Browse Tag: Charles Bridges

Blessed are the Undefiled in the Way

Thomas Manton
Thomas Manton, 1620 – 1677

Reading Psalm 119 is a great enjoyment to me. I am endeavoring to memorize it. (Progress is much slower than I would like.) The Psalm consists of 176 verses divided into 22 stanzas. Many days I read through the entire Psalm by reciting a stanza every 30 minutes through the day. I start at 9 AM and finish at 7:30 PM. For me, it’s a good way to meditate on the Word of God – especially since this Psalm is specifically about the Word of God!

I also like to read commentaries and devotional writings centered on Psalm 119. I am meditatively making my way through W. S. Plumer’s commentary on the Psalm. I am halfway through the thoughtful slender volume, Psalm 119 for Life by Hywel R. Jones. Plus I have an everlasting warm spot in my heart for Charles Bridges’ Exposition of Psalm 119, as I wrote about here: Marked with the Stamp of Divine Purpose.

Now imagine my delight when I discovered (thanks to Hywel Jones) that Thomas Manton preached 190 sermons on Psalm 119 and they are available online for FREE! Sign me up!

I read the first sermon on Psalm 119:1 this afternoon. “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.” The following paragraph struck me, created a thirst in me, and motivated me to pray.

Take the law of God for your rule. Study the mind of God, and know the way to heaven, and keep exactly in it. It is an argument of sincerity when a man is careful to practice all that he knows, and to be inquisitive to know more, even the whole will of God, and when the heart is held under awe of God’s word. If a commandment stand in the way, it is more to a gracious heart than if a thousand bears and lions were in the way – more than if an angel stood in the way with a flaming sword: Proverbs 13:13, ‘He that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.’ Would you have blessing from God? – fear the commandment. It is not he that fears wrath, punishment, inconveniences, troubles of the world, molestations of the flesh; no, but he that dares not make bold with a commandment… Thus a child of God doth reason when the devil comes and sets a temptation before him, and being zealous for God, dares not comply with the lusts and humors of men, though they should promise him peace, happiness, and plenty. A wicked man makes no bones of a commandment; but a godly man, when he is in a right posture of spirit, and the awe of God is upon him, dare not knowingly and wittingly go aside and depart from God.

Thomas Manton, Sermons on Psalm 119, Sermon 1

One clarification from Manton: “This is called a way [‘Blessed are the undefiled in the way’], and this way is said to be God’s law, and in this way we must be undefiled; which implies not absolute purity and legal perfection, but gospel sincerity.”

“Lord, by Your Holy Spirit, create in me such sincerity that I might walk with you.”

The Backstory on A Prayer of the Foolish

humbled

Yesterday I published the short blog post, A Prayer of the Foolish. Today I will share a little about the thought that went into that post. These are some of the practices I follow when thinking over a portion of Scripture, especially if I have a thought of writing something related to Scripture.
In real life, these practices are not done as neatly and orderly as described below. In this recent case, Proverbs 9:6 is the verse that got my attention. I spent two days thinking, praying, and consulting various references. What follows is a bit of the details of that.

Comparing Bible Versions

One of the first things I do when a Bible verse intrigues me is compare the verse in a number of different Bible versions. I primarily read the King James Version. It’s what I “cut my teeth on” when I first started reading the Bible way back in 1980. (It’s the English that Jesus and His Apostles spoke, right?) I like to compare the KJV with several other Bibles that I have on hand.

So here is Proverbs 9:6 in nine different versions:

  • KJV – Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.
  • Living Bible – Leave behind your foolishness and begin to live; learn how to be wise.
  • Amplified Bible – Leave off, simple ones – forsake the foolish and simple-minded – and live! And walk in the way of insight and understanding.
  • New American Standard Bible – Forsake your folly and live, and proceed in the way of understanding.
  • New International Version – Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.
  • New King James Version – Forsake foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding.
  • American Standard Version – Leave off, ye simple ones, and live; and walk in the way of understanding.
  • New Revised Standard Version – Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight.
  • New American Bible, Revised Edition – Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding.

You can see there is a bit of difference regarding the first half of the verse. The majority in that list tell us to forsake our own foolish ways. A few warn us to forsake foolish people. And one directs its admonition to “ye simple ones.”

I came to the conclusion that all three takes on the phrase are necessary and lead us to the same thing: we are simple ones, foolish in our own ways, AND we need to stay away from other foolish people – not following in their ways, but going in the paths of God’s wisdom.

