Worship service 09/27/26.

Greetings and call to worship.
—Greetings and good morning saints and beloved of God, grace, mercy and peace be with you through the love of God and the righteousness of Jesus Christ our Lord who loved us and washed away our sins in His own blood. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen. We are gathered once more on His holy Sabbath to love, honor and worship Him that gave Himself so freely for us. Let us keep that day holy as He is holy. Psalm 111:1-2 says, “Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.” Inasmuch as He is worthy of all glory and honor for who He is in His blessed attributes and what He hath done for us in the work of redemption, let us come gladly before Him and rejoice, offering ourselves to Him in thankful service.

A Christian minister writes,
Moreover as man, even in the state of innocence, was to perform solemn acts of piety, together with his consort and children, and to be their mouth in prayer, thanksgiving, and praises; it was necessary at that time, that laying aside all other occupations, and all cares about what related to the support of natural life, and ordering those about him to rest, he might, without any hinderance from the body, religiously apply himself to this one thing. At least the celebrated Cocceius readily allows it. To which effect another celebrated author writes: It is right in itself, and a part of the image of God, that man should, as often as possible, employ himself in the worship of God (that is, laying aside the things pertaining to the body and its conveniences, be wholly taken up in those duties which become a soul, delighting in God, glorifying him and celebrating his praise) and that too in the public assembly, for the common joy and edification of all.

 

Prayer unto the public reading of the Holy Scripture:
Our holy and righteous Father,
full of all glory, justice, mercy, and truth;
faithful and righteous, who will by no means clear the guilty,
yet thou showeth mercy unto thousands that love thee and keep thy commandments:

We come before thee in all holy reverence,
as those whom thou hast chosen in Christ,
redeemed by His precious blood,
called out of darkness,
and brought into the fellowship of the gospel,

We bow before thee in all humility,
acknowledging the severity and holy requirements of thy law,
Thy right to punish the breakers thereof,
and our own poverty, uncleanness and unworthiness
to draw near unto thee in worship and supplication.

We confess, O Lord,
that apart from the grace and righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ
we are worthy of thy wrath and curse,
without hope, and without access to the covenant promises.
For we are guilty and polluted by sin,
unable of ourselves to repent, believe, or return unto thee.

Therefore, acknowledging our sin, we call upon thee for grace and mercy through Him:
Pardon our iniquities,
cleanse us by the blood of Christ,
sanctify us by thy truth,
strengthen our faith,
subdue the lusts of the flesh,
and enable us to perform this holy service
in the strength which thou dost so freely supply.

And now, as we come to the reading of thy holy word,
grant a special blessing upon this portion of Holy Scripture.
Make it effectual by thy Spirit
to build up thy Church,
and establish thy kingdom.
Open our hearts to receive the word with meekness;
give us eyes to see and ears to hear;
and cause us by thine own grace to live by it,
that we may be built up a holy temple in the Lord—even through Jesus Christ.
Our Captain, Governor, and Deliverer,
Our Prophet, Priest, and King. The Author and Finisher of our faith.

In His most worthy name we pray,

Amen.

 

Devotional and doctrinal exposition on the Psalms:

Psalm 29 [12] : 1 The Prophet exhorteth the princes and rulers of the world (which for the most part think there is no God.) 3 At the least to fear him for the thunders and tempests, for fear whereof all creatures tremble. 11 And though thereby God threateneth sinners, yet he is always merciful to his, and moveth them thereby to praise his Name.

A Psalm of David.

1 Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength.

2 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory maketh it to thunder: the Lord is upon the great waters.

4 The voice of the Lord is mighty; the voice of the Lord is glorious.

5 The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He maketh them also to leap like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.

7 The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire.

8 The voice of the Lord maketh the wilderness to tremble; the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.

10 The Lord sitteth upon the floods; yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever.

11 The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.

Exposition:
—Several things here are worthy of particular note, being exceedingly useful both for doctrine and instruction.

