What do you think?
Rate this book
The Family Expositor
Doddridge's Family Expositor is a commentary and paraphrase on the entire New Testament (this volume contains the Gospels and Acts). It also includes old puritan style devotions for each section of the New Testament. Essentially it's the puritan version of a study Bible. This is a facsimile reprint of the 1836 edition by J. S. & C. Adams, and L. Boltwood.
This is volume one containing a harmony of the 4 Gospels and the book of Acts.
This is volume one containing a harmony of the 4 Gospels and the book of Acts.
524 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1836
3 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Philip Doddridge
344 books2 followersPhilip Doddridge, D.D. (Marischal College and King’s College, Aberdeen), was an English Congregationalist minister, educator, and author of over 400 hymns. First published in 1745, the accessibility and clarity of his The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, with its emphasis on practical piety and advice on prayer, meditation, and self-examination, led to its translation into seven languages and its popularity across Europe and America, where it greatly influenced the Great Awakening and the eventual foundation of Methodism by John Wesley.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 1, 2024
If you don’t know what the Family Expositor, or who Philip Doddridge is, you’re not alone. Philip Doddridge is an extremely obscure later puritan, and the Family Expositor is his commentary and devotional on the New Testament. Most people have never heard of either, and even enthusiasts of puritan literature mostly haven’t heard of him, let alone had the luxury to read him.
I first encountered Doddridge’s Family Expositor when I saw it referenced by Jonathan Edwards. Edwards references Doddridge time after time in his Blank Bible. Of the 423 page New Testament in his Blank Bible, Edwards mentions Doddridge 351 times. That’s almost once per page. In comparison, the only 2 other commentaries Edwards regularly used, Matthew Henry, and Matthew Poole, have only 9 and 7 mentions respectively. Doddridge’s Family Expositor was Edward’s most used commentary on the New Testament.
Edwards is probably my favorite theologian to read, so I was curious about the books that he enjoyed. I went looking for Doddridge, and his Family Expositor, but I just couldn’t find it. It seemed notoriously hard to find. I was able to find some poorly made facsimile reprints in several volumes, but it was difficult to determine which Bible books each volume covered since they usually weren’t properly titled, and each release date had differing numbers of volumes. I did however, finally find the Expositor on archive.org. And here I was able to read it, and was blown away with what I found.
Philip Doddridge was an early 18th century non-conformist pastor, and like Matthew Henry, he spent much of his free time writing his commentary. Doddridge notes in the preface that he intended this commentary to be used by families at the dinner table. The forgotten practice of family worship is a great way to use this commentary; the expanded translation, and the devotions at the end of each section (see below) work together seamlessly as a perfect tool for family devotional reading and discussion. This may well be the book that Jonathan Edwards used for his family devotions.
The Family Expositor is really an extraordinary work. Doddridge deems it “a paraphrase,” but it is much more than that. Really it’s three works in one. It is a puritan translation and expansion on the text, a puritan commentary on the text, and a puritan devotional work on the text. Doddridge combines these three to make a truly great puritan companion to the New Testament.
The Paraphrase
Doddridge took the Bible text itself, and in lengthy characteristic puritan style, he commented and expanded on it. The Old King James Bible text is included in outside columns on each page, and Doddridge’s translation and expansion (paraphrase) is in the larger center column. Within his paraphrase, the translation of the Bible text is italicized, whereas his own expansions on the text are in standard font. This helps the reader not confuse Doddridge’s expansions with the Bible text itself.
The Notes
Doddridge’s paraphrase is lengthy! But even in addition to his paraphrase, throughout he includes lengthy notes on the Biblical text. The notes are so extensive that by themselves they would comprise a complete commentary. These notes are glorious! I’m a sucker for great footnotes, so I love this. The notes address many questions that would naturally arise while reading, and explain the meaning of scores of the difficult passages and phrases in the New Testament. The notes are one of the best things about this work.
The Devotions
One of my favorite things about The Family Expositor though is that it includes devotions for every section of the New Testament. This is great because it allows the reader to base their devotional reading on their Bible reading, rather than the other way around. The reader can read the paraphrase on the section of Bible they are in at the time, and then read the devotions on that same scripture. This way the Bible is primary, and the devotions can be used as needed on any given passage. I like to read devotions particularly when I’m in a stale season in my reading. The devotions in the Family Expositor in particular help to heighten my appreciation and sharpen my savoring of the great things of God.
