Zechariah 10

2. By vulgar prejudice, that the Devil may keep the world asleep, 'tis his usual trick to burden the ways of God with clamor, and vulgar prejudice, a dream or lie dares not combat with truth in open field, and therefore fortifying against it with popular arguments, that the ways…

But on the contrary, when men worship God according to their own inventions, see that dreadful threatening (Isaiah 29:13, 14): because their fear, that is, their worship towards me is taught by the precepts of men, therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among…

If we well consider the prayers that we find recorded in the Book of Psalms, I believe we shall see reason to think, that a very great, if not the greater part of them, are prayers uttered, either in the name of Christ, or in the name of the Church, for such a mercy: and undoubt…

And Chapter 62:10: Go through, go through the gates; prepare you the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Zechariah 10:10, 11, 12: I will bring them again also out of the Land of Egypt, and gather them out of…

Sometimes they render it as idols, as at Genesis 31:19, 34, 35; and as vain images, as at 1 Samuel 19:13. Also as carved images, Ezekiel 21:21; and as those that speak, Zechariah 10:2, for reasons to be explained shortly. Our translators either retain "teraphim," as at Hosea 3:4…

The custom of lighting candles before images still persists among some. That teraphim were also used for eliciting oracles the sacred history teaches: Zechariah 10:2, "The teraphim have spoken vanity;" Ezekiel 21:21, "He consulted the teraphim." But that they were consecrated am…

1. Dependence and trust; as that like phrase imports, "I will go in the strength of the Lord God," etc. (Psalm 71:16). And that, "I will strengthen them in the Lord, and they shall walk up and down in his name" (Zechariah 10:12), at once shows us both the communication of the di…

Thirdly, The second insigne Regium, is his Scepter. And this though it sometimes also denotes the kingdom itself (Genesis 49:10; Numbers 24:17; Isaiah 14:5; Zechariah 10:11), yet here it denotes the actual administration of rule, as is evident from the adjunct of uprightness ann…

3. The words hold out that there is an infallible certainty in this truth; we have here Christ's verdict of it — he in his reckoning counts believers so, and he cannot be mistaken. 4. There is the cause why the Bride is so strong and stately: he makes her so; and so these words,…

Worldly joys put gladness into the face (2 Corinthians 5:12); but the Spirit of God puts gladness into the heart. Divine joys are heart-joys (Zechariah 10:7; John 16:22): Your heart shall rejoice. A believer rejoices (Luke 1:47): My spirit rejoices in God.

Oh then espouse godliness! Here is reality to be had; of other things, we may say as Zechariah 10:2. They comfort in vain.

Doctrine: The meanest, and worst things of Christ (to speak so) are incomparably to be desired above all things. 1. Any thing of Christ is desirable; but to lay hold on the skirt of a Jew (Zechariah 10:23), because Christ that is with him is good. Indeed, the dust of Zion is a 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…

I would humbly desire of every minister that has thus long remained disaffected to this work, and has had contemptible thoughts of it, to consider whether he has not hitherto been like Michal, without any child, or at least in a great measure barren and unsuccessful in his work:…