A Reader's Review of "Puritan Portraits"

"In former days, preaching and devotion were seen as correlates—faithful Bible teaching fed hearers with truth to trust, digest, and live out, and faithful Christians looked for, and longed for, didactic displays of biblical thought and teaching by which to shape their self-management in both living with God and relating to family, friends, colleagues and other human beings." (J.I. Packer)

It is this truth, set against the backdrop of "the slimmed down, man-centred idea of devotion to God that has currently become all too common," that J.I. Packer seeks to bring to the forefront as he introduces us to the book "Puritan Portraits," a compilation of introductions he wrote for the Christian Heritage editions of some of the most celebrated Puritan classics.

One might ask, "What is appealing about reading a bunch of introductions?" I would reply, "You obviously have not read a book with a J.I. Packer introduction." Many who are familiar with the author and some of his books ("Knowing God," "A Quest for Godliness," "Concise Theology," etc.) will most likely know of his intimate knowledge of the Puritans... and perhaps, in their own reading of the Puritans, they have come across an introduction written by Packer (many will be familiar with his introduction to John Owen's "Death of Death in the Death of Christ").

Packer, in the book "Puritan Portraits,"  introduces us to:

Henry Scougal, "The Life of God in the Soul of Man"

Stephen Charnock, "Christ Crucified"

John Bunyan, "The Heavenly Footman"

Matthew Henry, "The Pleasantness of a Religious Life"

John Owen, "The Mortification of Sin"

John Flavel, "Keeping the Heart"

Thomas Boston, "The Art of Manfishing," "The Crook in the Lot," and "Repentance"

...and gives us an in-depth look at two giants of the Puritan era:William Perkins and Richard Baxter.

PART 1

"Puritan Pastors at Work," Packer shares the rich pastoral legacy of the Puritans, complete with a strong emphasis on the historical context in which these men served. In the midst of the persecution that arose from The 1662 Act of Uniformity, many of these men stayed the course and dedicated their lives to shepherding God's flock. He writes, "They put their preaching of the gospel first, because they believed that in God's economy this was the prime means of the grace by which God saves souls; but they buttressed their preaching ministry with catechizing on the one hand and counseling on the other, and thus made it immeasurably stronger in its impact." This threefold trajectory of gospel ministry was the Puritan standard, a methodology that is (unfortunately) vastly missing from the modern evangelical landscape.

PART 2

"Puritan Pastors in Profile" is the second part of the book, in which Packer's biographical introductions are showcased...

Henry Scougal

Scougal (a favorite of George Whitefield), according to Packer, was "a holy man excelling as a preacher, catechist, and worship leader." In "The Life of God in the Soul of Man," Packer celebrates the fact that he "never loses sight of the inwardness of true religion, as a state of being that starts in our hearts, nor of the fact that it is a supernatural product, 'having God for its author, and being wrought in the souls of men by the power of the Holy Spirit'... we do not find him slipping into the self-reliant, performance-oriented, surface-level, ego-focused, living-by-numbers type of instruction that is all too common among Christians today."

Stephen Charnock

This ministry partner of Thomas Watson, was "intensely analytical," and the author has no qualms about pointing out some of his quixotic quirks. Of Charnock, Packer writes, "his power of boiling down and compressing... can leave the wisdom and truth he sets forth... at a distance from our inner being... his writing reveals him as a man of bony thoughts who sees it as our part rather than his to put flesh on the bones and warm up the thoughts so that they gain heart-piercing power... Evidently, he thought that the dramatising and interiorising of gospel truth was for his hearers to do by personal meditation, rather than for him to attempt by pulpit rhetoric." Nonetheless, in his book "Christ Crucified," the "Reformed and Puritan understanding of penal substitution at Calvary is expressed with plain and simple precision."

John Bunyan

Packer writes of Bunyan's conversion (for more on this, see "Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners") and call to ministry (pulpit and pen), and then mentions his incarceration for nonconformity before closing the biographical portion by mentioning his "years of distinction" as a powerful preacher and accomplished author (it was during this time that he authored "The Pilgrim's Progess"). "The Heavenly Footman," the author explains, "is a single sustained exhortation to run, to run hard, and to keep running, along the path of life." He continues, "Bunyan assumes that his readers already know the objective truths of the gospel... and now concentrates on raising consciousness and generating commitment with regard to gaining heaven and escaping hell... his intensity almost overwhelms you."

