Proverbs 8

And he is, the text says, 〈in non-Latin alphabet〉, King of Kings. He has a preeminence of all other Kings, he is called the Prince of the Kings of the Earth (Revelation 1:5), 〈in non-Latin alphabet〉 — He must needs be so, for by him Kings reign (Proverbs 8:15). They hold their c…

God is the supreme monarch, all power is seated originally in him; and the powers that be are of God (Romans 13:1). Kings hold their crowns from him (Proverbs 8:15). By me kings reign.

Grace may suffer an eclipse, not a dissolution. It is called substance for its solidity (Proverbs 8:21), and durable riches for its permanency (Proverbs 8:18). It lasts as long as the soul, as heaven lasts.

Response. God is the Father of Christ in a more glorious transcendent manner. Christ has the primogeniture; he is the eldest Son, a Son by eternal generation: Proverbs 8:23. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

He is not more wise, more holy, more powerful than the other persons are; a priority, not superiority. 2. The second person in the Trinity is Jesus Christ, who is begotten of the Father before all time (Proverbs 8:23-25). I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or eve…

To have the precious soul endangered is far worse than to have the body endangered. Sin wrongs the soul (Proverbs 8:36). Sin casts this jewel of the soul overboard.

And then take up words of pleading for yourself — it is for your life. Desire him to remember what he has been thinking of from everlasting — thoughts of peace and mercy toward us, whose number cannot be told (Psalm 40:5), which he has been thinking of with the greatest of delig…

For they say he was continually occupied in making many little worlds, which he continually destroyed as he made them, because none pleased him till he made this. But we must rather say, that some things are revealed which God did then, as that he decreed what should come to pas…

God surpasses the praises of the archangels; he is encircled with glory and majesty (Psalm 104:1). He does infinitely outvie all the powers of the earth: princes hold their crowns by immediate tenure from him (Proverbs 8:15); his dominions are largest, his possession longest. Th…

1. In his undertaking of the bargain, his willingness appears; when burnt offerings and sacrifices would not do it, and when there was no obligation on him to do what he did, then comes in his free offer and consent, and that with delight (Psalm 40): Then said I, Lo, I come: in…

He comes in and says (as we have it, (Psalm 40)) Lo, I come, in the volume of your book it is written of me, I delight to do your will, O my God; I am here, Father, as if he had said, I offer myself and accept of the terms heartily and delightfully; I rejoiced, says he, (Proverb…

For the next thing, namely, the clearing and confirming of it; it might be cleared and confirmed from many grounds, but we shall only touch on some, that may make it out most convincingly, that it is most delightsome to Jesus Christ, to see sinners making use of Him, and getting…

Hence, Observe, That our blessed Lord Jesus was most hearty in laying down His life for sinners, was most cheerful in undertaking, and most willing and cheerful in executing what He did undertake; He makes not two words of the bargain, (to speak so) but when sacrifice and offeri…

The Lord answers that calumny (Ezekiel 18): And here, as I live, I delight not so (so as you slanderously, and blasphemously say) in the death of a sinner, by my life, I desire you may repent and live, nor have I pleasure to punish innocent men, for no sin at all. And the second…

Doctrine: According to, or upon our having, or not having of Christ, depends our having or not having of life. The note is of special weight in our Christian experience, and therefore let us take so much the more care in opening of it; He that finds me (which is all one with, he…

And besides, endeavor to find him in the means (verse 3): Hear, and your souls shall live; listen diligently to the Word of God. It is a notable promise that in Proverbs 8:34: Blessed is the man that hears me, watching daily at the posts of my gates, for he that finds me, finds…

And for you that do not believe savingly, whose faith will not put you in possession of eternal life, though this Scripture was not so much written for your use and benefit, as for them that already believe, yet since there is no means to come to faith but by the Word, be not yo…

Christ is the Son of God properly so called, a Son only begotten (John 3:16), God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. Eternally begotten (Proverbs 8:22-23), I was set up from everlasting, the Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way before his works of ol…

Bless the Lord ye his Angels, that excel in strength, that do his Commandements, hearkning to the voice of his Word. 2. The matter which he speaks, and we hear, is the doctrine of the Gospel, it is the most sweet, excellent, and comfortable doctrine that can be heard or understo…

The contrary Affection of Hatred also, as having Sin for its Object, is spoken of in Scripture, as no inconsiderable Part of true Religion. It is spoken of as that by which true Religion may be known and distinguished, Proverbs 8. 13. The fear of the Lord is to hate Evil.

'Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have Respect to all thy Commandments.' Proverbs 8:13. 'The Fear of the Lord is to hate Evil.

And the Lord God formed Man of the Dust of the Ground, and breathed into his Nostrils the Breath of Life, and Man became a Living Soul. (1.) There is the Matter whereof he was formed; (2.) The Quickning Principle added thereunto; And (3.) the Effect of their Conjunction and Unio…

Again, he delights in you — I speak to such of whom this may be supposed. And it is indefinitely said his delights were with the sons of men (Proverbs 8). Think what he is, and what you are; and at once, both wonder and yield.

