Isaiah 40

Being a Spirit, we cannot make any image to represent him by (Deuteronomy 4:12). The Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire, you heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude. 1. God being a Spirit, is imperceptible, cannot be discerned, how then can there be any r…

He sets bounds to the angels, they like the Cherubims move and stand at his appointment (Ezekiel 10:16), but he is infinite, without bounds. He who can span the heavens, and weigh the earth in a pair of scales, must needs be infinite (Isaiah 40:12). Object. Vorstius, That God is…

They are of the blood-royal of heaven (1 John 3:9). The Scripture has set forth their spiritual heraldry; they have their escutcheon or coat-armor: Sometimes they bear the lion for their courage (Proverbs 28:1), sometimes the dove for their meekness (Song of Solomon 2:14), somet…

with the turning of his hand (Psalm 81:14). with his breath (Isaiah 40:24). with a look.

Quod invisibile est, pingi non potest, Ambr. God cannot be pictured out by any figure: you cannot picture the soul, being a spirit, much less God (Isaiah 40:18). To whom then will you liken God?

He is Lord Paramount, who does whatever he will (Psalm 115:2). He weighs the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance (Isaiah 40:12). 3. God is a glorious King (Psalm 24:10).

2. God has most care of his weak saints, who fear they shall never hold out till they come to the kingdom; does not the mother tend the weak child most? Isaiah 40:11: He will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom. If you think you are so weak that you shall n…

The faith of devils is as good. 7. Such as are in the number of God's people, forgiveness of sin belongs to them (Isaiah 40:1): comfort my people, tell them their iniquity is forgiven. Quest. How shall we know that we are God's elect people?

Q. Who was it that created the world? A. God that is without beginning, and has his being of himself, he it was who gave beginning, and being to the world (Genesis 1:1; Acts 17:24; Isaiah 40:28; Isaiah 44:24). Q. Whether was this the work of the Father, or of the Son, or of the…

And whom should the physician have an eye to but the sick — and the most sick, as those are who cannot find their sins forgiven (Isaiah 33:14)? He is the Shepherd (Isaiah 40:11) and will take care of all his sheep, knows them by name. But of whom especially?

And further, second, let these men be surrounded and encompassed about with the greatest splendor of worldly glory, and abound in all those good things this world can afford them (the comforts whereof Solomon in like manner compares to a fire of thorns and the pleasures of it to…

Only the Spirit of God is living water that never fails. So the Prophet tells us, that even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fail (Isaiah 40:30). They who seem to be the strongest and most vigorous in the performance of any duties, yet if they…

No man has so little grace, who has any, as that he is ever able to set a sufficient price upon it, or to be thankful enough for it. (4.) There is indeed so much spoken in the Scripture concerning the love, care, compassion, and tenderness of our Lord Jesus Christ, towards the w…

For as the infinite sovereign wisdom of his being admits not of his taking counsel with any other; so the infinite simplicity of his nature and understanding comprehending all things in one single act of his mind, allows not of formal counsel or deliberation. The first therefore…

And the want of faith herein, is the first and most proper part of unbelief. Therefore as God engages his omnipotency or all-sufficiency as the foundation of all his covenant actings towards us (Genesis 17:1), so he often pleads the same power to assure us of the accomplishment…

What is possible or impossible with respect to the nature of God, we may know in some good measure from the certain knowledge we may have of his being and essential properties. But what is so one way or other with respect to his decrees or purposes, which are sovereign free acts…

And this proves on sundry accounts greatly to the advantage of the poor tempted disciples of Christ. For it makes a representation to them of his own compassion and love as the great Shepherd of the Sheep (Isaiah 40:11), and causeth a needful supply of spiritual provisions to be…

Are not they weary of that weariness? And God makes good that promise to them (Isaiah 40, last verse): the meaning is, not that they shall find no weariness, or faintings at all, who wait on God, but that it shall not prevail so, but that as in the beginning of the verse, they s…

The first is the testimony of the scripture, which ascribes the event of all particular actions, even such as are in themselves casual, as the casting of lots and such like to the disposition of God: which very thing also teaches that even men themselves, endowed with reason and…

The sun does with the same easiness shine upon the whole world, as upon one field: so does God manage the government of the whole world as of one person or creature. Our wisdom is gotten by learning, but who has directed the Spirit of the Lord (Isaiah 40:17). Our wisdom is bette…

Now the reason being understood of the image of God himself, the prohibition must needs be so understood. Again there is no question that God directs his commandment against a sin in speculation, but against some common and wicked practice of the Jews — and that was to represent…

First: but is the majesty of heaven a little one too? If I commit this sin, I must offend and wrong a great God — Isaiah 40:15-22. Second: is there any little hell to torment little sinners in?

But though these vanish away, blessed be God there is something that abides. Though all flesh is as grass, and the goodliness of it as the flower of the grass, though the grass withers and the flower falls because the Spirit of the Lord blows upon it — yet the word of our God st…

For they are all taken from the love of God and of Christ, from the whole work and end of his mediation, from the ready assistances of the Holy Ghost, from all the promises of the gospel, from their own with other believers' experiences, all giving them the highest assurance of…

By THOMAS WATSON, Pastor of Stephens Walbrook, LONDON. Isa. 40. 2. Speak ye comfortably to Hierusalem. LONDON, Printed for Thomas Parkhurst, at the three Crowns at the lower end of Cheapside. 1662.