First, we should consider the purpose for which the majesty and authority of God have been so greatly magnified throughout this Psalm. This is a Psalm of praise and worship. Therefore, when David says, “the LORD sitteth upon the floods,” declaring His sovereign power to judge men, and again, “the LORD sitteth King for ever,” declaring His everlasting government over all creation, he does not set these things before us that we might merely know them, but that the knowledge of them might compel us to fear, worship, trust, and call upon Him.

For the knowledge of God is never barren in the hearts of His people. It is a living principle. If He is King, we are taught thereby to bow before Him in all humility. If He is Judge, we taught to fear Him in all fidelity. As it is written, “A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear?”

Therefore it is written again, “kiss the Son lest He be angry and ye perish from the way, for His wrath is quickly kindled”; and again, “Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.” And again, “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”

Here we see the proper use of the doctrine. The power which terrifies the wicked draws the believer nearer unto God. He who breaks His enemies by the power of His voice invites His people to take hold of His strength. The same hand which is stretched out in judgment is stretched out for the defence of those who trust in Him. Therefore faith does not flee away from Him, but flees unto Him; for it knows assuredly that the Almighty is our God who reigns in the heavens.

Secondly, therefore, we should note that when we read of Christ’s kingship, and that He rules in the heavens, this brings exceeding great comfort to the people of God; for He is their God and their King. He who rules over the nations is He who loved us and gave Himself for us. His omnipotence, therefore, His majesty and His power is a fountain of consolation to His people.

As it is written, “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.” And again, “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

Consider how wonderfully these things agree together. He is our Judge, yet He justifies us. He is our Lawgiver, yet He has redeemed us from the curse of the law. He is our King, and therefore no enemy can prevail against us unto our hurt. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ. We rejoice in Him, rest in Him, and find our satisfaction and joy in Him.

And this brings us naturally to the conclusion of the Psalm, which ends with a prayer full of confidence and assurance: the LORD will bless His people.

Notice especially that David does not say, “The Lord will offer a helping hand to those who help themselves,” nor, “It is up to you to acquire a blessing.” He does not divide the work between the grace of God and the strength of man. Rather, David himself being blessed with the same grace which he here communicates to others, gives all praise and glory unto the Most High. His people are the blessed recipients of His goodness. Neither is this blessing uncertain, as though God merely made salvation possible and then waited to see what His creatures would make of it. David speaks with confidence: the LORD will give strength unto His people; the LORD will bless His people with peace.

And why are they thus blessed? Because they are His people. They have been born of Him and adopted into His family, as it is written, “as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Their blessedness therefore proceeds from their union with Him and from that grace by which He has made them His own. They do not first make themselves His people that they might afterwards obtain His blessing; rather, He makes them His people and, having made them His own, takes care of them as His own.

Therefore He gives them ministers and officers according to His will, who by His Word and grace lead them into green pastures and feed them with spiritual meat. For as animal meat is given that the body might be nourished and strengthened, so good doctrine is given that the people of God might increase in faith, grow in grace and in the knowledge of Him, and become strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. And being strengthened in faith, they return unto God that which His grace first produced in them: praise, obedience, thanksgiving, and glory.

So also He blesses them with peace. But this peace is not the absence of outward trouble, for the people of God are appointed to many afflictions in this present life. But having put His Spirit within His people and caused them to believe through the might of His grace, He covers them moreover with His love and endows them with that peace which passes all understanding. Thus they are enabled to bear the many afflictions and ills of this present life with grace and composure, seeking His glory in all things and taking up their cross to His praise and honor.

And herein the conclusion of the Psalm is remarkable. The voice before which the mighty are compelled to tremble is the voice upon which the weakest believer may depend. The power which breaks the cedars strengthens the people of God. What is dreadful to His enemies becomes consolation to His children, for this God is ours in Christ.

Therefore the Christian learns first to fear Him, yet not according to a servile terror. But, having learned it by the word of God, he learns also the mercy of God; having learned His holiness, he learns forgiveness; having learned His power, he learns to trust; and having learned to trust, he learns to love. Thus fear does not extinguish love, nor does love cast away godly reverence, but both meet together in the heart of the regenerate, who trembles at the Word of God and delights to draw near unto Him in sincere worship.

