Interpret → Preach
For the service
John Wesley’s own Explanatory Notes Upon the Old and New Testament on the day’s readings — his verse-by-verse commentary, not a summary of it. Read the full edition ↗
first Deuteronomy 30:9-14
- v.9For good — Whereas thou did formerly receive these mercies for thy hurt, now thou shalt have them for thy good, thy heart shall be so changed that thou shalt not now abuse them, but employ them to the service of God the giver. Over thee for good - To do thee good; as he did rejoice to destroy thee.
- v.10If thou wilt hearken — This is added to warn them that they should not receive the grace of God in vain, and to teach them that the grace of God doth not discharge man's obligation to his duty, nor excuse him for the neglect of it. It is observable, that Moses calls God, the Lord thy God twelve times in these ten verses. In the threatnings of the former chapter, he is all along called the Lord, a God of power, and the judge of all. But in the promises of this chapter, the Lord thy God, a God of grace, and in covenant with thee.
- v.11This commandment — The great command of loving and obeying God, which is the sum of the law, of which yet he doth not here speak, as it is in itself, but as it is molified and accompanied with the grace of the gospel. The meaning is, that tho' the practice of God's laws be now far from us, and above our strength, yet, considering the advantage of gospel grace, whereby God enables us to do our duty, it is near and easy to us, who believe. And so this well agrees with Rom. x, 6, &c. where St. Paul applies this place to the righteousness of faith. Is not hidden - Hebrew. Is not too wonderful for thee, not too hard for thee to know and do. The will of God, which is but darkly manifested to other nations, Acts xvii, 27, is clearly and fully revealed unto thee: thou canst not pretend ignorance or invincible difficulty.
- v.12In heaven — Shut up there, but it hath been thence delivered and published in thy hearing.
- v.13Neither beyond the sea — The knowledge of this commandment is not to be fetched from far distant places, to which divers of the wise Heathens travelled for their wisdom; but it was brought to thy very doors and ears, and declared to thee in this wilderness.
- v.14In thy mouth — Thou knowest it so well, that it is the matter of thy common discourse. In thy heart - In thy mind, (as the heart is very commonly taken) to understand and believe it. In a word, the Law is plain and easy: but the gospel is much more so.
psalm Psalm 25:1-10
- v.2Ashamed — Disappointed of my hope.
- v.3Cause — Without any provocation of mine.
- v.4Teach — Teach me my duty, and cause me to keep close to it, notwithstanding all temptations.
- v.8Upright — Holy and true, in all his declarations and offers of mercy to sinners. Therefore - He will not be wanting to such poor sinners as I am, but will guide them into the way of life and peace.
- v.9The meek — Such as meekly submit themselves to God, and are desirous to be directed and governed by him. Judgment - In the paths of judgment, in the right way.
- v.10Paths — All the dealings of God with them, yea even those that are afflictive, are done in kindness and faithfulness to them.
second Colossians 1:1-14
- v.1Commends the knowledge of Christ, as more excellent than all other, and so entire and perfect that no other knowledge was necessary for a Christian. He shows,
- v.2That Christ is above all angels, who are only his servants; and that, being reconciled to God through him, we have free access to him in all our necessities. This epistle contains, I. The inscription, Chap. i. 1, 2 II. The doctrine, wherein the apostle pathetically explains the mystery of Christ, By thanksgiving for the Colossians, 3-8 By prayers for them, 9-23 With a declaration of his affection for them, 24-29 ii. 1-3 III. The exhortation, 1. General, wherein he excites them to perseverance, and warns them not to be deceived, 4-8 Describes again the mystery of Christ in order, 9-15 And in the same order, draws his admonitions, 1. From Christ the head, 16-19 2. From his death, 20-23 3. From his exaltation, iii. 1-4 2. Particular, 5-9 1. To avoid several vices, 2. To practice several virtues, 10, 11 Especially to love one another, 12-15 And study the scriptures 16, 17 3. To the relative duties of wives and husbands,. 18, 19 Children and parents, 20, 21 Servants and masters, 22-25 iv.1 Final, to prayer, 2-4 to spiritual wisdom 5, 6 V. The conclusion, 7-16 COLOSSIANS
- v.3We give thanks — There is a near resemblance between this epistle, and those to the Ephesians and Philippians.
- v.5Ye heard before — I wrote to you. In the word of truth, of the gospel - The true gospel preached to you.
