37<\/strong>. vanity<\/em> includes all that is false, unreal, worthless. Cp. 1Jn 2:15-17<\/span>.<\/p>\n in thy way<\/em> ] So the LXX. The Heb. text as pointed reads in thy ways<\/em>. He prays to God the author of life for vigour to resist temptation and walk in His ways.<\/p>\n “’Tis life, whereof our nerves are scant,<\/p>\n Oh life, not death, for which we pant,<\/p>\n More life, and fuller, that I want.”<\/p>\n Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity – <\/B>Vain things; wicked things; things which would be likely to lead me astray from what is real and true. Compare Isa 33:15<\/span>; Job 31:1<\/span>. Margin, here, as in Hebrew, make to pass. Make my eyes to pass rapidly from such objects, that I may not look at them, may not contemplate them, may not dwell upon them. There is danger in looking on sin steadily; in surveying its features; in returning to contemplate it. An ugly object loses much of its deformity when we look often upon it; and this is a benevolent law, lest we should be miserable when we are under a necessity of looking on it. Sin follows this general law, and is to be avoided altogether, even in its contemplation, if we would be safe. A man should be thankful in this world that he has eyelids; and as he can close his eyes, so he should often do it.<\/P> And quicken thou me in thy way – <\/B>Endow me with life, energy, vigor, that I may walk in thy way.<\/P><\/p>\n Psa 119:37-38<\/span><\/p>\n Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken Thou me in Thy way.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n An exemplary prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n This <\/em>prayer includes three things:–<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>Vanity is a bad thing.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Men are interested in this bad thing.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>Their interest in it is a great evil.<\/p>\n 4. <\/strong>Deliverance from this evil requires the agency of God.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>Practical spirituality.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Practical benevolence.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>Practical godliness.<\/p>\n This is Gods way. To walk in this way is to walk away from vanity and into all the blest realities of being.<\/p>\n Deadness and quickening<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>What, think you, does the psalmist mean here by vanity? I think he probably means four things, or one thing which may be seen under four aspects.<\/p>\n (1)<\/strong> Frivolity.<\/p>\n (2)<\/strong> Carnality.<\/p>\n (3)<\/strong> Falsehood.<\/p>\n (4)<\/strong> Wickedness in every form.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>He felt that his eves were inclined to go this way. Alas! we seem to drink up sin readily enough; but we have with care to put good and true thoughts into our minds. This river of our life brings down plenty of snags, the old dead trees from the evil country come floating down the stream; but seldom does it bring to our door a log of the cedars of Lebanon. Such good wood is scarce in this river; but its torrent seems to bear along all that is base and vile. We find another law in our members, warring against the law of our mind, and bringing us into captivity to the law of sin and death, so that we have to cry, with Paul, O wretched man that I am! and with David, Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity. The psalmist knew the <\/strong>evil of a growing familiarity with vanity. For the most part, men do not fall into great sin by sudden surprises. It is sometimes so; but, usually, there are several descending platforms, and the descent is made by slow degrees.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>He craved Divine help.<\/p>\n 4. <\/strong>He expects God to help him in a particular way. He does not say, Put out my eyes, O Lord! but he prays, Let me look another way,–a better way. The way not to be affected by sin is to look at something else. If you have fixed your eyes on Christ the crucified, the risen, the exalted, the soon to come, if your eyes are taken up with Him, you shall find that passage true in many senses, Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>He was in Gods way. If you are not, may He bring you into it at once!<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Those who are in Gods way are to pray that they may have increasing life while they are in that way.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>Nobody but God can give us this life in Gods way.