Doddridge’s devotions are my favorite of any author. Many of the prayers in the classic puritan prayer devotional Valley of Vision are from Doddridge, and he doesn’t disappoint in the Expositor. He mingles both head and heart wonderfully. Most devotionals are all heart but nothing weighty, and most commentaries are all head but no heart. Doddridge on the other hand excels in both. Just after a lengthy theology of regeneration from John 3, he adds a devotion that would stir the heart of your grandmother. This is after all, one of, if not the, favorite commentary and devotional of Jonathan Edwards, and it’s nothing less than what we’d expect of his favorite.
In the Family Expositor, Doddridge has given us, I think, one of the greatest works on the New Testament ever written.
For my full review and where you can purchase this book see my blog post here: https://stumblingstoneblog.wordpress....
I first encountered Doddridge’s Family Expositor when I saw it referenced by Jonathan Edwards. Edwards references Doddridge time after time in his Blank Bible. Of the 423 page New Testament in his Blank Bible, Edwards mentions Doddridge 351 times. That’s almost once per page. In comparison, the only 2 other commentaries Edwards regularly used, Matthew Henry, and Matthew Poole, have only 9 and 7 mentions respectively. Doddridge’s Family Expositor was Edward’s most used commentary on the New Testament.
Edwards is probably my favorite theologian to read, so I was curious about the books that he enjoyed. I went looking for Doddridge, and his Family Expositor, but I just couldn’t find it. It seemed notoriously hard to find. I was able to find some poorly made facsimile reprints in several volumes, but it was difficult to determine which Bible books each volume covered since they usually weren’t properly titled, and each release date had differing numbers of volumes. I did however, finally find the Expositor on archive.org. And here I was able to read it, and was blown away with what I found.
Philip Doddridge was an early 18th century non-conformist pastor, and like Matthew Henry, he spent much of his free time writing his commentary. Doddridge notes in the preface that he intended this commentary to be used by families at the dinner table. The forgotten practice of family worship is a great way to use this commentary; the expanded translation, and the devotions at the end of each section (see below) work together seamlessly as a perfect tool for family devotional reading and discussion. This may well be the book that Jonathan Edwards used for his family devotions.
The Family Expositor is really an extraordinary work. Doddridge deems it “a paraphrase,” but it is much more than that. Really it’s three works in one. It is a puritan translation and expansion on the text, a puritan commentary on the text, and a puritan devotional work on the text. Doddridge combines these three to make a truly great puritan companion to the New Testament.
The Paraphrase
Doddridge took the Bible text itself, and in lengthy characteristic puritan style, he commented and expanded on it. The Old King James Bible text is included in outside columns on each page, and Doddridge’s translation and expansion (paraphrase) is in the larger center column. Within his paraphrase, the translation of the Bible text is italicized, whereas his own expansions on the text are in standard font. This helps the reader not confuse Doddridge’s expansions with the Bible text itself.
The Notes
Doddridge’s paraphrase is lengthy! But even in addition to his paraphrase, throughout he includes lengthy notes on the Biblical text. The notes are so extensive that by themselves they would comprise a complete commentary. These notes are glorious! I’m a sucker for great footnotes, so I love this. The notes address many questions that would naturally arise while reading, and explain the meaning of scores of the difficult passages and phrases in the New Testament. The notes are one of the best things about this work.
The Devotions
One of my favorite things about The Family Expositor though is that it includes devotions for every section of the New Testament. This is great because it allows the reader to base their devotional reading on their Bible reading, rather than the other way around. The reader can read the paraphrase on the section of Bible they are in at the time, and then read the devotions on that same scripture. This way the Bible is primary, and the devotions can be used as needed on any given passage. I like to read devotions particularly when I’m in a stale season in my reading. The devotions in the Family Expositor in particular help to heighten my appreciation and sharpen my savoring of the great things of God.
Doddridge’s devotions are my favorite of any author. Many of the prayers in the classic puritan prayer devotional Valley of Vision are from Doddridge, and he doesn’t disappoint in the Expositor. He mingles both head and heart wonderfully. Most devotionals are all heart but nothing weighty, and most commentaries are all head but no heart. Doddridge on the other hand excels in both. Just after a lengthy theology of regeneration from John 3, he adds a devotion that would stir the heart of your grandmother. This is after all, one of, if not the, favorite commentary and devotional of Jonathan Edwards, and it’s nothing less than what we’d expect of his favorite.
In the Family Expositor, Doddridge has given us, I think, one of the greatest works on the New Testament ever written.