Matthew Henry

This "precocious, bright, lively and Bible-loving" man, explains Packer, was grounded in "Puritan beliefs and behaviour patterns (daily prayer, Bible reading, self-watch, and self-examination; journal keeping, and practice of the presence of God; scrupulous morality and generous philanthropy, thorough-going Sabbatarianism, and hard work for the other six days of the week." Shortly after he died, "The Pleasantness of a Religious Life" (a compilation of six sermons he preached on the Christian life) was released. In this book, "Henry's aim is to make us see that real Christianity is a journey into joy, always moving us on from  one joy to another, and that this is one of many good and strong reasons for being excited and wholehearted in our discipleship."

John Owen

Of Owen and his classic book, "The Mortification of Sin," Packer says: "I owe more... to John Owen, than to any other theologian, ancient or modern... [he] has contributed more than anyone else to make me as much of a moral, spiritual, and theological realist as I have so far become. He searched me to the root of my being. He taught me the nature of sin, the need to fight it and the method of doing so. He made me see the importance of the thoughts of the heart in one's spiritual life, He made clear to me the real nature of the Holy Spirit's ministry in and to the believer, and of spiritual growth and progress and of faith's victory. He showed me how to understand myself as a Christian and live before God humbly and honestly, without pretending either to be what I am not or not to be what I am." Coming from a man like J.I. Packer, this is noteworthy... we would do well to follow suit and seek counsel from the pen of John Owen. After rightly affirming Owen's status as "the weightiest Puritan theologian," the author proceeds to describe his ministry. The literary audience of this brilliant Puritan were "readers who, once they take up a subject, cannot rest till they see to the bottom of it..." those who consider "exhaustiveness of coverage and presentation of the same truths from many different angles not exhausting, but refreshing." In preaching, he "bowed before his own maxim, that 'a man preacheth that sermon only well unto others which preacheth itself in his own soul.'" The classic work on killing sin (a set of sermons on Romans 8:13) entitled "The Mortification of Sin" helps the reader to understand what sin is in order to put it to death. "Mortification is Owen's subject, and he is resolved to explain from Scripture the theology of it–that is, God's will, wisdom, work and ways regarding it–as fully as he can."

John Flavel

After describing the Puritan (and biblical) understanding of the heart, Packer chronicles the ministry of John Flavel. During his first six years of pastoral ministry, Flavel "gained distinction as a preacher of the classic Puritan type, expository, analytical, didactic, applicatory, searching, converting and edifying, with divine unction regularly empowering his pulpit work. His writings reveal him as clear-headed and eloquent in the plain Puritan style, orthodox, Christ-focused and life-centered in his subject-matter, with his mind always set on advancing true godliness, with peace and joy in the Lord." Like many of the other Puritans written about in this book, Flavel endured persecution after he was forcibly removed from his pulpit due to the Act of Uniformity, but pressed on with a type of "renegade ministry" (like any nonconformist would). In his book, "Keeping the Heart," "Flavel leads us into... the most basic of all the disciplines of the Christian's inner life–basic to worship and prayer; basic to faith, hope and love; basic to humility, peace and joy; basic to pure-heartedness and steady obedience."

Thomas Boston

"As Boston had a sensitive spirit," says Packer, "so he had a first-class mind, a retentive memory, and a way with words... He had matured early; his theological convictions were clear, his sense of call to a preaching and shepherding ministry was strong, and his insight into the vistas opened by biblical texts was already deep." J.I. Packer does an excellent job of prefacing Boston's views on "the call of God to shepherd His flock" (a concise summary of "The Art of Manfishing" full of sound biblical wisdom for the pastor) with Westminster (as in The Westminster Assembly) theology and Puritan evangelism and catechesis. Of "The Crook and the Lot," Packer says, "along with his permanent purpose of leading the unconverted to faith and the new birth, his clear purpose is to discipline Christ's disciples in reverent, realistic, hope-filled humility, as they face up to the inescapable imperfections of life in general and their own lives in particular." In the third section of Packer's biographical sketch of Thomas Boston, he lays out the biblical view of repentance (contrasted with the unbiblical view held by many in the Middle Ages), before introducing us to Boston's own treatise, "Repentance". In it, he writes of "the necessity, nature, and urgency of repentance, and the folly of ignoring or postponing this life-and-death issue" and "explains that repentance is a matter of the heart, a lifetime's task, a gift of God's Spirit through God's Word, a change involving conviction, distress, faith in Christ, humiliation of heart, 'holy shame' and violent self-dislike, a confessing, renouncing, and turning from all one's sins as one knows them and a sincere, whole-hearted turning to God in total commitment to obedience henceforth and forever."

