Bible Commentaries

Genesis 26:13 — until he became very great: And the man waxed great. — Because the Lord blessed him, Genesis 26:12 for it is his blessing that maketh rich. He sowed, and feared God, and the Lord blessed him. Godliness hath the promises of both lives. 1 Timothy 4:8 Now the promises are "the unsearchable riches of Christ," Ephesians 3:6 ; Ephesians 3:9 who is "the heir of all," Hebrews 1:2 and hath made godly men his co-heirs, Romans 8:17 entailing upon them riches and honour, delight and

Genesis 31:30 — turned Christian for spite, because he could not obtain the high priest’s daughter in marriage. We are made "the filth of the world, the sweepings of all things," περιψηματα ; 1 Corinthians 4:13 saith St Paul of himself and his companions; who yet were the very "glory of Jesus Christ". 2 Corinthians 8:23 Phagius reports the story of an Egyptian who said, The Christians were a company of most filthy lecherous people. And for the

Genesis 39:15 — "accuser of the brethren" Revelation 12:10 set her on; as he did the malicious heathens, to traduce and denigrate those pure primitive Christians (purer than snow, whiter than milk; ruddier than rubies; their polishing was of sapphire, Lamentations 4:7 ), as so many murderers, man-eaters, adulterers, church-robbers traitors, … Tertullian. Which last, Lipsius calls Unicum crimen eorum, qui crimine vacabant. So the Waldenses were spitefully accused of Manicheeism, and Catharism; and thereupon

Genesis 4:23 — a house of the New English where a man and his wife were brawling, and they bidding him sit down, he was welcome: he answered, he would not stay there; "Hobomack," that is, the devil, was there; and so departed. New Engl. First Fruits , p. 4.

Genesis 46:30 — Fas tibi non est, salvo Caesare de fortuna tun queri; how much less cause have we to complain, so long as Christ is alive! Can our hearts die within us, while our head is the Lord of life, yea, "our life," as St Paul calls him? Colossians 3:4

Genesis 46:34 — trenchers; the baser sort make songs of them, and the abjeets vilify them. Papists make more of hedge priests, than most among us do of powerful preachers: a sad forerunner of the departure of the gospel. If dishonour kept Christ from Nazareth, John 4:44 much more will it it drive him thence when he is come.

Genesis 5:3 — faith, to wait so long for a better issue, when the Cainites spread abroad, erected cities, and perhaps meditated monarchies. After his own image. — Corruptus corruptum . For "who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?" says Job. Job 14:4 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh," John 3:6 saith our Saviour, and we can say no better of it. This is hard to persuade men to; for each one is apt to think his own penny as good silver: and a dead woman will have four to carry

Exodus 20:11 — mount Sinai, with marks and bounds, that profaneness might not approach it: (l.) By his watchword, "Remember"; (2.) By his bounty, "Six days," …; (3.) By his sovereignty, "It is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God"; (4.) By the latitude, "Thou, nor thy son," …; (5.) By his own example, "And he rested the seventh day"; (6.) By his benediction, as here, "He blessed it," and ordained it to be a means of much blessing to those that

2 Chronicles 19:2 — preparing against thee. The prophet also might have respect - as one Mr Jackson. hath well observed - to some dissension that began at present betwixt his sons; the seeds of that horrid slaughter Jehoram did afterwards make amongst them. 2 Chronicles 21:4

Ezra 4:5 — committed the government of his kingdom to his son Cambyses, a light and lewd lowly, easily prevailed with to hinder so good a work. Even until the reign of Darius — i.e. Of Darius Nothus, say some, the son of Artaxerxes Longimanus, named Ezra 4:7 the father of Artaxerxes Mnemon. But they do better, in my opinion, that understand the text of Darius Hystaspis, who succeeded Cambyses, and married his sister; seeking to ingratiate with the people by ratifying whatsoever Cyrus had decreed, and

Ezra 9:4 — Jeremiah 6:30 . Until the evening sacrifice — This time of the day good people usually took to pray at; that, together with the sacrifice, their prayers might come up for a memorial before God in those pillars of smoke, Song of Solomon 3:6 Acts 10:4 . See Luke 1:10 Acts 3:11 .