<\/p>\n 4. <\/strong>We need this quickening often. Quicken me, quicken me, quicken me, is the prayer of the soul when first it begins to live. It is the prayer of the Christian when he gets into the stern struggles of life, and the poisonous damps of the world; and the prayer of the Christian when he is about to die is still, Quicken me, O Lord, quicken me in Thy way! O Life of life, be life to me! O Spirit of God, breathe into me power, vigour, force, energy! Give me all these by giving me Thyself to be my life. (C. H. Spurgeon.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n How may we get rid of spiritual sloth, and know when our activity in duty is from the Spirit of God<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>Spiritual sloth is threefold.<\/p>\n (1)<\/strong> Resolving sloth is when a soul is settled upon its lees, and resolves to lie still, and never to stir in that momentous concernment of its own eternal salvation (Pro 26:14<\/span>; Jer 44:16-17<\/span>).<\/p>\n (2)<\/strong> Delaying sloth; when a person intends to look after soul-concernments, but not yet (Pro 6:10<\/span>).<\/p>\n (3)<\/strong> Disturbing sloth is when a person doth intend and endeavour to walk in Gods way; but sloth, as rust, hinders the <\/strong>wheels of his soul from coming to and running in the way of God.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Activity in duty is a victorious conquest over the great Goliath, sloth, and riding triumph in the way, work, and worship of God. There are three things which concur and contribute to complete this activity in duty:–<\/p>\n (1)<\/strong> A straining and stretching of the soul to the utmost peg, and highest pin; a putting of it upon the tenter-hooks in service.<\/p>\n (2)<\/strong> An unsatiable and unsatisfiable desire or longing for the effecting and accomplishing of a duty.<\/p>\n (3)<\/strong> A constant and continual waiting and working until the duty be perfected.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>Keep a strict watch over your eyes at all times, especially when you are in duty. The eyes are the portholes that sin and Satan creep in at. It is accounted a great piece of charity to a mans body to close his eyes when he is dead: I am sure it is more charity to our souls to close our own eyes whilst we are living (Job 31:1<\/span>).<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Send sin packing, bag and baggage. Sin is the souls sickness. Now, sickness makes men lazy, loath to stir.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>Frequent a quickening ministry.<\/p>\n 4. <\/strong>Make out to the Lord Jesus Christ, whose promise and office it is to make us active and vivacious (Joh 10:10<\/span>).<\/p>\n 5. <\/strong>Get quickening love to the ways of God.<\/p>\n 6. <\/strong>By faith apply the quickening promises, and the promises of quickening.<\/p>\n 7. <\/strong>Consider quickening considerations. They that are apt to faint and tire in a journey, carry about their bottles of water to quicken their spirits. Let these considerations be such bottles to you when you tire in the journey of a duty:–<\/p>\n (1)<\/strong> Consider how odious and abominable sloth is to man or God.<\/p>\n (2)<\/strong> Consider, sloth exposes you to all manner of sin, especially these two desperate and dangerous ones:–<\/p>\n (1)<\/strong> Sordid apostasy.<\/p>\n (2)<\/strong> Spiritual adultery.<\/p>\n (3)<\/strong> Consider how impossible it is that creeping snails in Gods way should ever get to their journeys end. Fair and softly goes far, but never so far as heaven. The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, etc.<\/p>\n (4)<\/strong> Consider how equitable it is that you should be as active in the way of God as you were once in the way of sin and Satan (Rom 6:19<\/span>).<\/p>\n (5)<\/strong> Consider how you contradict your own prayers, your very Paternoster, wherein you desire Gods will should be so done by you on earth, as it is done by the angels in heaven. Now, those winged Mercuries and messengers of heaven do speedily and spritefully execute the commandments of God.<\/p>\n (6)<\/strong> Consider you lose the very soul and life of your duty if you do not perform it as for your life and soul.<\/p>\n (7)<\/strong> Consider the infinite and wonderful glory, greatness, majesty of Him you appear before and approach unto in your duties. (J. Simmons.<\/em>)<\/p>\n Verse 37<\/span>. From beholding vanity<\/B><\/I>] An idol, worldly pleasure, beauty, finery; any thing that is vain, empty, or transitory. Let me not behold<\/I> it; let me not dwell upon<\/I> it. Let me remember Achan:<\/I> he saw<\/I>, – he coveted<\/I>, – he took<\/I>, – he hid<\/I> his theft, and was slain<\/I> for his sin.