INSIGHTS & NOTES FROM
CHAPTER 43
"...God never cast off any that trusted in him" "We need desire no more to make us happy than the good that flows from God's favour & is included in his promise." "The nearer we come, the closer we cleave, to God, the better." "Those that come unto God must come to him as their exceeding joy, not only as their future bliss, but as their present joy, & that not a common, but an exceeding joy, far exceeding all the joys of sense & time." "God is to be praised with the best we have;" CHAPTER 44 "Those that went before us told us what God did in their days, we are bound to tell those that come after us what he has done in our days, & let them do the like justice to those that shall succeed them; thus shall one generation praise his works to another, the fathers to the children shall make known his truth. Isaiah 38:19." "Former experiences of God's power & goodness are strong supports to faith & powerful pleas in prayer under present calamities." "Many a time have the persecutors of the Christian church, & those that hate it, been put to shame by the power of truth. Acts 6:10." "Let those that trust in God make their boast in him, for they know whom they have trusted; let them boast in him all the day long, for it is a subject that can never be exhausted. But let them withal praise his name for ever; if they have the comfort of his name, let them give unto him the glory due to it." "God's people, when they are cast down, are tempted to think themselves cast off & forsaken of God; but is is a mistake. Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. Romans 11:1." "...it is the evil heart of unbelief that inclines to depart from God." "Forgetting God was a heart-sin..." "...heart-sins & secret sins are known to God, & must be reckoned for; for he knows the secrets of the heart, & therefore is an infallible judge of the words & actions." "God's mercy: 'O redeem us for thy mercies' sake; we depend upon the goodness of thy nature" CHAPTER 45 "Those that speak of Christ speak of a good matter, no subject so noble, so copious, so fruitful, so profitable, & so well-becoming us; it is a shame that this good matter is not more the matter of our discourse." "What God has wrought in our souls, as well as what he has wrought for them, we must declare to others" "Those that have an admiration & affection for Christ love to go to him, & tell him so." "Jesus Christ is in himself, & in the eyes of all believers, more amiable & lovely than the children of men." "The beauties of this lower world, & its charms, are in danger of drawing away our hearts from Christ, & therefore we are concerned to understand how much he excels them all, & how much more worthy he is of our love." "Where God gives his grace he will give his blessing. We are blessed with spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 1:3." "The gospel, as far as it prevails with men, sets up in their hearts truth, meekness, & righteousness, rectifies their mistakes by the light of truth, controls their passions by the power of meekness, & governs their hearts & lives by the laws of righteousness." "The salvation of sinners is the joy of angels (Luke 15:10), but much, more of the Son." "All true believers are born from above; they are the children of the King of kings. These attend the throne of the Lord Jesus daily with their prayers & praises, which is really their honour, & he is pleased to reckon it his." "...we owe our redemption, so we owe our adorning, not to corruptible things, but to the precious blood of the Son of God." "If we confess that Christ is Lord, & pay our homage to him accordingly, it is to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:11." "Let us see here what is that true glory which we should be ambitious of, not that which makes a fair show in the flesh, but that which is in the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible (I Peter 3:4)." "Those that help to support the honour of Christ on earth shall in heaven see his glory, & share in it, & be for ever praising him." CHAPTER 46 "God is our refuge & strength; we have found him so, he has engaged to be so, & he ever will be so" "Those that with a holy reverence fear God need not with any amazement to be afraid of the power of hell or earth." "God's word & ordinances are rivers & streams with which God makes his saints glad in cloudy & dark days." "The spiritual comforts which are conveyed to the saints by soft & silent whisperers, & which come not with observation, are sufficient to counterbalance the most loud & noisy threatenings of an angry & malicious world." "If God be for us, if God be with us, we need not be moved at the most violent attempts made against us." "...if God be in our hearts, in the midst of us, by his word dwelling richly in us, we shall be established, we shall be helped; let us therefore trust & not be afraid; all is well, & will end well." "War & peace depend on his word & will, as much as storms & calms at sea do." "Let his own people be still; let them be calm & sedate, & tremble no more, but know, to their comfort, that the Lord is God, he is God alone, & will be exalted above the heathen;" "Though we be depressed, yet let us not be dejected, for we are sure that God will be exalted, & that may satisfy us; he will work for his great name, & then no matter what becomes of our little names." "Mark this, & take the comfort of it, & say, If God be for us, who can be against us?" Matthew Henry's Commentary: Job To Song Of Solomon, Mac Donald, pgs. 398 - 412.