Consulting Bible Commentaries

After comparing different Bible versions, I next consulted several commentaries on Proverbs that I have. Only one gave me something significant. That was Charles Bridges’ commentary. Bridges almost always provides a feast to digest that usually leaves me searching my heart. Here is what Bridges wrote regarding Proverbs 9:5, 6 (“Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.”):

Come, eat of the bread of life; drink of the wine of gospel grace and joy.
Is there not besides a special invitation for her [Wisdom] children – a table richly furnished for their refreshment; where they eat of the bread, and drink of the wine, such as “the world know not of?” (Matthew 26:26 – 28)

But are not all comers welcome to the Gospel feast? The Master’s heart flows along with every offer of His grace. His servants are ministers of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18 – 20) Their message is to tell of the bounty of Messiah’s house, and to bid sinners welcome to Him. Here, sinner, is thy warrant – not thy worthiness, but thy need, and the invitation of thy Lord. All the blessings of His Gospel are set before thee – love without beginning, end, or change. Honour the freeness of His mercy. Let Him have the full glory of His own grace, who invites thee to a feast, when He might have frowned thee to hell.
Let His heavenly hope be enthroned in the soul, displacing every subordinate object from its hold on thine affections, eclipsing the glories of this present world, absorbing thy whole mind, consecrating thy whole heart.

Here only are the ways of peace. The very severities of the Gospel prepare the way for its consolations. But never can these blessings be valued, till the path of the foolish be forsaken. Thou must forsake either them or Christ. (James 4:4) To abide with them, is to “remain in the congregation of the dead.” (Proverbs 21:16) To forsake them, is the way of life and understanding. (Proverbs 13:20; Psalm 26:3 – 6; 34:12 – 14; 119:115; Amos 5:15)
Are they more to you than salvation? To “be the friend of the world is to be the enemy of God.” “Come out, and be separate, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive thee, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18)

– Charles Bridges, Proverbs, Geneva Series of Commentaries, pages 85, 86.

See what I mean? Take some time to digest that!

Evangelical Application

There is a footnote for Proverbs 9:6 in the New American Bible. It says the following:

That you may live: life in Proverbs is this-worldly, consisting in fearing God or doing one’s duty toward God, enjoying health and long life, possessing wealth, good reputation, and a family. Such a life cannot be attained without God’s help. Hence Wisdom speaks not of life simply but of life with her; the guest is to live in Wisdom’s house.

I appreciate that perspective. Yes, certainly, the book of Proverbs is FULL of guidance for our “this-worldly” life. Absolutely! Go apply its directions on honesty, hard work, diligence, ethical business dealings, respect of others’ property, charity to the poor, respect for authority, and more – and you will see improvements to your experience of the here and now. We all need that!

But as I contemplated the “this-worldly” application of Proverbs 9:6, I remembered 1 Timothy 4:7, 8 – “But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” It made me think that there is an evangelical application to this beginning passage of Proverbs 9, which Charles Bridges certainly elucidated. There is a turning from something unprofitable and a turning to life. That is repentance. That is the call of the Kingdom of God. It was the message of Jesus Himself: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

One of my favorite writers, whose books abound with evangelical beauty, is John Owen. In his book on Communion with God, Owen touched on Proverbs 9:1 – 6 as an example of God’s gracious Gospel invitation. He said the following:

The Lord Christ, the eternal Wisdom of the Father, and who of God is made unto us wisdom, erects a spiritual house, wherein He makes provision for the entertainment of those guests whom He so freely invites. His church is the house which He hath built on a perfect number of pillars, that it might have a stable foundation: His slain beasts and mingled wine, wherewith His table is furnished, are those spiritual fat things of the gospel, which He hath prepared for those that come in upon His invitation. Surely, to eat of this bread, and drink of this wine, which He hath so graciously prepared, is to hold fellowship with Him.

– John Owen, Works, Vol. 2, page 46.

The Prayer

Charles Bridges referred to James 4:4. I went back to James 4 and read several verses.

  • 4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
  • 5. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
  • 6. But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
  • 7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
  • 8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
  • 9. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
  • 10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

And there was the key I needed: “He giveth more grace. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord.” I want to forsake the foolish. But I AM foolish. Too often I am a friend of the world. Spiritual adultery! Is there no way out from under this mountain of corruption in my own heart? “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24)

“I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7 – the very next verse)

Please see: A Prayer of the Foolish.

Thank you for reading.

Far Better to Cross the Will, Than to Wound the Conscience

Bible
Read it every day!

There are many times when I read my daily Bible chapters and later find other authors referring to something I read the same day. It seems to happen so frequently that I started to keep track of the occurrences. Here is one example.

