Worship service 8/17/25.
Greetings and call to worship.
Greetings and good morning, saints, holy brethren, and members of the adopted family of Jesus Christ. Grace, mercy and peace be multipled to you exceedingly through the love of the Father and the gift of the Holy Spirit through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is good to gather together once more on the Lord’s day to declare our allegiance to Him who loved us and washed away our sins with His own blood. By His wounds we are healed, and by His death we are promised life forevermore. Revelation 1:6-7 says, “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.“ Therefore, as we are in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, let us worship with purity and devotion, for He who is Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, is worthy of all praise, thanksgiving, and honor. A Puritan minister writes, “You must give an account for every sermon you hear. Redde rationem: ‘Give an account of thy stewardship.’ Luke 16:2. So will God say, ‘Give an account of thy hearing. Hast thou been affected with the word? Hast thou profited by it?’ How can we give a good account, if we have been distracted in hearing, and have not taken notice of what has been said to us? The judge to whom we must give an account is God. Were we to give account to man, we might falsify accounts; but we must give an account to God. Bernard: ‘He is so just a God that he cannot be bribed, and so wise that he cannot be deceived.’ Therefore, having to give an account to such an impartial Judge, how should we observe every word preached, remembering the account! Let all this make us shake off distraction and drowsiness in hearing, and have our ears chained to the word.”
Prayer unto the public reading of the Holy Scripture:
Our holy and righteous Father,
Eternal, immutable, and full of all glory, justice, and righteousness,
Merciful, compassionate, and faithful—The God who will by no means clear the guilty, yet showing mercy to thousands that love thee with the whole heart and keep thy commandments:
We come before thee solemnly and sincerely, as those whom thou hast redeemed and purchased by the precious blood of thy Son, called out of darkness and into the marvellous light of the gospel and the kingdom of Jesus Christ. According to thy word, we are bid and commanded to draw near to thee humbly, with a single heart and upright affections; and therefore we ask thee to grant it unto us, that it may be even so—Acknowledging that thou art incomprehensibly great, holy, and excellent, Glorious in power, fearful in praises, doing wonders. We are therefore careful to approach thy altar, knowing the severity of thy law, the holy requirements of the gospel, as well as our own vileness and unworthiness to draw so near unto thee.
We freely confess, O Lord, that apart from the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are justly denied entrance into thy glory, and must be cast from thy presence as an abominable thing. For we are guilty and polluted, unable of ourselves to repent or return, and altogether unfit to render thee any service that is not defiled by sin. Yet we believe that thou art our God, and the rewarder of them that diligently seek thy face. Therefore, we boldly cry unto thee for the free gift of thy grace: For pardoning mercy to cover our iniquities, And sanctifying mercy to make us meet for thy presence. Hear our prayers, deliver us from all trouble, cleanse us, we pray, by the blood of Christ. Assist us by the power of thy Spirit. Defend us from all evil, Strengthen our faith, subdue the lusts of the flesh that swell within us, And enable us to perform this holy service, Not in our own strength, But in the virtue which thou dost supply of thine own free goodness. And now, O Lord, as we come to the reading of thy holy word, we pray for a special blessing upon this portion of Scripture, that it may be effectual to build up thy holy church, which thou hast called thy special possession, and thy little flock. Open our hearts to receive it with meekness; Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to worship thee by it; And may the same Spirit who spake unto the fathers, apostles and prophets, the reformers and Puritans, so guide our whole lives, That we may grow up in Him in all things, even He who is the Bridegroom and Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, our Prophet, Priest and King. All this we ask in his most worthy name,
Amen.
Devotional and doctrinal exposition on the Psalms:
Psalm 26 [10] (Verse 7): 1 David oppressed with many injuries, finding no help in the world, calleth for aid from God: and assured of his integrity towards Saul, desireth God to be his judge, and to defend his innocence. 6 Finally he maketh mention of his sacrifice, which he will offer for his deliverance, and desireth to be in the company of the faithful in the Congregation of God, whence he was banished by Saul, promising integrity of life, and open praises and thanksgiving.
A Psalm of David.
1 Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide.
2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.
3 For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.
4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.