For it is written, “there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” And therefore also Moses joins them together saying: “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?”

This, then, is the blessed instruction with which the Psalm leaves us. Let the wicked hear His voice and tremble, for the King is angry with iniquity. Let kings remember that there is a throne above their thrones, and a King before whom they also must give account. But let the people of God lift up their heads. The power which makes the earth to shake is pledged for their preservation; the hand which overthrows His enemies is spread over them for their defence; and He who sits King for ever has undertaken to give strength unto His people and to bless His people with peace.

Thus the believer passes from the fear of His majesty unto confidence in His mercy, and from confidence unto love, and from love unto willing service.

Therefore let him fear without despair, suffer without murmuring, fight without doubting, and wait without fainting; for He whose voice shakes the earth is the same Lord who speaks peace unto His people.

And He sits King for ever. Let His glorious name be praised.

Calvin— “He returns to his former doctrine, namely, that although God exhibits his visible power to the view of the whole world indiscriminately, yet he exerts it in a peculiar manner in behalf of his elect people. Moreover, he here describes him in a very different manner from what he did formerly; that is to say, not as one who overwhelms with fear and dread those to whom he speaks, but as one who upholds, cherishes, and strengthens them. By the word strength is to be understood the whole condition of man. And thus he intimates that every thing necessary to the preservation of the life of the godly depends entirely upon the grace of God. He amplifies this by the word bless; for God is said to bless with peace those whom he treats liberally and kindly, so that nothing is awanting to the prosperous course of their life, and to their complete happiness. From this we may learn, that we ought to stand in awe of the majesty of God, in such a manner as, notwithstanding, to hope from him all that is necessary to our prosperity; and let us be assuredly persuaded, that since his power is infinite, we are defended by an invincible fortress.”

Henry— “The Psalmist here sets forth God’s dominion–
1. In the kingdom of providence, Psalms 29:10. God is to be praised as the governor of the world of mankind. He sits upon the flood; he sits King for ever. He not only sits at rest in the enjoyment of himself, but he sits as King in the throne which he has prepared in the heavens (Psalms 103:19), where he takes cognizance of, and gives orders about, all the affairs of the children of men, and does all according to his will, according to the counsel of his will. Observe, [1.] The power of his kingdom: He sits upon the flood. As he has founded the earth, so he has founded his own throne, upon the floods, Psalms 24:2. The ebbings and flowings of this lower world, and the agitations and revolutions of the affairs in it, give not the least shake to the repose nor to the counsels of the Eternal Mind. The opposition of his enemies is compared to the flood (Psalms 93:3); but the Lord sits upon it; he crushes it, conquers it, and completes his own purposes in despite of all the devices that are in men’s hearts. The word here translated the flood is never used but concerning Noah’s flood; and therefore some think it is that which is here spoken of. God did sit upon that flood as a Judge executing the sentence of his justice upon the world of the ungodly that was swept away by it. And he still sits upon the flood, restraining the waters of Noah, that they turn not again to cover the earth, according to his promise never to destroy the earth any more by a flood,Genesis 9:11; Isaiah 54:9. [2.] The perpetuity of his kingdom; He sits King for ever; no period can, or shall, be put to his government. The administration of his kingdom is consonant to his counsels from eternity and pursuant to his designs for eternity.

2. In the kingdom of grace. Here his glory shines most brightly, [1.] In the adorations he receives from the subjects of that kingdom (Psalms 29:9). In his temple, where people attend his discoveries of himself and his mind and attend him with their praises, every one speaks of his glory. In the world every man sees it, or at least may behold it afar off (Job 36:25); but it is only in the temple, in the church, that it is spoken of to his honour. All his works do praise him (that is, they minister matter for praise), but his saints only do bless him, and speak of his glory of his works, Psalms 145:10. [2.] In the favours he bestows upon the subjects of that kingdom, Psalms 29:11. First, He will qualify them for his service: He will give strength to his people, to fortify them against every evil work and to furnish them for every good work; out of weakness they shall be made strong; nay, he will perfect strength in weakness. Secondly, He will encourage them in his service: He will bless his people with peace. Peace is a blessing of inestimable value, which God designs for all his people. The work of righteousness is peace (great peace have those that love thy law); but much more the crown of righteousness: the end of righteousness is peace; it is endless peace. When the thunder of God’s wrath shall make sinners tremble the saints shall lift up their heads with joy.

