fice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles.-1 Pet. iv. 2, 3. Giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue,&c. wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election for if sure; ye do these things, ye shall never fail.2 Pet. i. 5-7. 10. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, &c. -2 Pet. iii. 14. MANY shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many: and ye shall hear of wars, &c. because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. The gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness, &c. As the days of Noah were, so shall the coming of the Son of man be, &c. They were eating, &c.-Matt. xxiv. 5-7. 12, 14. 37, 38. That day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.-2 Thess. ii. 3, &c. In the last days perilous times shall come for men shall be lovers of their ownselves, &c.-2 Tim. iii. 1-4. Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days, scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? &c.-2 Pet. iii. 3, &c. CHAP. XLVII. ENCOURAGEMENTS TO HOPE IN, AND CRY TO GOD, WHEN OUR case seemS DESPERATE, AND AT THE LOWEST EBB. MOSES said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.-Exod. xxxii. 30. The Lord shall repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, &c.-Deut. xxxii. 36. Ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.— 1 Sam. vi. 5. And Jonathan said, &c. Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us for there is no restraint to the Lord, to save by many or by few.-1 Sam. xiv. 6. While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept : for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live?— 2 Sam. xii. 22. Let him alone, and let him curse, &c. it may be that the Lord will look on mine affliction, and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day.-2 Sam. xvi. 11, 12. Why sit we here until we die? If we say we will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; and if we sit still here, we die also. Now, therefore, come and let us fall into the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die,-2 Kings vii. 3, &c. This is a day of trouble, &c. it may be the Lord thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, &c. and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard. Wherefore, lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.-2 Kings xix. 3, 4. We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. Now, therefore, let us make a covenant with our God, to put away all the wives, &c.-Ezra x. 2, 3. O my God, I cry in the day time, and thou hearest not, &c. be not far from me, &c.-Ps. xxii. 2-12. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth, &c. He putteth his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.-Lam. iii. 27. 29. Israel said, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts, &c. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.-Ezek. xxxvii. 11-13. evil way, &c. Who can tell, if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?-Jonah iii. 8-10. Jonah (when in the fish's belly) said, I am cast out of thy sight, yet I will look again toward thy holy temple, &c. when my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.-Jonah ii, 1-4. 7. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek, &c. It may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger.-Zeph. ii. 3. The woman who had had the bloody issue twelve years, and had spent much upon physicians to no purpose, came and touched Christ, and was healed. Luke viii, 43-48. John v. 5-9. Let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his The woman of Canaan, though Christ answered her roughly, cried still, and prevailed.-Mark vii. 26, &c. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee: for I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.-Acts viii. 22, 23. In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledgment of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.— 2 Tim. ii. 25, 26. Lord thy God.-Deut. xxiii. 21-23. Eccles. v. 4, 5. Israel vowed a vow to the Lord, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.-Numb. xxi. 2, 3. Jephthah's vow, to dedicate to God whatever came forth of the doors of his house to meet him: after his victory his daughter met him; who did with her according to his vow.Judges xi. 30—39. Because thine heart was tender (saith God to Josiah) and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, &c. and hast rent thy clothes, and hast wept before me: I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold, therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place.-2 Kings xxii. 19, 20. When the Lord saw that Rehoboam, and the princes humbled themselves, he said, I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, &c. God would not destroy him altogether.-2 Chron. xii. 6, 7. 12. Thus saith the Lord, I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.-Jer. ii. 2. Thus God did note and commend the good of the churches in Asia.Rev. ii. 2, 3. 9. 13. 19. iii. 4. 8. 10, 11. CHAP. XLIX. OF VOWS AND PROMISES TO GOD. JACOB Vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, &c. then shall the Lord be my God.-Gen. xxviii. 20-22. xxxi. 13. The laws for redemption of things vowed.-Levit. xxvii. The law about vows; where it binds, and is to be kept, and where not.-Numb. xxx. When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee, and it would be sin in thee. But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. That which is gone out of thy lips, thou shalt keep and perform, even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the I will pay my vows unto the Lord, now, in the presence of all his people.