And Jeremiah 3:17, that all nations shall be gathered to the name of the Lord to Jerusalem, and shall walk no more after the imagination of their evil heart. So it is said, that all flesh shall come and worship before the Lord (Isaiah 66:23), and that all flesh should see the gl…

When that cry is made (Isaiah 57:14), Cast you up, cast you up, prepare the way, &c., the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, is represented as very near to revive the spirit of the contrite, and deliver his people with whom he had been wroth, ver. 15, to the end. When th…

For that law differs from nature itself only by its relation to a certain object. This law, therefore, teaches that God exists and is to be worshipped, and that right and justice are to be observed among men — as Scripture also testifies: Ps. 145:15; 141:7–9; Job 12:7–10; 37–39;…

Also in the same sense, by a term meaning "carved works," Isaiah 45:20; by a term for "images," Exodus 20:4; 2 Chronicles 33:22. Also by a term meaning "likenesses" or "idols," Isaiah 21:9; and by a term meaning "images," Isaiah 40:19, 20; and by a term meaning "enclosures of al…

Here is forbidden to walk according to our own judgement and wisdom (Numbers 15:39; Genesis 11:4); also a distrustful care (Matthew 6:25; Luke 12:26). To this, last of all is adjoined humility, when emptying ourselves of all, we give God the whole glory of all good things, which…

Never was a mother more tender of the sucking child, than He is of His believing children; therefore, says the Lord (Isaiah 49:15), a mother may forget her sucking child; but I will not forget you: hence, is that phrase, even as to visible professors in the church, who refuse to…

It will not be needful to separate these qualifications of His service, in the administration of His offices: in speaking to them, we shall only desire you to take notice of some few places of Scripture that hold them out. The first of which is that, Isaiah 40:11. He shall feed…

As after drawing blood and cutting a vein, more comes in the place; and after a great fever, and decay of strength, in a recovery, nature repairs itself more copiously. And often in our sad troubles, we have that complaint of God, which he rebukes his people for; (Isaiah 40:27)…

Indeed, all habits of grace, of faith, of love, in us, are like the streams of a fountain that would dry up of themselves, if the spring did not, with a sort of eternity, furnish them new supply; so would habits of grace, being but created things, wither in us, if they were not…

Indeed, he grows out of the root of Jesse, a Royal branch of King David's house; not that these wars may be perpetuated between God and all the children of men: but that the wolf should dwell with the lamb, and the leopard lie down with the kid, and the calf, and the young lion…

John had the voice of a crier, he was a man of a severe spirit; but Christ came piping and dancing; all melodious sweetness was in his ministry and spirit; and in the course of his ministry he went so tenderly to work, he was so heedful to broken souls, and had such regard to th…

And herein it is a wonder to see sometimes, how God's servants are strained, all for want of the life of faith in their souls; if God cut short with us, it is because we do not live in Christ, but in the spirit of grace, and think to walk by the strength of grace received, we lo…

First, when we do prepare a way for Christ to come in to us, as it is said of John, he prepared the way for Christ, that so he might suddenly come into his Temple (Malachi 3:1). And Isaiah speaking of the same Messenger, he says, Every mountain shall be brought low, and every va…

For two things there be that go to the having of Christ for a Savior. First, he that will have Christ for a Savior, must look up to him for salvation in all his ways, and distresses, we have other Saviors, but not him, if we look for salvation elsewhere (Isaiah 40:22): Look to m…

It is nothing by way of comparison with God, nothing by way of exclusion of God, nothing in opposition to God. It should be nothing in our esteem, so far as it would be something separate from God, or in co-ordination with God (Isaiah 40:17): All nations before him are as nothin…

The good shepheard brings home the stray sheepe upon his shoulders: he carries his lambs in his bosome. Isa 40:11. He will not quench the smoaking flaxe, Isa. 42. he spares them that feare him, as a father spares his child.

And yet there is no great difference in the sense, for his purpose is to speak of the Prophets which should bring the joyful and desirable tidings of this deliverance; which God by Moses had also promised long before; to wit, that he would raise up faithful ministers from time t…

But when the Lord shall cause the captivity of his people to return, then the watchmen which were dumb before, should have their mouths opened to publish their freedom: for they should not speak in hugger mugger, neither should they content themselves to give some privy token of…

But this exposition suits very ill, and therefore I had rather follow the first, namely, that although the Jews for a time were to be deprived of this land, yet the Lord would establish them in it again, who will to that end command the rough ways to be made smooth, for their re…

His words are, “Comfort you, comfort you my people, says your God,” (Isaiah 40:1.) When the temple had been thrown down, and sacrifices abolished, and the people led away into captivity, their affairs seemed to be desperate.

“Ressemble aucunement a la foy;” — “somewhat resembles faith.” At the same time we ought to learn, that they are not truly regenerated by the incorruptible seed, which never fades, as Peter tells us, (1 Peter 1:4;) for he says that these words of Isaiah, The word of God endures…

And especially in the Works of his Spirit on the Hearts of Men, which are the highest and chief of his Works. And therefore it is said, Isaiah 40. 13. Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his Counsellor hath taught him.

Omnipotency, Micah 2. 8. The Spirit of the Lord is not straitned; compared with Isa. 40. 28. The Power of the Spirit of God; Rom. 15. 19.

Experience of the reality, excellency, power, and efficacy of the things believed is an effectual means of increasing faith and love — every taste that faith obtains of divine love and grace adds to its measure and stature; and it is the Holy Ghost who gives believers all their…

He provides that fresh recruits shall still spring up to them in their way. For all their supplies are of him, and are acknowledged to be so; in as much as by waiting upon the Lord they renew strength and mount up with wings as Eagles, run without weariness, and walk without fai…