5 I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.
6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O Lord:
7 That I may declare with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.
8 O Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.
9 Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:
10 In whose hands is wickedness, and their right hand is full of bribes.
11 But I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.
12 My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the Lord.
Exposition:
We have previously seen the united and cohesive nature of true holiness, and the principle that governs our separation from the world. This separation is not fragmented or occasional, but full and entire—flowing from the life of grace within. We are first separated by profession, for what we believe is not what they believe. Secondly, by behaviour, for the principle of our actions runs clean contrary to theirs. Thirdly, by association, for our companions are not their companions, and we reject the fellowship of the best of them. And finally, by spirit, for our very nature has been renewed within, and we are thereby fashioned with a soul that pleases God, which is the source of all this holy activity.
Therefore we name our difference in spirit last not because it comes last in the order of operation, but because it is the last to be tested, proven by fire, and vindicated in the final judgment. “I believed, therefore have I spoken” (Ps. 116:10). We speak and act, therefore we will be tested and tried, upon whether or not our works are done in faith. The new spirit is the fountain of all good works, and yet it is the last to be manifested— where it indeed shall be, before angels, men, and devils—at the tribunal of Christ. Not all who profess religion possess Christ. Many who will not be separated by the church’s fiery preaching shall be separated still by Christ’s fiery purging. They partook of the outward ordinances, but not the inward life. They spoke of piety with their lips, while their hearts whispered blasphemy. They escaped the censures of men, but they shall not escape the sentence from heaven: “Depart from me, I never knew you.”
Though many within the visible church shall be purged at last, this does not annul or make void the present distinction between the church and the world. Nay—it establishes it. For in calling us to glory and virtue, the Lord draws us into His truth, and makes us willing martyrs for His cause. Though hypocrites may ape our profession, and burn in the same fires kindled by persecutors, the defect lies not in the doctrine, but in their deceit. The profession of the saints is holy, because it proceeds from truth. Truth professed is not always truth believed, and their hypocrisy cannot overthrow truth’s verity.
“Let me die the death of the righteous,” saith the heretic and hypocrite Balaam. They know our end is full felicity, and therefore will they follow us happily to the end, if only haply to have a taste of heaven. But alas, they will fall fatally short, being faithless, and having no true love of God nor His ways. They were carried by stream against the currents of their minds, rather than standing upon the rock of holy principle. They stowed away on the ship sailing to paradise, without a passport. But heaven will not be won by pretense, nor rewards given to the duplicitous.
He who is not wholly convinced of true religion is no better than a liar, and “all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.” Mark well the Master’s word: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). Many would be disciples of the disciples, hoping to reach heaven by another man’s hope. Paul could say of some, “I have confidence in you,” and of others, “I stand in doubt of you” (Gal. 5:10; 4:20). But the test of devotion lies not in a preacher’s commendation nor the church’s charitable rule, but in the trial of faith (1 Pet. 1:7).
Others will be disciples of the church, though it be the true church; yet not all members of any denomination or congregation are guaranteed passage. Some also will seek heaven by their good report, good name, good works, or imagined merit—but all these must be denied for Christ. “Deny thyself”—that is, all of thyself. Thy whole being must be laid down as a sacrifice for Christ, yea, and all that thou ownest also, as Christ said to the rich young ruler.
Abraham was tried in this way and came forth as gold purified by fire—not the fire upon his own body, but the fire laid upon his son, even the son of promise. And so the apostle saith, “God received him in a figure.” For he was willing to lay down both his life and his son’s. Such a mind must every saint possess. So, because the church is filled with those who say much and do little, this casts no stain on the church or the profession of their practice, which is to say little and do much, or say nothing and do all. “For love is the fulfillment of the law.”
Indeed, our profession is opposed to the world in every particular. The world cries, “Be yourself,” but Christ commands, “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” The world says, “Love yourself,” but Job cried, “I abhor myself.” The world says, “Trust your heart,” but Scripture declares, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” The world believes in evolution: “People change” saith the moral philosophers and psychologists—but God says, “There is none that doeth good.” They boast, “Live without regret,” but heaven thunders, “Repent, and believe the gospel.” What concord is there then between us and them?