PART 3

In "Puritan Paragons," the author takes a closer look at two eminent Puritan pastor-theologians [on the eve of publishing this review, my computer crashed... this section of my review has been limited to a set of quotes from the book that pertain to these men]...

William Perkins

"At first Perkins ran wild, but then was converted (details not known); a passion for theology now replaced the devotion to astrological studies that had marked him hitherto, and he impressed his peers by the thoroughness and speed with which he mastered the things of God."

"During the years that Perkins preached his pen was busy and he left behind him almost fifty separate treatises of various kinds, covering the whole range of theology, spirituality and ethics, and including several major pieces of biblical exposition. Perkins’s special strength both in preaching and on paper was to be systematic, scholarly, solid and simple at the same time. No one else in world Protestantism had hitherto produced material of Perkins’s type and range, at Perkins’s level of lucidity"

"in daily life he was a man of peace, studied moderation, and a personal sanctity that impressed everyone. He was faithful in fulfilling his role as a professional academic and a college tutor, but it is clear that his wider ministry at Great St Andrews, and the popular writing that went with it, were his chief concerns."

"Perkins gave prime attention throughout his ministry to the religious concerns already indicated—each person’s need of regeneration; the quest for the peace and joy of assurance; the duty and discipline of self-examination to uncover one’s sins, and of invoking Christ constantly by faith to cover them by His blood; the experience of flesh-spirit conflict; the reality of falls and recoveries as one travels the path of obedience; battles against doubts, discouragements and depression; the practice of lifelong repentance, and conscientious avoidance of wrongdoing."

"Basic too to all Perkins’s work was his insistence that Holy Scripture must be received as the teaching and testimony of God, and that interpretation must take the form of applying biblical principles to the interpreter’s own times and needs."

 

"Majestic and magisterial, expository and evangelical, informal and applicatory, Perkins’s preaching set standards for the whole Puritan movement thereafter, just as it brought benefit to great numbers in the Cambridge of his own day."

"...we should call William Perkins the Father of Puritanism, for it was he more than anyone else who crystallised and delimited the essence of mainstream Puritan Christianity for the next hundred years."

Richard Baxter

"Though he was, as we would say, ecumenically oriented, sympathetically alert to all the main Christian traditions and happy to learn from them all, he constantly equated the Puritan ideal with Christianity... and all his writings display him as the classic mainstream Puritan that he ever sought to be."

"Baxter appears throughout his ministry as the very epitome of single-minded ardour in seeking the glory of God through the salvation of souls and the sanctification of the church."

"The quiet peace and joy that shine through these almost clinical observations on himself are truly impressive; here is an endlessly active man whose soul is at rest in God all the time as he labours in prayer Godward and in persuasion manward."

"Puritanism, as Baxter understood it and as modern scholarship, correcting centuries of caricature, now depicts it, was a total view of Christianity, Bible-based, church-centred, God-honouring, literate, orthodox, pastoral, and Reformational, that saw personal, domestic, professional, political, churchly, and economic existence as aspects of a single whole, and that called on everybody to order every department and every relationship of their life according to the Word of God, so that all would be sanctified and become ‘holiness to the Lord’.

"Puritanism’s spearhead activity was pastoral evangelism and nurture through preaching, catechizing, and counselling (which the Puritans themselves called casuistry), and Puritan teaching harped constantly on the themes of self-knowledge, self-humbling, and repentance; faith in, and love for, Jesus Christ the Saviour; the necessity of regeneration, and of sanctification (holy living, by God’s power) as proof of it; the need of conscientious conformity to all God’s law, and for a disciplined use of the means of grace; and the blessedness of the assurance and joy from the Holy Spirit that all faithful believers under ordinary circumstances may know."

EPILOGUE

In the epilogue, Packer poses a sobering question: "Should clergy no longer spend their strength teaching the faith, preaching the gospel, and seeking the salvation of souls; should believing parents no longer labour to share their faith with their children, and believers with their neighbours; should the practice of evangelism be abandoned; should the Bible and Christian books be left around the house unread; and should church people settle for being the nicest persons in the world according to the world's specifications; how long do you think the church would remain a going concern?" Next, he lays out the Puritan pastoral ideal as put forth by John Owen in his "The True Nature of a Gospel Church" and Richard Baxter in his "The Reformed Pastor". The book closes with the reexamination and continuation of the previous question: "can the church survive without pastors of this quality today, fulfilling their ministry according to Puritan specifications?"