Charles Bridges connected Proverbs 3:17 with Acts 5:41, 42.

Daily Bible reading chapter: Acts 5
Other reading: Charles Bridges’ commentary on Proverbs 3:17

Prov. 3:17 – “Her [wisdom’s] ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.”

Acts 5:41, 42 – “And they [the Apostles] departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”

Bridges – “It is saying far too little, that the trials of these ways are not inconsistent with their pleasantness. They are the very principles of the most elevated pleasure. ‘The verdict of Christ,’ says Dr. South, ‘makes the discipline of self-denial and the cross – those terrible blows to flesh and blood – the indispensable requisite to the being His disciples.’ And yet, paradoxical as it may appear, in this deep gloom is the sunshine of joy. For if our natural will be ‘enmity to God’ (Rom. 8:7), it must be the enemy of our own happiness. Our pleasure, therefore, must be to deny, not to indulge it; to mortify sinful appetites, that only ‘bring forth fruit unto death.’ (Rom. 7:5) Even what may be called the austerities of godliness are more joyous than ‘the pleasures of sin.’ Far better to cross the will, than to wound the conscience. The very chains of Christ are glorious. (Acts 5:41, 42; 16:24, 25) Moses endured not ‘his reproach’ as a trial. He ‘esteemed it as a treasure – greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.’ (Heb. 11:26) Our principles are never more consoling that when we are making a sacrifice for them. Hannah yielded up her dearest earthly joy. But did she sink under the trial? Did she grudge the sacrifice? ‘Hannah prayed and say, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord’ (1 Sam. 1:26; 2:1); while to show that none serve Him for naught – for one child that was resigned, five were added. (1 Sam. 2:20, 21)’

This morning I am truly struggling with “Far better to cross the will, than to wound the conscience,” finding it hard to go against my “natural will,” even though it is “enmity to God.” I know that my “pleasure, therefore, must be to deny, not to indulge it; to mortify sinful appetites.” My sinful will has been winning for the past 24 hours. I am forcing myself to read the Word, to pray, to read theology. But mixed in is the desire to indulge sinful thoughts. It’s at these time that I pray that the Holy Spirit will help me in spite of my own will – praying against myself.

Romans 8:12 – 14 – “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

It seems to me that the act of mortifying my flesh, going against my own natural will, can only be done through the Spirit of God. And the only way I can see for that to happen is for me to pray for it. Luke 11:13 – “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?”

Even as I write this I feel the strong pull of my flesh. “Oh wretched man that I am.” Better would it be for me to be beaten for speaking for Christ as the Apostles in Acts 5; or to be in chains for Christ and singing at midnight in a prison like Paul and Silas in Acts 16, as referred to by Bridges. How thankful I am that the same apostle wrote Romans 7 to show us all how he also struggled against the flesh, praising Jesus Christ for the ultimate victory and trusting the Spirit of God for strength through the battle.

Marked with the Stamp of Divine Purpose

Today, New Years Eve, I read the following comments on Ecclesiastes by Charles Bridges.

Ecclesiastes 8:6, 7 – “Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him. For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?”

All concerning us is determined in the counsels of God, and all in judgment. The time is the best time, because it is God’s time. It is a solemn thought to us all – most precious to the Christian – that each of us has been in the mind of God – the subject of the thoughts of God – from all eternity. Every particle of our being – every trial – every step in our journey – the most minute as well as the most important – everything has been marked with the stamp of Divine purpose. And what a dignity does it give to the veriest trifle of circumstance or work? Yet what can be called a trifle, that is a link in the purpose of the great Sovereign?

What a beautiful lovely prospect, to be “the subject of the thoughts of God from all eternity!” It’s mind blowing, really.

I am thankful that Jesus Christ has made Himself known to me in 2021. After many years of forgetting Him, ignoring Him, denying Him – living in sin with abandon – He opened my mind and heart to His truth again. Interestingly enough, He used another book by Charles Bridges (Exposition of Psalm 119) to trigger these circumstances. To pull that book out of a box in which it was packed for so many years, to see the markings and notes I made when I first read it in 1995, to remember how that book brought me closer to Jesus long ago – made me ask, “What happened to me that I am not that person of faith today?” I consider this to be a great mercy for which I am sincerely grateful.

I am ending 2021 and entering 2022 with the firm conviction that “everything has been marked with the stamp of Divine purpose.” May the fruits of the Spirit be the evidence of my faith in the new year. May those fruits be in more abundant evidence in 2022 than they ever were in 1995 or any previous time of my life.