-Ps. cxvi. 14. It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy; and after vows, to make inquiry.-Prov. xx. 25. When thou vowest unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools, &c. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.Eccles. v. 4, 5. God threatens Israel for saying, they would perform their vows which they had made, to burn incense to the CHAP. L.] queen 25, &c. I will pay that which I have vowed. -Jonah ii. 9. OF BLASPHEMY. of heaven, &c.-Jer. xliv. Paul had shorn his head in Cenchrea; for he had a vow.-Acts xviii. 18. We have four men which have a vow on them; them take, and purify thyself with them, &c. And all may know, &c. that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written, and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only, &c.-Acts xxi. 23, &c. CHAP. L. 445 &c. how much less shall your God The shame of my face hath covered me, for the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth. - Ps. xliv. 15, 16. O God, how long shall the adverRememsary reproach? Shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever? ber this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord, and that the foolish people hath blasphemed thy name. -Ps. lxxiv. 10. 18. 22. The law about the vows of a daughter, in her father's house: and of a married person.-Numb. xxx. OF BLASPHEMY. AND the Israelitish woman's son blasphemed the name of the Lord, and cursed; and they brought him unto Moses, &c. and they put him in ward, that the mind of the Lord might be shewed unto them. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Bring forth him that hath cursed, without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him, &c. Whosoever curseth his God, shall bear his sin: and he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death.-Levit. xxiv. 11-16. 23. Render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom, their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.—Ps. Ïxxix. 12. What have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nought? &c. and my name continually every day is blasphemed? Isa. lii. 5. Jezebel, king Ahab's wife, commanded the nobles to set up false witnesses against Naboth, to testify that he did blaspheme God and the king; and so stone him to death: which accordingly they did.-1 Kings xxi. 8-13. Acts vi. 11. 13. In this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me, when I had brought them into the land, &c. Then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees; and then they offered sacrifices there, &c.- Ezek. xx. 27, 28. Thou shalt know that I am the Lord, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies, which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, sayThus with ing, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume. your mouth you have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me.-Ezek. xxxv. 12, 13. When Christ had said to the sick man, Thy sins are forgiven thee, then behold certain scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, by his servants said, Who among all the gods, &c. could deliver his people God your out of mine hand, that should be able to deliver you out of mine hand? &c. No god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver, &c. The Pharisees said, He casteth have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. -Acts vi. 11. 13. out devils by the prince of devils. Matt. ix. 2, 3. 34. Luke v. 21. Mark ii. 7. The Pharisees said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils, &c. Jesus said, If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you, &c. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.- - Matt. xii. 24. 28. 31, 32. Luke xii. 10. Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy: what farther need have we of witnesses? behold, now, ye have heard his blasphemy.-Matt. xxvi. 64, 65. He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation; because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.-Mark iii. 29. 30. From within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, blasphemies, &c.-Mark vii. 21, 22. They, &c. asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? And many other things blasphemously spake they against him.-Luke xxii. 64, 65. For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God, &c. Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? -John x. 33. 36. They suborned men, who said, We When Herod had spoken, &c. the people gave a shout, saying, It the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory, &c.-Acts xii. 21—23. Paul testified to the Jews, that Jesus was the Christ. And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your heads, &c. Acts xviii. 5, 6. xix. 9. xiii. 45. I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceeding mad against them, &c.—Acts xxvi. 11. The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles, through you, &c. Rom. ii. 23, 24. But now ye also put off all these, anger, &c. blasphemy, &c.-Col. iii. S. Putting me into the ministry, who before was a blasphemer, &c. Alexander, whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.-1 Tim. i. 12, 13. 20. Servants, &c. count your own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God, and his doctrine, be not blasphemed.—1 Tim. vi. 1. Men shall be lovers of their ownselves, &c. blasphemers, &c.-2 Tim. iii. 2. Discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.-Titus ii, 5. Do not rich men oppress you? &c. Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?— James ii. 6, 7. They think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess of riot, (or blaspheming), speaking evil of you.-1 Pet. iv. 4. I know the blasphemy of them, who say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.— Rev. ii. 9. |