For my full review and where you can purchase this book see my blog post here: https://stumblingstoneblog.wordpress....
September 8, 2018
Page 101
What actions are so fair and lovely, that malice cannot turn them into reproach? What characters are so unblemished, what so exemplary, that uncharitableness cannot revile and condemn them? While the eyes of distressed multitudes were turned to Christ as their only Physician and most valuable Friend, the eyes of the Pharisees are continually upon him for evil: and they behold his wondrous miracles, not for their own conviction, but that they may, if possible, turn them into the means of his destruction. So ineffectual are the most obvious and demonstrative arguments, till divine grace conquer men's natural aversion to a Redeemer's kingdom, and captivate their hearts to the obedience of faith!
Page 104
Woe unto you when all men speak well of you! (Luke 6:26) for such universal applause is seldom to be gained without sinful compliances; and thus did their fathers to the false prophets of old, who soothed them in their idolatries and other crimes, with smooth addresses, and vain assurances of security and happiness.
Page 105
Be ye therefore merciful, be ye holy, as He also whom you call your heavenly Father is merciful and holy: and unto whom indeed you cannot stand related as his children, if you have no concern to imitate and to obey Him.
How necessary is it that our forgetful hearts should have line upon line, and precept upon precept! If Christ did not think it improper to repeat this discourse [the beatitudes], surely it will not be needless for us to renew our attention to it. Oh that every word of it were engraven on our hearts as with the point of a diamond, that we might learn, in spite of all the foolish wisdom of this world, to form ourselves on these maxims, as the surest guide to present and to eternal felicity!
Our Lord again pronounces the poor and the hungry, the mournful and the persecuted, happy; and represents those as miserable, who are rich and full, joyous and applauded: not that this is universally the case, but because prosperous circumstances are so frequently a sweet poison, and affliction a healing, though bitter the medicine. Let the thought reconcile us to adversity, and awaken our caution when the world smiles upon us; when a plentiful table is spread before us, and our cup runneth over; when our spirits are gay and sprightly; or when we hear, what to corrupted nature is too harmonious music, that of our own praise from men. Oh that we may secure what is of infinitely greater importance, the praise of our heavenly Master, by a constant obediential regard to these his precepts!
May we be happy proficients in the art of bearing and forgiving injuries! May we be ready to every good word and work! maintaining an eye quick to observe, a heart tender to feel, a hand open to relieve the calamities and necessities of friends, of strangers, and of enemies: giving to some; and where, perhaps, there may be little prospect of a return, lending to others; which, if it engage them to greater industry, is as real a benefit as if the loan were a gift.
On the whole, let us not presume to call God our Father, if we do not labour to resemble him; nor dare to challenge the peculiar honour and privileges of Christ's disciples, if we do not distinguish ourselves from others by the charity of our tempers and the usefulness of our lives, as well as by the articles of our faith and the forms of our worship.
Page 106
A good man, maintaining an habitual sense of the Divine Presence, and feeling in his own soul a spring of habitual and diffusive benevolence to his fellow-creatures, naturally produces that which is good, out of the good treasure of grace and love which is laid up in his heart: and on the other hand, a bad man out of the bad treasure of evil principles and corrupt affections which is laid up in his heart, produces that which is bad, which often breaks out before he is aware, and discovers his character, even contrary to his intention; for his mouth naturally speaks from the overflowing of the heart, and no man has so much artifice as to command it entirely, so that it shall never discover itself in some unguarded moment.
Page 150
Thus it still pleases Christ to exercise the faith of his people, that he may strengthen their dependence on him, and demonstrate at once his compassion and his power. Thus are storms permitted oftentimes to rise around them, and for a while they are left in darkness and are tossed with tempests: but he is near at hand, even when they think him at the remotest distance; and when he seems to be passing by them, as regardless of their danger and distress, he has designs of grace and mercy to them, and acts in such a way on purpose to quicken and excite them to a greater earnestness and fervour in their applications to him. Happy would the Christian be, could he always discern his Lord, and always conceive of him aright! but alas, how often does he appear to the disordered mind as the object of terror rather than of confidence; and in a day of darkness, while he may seem to treat his suffering people with neglect, instead of seeking him with a more earnest importunity, how are they ready to be overwhelmed with fears, and to conclude he has forgotten them!