I recommend that the contemporary western Christian culture reflect upon this line of questioning and meditate upon what the Scriptures say before answering. I agree with J.I. Packer that we would do well to recover the Puritan pastoral ideal, and I recommend the book "Puritan Portraits" as both a primer for those who are unfamiliar with the Puritans, and a guidebook to Pastoral Theology for those already acquainted with them.

Other books by J.I. Packer:

Effective December 1, 2009, Federal Trade Commission guidelines state that bloggers receiving any kind of compensation should disclose that information clearly on their blog when posting a review of the product... that being said: I RECEIVED A FREE DIGITAL COPY OF THE BOOK. CLEAR ENOUGH?



Receive the Implanted Word

"Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:21)

Matthew Henry comments on The Epistle of James:

"In hearing the word of God, we are to receive it—assent to the truths of it—consent to the laws of it; receive it as the stock does the graft; so as that the fruit which is produced may be, not according to the nature of the sour stock, but according to the nature of that word of the gospel which is engrafted into our souls. We must therefore yield ourselves to the word of God, with most submissive, humble, and tractable tempers: this is to 'receive it with meekness'. Being willing to hear of our faults, and taking it not only patiently, but thankfully, desiring also to be molded and formed by the doctrines and precepts of the gospel. In all our hearing we should aim at the salvation of our souls. It is the design of the word of God to make us wise to salvation; and those who propose any meaner or lower ends to themselves in attending upon it dishonour the gospel and disappoint their souls. We should come to the word of God (both to read it and hear it), as those who know it is 'the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth' (Romans 1:16)."
(Matthew Henry)

Discipleship: Psalm 119

Strange... it doesn't feel like I have been meeting with my elder for discipleship for over 18 weeks. How the time flies! The focus of this week's study was "Pe"... a passage that consists of verses 129-136.

"Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of Your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, because I long for Your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is Your way with those who love Your name. Keep steady my steps according to Your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me. Redeem me from man’s oppression, that I may keep your precepts. Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes. My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep Your law. (Psalm 119:129-136, ESV)

129 Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them.

Question: How many people agree with the Psalmist; that God's testimonies (i.e. His Word, the Bible, the Law, the Gospel, etc. etc.) are WONDERFUL? Furthermore... how many professing "believers" or self-proclaimed Christians echo his sentiments? If we are truly regenerate, we should have a hunger for God's testimonies. We should crave the precepts of the Lord. A Christian should have an appetite for Scripture; it should be pleasing to him or her. One should have a desire to delve into it for "reproof, correction, and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16) amongst other things.

One constant problem I encounter amongst "evangelicals" is the erosion of inerrancy (borrowing the term from a G.K. Beale book that I look forward to reading; click for more information). There is an ongoing attack on the authority and inerrancy of Scripture and one of the most dangerous protagonists are cloak-and-dagger "evangelicals"... false believers who make God in their own culturally relative image. The fact that our sovereign God has magnified His name and His word above all things should make us tremble with reverence when we approach his wonderful testimonies.

For a reformed perspective, that is to say biblical orthodoxy... see the Westminster.

"the sublime and admirable wisdom which he found comprehended in the divine law led him to regard it with reverence... " (John Calvin)

"Its effects upon the consciences of men, both for conviction and comfort, are wonderful; and it is a sign that we are not acquainted with God's testimonies, or do not understand them, if we do not admire them." (Matthew Henry)

It should also be noted that it is not of our volition to delight in God's testimonies. A person can not "decide" to love Scripture... one can not voluntarily consider the Bible to be truly wonderful. The regenerative power of the Holy Spirit in "the new birth" (John 3), creating "a new being" (2 Corinthians 5:17) with "a new heart and spirit" (Ezekiel 36:26) causes us to walk in God's statutes, obey His commands (Ezekiel 36:27) ... and thus, consider His testimonies to be wonderful.

