Zephaniah 3

God will betroth you to himself in the dearest love (Hosea 2:19): I will betroth you to me forever in loving-kindness and mercies. (Zephaniah 3:17) The Lord your God will rejoice over you with joy, he will rest in his love. If you love God, he will interest you in all his riches…

4. If God be our God, he will entirely love us: Propriety is the ground of love: God may give men kingdoms, and not love them; but he cannot be our God and not love us: He calls his covenanted saints Jediduth Naphshi, the dearly beloved of his soul (Jeremiah 12:7). He rejoices o…

He is jealous for his spouse, therefore will be avenged on them who go to wrong her (Isaiah 42:13). The Lord shall stir up jealousy like a man of war; he shall roar, he shall prevail against his enemies. What is done to the saints, God takes as done to himself (2 Kings 19:22), a…

4. He is the best Father because most loving; (1 John 4:16) God is love. He who causes bowels of affection in others, must needs have more bowels himself; quod efficit tale: The affections in parents are but marble and adamant in comparison of God's love to his children, he give…

Fear and shame are banished, the veil of modesty is laid aside. Zephaniah 3:5: The unjust knows no shame. Judas knew Christ was the Messiah, he was convinced of it by an oracle from heaven, and by the miracles he wrought, and yet he impudently goes on in his treason; in fact, wh…

He engraves them upon the palms of his hands, that they may be never out of his eye (Isaiah 49:16). He rejoices over them with joy, and rests in his love (Zephaniah 3:17). It is no ordinary affection that God bears to the righteous; the sun shining upon a burning glass, sets on…

The power of godliness never thrived better than in affliction, and never ran lower than in times of greatest prosperity. When we are left a poor and afflicted people, then we learn to trust in the name of the Lord (Zephaniah 3:12). What say you, sirs?

Gods love to his Church is vehement, like the Coals of Juniper, or the Sun-beams contracted in a burning Glass, which are more intense and ardent; and because he loves Sion, therefore he is in the midst of it, to defend and bless it. Zeph. 3. 17. The Lord thy God in the midst of…

And who is that good shepherd that laid down his life for the sheep, and held his tongue and quarreled not with those that struck him — will he quarrel with a poor sinner coming to him and pleading for the benefit of satisfaction? No certainly; but as the word is (Zephaniah 3:17…

Verse 25: Whom the Lord of Hosts shall bless, saying, blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hand. Zephaniah 3:10: From beyond the river of Ethiopia, my suppliants, even the daughters of my dispersed shall come. 4. Their names are particularly enrolled in the Lam…

All that Christ did for our salvation did highly content and please the Father; he is satisfied with him, he can make us lovely in his sight (Ephesians 1:6): to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved. And will now joy in his people (…

For he being the immediate Operator of all Divine Works that outwardly are of God, and they being in themselves all Holy be they of what kind soever, He is called the Holy Spirit. Yea he is so called to attest and witness that all his Works, all the Works of God, are Holy, altho…

And thus has God himself been pleased to express his own delight, or the joy which he takes in his people, even by the name of rest, namely that of love. He will rejoice over you with joy, he will rest in his love (Zephaniah 3:17-18). Therefore delight has not been unfitly defin…

Yea, he is said to visit us by his Providence when he corrects, Hosea 9:7 and when he saves and delivers, Psalm 106:4 These visitations of God preserve our spirits, Job. 10:12 And it is a wonderful condescension in the great God to visit us so oten, Job 7:18 every morning, and e…

The towering confused pride of the King of Babylon, is presented to us in such a heap of words (Isaiah 14:13-14) — hear the pure language of pride from that king's heart: You have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I wil…

10:19, 20. We come about a business wherewith he is well pleased; such as he delights in the doing of, as he expresss himself, Zephaniah 3:17. The Lord your God in the midst of you, is mighty; he will save, he will rejoyce over you with joy.

How many extortioners have there been in London, who have enriched themselves by impoverishing of others; who panting after the dust of the earth, on the head of the poor, have lent money to them, not for their help, but to catch them at an advantage, that so without mercy they…

London, trust no more in arms of flesh, but trust in God alone: it is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in men; it is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in princes (Psalm 118:8-9). God is knocking your fingers off from all things here below, hi…

It is foretold, that it will be poured out as a spirit of grace and supplication, Zechariah 12:10. See also Zephaniah 3:9, "For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent." When it is said, "The…

"The Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended." And so Zephaniah 3:15. "The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, and hath cast out thine enemy: the King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more."

The magistrates shall call the inhabitants of Jerusalem their strength; and the like elsewhere. So again, the Church has been under the abasement of reproaches, but God has promised a vindication in the latter days, that he will establish Zion a praise throughout the earth, set…

The disobedient must be brought up to the wisdom of the just, not that brought down to them (Luke 1:17). When the language is pure the soldier is one (Zephaniah 3:9). There is little hope of agreement till you set up pure doctrine, unmixed discipline.