At the command of Jesus, Peter ventured to go to him on the sea. And through what storms and dangers may we not safely venture, if we are sure that our Lord calls us! Yet the rebuke which he suffered may warn us not rashly to throw ourselves on unnecessary trials, lest our excess of confidence end in fear and disgrace. Modesty and caution will adorn our other virtues, and render us amiable in the eyes of the humble Jesus.
In how many circumstances of life does the christian appear to his own imagination like Peter, beginning to sink in the waves! But in the time of our distress, like him, let us cry to Jesus for help; and, while we are lifting up the hands of faith and prayer, we may humbly hope that Christ will stretch forth his omnipotent arm for our rescue. Let every experience of this kind, and all the seasonable aid he is from time to time imparting us, establish our dependence on him, and enforce our obedience to him as the Son of God. May divine grace deliver us from that hardness of heart, that stupidity and insensibility of mind, which sometimes remains unconvinced in the midst of evidence, and unaffected under the most moving illustrations of his abilities and williness to help us!
Page 168
How glorious and delightful was this view of our blessed Redeemer, which the apostles had when he was transfigured before them, clothed, as it were, with the divine Shechinah, and shining with a lustre like that of the sun? How pleasing and how edifying must it be to them, to see with him Moses and Elijah, those two eminent saints, who had so many ages ago quitted our world, but whose names they had often read in the sacred records with wonder and reverence.
Well might Peter say. It is good for us to he here. Well might he be contented to resign his entertainments and his hopes elsewhere, that they might prolong these delightful moments, feasting their eyes with these divine visions, and their minds with these more than human discourses. Nor can we wonder that the scene, transitory as it was, left so abiding a savour on his spirits, that in an epistle which he wrote many years after, and but a little before his death, he should single this story from a thousand others to attest it as he does, and to argue from it. (Compare 2 Pet. i. 16—18.) But oh how much more desirable is it to stand upon Mount Zion, and to behold those brighter glories which our Jesus wears in the heavenly regions! To behold, not merely Moses and Elijah, but all the prophets, the apostles, and martyrs; and, in a word, all the saints of God in every age, whether to us personally known or unknown, surrounding him in a radiant circle; and not only to behold them, but to converse with them. Lord, it is good for us to be there, in our desires at least, and in our meditations, till thou pleasest to call us to that happy world, and to take us thither, where no drowsiness will cloud our eyes, where no hurry will discompose our thoughts, but where the perfection of holiness and of love shall cast out every degree of terror, as well as of sorrow.
In the mean time, let us reverently attend to that Saviour who appeared in this majestic form, and who comes recommended to us with so many testimonials of his divine authority. He was again declared, by a voice from heaven, to be the beloved Son of God: as such let us hear him, receiving all his revelations with the assurance of faith, and all his commands with the obedience of love. If these sentiments govern our hearts and our lives, the thoughts of that departure from this world which we are shortly to accomplish, will be no grief or terror to our souls. Like our blessed Master, we may connect the views of it, and intermix discourse upon it, with the most delightful enjoyments and converse; nay, it will serve to render them yet more pleasing. For who would not long to be made conformable to Christ, even in his sufferings and death, if it may be a means of transforming us into the resemblance of his glories!
Page 180
John 7:5 For neither did his brethren believe in him.
If, therefore, thou art really the promised Messiah, and performest these things, which we so often see at home, by a divine commission, go up to Jerusalem, and there manifest thyself to the great men of the world, and appear in places of the most public concourse ; and thou canst not have a better opportunity of doing it than at this celebrated feast, which brings together so many, not only from the land of Israel, but from neighbouring countries. This they said, not out of any real friendship and respect, but to make further trial of him, and in some measure to upbraid him with
those precautions which he thought proper to observe ; for, notwithstanding all the evidences he had given of his divine mission, yet neither did his brethren and kindred themselves believe in him, when they saw that he took no such method to raise himself and his family, as they thought inseparable from the character of the Messiah, whenever he should appear.
We see how little the greatest external advantages can do without the divine blessing, when some of the nearest relations of Christ himself, by whom he had been most intimately known, were not prevailed upon to believe in him. Who then can wonder if some remain incorrigible in the most regular and pious families? How much more valuable is the union to him, which is founded on a cordial and obedient faith, than that which arose from the bands of nature! and how cautiously should we watch against those carnal prejudices by which even the brethren of Christ were alienated from him!
