Isaiah 22

2. To rejoice is a duty (Psalm 33:1): praise is comely for the upright. But when God by his judgments calls us to weeping, now joy and mirth is unseasonable (Isaiah 22:12): "In that day did the Lord call to weeping, and behold joy and gladness." Oecolampadius, and other learned…

Your eyes are like the fish pooles in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim.] For the abundance of water, meaning teachers, that they shall yeeld even tears of repentance at their conversion, partly for the great wrong they had done our Savior, partly to consider the unspeakable a…

The doctrine of Christian liberty, which is one part of the Gospel, is abused to exclude the Moral Law, as a rule of duties to God and man: whereas the Apostle says, "I am not [in non-Latin alphabet], not without the Law to God, but under the Law to Christ" (1 Corinthians 9:20).…

Ah, this goes close to honest hearts! But though God allows — indeed commands — the most awakened apprehensions of these calamities, and in such a day calls to mourning, weeping, and girding with sackcloth (Isaiah 22:12), and severely threatens the insensible (Amos 6:1), yet it…

Judgments affect us when they are before our eyes, as the thunder and plagues did Pharaoh, but when they are removed, men return to their beloved ways as though God had shot away all his arrows, and was departed to mind them no more. Take heed of this, it is a sin highly provoki…

The fairest and most glorious sight, that ever the eye of man saw, shall be, when Christ shall come riding through the clouds, on his chariot of glory, accompanied with his mighty angels, and with one pull, or shake of his mighty arms, shall cause the stars to fall from heaven,…

Fie on all the glory of the world; let us not think 1. too much of this piece, airy, windy, vain opinion of men's esteem and the applause; it's but a short living, hungry Hosanna, when your name is carried through a spot or bit of this clay-stage, for a day or two, they'll wonde…

The Church prays thus to God, Teach us to number our days, that is, so to consider the shortness, uncertainty, and vanity of our life, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom (Psalm 90:12). But wicked men's practice is clean contrary, for they take occasion upon the shortness of…

As there are various affections planted in your souls, so are there several graces planted in those affections, and several Providences appointed to draw forth, and exercise these graces. When the Providences of God are sad, and afflictive either upon the Church in general, or y…

Neither is there any thing that concerns any of them in their passage towards glory, whereby they may be furthered or hindered in their way, but the care is committed to him; as the care of the whole army lies on the General, or Prince of the host. This the Prophet sets out in h…

3. The end of this invitation, it was to eat and to drink with them. As under the notions of bread and water, or bread and wine, all necessaries for food are comprised; so under the actions of eating and drinking, the whole business of feasting is contained (Luke 12:19; Isaiah 2…

We read (Jeremiah 3:21), A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the house of Israel. When the terrible voice of God's judgements has been heard in London, God does hearken for the voice of weeping and supplications; this God's voice does call for; w…

5. Some are all their life creeping children, yet saved: a sincere affection in Nicodemus consists with much ignorance, yet is not the faith rotten. 6. It belongs to sovereignty that the little vessels of small quantity hang upon Christ, as well as the great (Isaiah 22:24), and…

I pray God I may not give this world credit of my joys and comforts and confidence — that were to put Christ out of his office. Indeed, I counsel you Madam from a little experience: let Christ keep the great seal, and entrust him so, as to hang your vessels great and small and p…

We must spend no more care, or thoughts, or time, or words, or cost, about them, and lay no more stress or weight upon them than they deserve, and that is but a very little. It is but glory hung upon us, as the expression is (Isaiah 22:24), and has no glory if compared with the…

In the name of Jesus Christ I beseech you, let it be your care so to walk, with such heavenly humble spirits, as to hold forth the beauty of godliness unto others, and to force respect from them. As it is said of God, Holy and reverend is his name; How does Gods name come to be…

Wicked men would have the favor of God, but they are easily put out of the humor. Again, then we pray with the whole heart, when there is such a desire as not to be discouraged, but you venture again, when the Lord seems to put off and give a check to your requests (Isaiah 22:8)…

And in that place they must die. It was said to Shebna, that with a mighty captivity he should be carried into Babylon, and there you shall die (Isaiah 22:18). So at the day of Judgment, the Chaldeans of Hell will carry sinners with them into an everlasting captivity, and there…

And therefore it is the prophet looks at it as desperate, beyond hope or help (Hosea 4:4): let no man strive with another or reprove him, for this people are as they that strive with the priest, they contemn him and his reproof, so far are they from being content to take it, or…

O that our tears may blunt the edge of this sword; when it is a time of treading down, now is a time of breaking up the fallow ground of our hearts. Isaiah 22:4-5: therefore said I, look away from me, I will weep bitterly, for it is a day of treading down. Joel 2:2, 13: a day of…

This is a sin that enrages God. Isaiah 22:12-13: In that day did the Lord of Hosts call to weeping and to mourning, and behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine. And it was revealed in my ears by the Lord of Hosts: Surely this ini…

Rejoicing is a duty (Psalm 33:1); but when God by some special providence calls us to weeping, now joy is unseasonable. This is that which God complains of (Isaiah 22:12): in that day did the Lord of Hosts call to weeping, and behold joy and gladness. Oecolampadius and others th…

8. There is a promise of glory, of a name above all names made to Christ for his sufferings (Psalm 16:9-11) (Isaiah 53:12) (Acts 5:31), and to such as suffer with him, and overcome (Luke 22:29-30) (Revelation 3:21) (Revelation 2:10). As also, he shall bear all the glory of his F…

8. As the former Argument is from the promise made to Christ, and fulfilled to him, so this is from the predictions, prophecies and promises of him, as he, of whom such glorious promises are foretold, and may claim the thing promised, by faith, he has some word of promise for su…

Sometimes God makes his judgements go in circuit, from family to family. The cup of affliction has gone round in the Nation, all have tasted it; and if we repent not now, we stand in a contempt of God, and do interpretatively bid God do his worst; and such a climax of wickedness…

The expressions of smiting of the thigh, (Jeremiah 31:19). knocking on the breast, L[illegible]k. 18. 13. putting on of sackcloth, (Isaiah 22:12). plucking off the hair, (Ezra 9:3). What are all these, but outward signs of inward sorrow.

There is a great deal of reason why the people of God should observe, not only who enjoys the Gospel in which Christ is opened to men, and where it is that Christ is most clearly and distinctly declared in his whole work; but also what fruit or efficacy there is of it; how far t…

I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid, but rather through their fall, Salvation is come to the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousie, Isaiah 22. 19. And I will drive you from your Station, and from your state shall hee pull you down.

So long as God's sword is in his scabbard, men have such stout hearts, that they will never yield; God must wound, and cut deep, and stab, and thrust to the very heart, else men will never yield, never awaken, till God's fists be about men's ears, and he is dragging them to the…

Christ is a growing child. In Christ's lower firmament, there be stars of the first and second magnitude: and in his house, vessels of great, and of small quantity, cups and flagons (Isaiah 22:24), yet all are fastened upon the golden nail, Jesus Christ. 2. All are in the way, t…

Therefore fire cannot consume, water cannot drown the saints, except by a dispensation of the Lord. 5. Christ is not fastened as a loose nail, or as one broken or rotten wedge in the covenant: he is there as a nail in a sure place (Zechariah 10:4; Isaiah 22:23). Hang all the ves…

And that of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 4:19): "My bowels! my bowels! I am pained at my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me! I cannot hold my peace! Because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war!" And so (Jeremiah 9:1; 13:17; 14:17; Isaiah…