<\/P> <\/p>\n Vanity; <\/B>the vain things and lusts of this present evil world, such as riches, honours, pleasures; from beholding them, to wit, with admiration and inordinate affection; for such a sight of the eyes doth usually affect the heart, and stir up mens lusts and passions; of which see Num 15:39<\/span>; Job 31:1<\/span>; Pro 4:25<\/span>; 23:5<\/span>,6<\/span>; Mt 5:28<\/span> <\/P> Quicken thou me in thy way; <\/B>as I desire that I may be dull and dead in afflictions to worldly vanities; so, Lord, make me lively, and vigorous, and fervent in thy work and service. <\/P> <\/p>\n 37. Turn away mine eyes<\/B>literally,”Make my eyes to pass, not noticing evil.” <\/P> vanity<\/B>literally,”falsehood;” all other objects of trust than God; idols,human power, c. (Psa 31:6<\/span> Psa 40:4<\/span>;Psa 60:11<\/span>; Psa 62:9<\/span>).<\/P> quicken . . . in thy way<\/B>makeme with living<\/I> energy to pursue the way marked out by Thee.Revive<\/I> me from the death<\/I> of spiritual helplessness(Psa 119:17<\/span>; Psa 119:25<\/span>;Psa 119:40<\/span>; Psa 119:50<\/span>;Psa 116:3<\/span>).<\/P><\/p>\n Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity<\/strong>,…. As the things of this world, the riches, honours, and pleasures of it, which are all vanity and vexation of spirit; and yet these catch the eye, and allure the heart: and all false doctrines, glided over with the specious pretence of truth; and all false worship and superstition, set off with pomp and pageantry, with which the eyes of the body or the eyes of the mind are taken, and by which the heart is ensnared; and therefore it is desirable to have the eyes turned away from such objects unto better;<\/p>\n [and] quicken thou me in thy way<\/strong>; so as to walk and even run in the path of truth, in the way of true religion and godliness; and, instead of looking upon vanity, press towards the mark for the prize; keep Christ in view, while running the race; and look to things unseen, and not things that are seen; and set the affections on things above, and serve the Lord fervently; all which is done when God quickens the hearts of his people, and the graces of his Spirit in them.<\/p>\n 37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and<\/I> quicken thou me in thy way.<\/P> Here, 1. David prays for restraining grace, that he might be prevented and kept back from that which would hinder him in the way of his duty: Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity.<\/I> The honours, pleasures, and profits of the world are the vanities, the aspect and prospect of which draw multitudes away from the paths of religion and godliness. The eye, when fastened on these, infects the heart with the love of them, and so it is alienated from God and divine things; and therefore, as we ought to make a covenant with our eyes,<\/I> and lay a charge upon them, that they shall not wander after, much less fix upon, that which is dangerous (Job xxxi. 1<\/span>), so we ought to pray that God by his providence would keep vanity out of our sight and that by his grace he would keep us from being enamoured with the sight of it. 2. He prays for constraining grace, that he might not only be kept from every thing that would obstruct his progress heaven-ward, but might have that grace which was necessary to forward him in that progress: “Quicken thou me in thy way;<\/I> quicken me to redeem time, to improve opportunity, to press forward, and to do every duty with liveliness and fervency of spirit.” Beholding vanity deadens us and slackens our pace; a traveller that stands gazing upon every object that presents itself to his view will not rid ground; but, if our eyes be kept from that which would divert us, our hearts will be kept to that which will excite us.<\/P> <\/p>\n 37. Turn away mine eyes. By these words we are taught that all our senses are so filled with vanity, that, until refined and rectified, their alienation from the pursuit of righteousness is no matter of surprise. In the former verse he informed us of the reigning of that depravity in the hearts of men, which he now says reaches also to the outward senses. “The disease of covetousness not only lurks in our hearts, but spreads over every part, so that neither eyes, ears, feet, nor hands, have escaped its baneful influence; in a word, nothing is exempted from corruption.” And we know, assuredly, that the guilt of original sin is not confined to one faculty of man only; it pervades his whole constitution. If our eyes must be turned away from vanity by the special grace of God, it follows, that, as soon as they are opened, they are eagerly set on the impostures of Satan, by which they are beset on all sides. If Satan only laid snares for us, and were we possessed of sufficient prudence to guard against his deceits, it could not, with propriety, be said that God turned away our eyes from vanity; but, as they are naturally set upon sinful allurements, there is need for their being withdrawn from them. As often, then, as we open our eyes, we must not forget that two gates are opened for the devil to enter our hearts, unless God guard us by his Holy Spirit. The remarks which he makes, in reference to the eyes, are equally applicable to the other senses, inasmuch as he again