INSIGHTS & NOTES FROM
CHAPTER 4
"Sin is the great mischief-maker; it sows discord between God & Israel." "Sin is a violent thing & its power exorbitant; when men's hearts are fully set in them to do evil (Ecclesiastes 8:11) what will be restrained from them?" "The whole land is infected with sin, & therefore the whole land shall mourn under God's sore judgments." "It bodes ill to a people when reprovers are silenced, & when those who should witness against the sins of the times, retire into a corner, & give up the cause." "When all are involved in guilt nothing less can be expected than that all should be involved in ruin." "Those that rebel against the light can expect no other than to perish in the dark." "...lack of knowledge is ruining to any person or people." "God's people, by rejecting knowledge, forfeit their honour & profane their own crown." "What is unlawfully gained cannot be comfortably used" "Those that leave off to take heed to the Lord leave off all good, & can expect no other than that all good should leave them." "Sharers in sin must expect to be sharers in ruin." "Israel has played the harlot; their conduct in the worship of their idols was like that of a harlot, wanton & impudent." "Those that are not disturbed in their sin will be destroyed for their sin." "Those that have sacrificed their time, strength, honour & all their comforts, to the world & the flesh, will shortly be ashamed of it. Yea, & those that bring to God blind, & lame & heartless sacrifices, will be ashamed of them too." "Those that would be kept from sin, & not fall into the devil's hands, must studiously avoid the occasions of sin & not come upon the devil's ground." "Those that would be steady in their adherence to God must possess themselves with an awe & reverence of God, & always speak of him with solemnity & seriousness; for those that can make a jest of the true God will make a god of any thing." CHAPTER 5 "Those who have themselves apostasized from the truths of God are often the most subtle & barbarous persecutors of those who still adhere to them." "O the depth of the depths of Satan, of the wickedness of his agents, of those that have deeply revolted! Isaiah 31:6." "...the piercing eye of God saw the spirit of whoredom that was in the midst of them" "They had no disposition at all to come into acquaintance & communion with God. The spirit of whoredoms, having caused them to err from him, keeps them wandering endlessly" "Those deal treacherously with God indeed who not only turn from following him themselves but train up their children in wicked ways." "Those that are not humbled for their sins are likely to perish for ever in their sins." "...they did not seek him early, & therefore he will not be found of them." "Daring sinners must expect that a day of rebuke will come, & such a day of rebuke as will make them desolate, will deprive them of the comfort of all they have & all they hope for." "God comes upon sinners with less judgments, so to prevent greater, if they will be wise & take warning; he comes upon them step by step, to show he is not willing that they should perish." "If less judgments prevail not to do their work, it may be expected that God will send greater." "It is in vain for a man to strive with his Maker." "Those who neglect God, & seek to creatures for help, will certainly be disappointed" "...those who depend upon them for supply will find them, not fountains, but broken cisterns; those who depend upon them for comfort & a cure will find them miserable comforters, & physicians of no value." "...God for a time turns away from us, that he may turn us to himself, & then return to us." CHAPTER 6 "Those who are disposed to turn to God themselves should do all they can to excite, & engage, & encourage others to return to him." "The consideration of the judgments of God upon us & our land, especially when they are tearing judgments, should awaken us to return to God by repentance, & prayer, & reformation." "...when God returns in mercy to his people & designs favour for them, he will, as a pledge & fruit of his favour, give them more of the knowledge of himself" "The grace of God in Christ is both the latter & the former rain, for by it the good work of our fruit-bearing is both begun & carried on." "The word of God will be the death either of the sin or of the sinner, a savour either of life unto life or of death unto death." "Though sinners be not reclaimed by the pains that ministers take with them, yet thereby God will be justified when he speaks & clear when he judges." "Deserters are traitors, & will be so treated; the revolting heart is a rebellious heart." "Preservation from present judgments, if a good use be not made of them, are but reservations for greater judgments." CHAPTER 7 "If sinful miserable souls be not healed & helped, but perish in their sin & misery, they cannot lay the blame on God, for he both could & would have healed them; he offered to take the ruin under his hand." "Sooner or later, God will convince those who do not now consider it that he remembers all their works." "An unclean heart is like an oven heated; & the unclean lusts & affections of it are as the fuel that makes it hot." "...fiery hot are the lusts of an unclean heart." "...if that fire be not extinguished by divine grace, shall be made as a fiery oven by divine wrath" "Those are not only heated with sin, but hardened in sin, that continue to live without prayer even when they are in trouble & distress." "It is a silly, senseless thing for those who have a God in heaven to trust to creatures for the refuge & relief which are to be had in him only; & those that do so are a people of no understanding, they are without heart." "Those that will not abide by the mercy of God must expect to be pursued by the justice of God." "It is common for those that go away from God to find snares where they expected shelters." "Sin is a mischievous thing; it is mischief against God, for it is treason against his crown & dignity." "Carnal hearts, in their prayers to God, covet temporal mercies only & dread & deprecate no other but temporal judgments, for they have no sense of any other." "Those that are treacherous & deceitful in their dealings with God, & passionate & outrageous in their conduct towards men, will justly be made a derision to their neighbours, for they make themselves ridiculous." Matthew Henry's Commentary: Isaiah to Malachi, Mac Donald, pgs. 1139 - 1162.
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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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