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12-13, ESV)

"it is impossible for any man to keep the law of God from the heart, unless he contemplate it with feelings of reverence: for reverence is the beginning of pure and right subjection. Accordingly, I have said that many despise God's Word, because they think it inferior to the acuteness of their own understandings. Yea, many are led to break forth more audaciously into this heaven-daring contempt, from the vanity of showing their own ingenuity. But, although worldly men may flatter themselves in that proud disdain of the divine law, yet the commendation which the Prophet pronounces upon it still holds true, that it comprehends mysteries which far transcend all the conceptions of the human mind." (John Calvin)

"Those that see God's word to be admirable will prize it highly and preserve it carefully, as that which they promise themselves great things from." (Matthew Henry)

"It is wonderful that God should have borne testimony at all to sinful men, and more wonderful still that his testimony should be of such a character, so clear, so full, so gracious, so mighty... Their wonderful character so impressed itself upon his mind that he kept them in his memory: their wonderful excellence so charmed his heart that he kept them in his life... his religion was soul work; not with head and hand alone did he keep the testimonies; but his soul, his truest and most real self, held fast to them." (Charles Spurgeon)

130 The unfolding [entrance] of Your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.

"If we begin at the beginning, and take it before us, we shall find that the very first verses of the Bible give us surprising and yet satisfying discoveries of the origin of the universe, about which, without that, the world is utterly in the dark. As soon as the word of God enters into us, and has a place in us, it enlightens us; we find we begin to see when we begin to study the word of God." (Matthew Henry)

"when the words of God enter into the chambers of the heart then light is scattered on all sides. The word finds no entrance into some minds because they are blocked up with self conceit, or prejudice, or indifference; but where due attention is given, divine illumination must surely follow upon a knowledge of the mind of God." (Charles Spurgeon)

Light...

"As soon as a man enters upon reading the Scriptures, if he has any degree of understanding of the things in them, they immediately throw light into his mind; or, however, as soon as ever the word has an entrance into the heart, and through the Spirit, power, and grace of God, makes its way and has a place there, that being opened by the Lord for that purpose, light arises in darkness." (John GIll)

"And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:3-4, ESV)

"This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5, ESV)

"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it... The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him." (John 1:4-5, 9-10, ESV)

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12, ESV)

"For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6, ESV)

"The great use for which the word of God was intended, to give light, that is, to give understanding, to give us to understand that which will be of use to us in our travels through this world; and it is the outward and ordinary means by which the Spirit of God enlightens the understanding of all that are sanctified." (Matthew Henry)

"Christ by his Spirit opens their understandings, that they may understand the Scriptures; and by means of them gives them an understanding of himself, and of those things which make them wise unto salvation, and make for their spiritual peace and comfort, and their eternal welfare." (John Gill)

"The sincere and candid are the true disciples of the word. To such it gives not only knowledge, but understanding." (Charles Spurgeon)

"The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple" (Psalm 19:7, ESV)

"They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading." (Nehemiah 8:8, ESV)

131 I open my mouth and pant, because I long for Your commandments.

"Here the Holy Spirit teaches with what earnestness of soul the knowledge of divine truth is to be sought." (John Calvin)

"whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14, ESV) [see also Isaiah 55)

"As a person out of breath does, through walking or running; he stops and pants, and opens his mouth, to draw in air to his relief: or as hungry and thirsty persons pant for food and drink, and open their mouths to receive it, before it can well be brought to them." (John Gill)

"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for You, O God." (Psalm 42:1, ESV}

"My soul is consumed with longing for Your rules at all times." (Psalm 119:20, ESV)

132 Turn to [look upon] me and be gracious [merciful] to me, as is Your way with those who [are custom to] love Your name.

It is God who looks upon man and not the other way around... the Lord unconditionally grants mercy according to His will, and will continue to do so to those He has been gracious towards (both divine forbearance and redemption). The Psalmist recognizes that grace and mercy are of the Lord, much like justice... and he understands that the wrath of God is the result of justice for the payment of the sin debt (Romans 6:23), which he deserves. But God, being rich in mercy (see Ephesians 2), grants unmerited favor (and faith, love for His name, etc.) to those that he foreordained for salvation and was pleased to punish His Son, Jesus, the second Person of the triune God as a substitution for sinners.