employs that figure of speech, by which a part is taken for the whole. <\/p>\n The other clause of the verse corresponds well with the meaning here given. Others may propose different interpretations; I think, however, the following is the most natural: Lord, as the whole life of mankind is accursed, so long as they employ their powers in committing sin, grant that the power which I possess may aspire after nothing except the righteousness which thou appointest us. The better to manifest this, we must lay it down as a first principle, that seeing, hearing, walking, and feeling, are God’s precious gifts; that our understandings and will, with which we are furnished, are a still more valuable gift; and, after all, there is no look of the eyes, no motion of the senses, no thought of the mind, unmingled with vice and depravity. Such being the case, the prophet, with good reason, surrenders himself entirely to God, for the mortification of the flesh, that he might begin to live anew. <\/p>\n (37) From beholding vanity.<\/strong>Perhaps from looking on idols. DISCOURSE: 701 Psa 119:37<\/span>. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way<\/em>.<\/p>\n THE depths of the human heart are never more plainly disclosed, than when a man comes into the presence of his Maker. Then he opens all his wants, and supplicates relief for all his necessities. The godly man at a throne of grace knows no dissimulation, no concealment, no false humility. What he speaks, (if he be in a right state) he feels. Let us then draw nigh, and listen to the breathings of holy David. He felt the ensnaring influence of worldly things, and the lamentable tendency of fallen man to relax his efforts in the service of his God: hence he poured out his soul in this humble supplication; Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way. I.<\/p>\n The fascinating power of earthly vanities<\/p>\n By the word vanity, we understand all those things which are apt to engross the affections of carnal men. The Apostle classes them all under the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life: and they all justly deserve the name assigned them in the text, because they are sure to disappoint the desires and expectations of all, who look to them for any solid or permanent satisfaction. But whilst we point out thus the danger of earthly vanities, we would point out also,<\/p>\n II.<\/p>\n The way to escape their baneful influence<\/p>\n We should set a guard upon all our senses We should cry earnestly to God for his effectual grace There are many ways in which God will turn away our eyes from beholding vanity. He will, if we are really seeking it at his hands, keep temptation from us. And how much we are all indebted to him for this, we shall never know, till we come to the bar of judgment, and have all his mercies unfolded to our view. Thousands of our fellow-creatures, who were once as respectable in every point of view as ourselves, have in an hour of temptation so fallen, as to destroy all their own honour and happiness through life. And why have not we<\/em> done the same? Are we sure that we, if subjected to the same temptations as they, should not have done the same? Oh! if we are wise, we shall cry day and night, Lead us not into temptation. But there are many other ways in which God can, and does, impart the same blessing. Perhaps he lays some affliction upon our loins, and visits us with some personal or domestic calamity. We are apt on such occasions to complain of the affliction; whereas, if we saw from what evils the visitation was sent to deliver us, we should be adoring God for it as the richest of all mercies. Let our distress be either in body or mind, who will not bless God for it, if it be the means of weakening the influence of worldly objects on his soul, and of keeping his eyes from beholding vanity? <\/p>\n But, in addition to this, we should cry to him also for his quickening grace. However active we may be in the pursuit of earthly things, we all are too sluggish in our heavenly course. Nine times in this psalm does David cry, Quicken me! and ninety times nine do we need to renew the petition every day of our lives. Beg of God then to shew you more and more clearly the excellency of his way<\/em> (even of that salvation which Christ has wrought out for us ), and the blessedness of the end<\/em> to which it leads. This will quicken us more than any thing else. Let us see the excellency of a life of faith;<\/em> and that will make us despise the things of sense<\/em>. Let us also get Pisgah views of the land of Canaan;<\/em> and we shall value nothing that can be offered us in this dreary wilderness<\/em>. Look at Christ as the way, and Christ as the end; and you will soon cast away the besetting sins that impede you, and run with alacrity the race that is set before you [Note: Heb 12:1-2<\/span>.].]