How much Christ appears as the Lamb of God, in his invitations to you to come to him and trust in him. With what sweet grace and kindness does he from time to time call and invite you: 'Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men' (Proverbs 8:4). And Isaiah 55:1-…

Now when he is about to speak parables, he says, I will open my mouth. When wisdom calls for audience and obedience (Proverbs 8:6), she says, Hear, for I will speak of excellent things, and the opening of my lips shall be right things. David invokes God to open his mouth, when h…

That is, between God the father, who sends him, and himself; There lay the counsel of peace making between God and Man in due time accomplished by him who is our peace, Ephesians 2:16. So he speaks, Proverbs 8:30, 31. Then I was by him as one brought up with him, and I was daily…

Now the fruit of this single eye is, to make the whole bodie light; that is, to bring the whole life into good order, guiding it in the paths of righteousnes, and making [illegible] abound in good works. Prov. 8. 19, 20. My fruit (saith wisdom) is []ter then fine gold—I cause to…

And so the second end, subordinate to the former, is in the end of verse 10. in these words, for the daughters of Jerusalem, that is, for their good that are weak and far short of perfection; it's not only fitted for his glory, but also, it's fitted and confirmed to them, so as…

If taken passively, he is gone down to feed, that is, that himself may eat, and it is the same with what was, (Song of Solomon 5:1) I have come to my garden, I have eaten, etc. and the scope in both, looks to be the same. So the meaning of the similitude is, that as men have the…

But there is also another rank of fathers, and they are political; Patres Patriae, the fathers of their country, to whom we owe honor and reverence by the obligation of this command. And these are the magistrates and governors that God has set over us: They are his deputies and…

2. Consider the state into which you are counseled, for this end observe, 1. Who is your counselor, Jesus Christ, who indeed is the only counselor, the wisdom of the Father, who best understands the law of heaven, and what will stand you in stead, in the court of God; he that mi…

But what was borrowed, or the naked ground. O melting consideration! that the glorious Son of God, Ioh, 1. 14. The Lord of glory, Iam. 2. I. The brightness of his fathers glory. Heb. 1. 3. Who was rich, 2 Cor. 8. 9. And it no robbery to be equal with God. Phil. 2. 8. who from al…

Instead of being troubled with the reproaches that are upon you, your spirits should be most troubled for their sin: Now there is infinite cause we have to be troubled for their sin more then for any evil that befals us. An evil tongue devours, and is an abomination, and in Prov…

First, communion consists in the delight they have in one another: There is a full, actual, mutual, everlasting delight between God and the Saints in heaven: First, there is a delight: Secondly, full: Thirdly, actual: Fourthly, mutual: Fifthly, everlasting. First, there is a del…

He is the treasure wherein the Father disposes all the riches of his grace taken from the bottomless mine of his eternal love; and he is the priest into whose hand we put all the offerings that we return to the Father. Thence he is said first and by way of eminency to love the S…

He is sufficient to his own love. He had his Son also, his eternal wisdom, to rejoice and delight himself in from all eternity, Proverbs 8:30. This might take up and satiate the whole delight of the Father.

The souls of the saints are the garden of Jesus Christ, the good ground (Hebrews 6:7-8). A garden for delight: he rejoices in them, his delights are with the sons of men (Proverbs 8:31), and he rejoices over them (Zephaniah 3:17). And a garden for fruit, yea pleasant fruit.

It is the gladness of the heart of Christ, the joy of his soul, to take poor sinners into this relation with himself. He rejoiced in the thoughts of it from eternity (Proverbs 8:31). And always expresses the greatest willingness to undergo the hard task required thereunto (Psalm…

Of communion with Christ in a conjugal relation in respect of consequential affections. His delight in his saints is first considered — Isaiah 62:5, Song of Solomon 3:11, Proverbs 8:21. As an instance of Christ's delight in believers: he reveals his whole heart to them, John 15:…

Thus the counsel of peace became to be between them both, Zechariah 6:13 — that is, the Father and the Son. And the Son rejoiced from eternity in the thought of this undertaking, Proverbs 8:21-30. Second, in the sovereign grant, appointment, and design of the Father — giving and…

Now the leaving of his Father must be taken only by way of resemblance, in that he came from the place of his Father's habitation, to the place where his Spouse was. The Scripture says, that he was in the bosom of his Father (John 1:18): by him, as one brought up with him, his d…

But first observe in general how plain, and easy, and how few these things are that are the rule of our life — no dark sentences to puzzle the understanding, nor large discourses and long periods to burden the memory; they are all plain. There is nothing twisted nor distorted in…

We should be willing to be in the arms of Christ, to be there where he is, to behold his glory. If Christ had such a goodwill to men, as that he longed to be with us, solacing his heart with the thought of it, before all worlds (Proverbs 8:31) — he was thinking of us, how he sho…

Amen. Portion of Scripture read before sermon—Proverbs 8. Hymns from “Our Own Hymn Book”—428, 522, 797.

Well then, when this is our way and course, we may expect happiness hereafter. The Uses are, 1. To show you, that carnal men live as if they sought misery rather than happiness (Proverbs 8:36). He that sins against me, wrongs his own soul.

Before ever there was hill or mountain, man or angels, God was happy enough in himself. The divine persons took infinite delight and complacency in each other, as their rejoicing is expressed (Proverbs 8:30-31), I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him. God had infin…

(Hebrews 8:10) I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts; and so it grows more intimate, and satisfactory, and moving upon them. 2. An applicative sight, not only knowledge, but prudence (Proverbs 8:12): I Wisdom dwell with Prudence. Wisdom is the knowle…

2. It makes us diligent and painful in the use of means, that we may get knowledge and strength by the Word. Where strong desires are, there will be great endeavours (Proverbs 8:34): Watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. A man that has a desire after grac…

Use 2. For direction: If you would seek God, 1. Seek him early: Proverbs 8:32: Blessed are they that seek me early. We cannot soon enough go about this work.

They have their power from God (Romans 13:4): For he is the minister of God to you for good. They hold their power in dependence on him; both natural, their strength and force — You couldest have no power, unless it were given you from above (John 19:10-11) — legal, their author…