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CHAPTER 35
"It is no new thing for the most righteous men, & the most righteous cause, to meet with many mighty & malicious enemies" "...it is a fruit of the old enmity in the seed of the serpent against the seed of the woman." "He prays that God would fight against his enemies, so as to disable them to hurt him, & defeat their designs against him." "If God be our friend, no matter who is our enemy."' "As God's angels encamp about those that fear him, so they encamp against those that fight against him." "Joy in God & in his salvation is the only true, solid, satisfying joy. Those whose souls are sorrowful in the Lord, who sow in tears & sorrow after a godly sort, need not question but that in due time their souls shall be joyful in the Lord; for gladness is sown for them, & they shall at last enter into the joy of their Lord." "Though the people of God are, & study to be, a quiet people, yet it has been the common practice of their enemies to devise deceitful matters against them." "He prays that God would act for him, & not stand by as a spectator" "It is my soul that is in danger; Lord, please recue it." "Lord, keep not silence" "When God in his providence shows his good will to the prosperity of his servants, & the pleasure he takes in it, we ought to acknowledge it with thankfulness, to his praise & to say, The Lord be magnified." CHAPTER 36 "Sinners are self-destroyers, by being self-flatterers." "Iniquity is a hateful thing; it is that abominable thing which the Lord hates, & which his pure & jealous eye cannot endure to look upon." "When men leave off doing good, leave off praying, leave off their attendance on God's ordinances & their duty to him, the devil easily make them his agents, his instruments to draw those that will be drawn into sin, &, with respect to those that will not, to draw them into trouble." "He is a God of inexhaustible goodness" "When men are devising mischief against us God's thoughts concerning us, if we cleave closely to him, are thoughts of good." "...men speak vanity, but the words of the Lord are pure words." "Happy, thrice happy, the people whose God is the Lord, for in him they have, or may have, or shall have, a complete happiness." "...God has not only provided this river of pleasures for his people, but he makes them to drink of it, works in them a gracious appetite to these pleasures, & by his Spirit fills their souls with joy & peace in believing." "The God of grace is the fountain of spiritual life." "In this world we see God, & enjoy him by creatures & means; but in heaven, God himself shall be with us (Rev. 21:3)." "Those that have experienced the pleasure of communion with God cannot but desire that nothing may ever remove them from him." CHAPTER 37 "That is preached best, & with most probability of success, to others, which is first preached to ourselves." "Fretfulness & envy are sins that are their own punishments" "The flourishing of a godly man is like that of a fruitful tree, but that of the wicked man is like grass & herbs, which wither of themselves." "...we must both trust in the Lord & do good." "We must make God our heart's delight & then we shall have our heart's desire." "Being satisfied of his loving-kindness, we must be satisfied with it, & make that our exceeding joy." "What is the desire of the heart of a good man? It is this, to know, & love, & live to God, to please him & to be pleased in him." "If we take care to keep a good conscience, we may leave it to God to take care of our good name." "A fretful discontented spirit lies open to many temptations; & those that indulge it are in danger of doing evil." "...the prosperity of the wicked will soon be at an end." "...the condition of the righteous, even in this life, is every way better & more desirable than that of the wicked." "A godly man's estate, though ever so little, is better than a wicked man's estate, though ever so much; for it comes from a better hand, from a hand of special love & not merely from a hand of common providence - it is enjoyed by a better title (God gives it to them by promise, Gal. 3:18) - it is theirs by virtue of their relation to Christ, who is the heir of all things - & it is put to a better use: it is sanctified to them by the blessing of God." "God is a good Master, that provides plentifully & well, not only for his working servants, but for his waiting servants." "...the Lord upholds the righteous, so that they neither sink under the weight of their afflictions nor are crushed by the violence of their enemies." "We must have our wills brought into an entire subjection to the