Opening Prayer.
—

Amen.

Lesson 102. [1.2.75.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Gospels. John. The Gospel of the Son of God.

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—Mark. Luke.
All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.

Intro.

John 1-4

Lesson.

Introduction to John.

Doctrinal lessons in John.
1. The eternal generation of the Son, begotten not created, two natures, one person.
John 1:1 — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
Col. 1:16-17 — “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
Prov. 8:22-36— “The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.”
George Hutcheson— “In this verse the Godhead of Christ is asserted, and confirmed from his eternity, from his coexistence and society with the Father, and by express assertion declaring him to be true God, one in essence with the Father, and the holy Ghost. Doctr. 1. Christ is called the Word both here, and ver. 14. and 1 John 1.1. and 5.7. Rev. 19.13. and elsewhere; not only because he is the chief subject of the written Word or Scripture; being the promise made and often repeated in the Old Testament, He in whom all the promises are Yea and Amen, the substance and truth of all the Law-types and shadows, the end of the Law, and kernel of the Gospel. But further, because as a word is a mean of revealing a man’s mind to others; so Christ hath revealed the Father in his own person, being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, Heb. 1.3. so that God is to be taken up, and is savingly known only as he hath revealed himself in Christ; And in his office, as he is the wisdom of the Father, Prov. 8.12, 22, 23. and knoweth all the Father’s secrets, so he is the Word of the Father, as declaring him, his mind, and will to the Church in all ages, Matth. 11.27. John 1.18.
2. As Christ in his person, natures and offices, is the great Theme of the Gospel, and ought to be the matter of our study; so particularly it is needful that believers do know, and take him up as God; Not only that they may avoid errors concerning his person, but, That they may see how little need he had of the sons of men, whom yet he came to seek and save for their own good, not to receive from them, but to give unto them; That their faith may be led through the veil of his flesh, to this rock of his Godhead, where it will get sure footing in his essence and attributes, against all assaults; That the ignominy of his Cross may not obscure his glory, but they may have high and honourable thoughts of their humbled Lord in his lowest estate; That they may see the infinite worth that is in his sufferings, to satisfy justice, and to expiate sin, considering the dignity of his person; And, That this may teach them rightly to receive his doctrine, and not to be ashamed of his truth, and the profession of his Name, or to suffer for him, who is so excellent a Lord: for these (among other) reasons, doth John begin this Gospel, with so sublime a description of the Godhead of Christ.
3. The Godhead of Christ doth appear in his being eternal; and that he had his proper, and perfect subsistence; not only before his incarnation, but before the first point of time, wherein God began to create all things; for, In the beginning was the Word: He doth not say as Moses, Gen. 1.1. (whom he imitates in this beginning of his Gospel) In the beginning God created the Word; but, in the beginning, when all things created got a beginning, the Word was, and did actually subsist. He thus describeth his eternity, that he was in the beginning, because there is nothing before the first period of time’s beginning, but eternity; and because our shallow conceptions can follow eternity no farther, but only over the border of time.
4. Christ as God, is a person distinct from the Father, yet undivided and unseparable from the Father in his essence, with whom he eternally coexists; and this is another evidence of his Godhead; for the Word was with God; where the word in the Original rendered God, with the Article, is taken personally, for the Father (as is also cleared, 1 John 1.2.) signifying that he is one person, and the Father another with whom he was; As also that, notwithstanding the distinction of the Persons, yet he is inseparably with the Father, in the same essence and nature, being in (as well as with) the Father, and the Father in him, John 14.10, 11. and eternally with him; so that the Father is never without him, John 17.5.
5. However men may take liberty to carp at these proofs of Christ’s Godhead, alleging from his incarnation, that he was but man, or that there being but one God, the simplicity of the Divine essence cannot admit of plurality of persons, or that Christ in the exercise of the Mediatory office declareth that his Father is greater than he; or whatsoever else unstable and deluded men may pretend; Yet the Holy Ghost puts the Godhead of Christ, his equality, and unity in essence with the Father out of all controversy, and would have it out of doubt in the hearts of believers, and all their reasonings in this supernatural mystery subjected to the revealed Word, which saith, and the Word was God: Where the Greek word signifying God, without the Article, is taken essentially, for the Divine nature, signifying, that as the Son is a distinct person from the Father, so he is one God with him, in the same indivisible nature and essence, communicate unto him from the Father, and with him to the holy Spirit; so that their name, nature, properties, glory, and working are one.”
2. The office and use of the ministry, to bring others into an estate of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
John’s office is to testify clearly and faithfully concerning Christ, so that men should not stumble through obscurity, remain doubtful through lack of testimony, or revile through ignorance, but should believe in that Light to whom John points.
John 1:7— “The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.” Hutcheson— “A special mean and way whereby Christ shineth to the world, and helpeth the world to know him, is the Ministry of men; whereby he condescendeth to our weaknesse, who could not endure more glorious instruments; he trieth our obedience, and acknowledgment of his authority in the weak messengers; and he maketh manifest that the excellency of the power whereby they do so great things, is of him.”
• The same – a man – sent by God. The vessel is weak, the instrument is humble, but the calling is high and holy. See 1 Cor. 1:18
• Witness of another – that light – not taking glory for himself but preaching the truth in Christ.
• All – not all absolutely, but all without distinction. Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, men and women. That no man may say the law and gospel doesn’t apply to him.
• Through him – John as an instrument has a high calling and office, and must keep himself pure, his doctrine and his life.
• Believe – in Christ, according to the doctrine of the word.
Hutcheson— “It is a sweet thing when men prove answerable to these names and titles which Scripture giveth them because of their Christian profession; for this forerunner’s name was John, a name given by the Angel, without the consent of friends, Luke 1:13, 59, 60, &c., which in the Hebrew signifieth one that had obtained grace and favour, or one to whom the Lord had been gracious, that he might actively proclaim the same to others; and a name to which John’s carriage was answerable.