Secondly, our behaviour is distinct. The world is ruled by lust, pride, greed, and the love of ease. They chase pleasure and flee principle. But the Christian is called to holiness, self-denial, and the fear of God. They scorn toil, and call service to man a great evil, but we give thanks for labour, even when it is neither pleasant or received with thanks. They waste their hours on idle amusements, but we redeem the time, cultivating a life of knowledge and good works. The very things they despise—submission, meekness, diligence, obedience—are our appointed path to glory. Their hatred of sacrifice gives strength to our separation.
Thirdly, we are separated in association. The wicked choose companions by whim and sentiment, shared diversions and worldly humour. They form leagues around vanity, and would rather offend God than lose a friend. But we eschew such fellowship. “Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” (Ps. 1:1). We walk away from their counsel, we stand against the tide of rebellion, we will not sit with the wicked—yea, we have hated their congregation.
Our friends are those of God’s choosing: the few, the humble, the faithful. That is, full of faith. As Abraham believed and was justified, so we walk in his steps and refuse the company of heretics and flatterers (Rom. 4:12). Yet how often do professed Calvinists rebuke us when we reject their beloved teachers? Rather than say “Amen” and depart from the counsel of the ungodly, they plead works: “He built a great ministry; he led many to Christ.” As though quantity could outweigh verity; as though crowds could cleanse corruption; as though God were pleased with error so long as it smells of success (2 Tim. 4:3–4). The believer is not deceived. These are the very men we must shun, hating the assembly of such as David did.
So then, what a great gulf there is between the righteous and the wicked: as great as east and west, heaven and hell, light and darkness. If we would not perish with them, we must not walk with them.
David continues, “That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works” (Ps. 26:7). That is to say, He is more in love with the employment of holiness—than with the enjoyment of happiness. His joy is not in worldly approval but in testifying to God’s mercies, and this confidence is strengthened by his known separation from the wicked. Holiness breeds assurance. Duty, when known and performed, brings joy to the conscience.
Are we separate in profession, behaviour, association, and spirit? Then rejoice—for you are partakers of Christ in His sufferings. For though He was gentle, meek, and lowly, yet He was forsaken of men. He bore the reproach of enemies and the renouncement of friends. Judas betrayed Him with a kiss. Peter denied Him with an oath. If Christ walked a lonely road, shall we not walk it too? As one Puritan minister wrote, “Did Christ suffer, who knew no sin—and shall we think it strange to suffer, who know nothing but sin? Shall He lie sweltering under His Father’s wrath—and shall we cry out under men’s anger? Was He crowned with thorns—and must we be crowned with rose-buds? Was His whole life, from the cradle to the cross, made up of nothing but sorrows and sufferings—and must our lives, from the cradle to the grave, be filled up with nothing but pleasures and delights? Was He despised—and must we be admired? Was He debased—and must we be exalted? Was He poor—and must we be rich? Was He low—and must we be high? Did He drink of a bitter cup, a bloody cup—and must we have only cups of consolation? Let us not think anything too much to do for Christ, nor anything too great to suffer for Christ, nor anything too dear to part with for such a Christ, such a Savior—who thought nothing too much to do, nor too grievous to suffer—so that He might accomplish the work of our redemption! He left Heaven for us—and shall not we let go of this world for Him? He left his Father’s bosom for us—and shall not we leave the bosoms of our dearest relations for him?”
So, to walk the narrow road means to willingly depart from the company of the wicked, and even lose the companionship of former family and friends who think our rigorous and puritanical way of life strange. We are not ashamed of Christ, but we walk on, encouraged by the word of God, and give Him glory and thanks that He counts us worthy to suffer shame for His name, even as Christ did. who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame. Therefore, David rejoices in the same manner Christ rejoiced and Paul also rejoiced. Not that he became rich, wealthy, honorable, noble or loved by the men of the world, but because he was separated from the wicked, and he felt that fracture by the sting of their attitude and harsh behavior toward him, even as Paul saith, “when ye were illuminated ye endured a great fight of afflictions, partly whilst ye were made a gazingstock, (that is in your own persons) and partly whilst ye became companions of them that were so used (in the person of the righteous with whom ye suffered)” and inasmuch as ye suffer reproach in the name of a disciple, ye suffer reproach for me. So we may draw comfort and consolation from the fount of Christ’s own words.
