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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

2. When a person is in such a spiritual [illegible]ethargy, that nothing will work upon him, or make him sensible. There is [illegible], the spirit of a deep sleep poured on him, (Isaiah 29:10). This is a sad presage his day of grace is past.

VVhatever be its Solemnity, is to reject all due Reverence of him. Forasmuch, saith the Lord, as this People draw near me with their Mouth, and with their Lips do honor me, but have removed their Hearts far from me, therefore I will proceed against them, Isaiah 29:13. The Mouth…

5. Sin brings a man low in spiritual Plagues. It brings many an one, to a seared conscience, to final induration, Isaiah 29:10. The Lord has poured out upon you, the spirit of a deep sleep, and has closed your eyes.

1st Commandment: You shall have no other gods, etc. He breaks this commandment: who does not know the true God (Jeremiah 4:22); who denies God in his heart by denying his presence, justice, mercy, etc. (Psalm 14:1); who hates God and shows it by disobedience (Exodus 20:5; Romans…

He either neglects them, or if he performs them, it is not as God requires. 'If they draw near to him with their lips, yet their heart is far from him' (Isaiah 29:13). 'You are near in their mouth, but far from their minds' (Jeremiah 12:2).

7. Guide him in judgment (Psalm 25:9). 8. Increase his joy (Isaiah 29:19). 9. Bless him (Matthew 5:5), and give him a sure inheritance.

Strangers shall hear of your great name, and of your strong hand. Christ was to be heard by the deaf Gentiles, (Isaiah 29:18). In that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book:

6. They hinder all good we should do, and spoil our best performances. Vain thoughts draw the heart away in them, that when a man should draw near to God, his heart, by reason of his thoughts, is far off from him (Isaiah 29:16). A man's heart goes after his covetousness, when he…

In that day it shall be said, Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us, we will rejoice and be glad in his salvation. (Psalm 35:20-21) Our soul waits on the Lord, our heart rejoices, because we have trusted in him: it is from our trust, that we have waite…

2. By him does God say unto us, That, Fury is not in him, and that if we lay hold on his Arm, that we may have peace, we shall have peace, Isaiah 29:4, 5. Secondly, Unto this Delight is required a sense of Gods Relation unto us as a Father.

This shows how dangerous it is to continue always stumbling at such a work, for ever doubting of it, and forbearing fully to acknowledge it, and give God the glory of it: such persons are in danger to go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared and taken, and to have Christ…

And to tell the truth, the cry of irregularity and imprudence has been much more in the mouths of those that have been enemies to the main of the work than others; for they have watched for the stumbling of the zealous, and eagerly caught at anything that has been wrong, and hav…

And when God remarkably arises, to execute judgment, it is to save all the meek of the earth (Psalm 76:9). And it is the meek, that shall increase their joy in the Lord (Isaiah 29:19). And when the time comes, that God will give this lower world into the hands of his saints, it…