Isaiah 29

The heart is the incense that perfumes our holy things; it is the altar that sanctifies the offering. Now when we seem to worship God, but withdraw our heart from him, we take his name in vain (Isaiah 29:13): This people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do hono…

We present God with our bodies, but do not give him our hearts (Hosea 7:11). This hypocrisy God complains of (Isaiah 29:13): This people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me. This is to prevaricate, and deal fal…

Qu. 12. What is principally to be attended to by us in the manner of the celebration of the worship of God, and observation of the institutions and ordinances of the Gospel? Answ. That we observe and do all whatever the Lord Christ has commanded us to observe, in the way that he…

And the comeliness and beauty of Gospel worship, consisteth in its relation to God by Jesus Christ, as the merciful high-Priest over his house, with the glorious administration of the spirit therein. The order also of it lies in the due and regular observation of all that Christ…

Qu. 3. How then are these ways and means of the worship of God made known to us? Answ. In and by the written word only; which contains a full and perfect revelation of the will of God; as to his whole worship, and all the concernments of it: John 5:39, Isaiah 8:20, Luke 16:19, 2…

Secondly, Know that the discovery of this truth was (as the vision that is his for an appointed time) and is become to us, as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this I pray you: And he says, I cannot; for it is sealed. And…

How much severer punishment are they worthy of, that sin against the Son's authority, seeing he is Lord of the spiritual house, whose house are we (Hebrews 3:6), and the heavenly Father commands us to hear him (Matthew 17:5), and that in all things, or our souls must perish (Act…

'Tis but friar-like, to follow an allusion too far, only a little for illustration: wicked men are Dreamers. 1. In regard of their state and condition, every carnal man is in a state of a deep sleep (Isaiah 29:10), snorting upon the bed of ease, without any sense of the danger o…

It is the Lord's direction to Joshua to keep close to the rule, and to the Law of Moses, that you may prosper, or as it may be rendered, that you may deal understandingly wherever you shall go (Joshua 1:7, 8). But on the contrary, when men worship God according to their own inve…

It is to imagine him less careful than man, more insufficient than man. It is a departure from a full fountain to a shallow stream; not to desire God's assistance is either from some check of conscience that our business is sinful, that we dare not interest him in it, or a disow…

For this cause the Lord Christ threatened the utter rejection of the lukewarm church of Laodicea. And God pronounces a most severe sentence against all that are guilty of it (Isaiah 29:13, 14). Yet thus it may be with many, and that thus it has been with them, many do manifest b…

Thus (Jeremiah 18:22) They have digged a pit to take me, and laid snares for my feet. (Isaiah 29:21) They lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate. Further, hatred in the house of his God.

That's the first. Secondly, they are but as small dust, in Isaiah 29:5. The multitude of your strangers shall be like small dust.

You shall not make to yourself any graven thing, or image, or likeness of any thing in heaven above, &c. In which part, by a usual manner of the Law, a part being put for the whole, as in the 6th, 7th, and 9th commandments, and that one of the foulest, look to note the filthines…

In the Law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak to this people (1 Corinthians 14:21). And (Isaiah 29:11): And the vision of all is become to you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I…

As if he had sent to heaven for a privy search, he would not have any one thought within him, but he would that God should know it, and therefore desires, that God would try and search, and know his thoughts. He was not like them of whom you read (Isaiah 29:15), that dig deep to…

Fear is for inward worship, serve is for outward worship, and the profession of the same. Fear in Moses is expounded worship by Christ; so (Matthew 15:9) compared with (Isaiah 29:13). In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, but in the Prophet…

It is further said, we must restore in the spirit of meekness. The word spirit is added, because it proceeds from the spirit of God, who is both the worker and continuer thereof: as on the contrary, the spirit of jealousy (Numbers 5:14), the spirit of error (1 John 4:6), the spi…

Nor yet remembering that the Scripture has great majesty joined with simplicity, and as great difficulty mixed with plainness and facility; and therefore not unfittingly resembled by Saint Gregory to the main ocean in which the lamb may wade and the elephant may swim. For the Sp…

But the enemies of Christ deserve that God should strike them with a spirit of giddiness and insensibility, should “pour out upon them a spirit of deep sleep and close their eyes,” (Isaiah 29:10.) Others apply it to a creature of their own fancy, some unknown son of Ahaz, whose…

The light is said to be turned into darkness, not only when men permit the wicked lusts of the flesh to overwhelm the judgment of their reason, but also when they give up their minds to wicked thoughts, and thus degenerate into beasts. For we see how wickedly men change into cra…

This was the season wherein all vision and prophecy centred; this the person who was the principal subject and end of them; he therefore and his coming is here foretold. (2.) To seal, is to finish, conclude, and put an end to any thing (Isaiah 29:11). Thus also were vision and p…

Again (Matthew 15:9): In vain, says Christ, do they worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. Now the prophet Isaiah (from where that is taken) (Isaiah 29:14) expresses it thus: Forasmuch as their fear toward me is taught by the precepts of men. They worship me…

3. A negligence herein, or the want of stirring up faith to a due exercise in all duties of worship, is the highest affront we can put upon God, arguing a great regardlessness of him; while it is so with us, we have not, we cannot have a due sense of any of the divine perfection…

They are in their matter earthly, in their procuring painful, in their fruition surfeiting, in their duration dying, in their operation damning. 2. It reproves them who draw near to God, but it is hypocritically; they draw near with their lips, but not with their hearts (Isaiah…

This was by divine appointment; for it was part of God's worship in his church, that was offered up in faith, and that he accepted: which proves that it was by his institution; for sacrificing is no part of natural worship. The light of nature doth not teach to offer up beasts i…

(3) 'Tis the most indiscernible stroke to themselves, that can be, and by that so much the more desperate. Hence there is said to be poured out upon them the spirit of slumber (Isaiah 29:10): The Lord has poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes. Mo…

So, Joshua chap. 24:19, You cannot serve the Lord. Isaiah 29:11, I cannot read the book, that is, I am sinfully ignorant of prophecy. Isaiah 44:18, They cannot understand, no more than blind men.