Therefore, David gives God exceeding praise and thanksgiving for having separated him from the world, which was a good testimony to his conscience that he was an adopted child of God now estranged from the wicked and their hypocrisy. Let us therefore in like manner, be so separate from the world as to rejoice in it, and let us thank God that He hath so separated us in His own wisdom, holiness and power, for it is certain as we see so clearly in our daily interactions with the children of men, we would not be separate from them, if He did not work His grace in our hearts and separate us by His own Almighty arm, even by the gospel of Jesus Christ, which we believe unto eternal life. Let us then wait with patience the day appointed for the wicked, for they will certainly be separated from the righteous, not for a moment, or an hour, or a day, but for all eternity. We will be ushered into everlasting felicity for the sake of Christ our head, while they will be cast down into everlasting contempt, being filthy, abominable, profane, and corrupt. Seeing that we are so separated from them, let us continually more and more every day endeavor to be more separate still, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh, and perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
John Calvin,
David, wishing to distinguish spiritual worship from that which is fictitious and counterfeit, affirms that he came into the sanctuary to set forth the praise of God’s name. There is, however, a synecdoche in his words, as only one kind of worship is mentioned, although, in offering the sacrifices, the exercise of repentance and faith was required, as well as the giving of thanks. But as the ultimate design of the sacrifices, or at least their principal object was to celebrate the goodness of God in thus acknowledging his blessings, there was no impropriety in comprehending the other parts of worship under this. Thus, in Psalms 50:14, the sacrifice of praise is preferred to all external ceremonies, as if the whole of devotion consisted in it alone. Likewise in Psalms 116:12, it is said, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.” Moreover, that he may the better commend the acknowledged power of God, and more impressively extol his benefits, David employs the phrase wondrous; as if he had said, that it was in no ordinary way that God had helped him.
Opening Prayer.
Our glorious and righteous Father in heaven,
A just and holy God,
The Judge of all the earth, and the Savior of thy chosen people.
Thou art great in power, fearful in praises, doing wonders.
Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm,
And there is nothing too hard for thee (Jeremiah 32:17).
We come before thee this day not in the presumption of our works, but in humility, confessing our sin, neither trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold mercies (Daniel 9:18).
We freely confess, O Lord, that we have sinned—
In our fathers and in our own persons,
We have walked contrary to thy commandments,
We have followed the stubbornness of our own hearts.
Our fathers trusted in thee and were delivered,
They called upon thee and were not ashamed—
But we have not considered thy works,
Nor turned at thy reproof.
Inasmuch as they did wickedly, and we repented not;
And inasmuch as they walked uprightly, and we did not follow their steps,
So we confess our guilt and acknowledge our shame.
O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of face,
Because we have sinned against thee (Daniel 9:7).
Forgive, O Lord;
Cleanse us by thy mercy;
Blot out our transgressions according to the multitude of thy tender mercies (Psalm 51:1).
Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us.
Take not thy Holy Spirit from us, and cast us not away from thy presence.
Restore unto us the joy of thy salvation, and uphold us with thy free Spirit.
Make us willing in the day of thy power (Psalm 110:3),
To love thy law, to obey thy voice, and to magnify thy statutes in the earth.
O build up thy church in truth and holiness.
Sanctify us by thy word, and purge us from all evil by thy truth.
Raise up a generation of faithful men—mighty in the knowledge of thy Scriptures,
Courageous in spirit,
Unashamed of the gospel of Christ.
Let us be burning and shining lights,
Preaching Christ with fire and conviction,
Following after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness.
Let us turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:3).
Let us not follow the vanities of the world, which cannot profit nor deliver,
But give ourselves wholly unto thee,
To love thee with all our heart, our soul, and our might (Deuteronomy 6:5).
For thou alone art worthy—
Worthy of all our love,
Worthy of all our devotion,
Worthy of all our lives.
Grant us our prayer not for our own merit,
But for thy name’s sake,
For thy mercy is better than life.