Surely this is one of the abominations committed among us, for which we should be found among those that sigh and cry (Ezekiel 9:4), one of those instances of the pride of sinners for which our souls should weep in secret (Jeremiah 13:17). This is that reproach of the solemn ass…

Does God look at any man the worse for want of these things? God is no respecter of persons; if he looks at any with high esteem, he looks at the poor, and humble, and contrite: God delights to look down into the world upon those that are poor; he reserves a poor people that sha…

Paul found his spirit wrought upon, and refreshed, so that the Text says, when Timotheus was come, Paul was pressed in spirit. Fifthly, it is good being with Gods servants, though it be in suffering affliction, because God takes so much delight in them; if God takes delight in b…

Fifthly, if there be so much good to be had in this communion, labor to walk so one with another, that when any come to join with you, they may finde that made good which they heard of: though they do suffer affliction to come and join with you, yet when they are come in, they m…

Sixthly, take this as a special note, if you make those reproaches that Christ suffers in his cause, his truth, his people, yours; then he makes yours his: how does your hearts stand affected to the reproaches Christ suffers in others? Zeph. 3. 17, 18. God promises much mercy, t…

1. The love of God is so. Zephaniah 3:17, The Lord your God in the midst of you is mighty: he will save, he will rejoice over you with joy, he will rest in his love, he will joy over you with singing. Both these things are here assigned unto God in his love; rest and delight.

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.

John was but the friend of the bridegroom, that stood and heard his voice, when he was taking his bride unto himself, and he rejoiced greatly (John 3:29). How much more then must be the joy and gladness of the bridegroom himself, even that which is expressed (Zephaniah 3:14), "H…

Every day while we live is his wedding day. Zephaniah 3:17: The Lord your God in your midst is mighty; he will save; he will rejoice over you with joy; he will rest in his love; he will joy over you with singing — a full description of delight in all its parts. The thoughts of c…

It is the character of the saints, This is the generation of them that seek you (Psalm 24:6), a people much in calling upon God. And the Prophet describes them by the work of prayer (Zephaniah 3:10): My supplicants. And (Zechariah 12:10): I will pour upon them the Spirit of Grac…

Athanasius was falsely Accused by the Arrians of Adultery, Basil of Heresie. 'Tis usual for the World to misrepresent the People of God; therefore let us be sparing in our Censures: God spares us, and shall not we be sparing towards others? Here is Comfort to the Children of God…

We storm if others but speak of us half of what we speak of ourselves to God; therefore all had need look to it to be kept from a way of lying. And for gross lying, how far are we from being willing that should be accomplished which the Lord speaks of (Zephaniah 3:13): The remna…

He was forced to thrust forth his heart by a practical decree, and bring it by force into God's presence. Indeed some men are grown shameless, having a depraved judgment, and corrupted all their doings (Zephaniah 3:7); such have outgrown the common principles of natural honesty;…

Good Paul was in danger (2 Corinthians 1:9): "We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raises the dead." But then in adversity, when kept bare and low, then is a time to show trust; however hard our condition be, grounds…

Chaff and corn is threshed in the same [reconstructed: floor], but the corn is grinded and baked. But this is the best way we can take to be hid in the common calamity, though there be not an absolute certainty: for the comfort is but proposed with a possibility; Zephaniah 3:2,…

He gives them warning before he strikes; he woos and solicits by many kind messages to return to their duty, and speaks to them sometimes in the rough, sometimes in the still voice. He brings his judgment to light every morning, as the prophet speaks (Zephaniah 3:5); he does so…

2. Let us recommend the case to God. (Zephaniah 3:9) That they may call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent. (Romans 15:6-7) That you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God.

And we may fear as much from our brothers, our mutual bickerings, as from enemies; when God promises restoration, he promises unity. (Zephaniah 3:9) For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent. (…

Let your heart be ever in your eye; keep it in with the curb-bit of mortification. Keep your heart serious; take heed of a light heart (Zephaniah 3:11): his prophets are light. The heart of the wicked is vain, and in this sense is said to be little worth (Proverbs 10:20).

What is the reason that Paul says, 2 Cor. 1. 10.We received the sentence of death, that we might learne not to trust in our selues, but in God that raiseth the dead? GOD meant to deliver him, when he says he received the the sentence of death; that is, there was no helpe in the…

Second, that love to redeemed ones, and the soul-satisfaction of Christ in his seed is eternal, looking back to the bargain he has once made as Mediator, he cannot leave off to be satisfied in soul with what he has done, for that were a retracting of his love, and a repenting of…

How desperate is that thief, who robs in the [illegible]ery place where his fellow hangs in chains; and surely if we have out-sinn'd the Devils, it may well put us to the blush. 1. Is shame an Ingredient into Repentance, then how far are they from being penitents, who have no sh…

They drink iniquity like water, Job 15.16. They are grown Rampant in wickedness, having laid aside the veil of modesty, Zephaniah 3.5. The unjust knows no shame.