5. The clay's no and the great Potter's yes and vain man's I will and the Almighty's I will not are most unsuitable. (Isaiah 29:16) Shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed, say of him that framed it, He has no understanding? (Romans 9:20…

Blessed are those who keep their garments clean against the bridegroom's coming; there shall be spotted clothes and many defiled garments at his last coming, and therefore few found worthy to walk with him in white. I am persuaded, my Lord, this poor traveling woman, our pained…

Blessed are those who keep their garments clean against the bridegroom's coming; there shall be spotted clothes and many defiled garments at his last coming, and therefore few found worthy to walk with him in white. I am persuaded, my Lord, this poor traveling woman, our pained…

Answ. I will show it to you in these three things. 1. See that your spirit be as near him as your lips are (Isaiah 29:13). He complains of a sort of people, that draw near to God with their mouth, and with their lips do honor him, but have removed their heart far from him, and t…

They were astonished by what they saw and heard, but not convinced. And especially was the Work of God then rejected by those that were most conceited of their own Understanding and Knowledge, agreeable to Isaiah 29:14. Therefore behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous Work amo…

Every day is a Sabbath-day, a day of holy rest with the meek and quiet soul, that is, one of the days of heaven. As this grace gets ground, the comforts of the Holy Ghost grow stronger and stronger, according to that precious promise (Isaiah 29:19): The meek also shall increase…

It is the apostle's direction (Galatians 6:1): if a man be overtaken in a fault (that is, if he be surprised by a temptation and overcome, as the best may be, if God leave them to themselves) you which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness. By the spiritual…

The everlasting gospel is a testimony (Matthew 24:14), either to us to convince us, or against us to condemn us, and then no wonder if those speak against it who hate to be convinced by it, and dread to be condemned by it. The prophet complains of those that laid snares for him…

For the first, that place is remarkable in Proverbs 16:27 An ungodly man diggeth up evil, and in his lips there is a burning fire; if things be not plain and fair enough, because he has an evil spirit, he will dig up evil, if he can dig up any old business to reproach them for.…

No darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves, foolishly and wretchedly done to do that, or think that, that we would hide from the Lord, and then to think that we can hide it; the Prophet speaks woe to such. Woe to them that dig deep to hide…

2. We include ourselves, when we say, hallowed be your name; for it is especially the duty of God's people. Isaiah 29:23: they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. It is our duty, by our religious conduct to evidence that…

Certainly it is a great advantage to make God conscious to every business we have in hand, when we dare undertake nothing but what we would acquaint him with. There are some to whom the prophet pronounces a woe (Isaiah 29:15). Woe to them that seek deep to hide their counsel fro…

I will yet be inquired after to do it for them. So (Isaiah 29:10-11). Now the reasons are these.

It will make bold with God, and sin because grace abounds! In short, it is the dare of God's justice, the rape of his mercy, the jeer of his patience, the slight of his power, the contempt of his love, as one does prettily express this ugly thing: and we may go on and say; it is…

For the first question, we lay down this conclusion for a doctrine of truth; that singing of Psalms with a lively voice, is an holy duty of God's worship now in the days of the New Testament. When we say, singing with lively voice, we suppose none will so far misconstrue us, as…

They are strange children, whose mouth speaks vanity. 5. A man may pray and yet be far from God in prayer; this people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me (Matthew 15:8; Isaiah 29:13). A man may pray, and yet have no hea…

It was spoken of the times of Josiah when reformation was general, and with great applause and approbation of all hands; religion seemed to be entertained: yet men settle upon their lees, had their retiring corners for their corrupt lusts, while they carried all before them, and…

David did not only lift up his voice, but his soul. Though God will have the eye and the knee — the service of the body — yet he complains of those who draw near with their lips while their hearts are far from him (Isaiah 29:13). The soul is the jewel.

Experience breeds hope; that hope must stand strong which stands with one foot upon a promise and with the other foot upon an experience. But a wicked man's hope is a spider's web — he has nothing to ground his hope upon; his hope is an imposture, a golden dream (Isaiah 29:8): i…

He is going to hell, but knows it not; he laughs in his sleep. Though in sleep the senses are bound, yet the fancy is let loose; the man dreams he is at a banquet (Isaiah 29:8). So when the heart of a sinner is asleep in sin, yet his fancy is quick; he fancies that he is an heir…

13. There is a wicked hardening of the heart, when men make the Lord his word and mighty works the contrary party (Exodus 5:1-3; Exodus 7:10, 13, 16, 20, 23; Exodus 8:5-7, 15, 17-19; Isaiah 6:9-10; Zechariah 7:8-9, 11-12; Ezekiel 2:3-4; Ezekiel 3:7-8; Matthew 13:13-15; Acts 13:4…

To signify that here was the cause therefore the city was burnt, it was the Lord's controversy respecting his Altar, his worship that is, which brought that famous city into ruinous heaps. So again (Isaiah 29:1), it is there said, Wo to Ariel, to Ariel the city where David dwelt…