"This, then, is the prayer of an afflicted man, who, when apparently destitute of all help, and unable to come to any other conclusion than that he is neglected and forsaken of God, yet reflects with himself, that, for God to forsake him, was foreign to his nature and to his usual manner of procedure... the Prophet's sole ground of confidence in asking this from God is his free goodness. Whence we gather that, although he was a man of eminent sanctity, yet the undeserved grace of God was his only refuge." (John Calvin)

"He asks not for the operations of God's hand... a good look is enough; and for that he does not plead merit, but implores mercy." (Matthew Henry)

"Not as in himself; a sinful creature will not bear looking upon by the Lord, especially with the strict eye of justice; but as in Christ, and clothed with his righteousness; and so not merely in a providential way, though that is a favour, but in a way of special grace and mercy... the Lord had turned from him, and had hid his face, which had given him trouble; and therefore he desires he would turn again to him, and show him his face and favour." (John Gill)

"Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted." (Psalm 25:16, ESV)

"If he looked in stern justice his eyes would not endure us, but looking in mercy he spares and blesses us." (Charles Spurgeon)

"The dealings of God with those that love him are such that a man needs not desire to be any better dealt with, for he will make them truly and eternally happy." (Matthew Henry)

Those who love God's name (see Psalm 138:2b) love His attributes (loving, sovereign, holy, righteous, etc.)

"...we must perceive the very clear testimonies by which he fortifies our faith, so that we need not doubt that all the godly are the objects of his regard; only we must endeavor to be among the number of those who love his name. By this title is meant genuine believers; for those who only slavishly fear God are not worthy of being reckoned among his servants. He requires a voluntary obedience from us, so that nothing may be more delightful to us than to follow whithersoever he calls us. It is, however, at the same time to be observed, that this love proceeds from faith; yea, the Prophet here commends the grand effect of faith, by separating the godly, who lean upon the grace of God, from worldly men, who, having given their hearts to the enticements of the world, never lift up their minds towards heaven." (John Calvin)

133 Keep steady [direct] my steps according to Your promise [by Your word], and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

"Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping [directed to keep] Your statutes!" (Psalm 119:5, ESV)

"Lead me in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it." (Psalm 119:35, ESV)

"...the only rule of living well is for men to regulate themselves wholly by the law of God... God deals bountifully with men, when he invites them to himself by his word and doctrine... all this is lifeless and unprofitable, until he govern by his Spirit those whom he has already taught by his word." (John Calvin)

"We ought to walk by rule; all the motions of the soul must not only be kept within the bounds prescribed by the word, so as not to transgress them, but carried out in the paths prescribed by the word, so as not to trifle in them. And therefore we must beg of God that by his good Spirit he would order our steps accordingly." (Matthew Henry)

"...it is not in the power of man to order and direct his steps: this is done by the Lord; and such who acknowledge him in their ways, and apply to him for direction, are and shall be thus favoured by him." (John Gill)

"I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps" (Jeremiah 10:23, ESV)

God can "prevent" people from sinning...

"Then God said to him [Abimelech] in the dream, 'Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against Me. Therefore I did not let you touch her [Abraham's wife, Sarah]." (Genesis 20:6, ESV)

"The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in His way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand." (Psalm 37:23-24, ESV)

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13, ESV)

"The freedom of the godly consists solely in this—that they are governed by the Spirit of God, and thus preserved from succumbing to iniquity, although harassed with hard and painful conflicts." (John Calvin)

"The dominion of sin is to be dreaded and deprecated by every one of us; and, if in sincerity we pray against it, we may receive that promise as an answer to the prayer." (Matthew Henry)

"For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." (Romans 6:14, ESV)

"It is a sad thing to be enslaved to any lust or sin, be it what it will: sin reigns over wicked men even unto death; and it oftentimes has great power over good men, puts them upon doing that which is evil, and hinders them from doing that which is good..." (John Gill)

"Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression." (Psalm 19:13, ESV)

134 Redeem me from man’s oppression, that I may keep your precepts.

Believers are redeemed (bought), out of slavery to sin, by the blood of Christ. The Psalmist is praying for God's redemption from external oppression (sinful men oppressing him) or internal oppression (his own sinful nature's oppressive bondage), so that he may better live according to God's will.