We ask it all in the name of thy dear Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord—
Our Salvation and thy Right Arm,
Our Prophet, Priest, and King,
The only Mediator between God and man.
In His holy and glorious name we pray,
Amen.
Lesson 47. [1.2.22.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Histories: 2 Chronicles. Part 5.
Westminster Confession of Faith 1.2
Under the name of holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testaments,
Genesis- 1 Chronicles…2 Chronicles
All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.
Intro.
John Calvin, The Necessity of Reforming the church. (1543):
Were I to go over the faults of ecclesiastical government in detail, I should never have done. I will, therefore, only point to some of the grosser sort, which cannot be disguised.
And, first, the pastoral office itself, as instituted by Christ, has long been in desuetude. His object in appointing bishops and pastors, or whatever the name be by which they are called, certainly was, as Paul declares, that they might edify the church with sound doctrine. According to this view, no man is a true pastor of the church who does not perform the office of teaching. But, in the present day, almost all those who have the name of pastors have left that work to others. Scarcely one in a hundred of the bishops will be found who ever mounts the pulpit in order to teach. And no wonder; for bishoprics have degenerated into secular principalities. Pastors of inferior rank, again, either think that they fulfill their office by frivolous performances altogether alien from the command of Christ, or, after the example of the bishops, throw even this part of the duty on the shoulders of others. Hence the letting of sacerdotal offices is not less common than the letting of farms. What would we more? The spiritual government which Christ recommended has totally disappeared, and a new and mongrel species of government has been introduced, which, under whatever name it may pass current, has no more resemblance to the former than the world has to the kingdom of Christ.
If it be objected, that the fault of those who neglect their duty ought not to be imputed to the order, I answer, first, that the evil is of such general prevalence, that it may be regarded as the common rule; and, secondly, that, were we to assume that all the bishops, and all the presbyters under them, reside each in his particular station, and do what in the present day is regarded as professional duty, they would never fulfill the true institution of Christ. They would sing or mutter in the church, exhibit themselves in theatrical vestments, and go through numerous ceremonies, but they would seldom, if ever, teach. According to the precept of Christ, however, no man can claim for himself the office of bishop or pastor who does not feed his flock with the word of the Lord.
Then while those who preside in the church ought to excel others, and shine by the example of a holier life, how well do those who hold the office in the present day correspond in this respect to their vocation! At a time when the corruption of the world is at its height, there is no order more addicted to all kinds of wickedness. I wish that by their innocence they would refute what I say. How gladly would I at once retract. But their turpitude stands exposed to the eyes of all exposed their insatiable avarice and rapacity exposed their intolerable pride and cruelty. The noise of indecent revelry and dancing, the rage of gaming, and entertainments, abounding in all kinds of intemperance, are in their houses only ordinary occurrences, while they glory in their luxurious delicacies, as if they were distinguished virtues.
To pass over other things in silence, what impurity in that celibacy which of itself they regard as a title to esteem! I feel ashamed to unveil enormities which I had much rather suppress, if they could be corrected by silence. Nor will I divulge what is done in secret. The pollutions which openly appear are more than sufficient. How many priests, pray, are free from whoredom? Nay, how many of their houses are infamous for daily acts of lewdness? How many honorable families do they defile by their vagabond lusts? For my part, I have no pleasure in exposing their vices, and it is no part of my design; but it is of importance to observe what a wide difference there is between the conduct of the priesthood of the present day, and that which true ministers of Christ and his church are bound to pursue.
Not the least important branch of ecclesiastical government is the due and regular election and ordination of those who are to rule. The word of God furnishes a standard by which all such appointments ought to be tested, and there exist many decrees of ancient councils which carefully and wisely provide for every thing which relates to the proper method of election. Let our adversaries then produce even a solitary instance of canonical election, and I will yield them the victory. We know the kind of examination which the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of Paul (epistles of Timothy and Titus), requires a pastor to undergo, and that which the ancient laws of the fathers enjoin. At the present day, in appointing bishops, is anything of the kind perceived? Nay, how few of those who are raised to the office are endowed even slenderly with those qualities without which they cannot be fit ministers of the church? We see the order which the apostles observed in ordaining ministers, that which the primitive church afterwards followed, and, finally, that which the ancient canons require to be observed. Were I to complain that at present this order is spurned and rejected, would not the complaint be just? What, then, should I say that everything honorable is trampled upon, and promotion obtained by the most disgraceful and flagitious proceedings? The fact is of universal notoriety. For ecclesiastical honors are either purchased for a set price, or seized by the hand of violence, or secured by nefarious actions, or acquired by sordid sycophancy. Occasionally even, they are the hire paid for panderism and similar services. In short, more shameless proceedings are exhibited here than ever occur in the acquisition of secular possessions.
