms as comprehend the divine counsels in our finite understandings, & as soon remove mountains of brass as alter any of God's purposes" "The gospel-church is the temple of the Lord, a spiritual house (I Pet. 2:5), a holy temple, Ephesians 2:21." "Now Christ, is not only the foundation, but the founder of this temple, by his Spirit & grace." "God has prepared him a throne in the heavens; & if we would have any benefit by that, we must prepare him a throne in our hearts, & be willing & glad that he should sit & rule upon the throne; & to him every thought within us must be brought into obedience." "That which God requires of us, to qualify us for his favour, is obedience to his revealed will; & it must be a diligent obedience." Matthew Henry's Commentary: Isaiah to Malachi, Mac Donald, pgs. 1412 - 1429. |
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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