<\/p>\n Address Young people<\/p>\n [Greatly do you need to offer the petition in our text. O! bear in mind what is the true character of earthly things:<\/em> they are vanity<\/em> altogether Bear in mind your danger from them:<\/em> they will ensnare, and, if the snare be not broken, destroy, your souls Bear in mind your need of divine grace to counteract their influence<\/em>. It is God only that can preserve you: and, if not preserved by him, you will fall and perish ]<\/p>\n 2.<\/p>\n Those who make a profession of godliness<\/p>\n [Think not that you are above temptation. Satan tempted even our blessed Lord himself, by shewing him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. And you will he tempt in like manner. Nor imagine that you may not fall: for Demas was as eminent as any of you, and yet fell at last, through love of this present world [Note: 2Ti 4:10<\/span>. with Col 4:14<\/span><\/u> and Phil. 24.]. In every Church the sad effect of worldly and carnal lusts is seen. You yourselves see it in others. O, beware lest it be seen in you also. It is your duty, and your happiness, to be crucified unto the world, and to have the world crucified unto you [Note: Gal 6:14<\/span>.]. You may use this world, if God have given it to you; but you must so use it, as not to abuse it; [Note: 1Co 7:29-31<\/span>.] and so flee from all occasions of evil, that you may be found of God at last without spot, and blameless [Note: 2Pe 3:14<\/span>.].]<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Psa 119:37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; [and] quicken thou me in thy way.<\/p>\n Ver. 37. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity<\/strong> ] Lest looking cause liking and lusting, 1Jn 2:16<\/span> . In Hebrew the same word signifieth both an eye and a fountain; to show that from the eye, as from a fountain, floweth much mischief and by that window Satan oft winds himself into the soul. This David found by experience, and therefore prays here, Turn away, transfer, make to pass mine eyes, 2Sa 11:12<\/span> . Job steppeth one degree farther, viz. from a prayer to a vow, Psa 31:1<\/span> ; yea, from a vow to an inprecation, Psa 119:7<\/span> . He knew the danger of irregular glancing and inordinate gazing. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And quicken thou me in thy way<\/strong> ] Who shall else die of the wound in the eye. Alexander called the Persian maids Oculorum dolores; Ut vidi, ut perii.<\/em> Grief of the eyes so that to be seen is to be ruined. The Israelites were appointed to make them fringes with blue ribbons to lock upon, that they might remember all God’s commandments and do them, and not seek after their own heart and their own eyes, after which they used to go a whoring, Num 15:39<\/span> .<\/p>\n way. Some codices, with three early printed editions, Aramaean, and Syriac, read “ways” (plural) <\/p>\n Turn: Heb. Make to pass, Num 15:39, Jos 7:21, 2Sa 11:2, Job 31:1, Pro 4:25, Pro 23:5, Isa 33:15, Mat 5:28, 1Jo 2:16 <\/p>\n quicken: Psa 119:25, Psa 119:40 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Gen 39:7 – cast Jdg 14:1 – Timnath Psa 80:18 – quicken Psa 101:3 – set Psa 119:29 – Remove Psa 143:11 – Quicken Pro 17:24 – the eyes Pro 23:31 – General Pro 30:8 – Remove Ecc 2:10 – whatsoever Ecc 5:11 – they Jer 22:17 – thine eyes Eze 23:16 – as soon as she saw them with her eyes Mar 9:47 – thine Luk 12:15 – Take Rom 7:21 – evil Col 3:2 – Set<\/p>\n Psa 119:37-38. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity The vain things of this world, such as riches, honours, pleasures; from beholding them with desire or affection. Quicken thou me in thy way Make me lively, vigorous, and fervent in thy service. Establish thy word Confirm and perform thy promises; unto thy servant Who is subject to thy authority, obedient to thy laws, and devoted to thy fear Those are indeed Gods servants who, though they have infirmities and defects, yet are sincerely devoted to his fear, and have all their affections and motions governed thereby.<\/p>\n 119:37 Turn away mine {d} eyes from beholding vanity; [and] quicken thou me in thy way.<\/p>\n (d) Meaning, all his senses.<\/p>\n Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; [and] quicken thou me in thy way. 37. vanity includes all that is false, unreal, worthless. Cp. 1Jn 2:15-17. in thy way ] So the LXX. The Heb. text as pointed reads in thy ways. He prays to God the author of life for vigour to resist temptation … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 119:37”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15946\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
I. <\/strong>Diversion from the false.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>Devotion to the true. The way of <\/p>\n