And would that those who preside in the church, when they corrupt its government, only sinned for themselves, or at least injured others by nothing but by their bad example! But the most crying evil of all is, that they exercise a most cruel tyranny, and that a tyranny over souls. Nay, what is the vaunted power of the church in the present day, but a lawless, licentious, unrestricted domination over souls, subjecting them to the most miserable bondage?
Christ gave to the apostles an authority similar to that which God had conferred on the prophets, an authority exactly defined: that is, to act as his ambassadors to men. Now, the invariable law is, that he who is entrusted with an embassy must faithfully and religiously conform to his instructions. This is stated in express terms in the apostolical commission, “Go and teach all nations whatsoever things I have delivered unto you.” Likewise “preach” not anything you please), but the “gospel” [Matt. 28:19-20]. If it is asked what the authority is with which their successors were invested, we have the definition of Peter which enjoins all who speak in the church to speak “the oracles” of God [1 Pet. 4:11].
Now, however, those who would be thought the rulers of the church arrogate to themselves a license to speak whatsoever they please, and to insist that as soon as they have spoken they shall be implicitly obeyed. It will be averred that this is a calumny, and that the only right which they assume is that of sanctioning by their authority what the Holy Spirit has revealed. They will, accordingly, maintain that they do not subject the consciences of believers to their own devices or caprice, but only to the oracles of the Spirit, which, being revealed to them, they confirm and promulgate to others.
Forsooth an ingenious pretext! No man doubts that in whatever the Holy Spirit delivers by their hands they are to be unhesitatingly obeyed. But when they add that they cannot deliver anything but the genuine oracles of the Holy Spirit, because they are under his guidance, and that all their decisions cannot but be true, because they sit in chairs of verity, is not this just to measure their power by their caprice? For if all their decrees, without exception, are to be received as oracles, there is no limit to their power. What tyrant ever so monstrously abused the patience of his subjects as to insist that everything he proclaimed should be received as a message from heaven! Tyrants, no doubt, will have their edicts obeyed, be the edicts what they may. But these men demand much more. We must believe that the Holy Spirit speaks when they obtrude upon us what they have dreamed.
We see, accordingly, how hard and iniquitous the bondage is in which, when armed with this power, they have enthralled the souls of the faithful. Laws have been piled above laws, to be so many snares to the conscience. For they have not confined these laws to matters of external order, but applied them to the interior and spiritual government of the soul. And no end was made until they amounted to that immense multitude, which now looks not unlike a labyrinth. Indeed, some of them seem framed for the very purpose of troubling and torturing consciences, while the observance of them is enforced with not less strictness than if they contained the whole substance of piety. Nay, though in regard to the violation of the commands of God, either no question is asked, or slight penances are inflicted, anything done contrary to the decrees of men requires the highest expiation. While the church is oppressed by this tyrannical yoke, anyone who dares to say a word against it is instantly condemned as a heretic. In short, to give vent to our grief is a capital offense. And in order to ensure the possession of this insufferable domination, they, by sanguinary edicts, prevent the people from reading and understanding the scriptures, and fulminate against those who stir any question as to their power. This excessive rigor increases from day to day, so that now on the subject of religion it is scarcely permitted to make any inquiry at all.
