
More quotables ….
“David himselfe was a type, and did beare the person of Chriſt, and many things spoken of David, were more properly fulfilled in Christ the person, than in David; as, My God, my God, why haft thou forsaken me. They parted my garments among them, and for my coat they cast lots. They pierced my hand, and my feet. He that [ate] bread at my table, hath lift up the heel against me.“
-John Ball, A Treatise on the Covenant of Grace
“The difficulties in the way of providing a suitable manual of praise from the efforts of the saints are accordingly very great. Only a fraction of the subjects of praise can be touched, and these not in a convincing manner; for no saint is worthy of being followed with implicit faith in all that he has put on record as his experience, however honest he may have tried to be, both in doing and in writing. The things we sing become our effective creed in a way no formal statement can be, and any error there becomes indelibly impressed on the mind and heart by repetition and musical association, which dispose us to receive it without questioning. A little lie in a hymn goes sweetly home, and after a few repetitions is assimilated into our working vocabulary of religious experience.”
-John Macleod, Principal of the Free Church College (1872-1948)
“Lastly, There is another sort of pride, and that is seeking great things for ourselves; we must have such honour, such estates. ‘Surely they ascribe too much to themselves that would prescribe to God at what rate they would be maintained. No; let him choose our portion for us, who is wiser than we, and knoweth what condition is best for us: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit,’ Mat. v. 3.”
-Thomas Manton
“For it was fitting, that as by the pride of our first parent death came into the world, so by the lowliness of Mary should be opened the entrance into life.”
“But the Lord visited His people who were pining away as it were from long sickness, and by the blood of His only begotten Son, redeemed them who were sold under sin. Which thing Zacharias, knowing that it would soon be accomplished, relates in the prophetic manner as if it were already passed. But he says, His people, not that when He came He found them His own, but that by visiting He made them so.”
-Venerable Bede
“All the means of grace, and acceptance through Jesus Christ, that we have now, we had originally from them. They were our masters in the knowledge of God, and first put the book, even the book of God into our hands, Isa. ii. 3. Luke xxiv. 47. It was their Moses, their prophets, their apostles, (all of them Jews) that wrote this book, by which eternal life is brought to us. Nay, it is their countryman Jesus, who is the ground of all our hope, who we believe is the Son of God. “For of them as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.” It was the light that came out from among them, that enlightened our dark part of the world. And now that our teachers are blinded, will we not put up a petition for them, Lord that they may recover their sight.”
-Thomas Boston
“We cannot propose here to enter particularly upon the consideration of the Jewish constitution. Extremes on both hands are to be guarded against. Those who maintain that it was altogether peculiar and inimitable do err, as well as those who hold that it is in all respects a model for Christian nations. The golden mean is to be studied on this, as in many other subjects, although the discovery of it may cost more trouble than the readier expedient of an extreme. It was a constitution immediately framed by God, adapted to the state of that nation, to the system of religious ordinances established among them, and to the designs of providence in preserving them as a separate people. But, although taken as a whole, it was certainly singular, and not to be paralleled or exemplified in any other nation, several of the consideration mentioned serve to show, that it is entitled to the particular regard of all nations who are favored with divine revelation.”
-Thomas M’Crie (the Elder)
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