"When he was overwhelmed on all sides with injuries, he betook himself to God as his deliverer... We are taught from this passage, that when engaged in contest with the wicked, we ought not to suffer our minds to be actuated by malice, but that, however violently and unjustly they may assault us, we should rest; contented with the deliverance which God bestows, and with that alone; and again, that every instance in which we experience the grace of God in delivering us, should be a spur to incite us to follow after uprightness." (John We are taught from this passage, that when engaged in contest with the wicked, we ought not to suffer our minds to be actuated by malice, but that, however violently and unjustly they may assault us, we should rest; contented with the delivers. nee which God bestows, and with that alone; and again, that every instance in which we experience the grace of God in delivering us, should be a spur to incite us to follow after uprightness." (John Calvin)

"David prays that he might live a quiet and peaceable life, and might not be harassed and discomposed by those that studied to be vexatious... whom God can control, and whose power is limited." (Matthew Henry)

"Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men!" (Psalm 9:20, ESV)

"Some render it, 'from the oppression of Adam'... of the sin of Adam, and as a prayer to be delivered or redeemed from it; as the Lord's people are by the blood of Christ..." (John Gill)

"So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy." (Psalm 106:10, ESV)

"Give Your servant a pledge of good; let not the insolent oppress me." (Psalm 119:122, ESV)

"Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God." (Psalm 119:115, ESV)

"The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil." (Zephaniah 3:15, ESV)

"It is said that oppression makes a wise man mad, and no doubt it has made many a righteous man sinful. Oppression is in itself wicked, and it drives men to wickedness. We little know how much of our virtue is due to our liberty; if we had been in bonds under haughty tyrants we might have yielded to them, and instead of being confessors we might now have been apostates." (Charles Spurgeon)

135 Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.

"he seeks to win the fatherly favor of God—for nothing is to be hoped for from Him unless we have an interest in his favor—but he at the same time, shows the greatness of the blessing." (John Calvin)

"He is very ambitious of his Master's favour, accounting that his happiness and chief good." (Matthew Henry)

"Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is Your way with those who love Your name." (Psalm 119:132, ESV)

"the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you" (Numbers 6:25, ESV)

"...he seeks for no favour from others, but only from his own Lord and Master." (Charles Spurgeon)

"...only when God illumines the minds of his believing people with the true knowledge of the law, that he delights them with the beams of his favor." (John Calvin)

"If God hides his face from us, it is because we have been careless in keeping his statutes; and therefore, that we may be qualified for the returns of his favour, we must pray for wisdom to do our duty." (Matthew Henry)

"The most favoured believer needs teaching; even when he walks in the light of God's countenance he has still to be taught the divine statutes or he will transgress." (Charles Spurgeon)

[see vv. 12, 26, 33, 73, 104, 124]

136 My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.

We should, as Christians, be sorrowful over sin. Sorrowful not merely due to our own transgressions; penitence for disobedience... but Christians should also grieve the sins of others; the ignorant, apathetic, and reprobate alike.

Please take a look at the Westminster Confession of Faith; Chapter 6

"You cannot be sorrowful for others' sins unless you be first sorrowful for your own sins... It is hypocrisy to pitch upon other men's sins and neglect your own ; as some will zealously declaim against public disorders, yet neglect their own hearts; as the crafty lapwing will go up and down fluttering and crying to draw the fowler from her own nest. We have a nest of sin of our own, and we are loath it should be rifled and exposed to public view... True zeal for injuries done to God would ease itself by tears rather than anger. True penitents will not satisfy themselves only with public humiliation, to which law, custom, and example may draw them; but will make conscience of this duty in their families, yea, in secret, where no eye seeth them but God's." (Thomas Manton)

"Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them." (Romans 1:32, ESV)

"...discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways." (Proverbs 2:11-15, ESV)

[Thank you to Rev. James O'Brien for commending to me The Complete Works of Manton]

"Wherever the Spirit of God reigns, he excites this ardent zeal, which burns the hearts of the godly when they see the commandment of the Most High God accounted as a thing of nought. It is not enough that each of us endeavor to please God; we must also desire that his law may be held in estimation by all men." (John Calvin)

"He wept not for his troubles, though they were many, but for the dishonour done to God... The sins of sinners are the sorrows of saints. We must mourn for that which we cannot mend." (Matthew Henry)

"He wept in sympathy with God to see the holy law despised and broken. He wept in pity for men who were thus drawing down upon themselves the fiery wrath of God. His grief was such that he could scarcely give it vent; his tears were not mere drops of sorrow, but torrents of woe... None are so affected by heavenly things as those who are much in the study of the word, and are thereby taught the truth and essence of things." (Charles Spurgeon)

[See Matthew 23:37-39]

Links...

Reformed Forum (A reformed theology media network)

Sola Scriptura (A.A. Hodge; Outlines of Theology: Chapter 5)

The Sufficiency of the Word of God (a sermon by James Montgomery Boice)