III. <\/strong>Confirmation in the right (verse 38). Set me steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. (Homilist.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I. <\/strong>David here prays for deadness in one direction,–deadness to the world, that he may be so dead to it that he will not even look at it: Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>Having prayed for deadness in one direction, David prays for life in another direction.<\/p>\n
I. <\/strong>Explication.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>Corollary. Every man and mortal hath some of the asss dulness and sloth in him; and therefore I have brought a whip of ten strings to scourge this sloth and dulness out of us.<\/p>\nFuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
<\/em><\/p>\nFuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
THE VANITIES OF THIS WORLD AN OBSTACLE TO SPIRITUAL PROGRESS<\/strong><\/p>\n
That we may all be stirred up to implore similar blessings at the hands of God, we propose to shew,<\/p>\n
These things altogether captivate and enslave the minds of the generality
[The natural man seeks nothing above them. His mind is not occupied with any thing above them. He is in the flesh; he walks according to the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. His affections are altogether set upon things below, and not on things above. His thoughts, his conversation, his labours from day to day, all arise from, and terminate in, the things of time and sense: and from these things alone spring all his hopes and fears, his joys and sorrows ]
These things also have great power over those who profess godliness
[So our Lord has told us in the parable of the Sower. The thorny-ground hearers have made, in appearance at least, a great proficiency in religion. They have far surpassed the stony-ground hearers, who yet have heard the word with joy, and given many cheering and hopeful promises of a future harvest. They have been long established, and brought forth much which both they and others have deemed estimable fruit: but yet, through the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things, the seed that has grown up in them is choked, and they bring forth no fruit to perfection.
Even persons truly and deeply pious are in great danger from them; else why did our blessed Lord caution even his own immediate disciples in those memorable words, Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares [Note: Luk 21:34<\/span>.]. There is yet an earthly and sensual spirit dwelling in the best of us, and working powerfully to counteract the better dictates of our new man [Note: Gal 5:17<\/span>.]: and he knows little of his own heart, who does not see and bewail his own proneness to look back again after the flesh-pots of Egypt.]<\/p>\n
[The senses are inlets to all manner of evil. Alas! alas! how often has the mind been contaminated by what it has either seen or heard! If it were no more than what we have read in books, or heard in conversation, that was calculated to encourage a worldly spirit, we should all feel abundant reason to lament, that we have not been sufficiently on our guard against the admission of bad impressions on the mind. But the vilest lusts have found an entrance into the heart by these avenues. Some have found to their cost, that one sinful idea, which they have either seen in a book or picture, or heard in conversation, has abode with them through life, when they have greatly desired to forget it; whilst hundreds of sermons which they would have been glad to have remembered, have passed from their minds like the early cloud. Behold David, the man after Gods own heart; what reason had he to curse the day that he ever looked upon Bathsheba! What reason too had Solomons fool to lament that ever he listened to the voice of the enchanting adulteress [Note: Pro 7:6-23<\/span>.]! It is not without reason that Solomon advises us not to look upon the wine when sparkling in the glass [Note: Pro 23:31-32<\/span>.]. We must resist the very first entrance of sin into the soul; for it will operate like fire on a house of wood. Alas! how great a matter does a little fire kindle [Note: Jam 3:5<\/span>.]! Its progress is very rapid: and who shall stop the conflagration, when once it is begun? When lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death [Note: Jam 1:15<\/span>.]. We exhort all then, like Solomon, to make a covenant with their eyes, and with their ears also, yea, and with the very imaginations of their heart; that neither their corporeal nor intellectual eyes become ministers of sin, or traitors to their souls.]<\/p>\n
[God does and will preserve his people from evil, if they cry unto him. We should therefore call upon him both for his preventing<\/em> and his quickening<\/em> grace: we should pray, as David, Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.<\/p>\n
1.<\/p>\n
<\/strong><\/p>\nFuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"