will & word of God" "By his grace & Holy Spirit he directs the thoughts, affections, & designs of good men." "A good man may be in distress, his affairs embarrassed, his spirits sunk, but he shall be utterly cast down; God will be the strength of his heart, when his flesh & heart fail, & will uphold him with his comforts, so that the spirit he has made shall not fail before him." "A good man may fall into the hands of a messenger of Satan, & be sorely buffeted, but God will not leave him in his hands. I Corinthians 10:13." "Those that walk in their uprightness while they live shall enter into peace when they die. Isaiah 57:2." CHAPTER 38 "The way to keep the heart quiet is to keep ourselves in the love of God & to do nothing to offend him." "A slight sore, neglected, may prove of fatal consequence, & so may a slight sin slighted & left unrepented of." "The less notice we take of the unkindness & injuries that are done us the more we consult the quiet of our own minds." "When our enemies are most clamorous it is generally our prudence to be silent, or to say little, lest we make bad worse." "...God is a friend that will never fail us if we hope in him." "It is a great support to us, when men are false & unkind, that we have a God to go to whom we may be free with & who will be faithful to us." "Sin will have sorrow; every true penitent grieves for the dishonour he has done to God & the wrong he has done to himself." "God gives us leave, not only to call upon him when we are in trouble, but to hasten him." Matthew Henry's Commentary: Job To Song Of Solomon, Mac Donald, pgs. 359 - 381. CHAPTER 31
"Faith & prayer must go together." "...he gives glory to God by a repeated profession of his confidence in him & dependence on him." "If God be our strength, we may hope that he will both put his strength in us & put forth his strength for us." "It is the wisdom & duty of every one of us solemnly to commit our spirits into the hands of God, to be sanctified by his grace, devoted to his honour, employed in his service, & fitted for his kingdom." "God's eyes is upon our souls when we are in trouble, to see whether they be humbled for sin, submissive to the will of God, & bettered by the affliction. If the soul, when cast down under affliction, has been lifted up to him in true devotion, he knows it." "His enemies robbed him of his reputation among men, but they could not rob him of his comfort in God, because they could not drive him from his confidence." "If God have our times in his hand, he can help us; &, if he be our God, he will help us; & then what can discourage us?" "The time of life is in God's hands, to lengthen or shorten, embitter or sweeten, as he pleases, according to the counsel of his will." "We may pray in faith;" "The pride of men endangers their liberty;" "God's loving-kindness to his people, all things considered, is wonderful;" "It is a common thing to speak amiss when we speak in haste & without consideration;" "Those that have their own hearts full of love to God cannot but desire that others also may be in love with him;" "We must love him, not only for his goodness, because he preserves the faithful, but for his justice, because he plentifully rewards the proud doer (who would ruin those whom he preserves), according to their pride." "Those that hope in God have reason to be of good courage, & let their hearts be strong, for, as nothing truly evil can befal them, so nothing truly good for them shall be wanting to them." "...we should animate ourselves & one another to proceed & persevere in our Christian course, whatever threatens us, & whoever frowns upon us." CHAPTER 32 "The remission of sins gives rest & relief to those that were weary & heavily laden. Matthew 11:28." "Sin makes us loathsome in the sight of God & utterly unfit for communion with him, &, when conscience is awakened, it makes us loathsome to ourselves too; but, when sin is pardoned, it is covered with the robe of Christ's righteousness, like the coats of skins wherewith God clothed Adam & Eve (an emblem of the remission of sins), so that God is no longer displeased with us, but perfectly reconciled." "Those that would have the comfort of the pardon of their sins must take shame to themselves by a penitent confession of them." "We must confess sin with shame & holy blushing, with fear & holy trembling." "God is more ready to pardon sin, upon our repentance, than we are to repent in order to the obtaining of pardon." "All godly people are praying people." "You may as soon find a living man without breath as a living Christian without prayer." "Those that are sincere & abundant in prayer will find