Deuteronomy 28:28 — The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: With madness and blindness. — Spiritual, especially; such as befell the Jews of old, Romans 11:18 2 Corinthians 3:14 the chief priests and scribes especially, who, being questioned by Herod about the King of the Jews, Matthew 2:4-5 could answer directly out of the Scriptures, and give such signs of the Messiah as did evidently agree to Jesus Christ. And yet because

Colossians 4:17 — — Arehippus was a pastor of the Laodicean Church; so that before St John’s time in Patmos they began to cool. Take heed to the ministry — Gr. see to it, that is, to thyself, and to all the flock,Acts 20:28; Acts 20:28 ; cf. Ezekiel 34:31 , to strengthen the weak, to heal the infected: to splint the sprained, to reduce the wandering, to seek the lost, to cherish the strong: work enough. Age ergo quod tui muneris est, as Valentinian said to Ambrose. Clericus in oppido, piscis in arido,

Hebrews 11:1 — forces, saith, that the enemies more feared his υποστασις (the word here used), his confidence binding upon the victory, than his strength. Faith is the vital artery of the soul (saith one), Habakkuk 2:4 , and by the eye of it, through the perspective glass of the promises, a Christian may see into heaven. Faith doth antedate glory; it doth substantiate things not seen. Faith altereth the tenses, and putteth the future into the present tense, Psalms

1 Peter 2:2 — As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: Desire the sincere — αδολον , as in children all speak and work at once, hands, feet, mouth. See David’s desire,Psalms 42:1; Psalms 42:1 ; Psalms 119:20 ; Psalms 119:40 ; Psalms 119:131 . The Greek word επιποθησατε signifieth vehemently to desire. See Romans 1:11 ; 2 Corinthians 5:2 ; Philippians 1:8 ; Philippians

Judges 12:1 — envying them, as Galatians 5:26 , tumultuarily met to pick a quarrel and make war upon Jephthah and his Gileadites, whom they insolently revile and threaten. "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who can stand before envy?" Proverbs 27:4 The venom of all vices is found in that sharpfanged malignity. And went northward. — Toward Mizpeh of Gilead; called the wood of Ephraim, 2 Samuel 18:6 from the slaughter of these Ephraimites there, as it is likely, and afterwards Iturea, and

2 Peter 1:1 — precious faith — Precious as gold tried in the fire; that maketh rich, Revelation 3:18 . And like precious (though of different degrees) in regard of, 1. The Author, God. 2. The object, Christ. 3. The means of working it, the Spirit and Word. 4. The end of it, salvation. 5. The essential property of it, of handfasting us to Christ. A child may hold a ring in his hand, as well though not as fast as a man. Let it be our care to be faithful in weakness, though weak in faith: let that faith we

1 John 4:20 — his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? If a man say, I love God — If he did so, he would hardly say so in a vaunting way howsoever. "Charity vaunteth not itself; is not puffed up," 1 Corinthians 13:4 . Christ loves secret service,Song of Solomon 2:14; Song of Solomon 2:14 . They that bear him greatest love make least show thereof before others. Master Bartlet Green, when he had been beaten and scourged with rods by Bishop Bonner, and he greatly

Revelation 13:17 — esteemed among Papists than the name of a Christian. It is notoriously known, saith Dr Fulke, that the most honourable name of Christian is in Italy and at Rome a name of reproach, and usually abused to signify a fool or a dolt. (Armor. in Acts xi. sec. 4.) Or the number of his name — That keep somewhat more aloof, and yet privily comply with Papists, and drive the same design with them, though more slyly and covertly, and to themselves perhaps unperceivedly. What is the reason the pope will not

1 Samuel 22:2 — nothing. And every one that was in debt. — Heb., That had a creditor or an oppressor, extortioner, usurer, who cruelly handled him. And every one that was discontented. — Heb., Bitter of soul. Not such ruffians and rakehells as Abimelech, Judges 9:4 and of later time Mohammed, that grand impostor, got together to spoil and do mischief; but these came to David upon a better principle, and for a better purpose, viz., for his and their own just and necessary defence: and for their carriage, see what