Lectern — a preacher's workbench

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 Ezekiel 17:22-24

v.22The highest branch — Of the royal seed; of the highest branch that is heir to the throne; namely, the Messiah. An high mountain - Upon Mount Zion. Eminent - Not for outward splendour, but for spiritual advantages.
v.23In the mountain — In Jerusalem. All fowl - All nations. In the shadow - There they shall find peace and safety.
v.24The trees — The great ones on earth. The high tree - The kingdom of Babylon, which was brought low indeed, when overthrown by Darius and Cyrus. God reproves a corrupt proverb, ver. 1-4. It shall be well with the righteous, ver. 5-9. but ill with the wicked man, tho' he had a good father, ver. 10-13. It shall be well with a good man, tho' he had a wicked father, ver. 14-18. Therefore God is righteous, ver. 19-20. It shall be well with penitents, but ill with apostates, ver. 21-29. An exhortation to repentance, ver. 30-32.

psalm Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15

v.12Palm-tree — Which is constantly green and flourishing.
v.13Planted — Whom God by his gracious providence has fixed there. The house - In its courts; he means in the church of God, whereof all good men are living members.
v.14Old age — Their last days shall be their best days, wherein they shall grow in grace, and increase in blessedness. This and the six following psalms, according to the opinion of the Hebrew doctors, belong to the times of the Messiah. The glory of God's kingdom, both of providence and glory, ver. 1-6.

second 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, (11-13), 14-17

v.6Therefore we behave undauntedly — But most of all when we have death in view; knowing that our greatest happiness lies beyond the grave.
v.7For we cannot clearly see him in this life, wherein we walk by faith only: an evidence, indeed, that necessarily implies a kind of "seeing him who is invisible;" yet as far beneath what we shall have in eternity, as it is above that of bare, unassisted reason.
v.8Present with the Lord — This demonstrates that the happiness of the saints is not deferred till the resurrection.
v.9Therefore we are ambitious — The only ambition which has place in a Christian. Whether present - In the body. Or absent - From it.
v.10For we all — Apostles as well as other men, whether now present in the body, or absent from it. Must appear - Openly, without covering, where all hidden things will be revealed; probably the sins, even of the faithful, which were forgiven long before. For many of their good works, as their repentance, their revenge against sin, cannot other wise appear. But this will be done at their own desire, without grief, and without shame. According to what he hath done in the body, whether good or evil - In the body he did either good or evil; in the body he is recompensed accordingly.
v.11Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we the more earnestly persuade men to seek his favour; and as God knoweth this, so, I trust, ye know it in your own consciences.
v.12We do not say this, as if we thought there was any need of again recommending ourselves to you, but to give you an occasion of rejoicing and praising God, and to furnish you with an answer to those false apostles who glory in appearance, but not in heart, being condemned by their own conscience.
v.13For if we are transported beyond ourselves — Or at least, appear so to others, treated of, 2 Cor. v, 15-21, speaking or writing with uncommon vehemence. It is to God - He understands (if men do not) the emotion which himself inspires. If we be sober - Treated of, chap. vi, 1-10. If I proceed in a more calm, sedate manner. It is for your sakes - Even good men bear this, rather than the other method, in their teachers. But these must obey God, whoever is offended by it.
v.14For the love of Christ — To us, and our love to him. Constraineth us - Both to the one and the other; beareth us on with such a strong, steady, prevailing influence, as winds and tides exert when they waft the vessel to its destined harbour. While we thus judge, that if Christ died for all, then are all, even the best of men, naturally dead - In a state of spiritual death, and liable to death eternal. For had any man been otherwise, Christ had not needed to have died for him.
v.15And that he died for all — That all might be saved. That they who live - That all who live upon the earth. Should not henceforth - From the moment they know him. Live unto themselves - Seek their own honour, profit, pleasure. But unto him - In all righteousness and true holiness.
v.16So that we from this time — That we knew the love of Christ. Know no one - Neither ourselves, nor you, neither the rest of the apostles, Gal. ii, 6, nor any other person. After the flesh - According to his former state, country, descent, nobility, riches, power, wisdom. We fear not the great. We regard not the rich or wise. We account not the least less than ourselves. We consider all, only in order to save all. Who is he that thus knows no one after the flesh? ln what land do these Christians live? Yea, if we have known even Christ after the flesh - So as to love him barely with a natural love, so as to glory in having conversed with him on earth, so as to expect only temporal benefits from him.
v.17Therefore if any one be in Christ — A true believer in him. There is a new creation - Only the power that makes a world can make a Christian. And when he is so created, the old things are passed away - Of their own accord, even as snow in spring. Behold - The present, visible, undeniable change! All things are become new - He has new life, new senses, new faculties, new affections, new appetites, new ideas and conceptions. His whole tenor of action and conversation is new, and he lives, as it were, in a new world. God, men, the whole creation, heaven, earth, and all therein, appear in a new light, and stand related to him in a new manner, since he was created anew in Christ Jesus.

gospel Mark 4:26-34

v.26So is the kingdom of God — The inward kingdom is like seed which a man casts into the ground - This a preacher of the Gospel casts into the heart. And he sleeps and rises night and day - That is, he has it continually in his thoughts. Meantime it springs and grows up he knows not how - Even he that sowed it cannot explain how it grows. For as the earth by a curious kind of mechanism, which the greatest philosophers cannot comprehend, does as it were spontaneously bring forth first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear: so the soul, in an inexplicable manner, brings forth, first weak graces, then stronger, then full holiness: and all this of itself, as a machine, whose spring of motion is within itself. Yet observe the amazing exactness of the comparison. The earth brings forth no corn (as the soul no holiness) without both the care and toil of man, and the benign influence of heaven.
v.29He putteth in the sickle — God cutteth down and gathereth the corn into his garner.
v.30Matt. xiii, 31; Luke xiii, 18.
v.33He spake the word as they were able to hear it — Adapting it to the capacity of his hearers; and speaking as plain as he could without offending them. A rule never to be forgotten by those who instruct others.