Bible Heaven/Bible Heaven.iso/online/mhcc24/v24350

Text File | 1994-03-01 | 8KB | 136 lines

24353
 * A psalm of praise.

 - We are here stirred up to praise God. Praise God for his
 sanctuary, and the privileges we enjoy by having it among us;
 praise him because of his power and glory in the firmament.
 Those who praise the Lord in heaven, behold displays of his
 power and glory which we cannot now conceive. But the greatest
 of all his mighty acts is known in his earthly sanctuary. The
 holiness and the love of our God are more displayed in man's
 redemption, than in all his other works. Let us praise our God
 and Saviour for it. We need not care to know what instruments of
 music are mentioned. Hereby is meant that in serving God we
 should spare no cost or pains. Praise God with strong faith;
 praise him with holy love and delight; praise him with entire
 confidence in Christ; praise him with believing triumph over the
 powers of darkness; praise him by universal respect to all his
 commands; praise him by cheerful submission to all his
 disposals; praise him by rejoicing in his love, and comforting
 ourselves in his goodness; praise him by promoting the interests
 of the kingdom of his grace; praise him by lively hope and
 expectation of the kingdom of his glory. Since we must shortly
 breathe our last, while we have breath let us praise the Lord;
 then we shall breathe our last with comfort. Let every thing
 that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Such is
 the very suitable end of a book inspired by the Spirit of God,
 written for the work of praise; a book which has supplied the
 songs of the church for more than three thousand years; a book
 which is quoted more frequently than any other by Christ and his
 apostles; a book which presents the loftiest ideas of God and
 his government, which is fitted to every state of human life,
 which sets forth every state of religious experience, and which
 bears simple and clear marks of its Divine origin.
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 ** The subject of this book may be thus stated by an enlargement
 on the opening verses. 1. The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of
 David, king of Israel. 2. Which treat of the knowledge of
 wisdom, of piety towards God, of instruction and moral
 discipline, of the understanding wise and prudent counsels. 3.
 Which treat of the attainment of instruction in wisdom, which
 wisdom is to be shown in the conduct of life, and consists in
 righteousness with regard to our fellow-creatures. 4. Which
 treat of the giving to the simple sagacity to discover what is
 right, by supplying them with just principles, and correct views
 of virtue and vice; and to the young man knowledge, so that he
 need not err through ignorance; and discretion, so that by
 pondering well these precepts, he may not err through obstinacy.
 Take the proverbs of other nations, and we shall find great
 numbers founded upon selfishness, cunning, pride, injustice,
 national contempt, and animosities. The principles of the
 Proverbs of Solomon are piety, charity, justice, benevolence,
 and true prudence. Their universal purity proves that they are
 the word of God.

 * The use of the Proverbs. (1-6) Exhortations to fear God and
 obey parents. (7-9) To avoid the enticings of sinners. (10-19)
 The address of Wisdom to sinners. (20-33)

 #1-6 The lessons here given are plain, and likely to benefit
 those who feel their own ignorance, and their need to be taught.
 If young people take heed to their ways, according to Solomon's
 Proverbs, they will gain knowledge and discretion. Solomon
 speaks of the most important points of truth, and a greater than
 Solomon is here. Christ speaks by his word and by his Spirit.
 Christ is the Word and the Wisdom of God, and he is made to us
 wisdom.

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 #7-9 Fools are persons who have no true wisdom, who follow their
 own devices, without regard to reason, or reverence for God.
 Children are reasonable creatures, and when we tell them what
 they must do, we must tell them why. But they are corrupt and
 wilful, therefore with the instruction there is need of a law.
 Let Divine truths and commands be to us most honourable; let us
 value them, and then they shall be so to us.

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 #10-19 Wicked people are zealous in seducing others into the
 paths of the destroyer: sinners love company in sin. But they
 have so much the more to answer for. How cautious young people
 should be! "Consent thou not." Do not say as they say, nor do as
 they do, or would have thee to do; have no fellowship with them.
 Who could think that it should be a pleasure to one man to
 destroy another! See their idea of worldly wealth; but it is
 neither substance, nor precious. It is the ruinous mistake of
 thousands, that they overvalue the wealth of this world. Men
 promise themselves in vain that sin will turn to their
 advantage. The way of sin is down-hill; men cannot stop
 themselves. Would young people shun temporal and eternal ruin,
 let them refuse to take one step in these destructive paths.
 Men's greediness of gain hurries them upon practices which will
 not suffer them or others to live out half their days. What is a
 man profited, though he gain the world, if he lose his life?
 much less if he lose his soul?

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 #20-33 Solomon, having showed how dangerous it is to hearken to
 the temptations of Satan, here declares how dangerous it is not
 to hearken to the calls of God. Christ himself is Wisdom, is
 Wisdoms. Three sorts of persons are here called by Him: 1.
 Simple ones. Sinners are fond of their simple notions of good
 and evil, their simple prejudices against the ways of God, and
 flatter themselves in their wickedness. 2. Scorners. Proud,
 jovial people, that make a jest of every thing. Scoffers at
 religion, that run down everything sacred and serious. 3. Fools.
 Those are the worst of fools that hate to be taught, and have a
 rooted dislike to serious godliness. The precept is plain; Turn
 you at my reproof. We do not make a right use of reproofs, if we
 do not turn from evil to that which is good. The promises are
 very encouraging. Men cannot turn by any power of their own; but
 God answers, Behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you. Special
 grace is needful to sincere conversion. But that grace shall
 never be denied to any who seek it. The love of Christ, and the
 promises mingled with his reproofs, surely should have the
 attention of every one. It may well be asked, how long men mean
 to proceed in such a perilous path, when the uncertainty of life
 and the consequences of dying without Christ are considered? Now
 sinners live at ease, and set sorrow at defiance; but their
 calamity will come. Now God is ready to hear their prayers; but
 then they shall cry in vain. Are we yet despisers of wisdom? Let
 us hearken diligently, and obey the Lord Jesus, that we may
 enjoy peace of conscience and confidence in God; be free from
 evil, in life, in death, and for ever.
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 * Promises to those who seek wisdom. (1-9) The advantages of
 wisdom. (10-22)

 #1-9 Those who earnestly seek heavenly wisdom, will never
 complain that they have lost their labour; and the freeness of
 the gift does not do away the necessity of our diligence, #Joh
 6:27|. Let them seek, and they shall find it; let them ask, and
 it shall be given them. Observe who are thus favoured. They are
 the righteous, on whom the image of God is renewed, which
 consists in righteousness. If we depend upon God, and seek to
 him for wisdom, he will enable us to keep the paths of judgment.