the benefit of it when they are in trouble:" "Those are best able to teach others the grace of God who have themselves had the experience of it." "He teaches us by his word & guides us with his eye, by the secret intimations of his will in the hints & turns of Providence, which he enables his people to understand & take direction from, as a master makes a servant know his mind by a wink of his eye." "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked, which will not only spoil their vain & carnal mirth, & put an end to it, but will make them pay dearly for it." CHAPTER 33 "Holy joy is the heart & soul of praise" "Thankful praise is the breath & language of holy joy;" "God makes himself known to us." "God's word is right, & therefore all our deviations from it are wrong, & we are then in the right when we agree with it." "...he is a God of inexhaustible bounty: The earth is full of his goodness," "It is dangerous being at war with him who has the host of heaven for his armies & the depths of the sea for his magazines, & therefore it is wisdom to desire conditions of peace" "The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever." "He still moulds the hearts of men, turns them as the rivers of water, which way soever he pleases, to serve his own purposes, darkens or enlightens men's understandings, stiffens or bows their wills, according as he is pleased to make use of them." "A great army cannot be sure of victory; for, when God pleases, one shall chase a thousand." "Let not the strong man then glory in his strength, but let us all strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God, go forth, & go on, in his strength." "Those that have the Lord for their God shall find him their help & their shield." "In their dangers he will secure them, so that they shall not receive any real damage." "We must rely on God, hope in his mercy, in the goodness of his nature, though we have not an express promise to depend upon." CHAPTER 34 "If we hope to spend our eternity in praising God, it is fit that we should spend as much as may be of our time in this work." "It is not vainglory to glory in the Lord." "We have reason to join in thanksgiving to God." "David's prayers helped to silence his fears; having sought the Lord, & left his case with him, he could wait the event with great composure." "God will regard the prayer of the destitute." "Taste & see God's goodness, that is, take notice of it & take the comfort of it. I Peter 2:3. He is good, for he makes all those that trust in him truly blessed; let us therefore be so convinced of his goodness as thereby to be encouraged in the worst of times to trust in him." "Those that live by faith in God's all-sufficiency want nothing; for in him they have enough." "We must learn to bridle our tongues, & be careful what we say, that we never speak amiss, to God's dishonour" "We must be upright & sincere in every thing we say, & not double-tongued." "It is not enough not to do hurt in the world, but we must study to be useful, & live to some purpose." "Those that truly repent of what they have done amiss will warn others to take heed of doing likewise." "It is certain that there is no lasting honour, but that which comes from God." "All good people are under God's special favour & protection." "God takes notice of what we say: They cry, & the Lord hears them" "He not only takes notice of what we say, but is ready to us for our relief: He is nigh to those that are of a broken heart, & saves them." "Though God is high, & dwells on high, yet he is near to those who, being of a contrite spirit, know how to value his favour, & will save them from sinking under their burdens; he is near them to good purpose." "Those that are God's faithful servants, that make it their care to please him & their business to honour him, & in doing so trust him to protect & reward them, &, with good thoughts of him, refer themselves to him, have reason to be easy whatever befals them, for they are safe & shall be happy." "...let us be confirmed in the choice we have made of the ways of God; let us be quickened in his service, & greatly encouraged by the assurances he has given of the particular care he takes of all those that faithfully adhere to him." Matthew Henry's Commentary: Job To Song Of Solomon, Mac Donald, pgs. 342 - 359. 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. Insights From "Church, Read The Book Of Acts & Get Ready" by Donnie Swaggart - Foreword & Chapter 19/12/2020 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. |
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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