At the time when divine truth lay buried under this vast and dense cloud of darkness; when religion was sullied by so many impious superstitions; when by horrid blasphemies the worship of God was corrupted, and his glory laid prostrate; when by a multitude of perverse opinions, the benefit of redemption was frustrated, and men, intoxicated with a fatal confidence in works, sought salvation anywhere rather than in Christ; when the administration of the sacraments was partly maimed and torn asunder, partly adulterated by the admixture of numerous fictions, and partly profaned by traffickings for gain; when the government of the church had degenerated into mere confusion and devastation; when those who sat in the seat of pastors first did most vital injury to the church by the dissoluteness of their lives, and, secondly, exercised a cruel and most noxious tyranny over souls, by every kind of error, leading men like sheep to the slaughter; then Luther arose, and after him others, who with united counsels sought out means and methods by which religion might be purged from all these defilements, the doctrine of godliness restored to its integrity, and the church raised out of its calamitous into somewhat of a tolerable condition. The same course we are still pursuing in the present day.
Lesson. The Contents of 2 Chronicles.
XXI. Chapter 29 — Hezekiah’s opening of the temple
a. “He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them” (2 Chr. 29:3). He gathers the Levites: “Sanctify now yourselves… and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place” (29:5).
b. Faith and confession of sin precedes sacrifice and good works: “Our fathers have trespassed… Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah” (29:6–8). “Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the Lord” (29:10).
c. Inward cleansing and ecclesiastical reformation is to be thorough: “The priests went into the inner part of the house… and brought out all the uncleanness… and the Levites took it, to carry it out” (29:16).
d. “They made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel” (29:24); “And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also” (29:27).
e. “The priests were too few… therefore their brethren the Levites did help them” (29:34).
f. “Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly” (29:36).
XXII. Chapter 30 — The great Passover
a. “Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah… that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the passover” (2 Chr. 30:1). Letters go forth (30:6–9); some “laughed them to scorn,” yet “divers… humbled themselves” (30:10–11).
b. Worship is renewed: “There arose… Levites… to praise the Lord… And they did eat throughout the feast seven days” (30:21–22).
c. “The good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek God… though he be not cleansed” (30:18–19). “And the Lord… healed the people” (30:20).
d. Joy overflows: “The whole assembly took counsel to keep other seven days” (30:23).
e. Christian unity bears the fruit of reformation and peace: “all Israel that were present went out… and brake the images… and threw down the high places” (31:1).
XXIII. Chapter 31 — Ordering the ministry
a. Idols removed and worship ordered: “All Israel… brake the images… and threw down the high places” (2 Chr. 31:1).
b. “As soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits” (31:5); “since they began… we have had enough to eat… for the Lord hath blessed his people” (31:10).
c. Storechambers prepared; faithful stewards appointed (31:11–12, 15).
d. Courses re-established: “As well to the priest as to the Levites” for daily service “as the duty of every day required” (31:16–18).
e. Seal upon the work: “Hezekiah… wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord” (31:20); “he did it with all his heart, and prospered” (31:21).
XXIV. Chapter 32 — Sennacherib’s threat and God’s deliverance
a. Wise preparations under faith: “He took counsel… to stop the waters… Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?” (2 Chr. 32:3–4); “built up all the wall” (32:5).
b. Exhortation to trust: “Be strong and courageous… with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God” (32:7–8).
c. Blasphemy of the wicked answered by prayer: Sennacherib “spake against the Lord God” (32:16–19). “For this cause Hezekiah… and Isaiah… prayed and cried to heaven” (32:20).
d. God’s swift stroke: “The Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour” (32:21).
e. “Hezekiah rendered not again… for his heart was lifted up” (32:25); later, “Hezekiah humbled himself” (32:26).
f. The righteous are often tested by providence: “God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart” (32:31).
XXV. Chapter 33 — Manasseh’s apostasy and repentance
a. “He did that which was evil… he built again the high places… he caused his children to pass through the fire” (2 Chr. 33:2–6).
b. “The Lord spake to Manasseh… but they would not hearken” (33:10).
c. “They took Manasseh among the thorns… bound him with fetters” (33:11); “When he was in affliction, he besought the Lord… and humbled himself greatly” (33:12).
d. “He was intreated of him… and brought him again to Jerusalem… Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God” (33:13).
e. “He took away the strange gods… repaired the altar… commanded Judah to serve the Lord” (33:15–16); yet “the people did sacrifice still in the high places” (33:17).
f. “Amon trespassed more and more” (33:23); slain in a conspiracy; “the people of the land made Josiah his son king” (33:24–25).