Page 204 - To Whom Much is Given
Let us seriously consider the punishments to be inflicted on the unfaithful servant. Let ministers, if such there are, who abandon themselves to a life of idleness and luxury; who stain their sacred character by intemperance; who proudly censure their brethren, and either call or wish for the secular arm to smite their fellow-servants, perhaps more faithful than themselves—let such hear and tremble. Their Lord may come in a very unexpected hour; (as indeed, when do such expect him?) and what are the stripes they have given others, when compared with those which they shall themselves receive! stripes which shall cut them asunder, and pierce deep into their very souls! How much more tolerable will it be, even for the worst of Gentile sinners, than for such!
Let all who are in any measure distinguished by the gifts of the divine bounty to them, or by their stations, whether in civil or sacred offices, attentively dwell on this great truth, so solemnly repeated again and again: let them consider it with a view to their own account: To whomsoever much is given, of him will much be required. May divine grace so impress it on their hearts, that they may be distinguished by present fidelity and future rewards, in proportion to the difference which Providence has already made in their favour! And may they never have reason to reflect with confusion and anguish on what is now their honour and their joy!
What actions are so fair and lovely, that malice cannot turn them into reproach? What characters are so unblemished, what so exemplary, that uncharitableness cannot revile and condemn them? While the eyes of distressed multitudes were turned to Christ as their only Physician and most valuable Friend, the eyes of the Pharisees are continually upon him for evil: and they behold his wondrous miracles, not for their own conviction, but that they may, if possible, turn them into the means of his destruction. So ineffectual are the most obvious and demonstrative arguments, till divine grace conquer men's natural aversion to a Redeemer's kingdom, and captivate their hearts to the obedience of faith!
Page 104
Woe unto you when all men speak well of you! (Luke 6:26) for such universal applause is seldom to be gained without sinful compliances; and thus did their fathers to the false prophets of old, who soothed them in their idolatries and other crimes, with smooth addresses, and vain assurances of security and happiness.
Page 105
Be ye therefore merciful, be ye holy, as He also whom you call your heavenly Father is merciful and holy: and unto whom indeed you cannot stand related as his children, if you have no concern to imitate and to obey Him.
How necessary is it that our forgetful hearts should have line upon line, and precept upon precept! If Christ did not think it improper to repeat this discourse [the beatitudes], surely it will not be needless for us to renew our attention to it. Oh that every word of it were engraven on our hearts as with the point of a diamond, that we might learn, in spite of all the foolish wisdom of this world, to form ourselves on these maxims, as the surest guide to present and to eternal felicity!
Our Lord again pronounces the poor and the hungry, the mournful and the persecuted, happy; and represents those as miserable, who are rich and full, joyous and applauded: not that this is universally the case, but because prosperous circumstances are so frequently a sweet poison, and affliction a healing, though bitter the medicine. Let the thought reconcile us to adversity, and awaken our caution when the world smiles upon us; when a plentiful table is spread before us, and our cup runneth over; when our spirits are gay and sprightly; or when we hear, what to corrupted nature is too harmonious music, that of our own praise from men. Oh that we may secure what is of infinitely greater importance, the praise of our heavenly Master, by a constant obediential regard to these his precepts!
May we be happy proficients in the art of bearing and forgiving injuries! May we be ready to every good word and work! maintaining an eye quick to observe, a heart tender to feel, a hand open to relieve the calamities and necessities of friends, of strangers, and of enemies: giving to some; and where, perhaps, there may be little prospect of a return, lending to others; which, if it engage them to greater industry, is as real a benefit as if the loan were a gift.
On the whole, let us not presume to call God our Father, if we do not labour to resemble him; nor dare to challenge the peculiar honour and privileges of Christ's disciples, if we do not distinguish ourselves from others by the charity of our tempers and the usefulness of our lives, as well as by the articles of our faith and the forms of our worship.
Page 106
A good man, maintaining an habitual sense of the Divine Presence, and feeling in his own soul a spring of habitual and diffusive benevolence to his fellow-creatures, naturally produces that which is good, out of the good treasure of grace and love which is laid up in his heart: and on the other hand, a bad man out of the bad treasure of evil principles and corrupt affections which is laid up in his heart, produces that which is bad, which often breaks out before he is aware, and discovers his character, even contrary to his intention; for his mouth naturally speaks from the overflowing of the heart, and no man has so much artifice as to command it entirely, so that it shall never discover itself in some unguarded moment.