- v.6It bringeth forth fruit in all the world — That is, in every place where it is preached. Ye knew the grace of God in truth - Truly experienced the gracious power of God.
- v.7The fellowservant — Of Paul and Timotheus.
- v.8Your love in the Spirit — Your love wrought in you by the Spirit.
- v.9We pray for you — This was mentioned in general, Colossians i, 3, but now more particularly. That ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will - Of his revealed will. In all wisdom - With all the wisdom from above. And spiritual understanding - To discern by that light whatever agrees with, or differs from, his will.
- v.10That, knowing his whole will, ye may walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing — So as actually to please him in all things; daily increasing in the living, experimental knowledge of God, our Father, saviour, Sanctifier.
- v.11Strengthened unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness — This is the highest point: not only to know, to do, to suffer, the whole will of God; but to suffer it to the end, not barely with patience, but with thankful joy.
- v.12Who, by justifying and sanctifying us, hath made us meet for glory.
- v.13Power detains reluctant captives, a kingdom cherishes willing subjects. His beloved Son — This is treated of in the fifteenth and following verses.
- v.14In whom we have redemption — This is treated of from the middle of Colossians i, 18. The voluntary passion of our Lord appeased the Father's wrath, obtained pardon and acceptance for us, and, consequently, dissolved the dominion and power which Satan had over us through our sins. So that forgiveness is the beginning of redemption, as the resurrection is the completion of it.
gospel Luke 10:25-37
- v.25Matt. xxii, 35; Mark xii, 28.
- v.27Thou shalt love the Lord thy God — That is, thou shalt unite all the faculties of thy soul to render him the most intelligent and sincere, the most affectionate and resolute service. We may safely rest in this general sense of these important words, if we are not able to fix the particular meaning of every single word. If we desire to do this, perhaps the heart, which is a general expression, may be explained by the three following, With all thy soul, with the warmest affection, with all thy strength, the most vigourous efforts of thy will, and with all thy mind or understanding, in the most wise and reasonable manner thou canst; thy understanding guiding thy will and affections. Deut. vi, 5; Lev. xix, 18.
- v.28Thou hast answered right; this do, and thou shalt live — Here is no irony, but a deep and weighty truth. He, and he alone, shall live forever, who thus loves God and his neighbour in the present life.
- v.29To justify himself — That is, to show he had done this. Lev. xviii, 5.
- v.30From Jerusalem to Jericho — The road from Jerusalem to Jericho (about eighteen miles from it) lay through desert and rocky places: so many robberies and murders were committed therein, that it was called the bloody way. Jericho was situated in the valley: hence the phrase of going down to it. About twelve thousand priests and Levites dwelt there, who all attended the service of the temple.
- v.31The common translation is, by chance — Which is full of gross improprieties. For if we speak strictly, there is no such thing in the universe as either chance or fortune. A certain priest came down that way, and passed by on the other side - And both he and the Levite no doubt could find an excuse for passing over on the other side, and might perhaps gravely thank God for their own deliverance, while they left their brother bleeding to death. Is it not an emblem of many living characters, perhaps of some who bear the sacred office? O house of Levi and of Aaron, is not the day coming, when the virtues of heathens and Samaritans will rise up in judgment against you?
- v.33But a certain Samaritan came where he was — It was admirably well judged to represent the distress on the side of the Jew, and the mercy on that of the Samaritan. For the case being thus proposed, self interest would make the very scribe sensible, how amiable such a conduct was, and would lay him open to our Lord's inference. Had it been put the other way, prejudice might more easily have interposed, before the heart could have been affected.
- v.34Pouring in oil and wine — Which when well beaten together are one of the best balsams that can be applied to a fresh wound.
- v.36Which of these was the neighbour to him that fell among the robbers — Which acted the part of a neighbour?
- v.37And he said, He that showed mercy on him — He could not for shame say otherwise, though he thereby condemned himself and overthrew his own false notion of the neighbour to whom our love is due. Go and do thou in like manner - Let us go and do likewise, regarding every man as our neighbour who needs our assistance. Let us renounce that bigotry and party zeal which would contract our hearts into an insensibility for all the human race, but a small number whose sentiments and practices are so much our own, that our love to them is but self love reflected. With an honest openness of mind let us always remember that kindred between man and man, and cultivate that happy instinct whereby, in the original constitution of our nature, God has strongly bound us to each other.