He was one, in giving of whom the Lord showed Himself gracious to his parents, Luke 1:13; one to whom the Lord was gracious in sanctifying him from his mother’s womb, and in making him faithful and successful in his Ministry, Luke 1:15, 16, 17, 77, 78.

1. The chief and special end of a Ministry is to point out Christ in His excellencies and usefulness to lost men; to declare Him in His person, offices, and benefits; how He should be believed in, served, or suffered for. John came to bear witness of the Light, or of Christ in His glorious excellency, and as He is the Light of dark man, in his comforts and directions.
2. Faithful Ministers are to preach Christ as His witnesses, with plainness, with fidelity in not adding or diminishing, with boldness and constancy; and as men by whom Christ, who needs not any testimony from men, doth temper and fit His light to our capacity, and who will be witnesses one day against them who do not receive their doctrine; for the same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light.
3. The end and scope of a Minister’s witnessing and preaching is, and should be, to bring self-condemned sinners to believe in Christ. His preaching of the Law and wrath is in order to that, and to bring men to see their need of Christ, and should be joined with the doctrine of the Gospel. His preaching of the doctrine of sanctification and holiness should be joined with the doctrine of faith in Christ, from whom virtue floweth, for that end.

And faithful Ministers should not be content that their excellent gifts lead men to esteem of themselves; but it should be their endeavour to lead men unto Christ. For albeit John did threaten sharply, and call them a generation of vipers, and did press repentance and renovation hard, yet the same came for a witness, that men through him, or by his Ministry, and his leading them not to rest or dote upon himself, might believe.

1. No man is secluded from being allowed to believe in Christ, but every one, of whatsoever condition or quality, who heareth the Gospel, is bound to make this use of it, following the due order appointed for sinners to come to Christ.