XXVI. Chapter 34 — Josiah’s discovery of the law and zeal
a. “While he was yet young, he began to seek… and… began to purge Judah and Jerusalem” (2 Chr. 34:3–5).
b. House repaired (34:8–10); “the men did the work faithfully” (34:12).
c. “Hilkiah… found a book of the law of the Lord” (34:14–15). “It came to pass… that he rent his clothes” (34:19).
d. “Because thine heart was tender… I also have heard thee” (34:27–28).
e. “The king… made a covenant before the Lord… and he caused all… to stand to it” (34:31–32).
f. “Josiah took away all the abominations… and made all that were present… to serve” (34:33).
XXVII. Chapter 35 — The Passover and Josiah’s death
a. “He set the priests in their charges… Put the holy ark in the house” (2 Chr. 35:2–3); Levites “by their courses” (35:4–5, 10).
b. “Josiah gave to the people… lambs and kids… and oxen” (35:7–9).
c. “There was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel” (35:18).
d. “After all this… Josiah… hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God” (35:20–22).
e. “The archers shot at king Josiah… he died” (35:23–24).
f. “Jeremiah lamented for Josiah… they made them an ordinance in Israel…they are written in the lamentations.” (35:25).
XXVIII. Chapter 36 — The last kings, the fall, and the decree
a. Jehoiakim “did that which was evil” (2 Chr. 36:5); Jehoiachin likewise (36:9); Zedekiah “humbled not himself before Jeremiah… and stiffened his neck” (36:12–13).
b. “The Lord… sent to them by his messengers… but they mocked… and misused his prophets” (36:15–16).
c. “Till there was no remedy” (36:16); “they burnt the house of God… and destroyed all the goodly vessels” (36:19).
d. “Them that had escaped… carried he away to Babylon… to fulfil threescore and ten years” (36:20–21).
e. “The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus… Who is there among you of all his people? the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up” (36:22–23).
Conclusion.
Closing Prayer.
Our gracious and merciful Father in heaven,
The God of all consolation and comfort,
The Redeemer of thy chosen, the Hope of Israel, the Strength of thy people.
Thou hast ever relieved us in our afflictions,
And hast been faithful to thy word in every generation.
Thou art not a man, that thou shouldst lie,
Nor the son of man, that thou shouldst repent.
What thou hast spoken, thou wilt surely do;
What thou hast promised, thou wilt bring to pass.
Therefore do we cry unto thee—
Zealously, fervently, devotedly, not in doubt or wavering,
But with full assurance of faith,
Apprehending the promises of Christ,
Hoping in the revelation of thy word.
Though our enemies encompass us about,
Thou, O Lord, shalt arise and smite them.
Though our own lusts war against the soul,
Yet thou wilt purge us, and we shall be clean;
Thou wilt wash us, and we shall be whiter than snow.
Though the adversary the devil prowls as a roaring lion,
Seeking whom he may devour,
Thou shalt shut his mouth and crush his teeth in his own jaws.
Thou shalt deliver us from the evil one,
For thou art holy, faithful and true. Full of all power and righteousness.
So then, even as thou hast promised, O Lord our God,
Fulfil thy word unto thy servants, who fear thy name.
Inasmuch as we have hoped for thy salvation,
Grant us a heart to desire it more fully,
And bring it to pass in us by thy Spirit,
That thou mayest be glorified in the praises of thy saints.
For we live not unto ourselves, but unto thee—
To rejoice in thee, to fear thee, to thank thee for thy great works.
Thy mercy is better than life; thy truth endures forever.
Purify us from all evil, and deliver us from this present evil world,
Which lieth in wickedness and knoweth not thy ways.
Inasmuch as we are pilgrims and strangers here,
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing
Of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ—
Who gave Himself for us,
That He might redeem us from all iniquity,
And purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works,
So give us perfect patience by thy grace.
So will we wait for Him,
Even for our Lord Jesus Christ,
Our Hope, our Savior, our Deliverer,
The joy of our soul, our heart’s true desire.
In His holy, blessed, and wonderful name we pray—
Amen.
Fearless Puritan: 