Page images
PDF
EPUB

Jer. iii. 22. Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings; behold we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God. Ch. xxx. 21.

Come to God through Christ. Heb. vii. 25. Christ is able to save them to the uttermost, that come to God by him. Heb. iv. 16.-xi. 6.

Come to Christ. Matt. xi. 28. Jesus said, come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Isa. lv. 1.—lx. 3. Rev. xxii. 17.

John vi. 37. Jesus said, all that the Father hath given me, shall come unto me, and he that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out. John vi. 44. No man can come unto me, except the Father draw him.

FOLLOWING GOD.

CXLIII. Following God. 1 Sam. xii. 14. Continue following the Lord your God. Ver. 20, 21, 25. 1 Kings ix. 6, 7, 8. If ye will not, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you.

1 Kings xviii. 21. Elijah said, if the Lord be God, follow him. Deut. xiii. 4.

Ps. lxiii. 8. My soul followeth hard after thee.

Eph. v. 1. Be ye followers of God as dear children.

CXLIV. Following Christ. Matt. xvi. 24. Jesus said, if any man will come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me. John xii. 26.

John viii. 12. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness. x. 27. My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.

Ver. 28. And I will give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand.

FORSAKING GOD.

CXLV. Forsaking God. Threats. 1 Chron. xxviii. 9. If thou forsake God he will cast thee off for ever.

2 Chron. xv. 21. The Lord is with you, while ye be with him, and if ye seek him, he will be found of you, if you forsake him, he will cast you off for ever.

xxiv. 20. Because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath forsaken you. Ezra viii. 2. God's power and wrath is against all that forsake him.

Isa. i. 4. They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger.

Ver. 28. They that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.

Jer. ii. 13. My people have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. See threats to ver. 19.

Ver. 19. Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee, know therefore, and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God.

xvii. 13. O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed. See Deut. viii. 20.-xxxi. 16, 17.-xxxii. 15 to 32. 2 Chron. xii. 15. Isa. lxv. 11.

Ff

DEPARTING, FROM GOD.

CXLVI. Departing from God. Jer. xvij. 5. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. Ver. 13. See Ezek. xviii. 24.—xxxiii. 12. See this sin confessed, Dan. ix. 5, 11. Isa. lix. 12, 13.

Not departing from God. Instances. 2 Sam. xxii. 22. I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. Ver. 23. For all his judgments were before me, and for his statutes I did not wickedly depart from them. See Ps. xviii. 21. Ps. cxix. 3, 8, 10, 11, 102.

BACKSLIDING.

CXLVII. Backsliding from God. Prov. xiv. 14. The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways.

Isa. i. 4. They are gone away backward. Jer. vii. 24.
Jer. ii. 19. Thy backslidings shall reprove thee.

v. 6. Their transgressions are many, their backslidings are increased.

Ver. 7. How shall I pardon thee. Ch. viii. 5, 13.-xiv. 2 to 7. xv. 6. Thou hast forsaken me, and art gone away backward, therefore will I destroy thee.

xlix. 4. O backsliding daughter, I will bring a fear upon thee. Hos. iv. 16. Israel slideth back, as a backsliding heifer.

xi. 6. The sword shall abide on his cities.

Ver. 7. For my people are bent to backsliding.

x. 38. If any man draw back, my soul shall have no ple- sure in him. Ver. 39. We are not of them that draw back to perdition, but to them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Promise. Hos. xiv. 1. Return unto the Lord thy God, for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.

Ver. 4. I will heal your backslidings. Jer. iii. 22.

GOING ASTRAY.

CXLVIII. The wicked go aside, go astray, err, wander, turn away from God.

Ps. xiv. 3. They are all gone aside, &c.

Iviii. 3. The wicked are estranged from the very womb, they go astray as soon as born.

lxxviii. 57. They are turned aside like a deceitful bow. Ver. 62. xcv. 10. It is a people that do err in heart.

Prov. v. 23. The wicked shall die without instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

xiv. 22. Do they not err that devise evil, but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.

Isa. xliv. 20. A deceived heart hath turned him aside, he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, is there not a lie in my right hand?

Jer. ii. 27. They have turned their back unto me, and not their face,

viii. 6. Every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.

CXLIX. Confession. Isa. liii. 6. All we like lost sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way.

CL. Threats. Ps. cxix. 21. Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, that do err from thy commandments.

Ver. 118. Thou hast trodden down all them that do err, from thy

statutes.

Prov. xxviii. 10. Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, shali fall himself into his own pit.

James v. 20. He that converteth a sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins, 2 Pet. iii. 17. Beware lest ye be led away with the error of the wicked. See Rom. i. 27.

WORSHIP.

CLI. Worship due to God only. See commandment 1. 2 Kings xvii. 36. The Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice. Neh. ix. 6.

Ps. xxii. 37. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him. Ver. 29. Ps lxxxvi. 9, 10.

xcv. 6. O come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

Ver. 7. For he is God.

xcvii. 7. Worship him all ye gods.

xcix. 5. Worship at his foot-stool, for he is holy.

Ver. 9. Worship at his holy hill.

Isa. lxvi. 23. All flesh shall come and worship before me, saith

the Lord.

Zeph. ii. 11. Men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.

Rev. iv. 10. In heaven the four and twenty elders fell down before him, that sat on the throne, and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. See Ch. v. 14.-vii. 11.—xi. 16.—xiv. 7.—xix. 4.

Rev. xv. 4. All nations shall come and worship before thee, for thy judgments are made manifest.

Heb. i. 6. Let all the angels of God worship Christ-For the worship due to Christ, see worship offered to him by the church in heaven, and on earth. Chap. upon the dignity and offices of Jesus Christ.