And particularly, under the Gospel, Christ is to be held forth as the common refuge of all His people, of whatsoever kindred or nation; for John came for a witness that all men might believe. Not that all, even of Judaea, heard John, but that all who heard were thus obliged, and all indifferently, of any nation, were now allowed to come to Christ.”
3. Christ who made all things, governs all things and rules over all things, and from whom all receive what light they have, was in the world, in wisdom, power and providence, and was not known by the world. John 1:10-11. See Prov. 8:22-36, Rom. 1:18-23.
He came to His own which He Himself had called out of the darkness of pagan idolatry, by pillar of fire and cloud to lead them into the knowledge of God and true worship, giving them the priesthood, the tabernacle and the testimony, and they received Him not. But as many as received him (not among the Jews only) to them He have power and authority to be the sons of God, (a higher calling than the Jews), (and lest men think they believed of their own will) who were born not of blood (lest any boast in ancestry), nor of the will of the flesh (lest any glory in their own lust), nor of the will of man (lest any boast in human achievement), but of God. (once again John’s doctrine is ever directed to the glory of God.) Hutcheson — “10. Regeneration cometh not by natural generation, or by the dignity of mens race and descent from pious progenitors, for, they were borne not of blood, or of bloods, that is, by descent from their ancestors of many generations, of which the Jewes boasted. 11. Mens freewill, or natural power, is quite dead in the matter of regeneration, its utmost endeavours can contribute nothing to this work; for, they were borne, not of the will, or the strongest inclinations, of the flesh: 12. What∣ever singular endowments of learning, wisdome, or va∣lour men have, yet none of these do prove regenera∣tion, nor can they contribute any thing to such a work; for, they were borne, not of the will of man, or, of fa∣mous and vertuous men, as the word in the Origi∣nal often signifieth. 13. Regeneration is Gods own work, who employeth his Word as the seed, 1 Pet. 1.23. sendeth his Ministers as instruments to sowe this seed, Gal. 4.19. and who quickeneth this seed by the Spirit, who is the immediate worker of regeneration in order of operation, John 3.6, 8. And so, whatever excellency regenerate men may have they are still bound to acknowledge that grace prevented them, and made them to differ from others; for, they were born, not of any thing, but of God.”
John 1:9-13— “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
4. The sincere believer is seen and acknowledged of God.
John 1:47— “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”
Hutcheson— 

1. Christ will in mercy pass over the faults, prejudices and mistakes of these who do not persist in them, but come to Him; for Christ welcometh and receiveth Nathanael, even while he is coming, and taketh notice of him when he minded it not, and speaks of him, and not to him.

1. Christ is an exact discerner of men, both their inside and outside, and the knowledge of this should draw men to Him; for Christ gains ground on Nathanael, by discovering how exactly He knew him.
2. Albeit all who came of Jacob after the flesh were Israelites in the external Court, yet all that were so by visible Covenant were not such inwardly, and in the inward Court of God; and Christ is a discerner both of the one and the other, who cannot be deceived. Therefore saith He of Nathanael, Behold, an Israelite indeed, or truly, importing that many were not truly such, or in the spirit.
3. The true mark of a true Israelite in the spirit is not perfection or sinlessness, but sincerity, whereby men, having gotten grace, and closed with Christ, and applied the virtue of His blood, are enabled to serve God from right principles, and for right ends; and are in so far purged from hypocrisy and dissimulation, that it doth not reign in them, but they love truth, and hate guile; they labour to be in reality and in secret what they seem to others to be; they are jealous of the unsoundness of their own hearts, and daily vexed with it; they set against all by-ends in Religion, and aim at perfection in it.

Thus was Nathanael, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile, to wit, reigning or approved.

1. Albeit Christ be the Author of every grace men have, yet He will not spare to commend it in them; and particularly, He is a notable commender of sincerity, where He findeth it, and that so much the more as men are sincere in a corrupt time; for He commends Nathanael, a sincere man in that time: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.

Men need not seek themselves, for such as are sincere, Christ will commend them.

Conclusion.

Closing Prayer. 

YouTube Audio: https://youtu.be/ZNT3cde0mFw