Angels not be worshipped. See Col. ii. 18. Rev. xix. 10, 11.—xxii. 8, 9. Against worshipping creatures for God. See commandments,

1st and 2d.

CLII. How God is to be worshipped. 1 Chr. xvi. 29. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

xxix. 9. With a perfect heart the people offered willingly to the Lord.

Ps. li. 6. Thou desirest truth in the inward parts.

Ver. 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

John iv. 23. The true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Acts xxiv. 14. After the way which they (the Jews) call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law, and the prophets.

Phil. iii. 3. We are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. See Mal. i. 11.-iii. 4.

CLIII. Worship offered by the wicked unacceptable to God. Isa. i. 11. To what purpose are the multitude of your sacrifices to me, saith the Lord.

Ver. 12. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hands to tread my courts?

Ver. 15. Your hands are full of blood. Ver. 16. Wash you, make you clean. See Ch. lxvi. 3, 4. Jer. vii. 9, 10, 11, 21, 22.—vi. 20.

Ps. 1. 16. Unto the wicked God saith, what hast thou to do, to declare my statutes? or that thou shouldst take my covenant in thy mouth?

Ver. 17. Seeing thou hatest instruction, and casteth my words behind thee.

Prov. vii. 14. The whorish woman said, I have peace offerings with me, this day I have paid my vows.

Ver. 27. Her house is the way to hell, &c.

Mai. i. 8. If ye offer the blind, the lame and the sick for sacrifice, is it not evil? offer it up to thy governor will he be pleased with thee? Ver. 9.

Ver. 10. I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hands. See ver. 13, 14.

Matt. xv. 8. This people draweth near me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Ver. 9. In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. See Acts xvii. 25.

FASTING.

CLIV. Fasting appointed by God. Lev. xxiii. 27. The tenth day of the seventh month shall be a day of atonement, an holy convocation unto you, ye shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

Ver. 28. Ye shall do no work in that same day. See to ver. 33. CLV. Fasts extraordinary and miraculous kept by Moses. Exod. xxxiv. 28. By Elijah. 1 Kings xix. 8. By Jesus Christ. Matt. iv. 2.

CLVI. Fasting acceptably. Isa. lviii. 6. Is not this the fast that I have chosen, to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke.

Ver. 7. To deal thy bread to the hungry, and to bring the poor that are cast out into thine house; when thou seest the naked that thou cover him, &c. Zech. viii. 19.

Matt. vi. 16. When ye fast be not as the hypocrites, of a sad coun

tenance.

Ver. 17. When thou fastest anoint thine head and wash thy face. Ver. 18. That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret.

CLVII. Fasts of the wicked. Isa. lviii. 3. In the days of your fast you exact all your labours.

Ver. 4. Ye fast for strife and debate. Ver. 5.

Jer. xiv. 12. When they fast I will not hear their cry. Zech. vii. 5.

Matt. vi. 16. Hypocrites fast with a sad countenance to appear

unto men.

Luke xviii. 12. The Pharisee said I fast twice in the week, yet was not justified. See an hypocritical fast appointed by Jesebel. 1 Kings xxi. 9.

CLVIII. Occasions of fasts observed by God's people before war, or an expected attack from an enemy. 2 Chron. xx. 3. At the approach of enemies, king Jehoshaphat proclaims a fast.

Ver. 15. He and his people are delivered from their enemies. See 1 Sam. vii. 6.

Esther iv. 3. The Jews threatened with destruction in Babylon, ↑ fast. Ver. 16. And are delivered.

·

CLIX. After being defeated by enemies. See Jos. vii. 6. Judges xx. / 26. 1 Sam. xxxi. 13. 2 Sam. i. 12. At calamities from the hand of God, upon man or beast, or the fruit of the earth. Joel i. 14.-ii. 12, ( 15, 16, 17.

CLX. Judgments threatened by the Almighty against sinners.

1 Kings xxi. 27. Ahab terrified at God's threatenings against him, fasted.

Ver. 29. God brought not the evil threatened in his day.

Jonah iii. 5, 7. The king and people of Nineveh terrified at God's threatenings against them by Jonah, proclaim a fast, and keep it with great strictness.

Jonah iii. 10. They are saved from destruction. Daniel fasts and prays for the Jews' return from captivity. Dan. ix. 3. The Jews held a fast setting out on their return from captivity. Ezra viii. 21, 23. The Jews having returned from captivity, and restoring the publick worship of God hold a fast and read the law. Neh. ix. 1. Also, see Jer. xxxvi. 6.

The apostles fasted and prayed with the church before they ordained elders and preachers of the gospel. Acts xiv. 23.—xiii. 2, 3. Devils cast out by fasting and prayer. Matt. xvii. 21.

CLXI. Fasts of particular persons held at their own discretion. 2 Sam. xii. 16. David fasted when his child was sick.

Ps. xxxv. 13. When they were sick, I humbled my soul with fasting.

Ixix. 10. I wept and chastened my soul with fasting.

cix. 24. My knees are weak through fasting.

Matt. ix. 14. John's disciples and the Pharisees fasted often. Mar ii. 18.

Christ's disciples fasted, after he was taken from them. 2 Cor. vi. 5.-xi. 27.

Luke ii. 37. Anna served God with fasting night and day.

Acts. x. 30. Cornelius while he fasted and prayed, was directed by an angel to send for Peter to preach the gospel.

1 Cor. vii. 3. Husband and wife ought not to separate except for a time, to give themselves to fasting and prayer.

N. B. Religious fasting is always to be accompanied with prayer, and with all the requisites in prayer, which see in the chapter upon prayer.

[ocr errors]
« PreviousContinue »