Page 150
Thus it still pleases Christ to exercise the faith of his people, that he may strengthen their dependence on him, and demonstrate at once his compassion and his power. Thus are storms permitted oftentimes to rise around them, and for a while they are left in darkness and are tossed with tempests: but he is near at hand, even when they think him at the remotest distance; and when he seems to be passing by them, as regardless of their danger and distress, he has designs of grace and mercy to them, and acts in such a way on purpose to quicken and excite them to a greater earnestness and fervour in their applications to him. Happy would the Christian be, could he always discern his Lord, and always conceive of him aright! but alas, how often does he appear to the disordered mind as the object of terror rather than of confidence; and in a day of darkness, while he may seem to treat his suffering people with neglect, instead of seeking him with a more earnest importunity, how are they ready to be overwhelmed with fears, and to conclude he has forgotten them!
At the command of Jesus, Peter ventured to go to him on the sea. And through what storms and dangers may we not safely venture, if we are sure that our Lord calls us! Yet the rebuke which he suffered may warn us not rashly to throw ourselves on unnecessary trials, lest our excess of confidence end in fear and disgrace. Modesty and caution will adorn our other virtues, and render us amiable in the eyes of the humble Jesus.
In how many circumstances of life does the christian appear to his own imagination like Peter, beginning to sink in the waves! But in the time of our distress, like him, let us cry to Jesus for help; and, while we are lifting up the hands of faith and prayer, we may humbly hope that Christ will stretch forth his omnipotent arm for our rescue. Let every experience of this kind, and all the seasonable aid he is from time to time imparting us, establish our dependence on him, and enforce our obedience to him as the Son of God. May divine grace deliver us from that hardness of heart, that stupidity and insensibility of mind, which sometimes remains unconvinced in the midst of evidence, and unaffected under the most moving illustrations of his abilities and williness to help us!
Page 168
How glorious and delightful was this view of our blessed Redeemer, which the apostles had when he was transfigured before them, clothed, as it were, with the divine Shechinah, and shining with a lustre like that of the sun? How pleasing and how edifying must it be to them, to see with him Moses and Elijah, those two eminent saints, who had so many ages ago quitted our world, but whose names they had often read in the sacred records with wonder and reverence.
Well might Peter say. It is good for us to he here. Well might he be contented to resign his entertainments and his hopes elsewhere, that they might prolong these delightful moments, feasting their eyes with these divine visions, and their minds with these more than human discourses. Nor can we wonder that the scene, transitory as it was, left so abiding a savour on his spirits, that in an epistle which he wrote many years after, and but a little before his death, he should single this story from a thousand others to attest it as he does, and to argue from it. (Compare 2 Pet. i. 16—18.) But oh how much more desirable is it to stand upon Mount Zion, and to behold those brighter glories which our Jesus wears in the heavenly regions! To behold, not merely Moses and Elijah, but all the prophets, the apostles, and martyrs; and, in a word, all the saints of God in every age, whether to us personally known or unknown, surrounding him in a radiant circle; and not only to behold them, but to converse with them. Lord, it is good for us to be there, in our desires at least, and in our meditations, till thou pleasest to call us to that happy world, and to take us thither, where no drowsiness will cloud our eyes, where no hurry will discompose our thoughts, but where the perfection of holiness and of love shall cast out every degree of terror, as well as of sorrow.
In the mean time, let us reverently attend to that Saviour who appeared in this majestic form, and who comes recommended to us with so many testimonials of his divine authority. He was again declared, by a voice from heaven, to be the beloved Son of God: as such let us hear him, receiving all his revelations with the assurance of faith, and all his commands with the obedience of love. If these sentiments govern our hearts and our lives, the thoughts of that departure from this world which we are shortly to accomplish, will be no grief or terror to our souls. Like our blessed Master, we may connect the views of it, and intermix discourse upon it, with the most delightful enjoyments and converse; nay, it will serve to render them yet more pleasing. For who would not long to be made conformable to Christ, even in his sufferings and death, if it may be a means of transforming us into the resemblance of his glories!
Page 180
John 7:5 For neither did his brethren believe in him.
If, therefore, thou art really the promised Messiah, and performest these things, which we so often see at home, by a divine commission, go up to Jerusalem, and there manifest thyself to the great men of the world, and appear in places of the most public concourse ; and thou canst not have a better opportunity of doing it than at this celebrated feast, which brings together so many, not only from the land of Israel, but from neighbouring countries. This they said, not out of any real friendship and respect, but to make further trial of him, and in some measure to upbraid him with
those precautions which he thought proper to observe ; for, notwithstanding all the evidences he had given of his divine mission, yet neither did his brethren and kindred themselves believe in him, when they saw that he took no such method to raise himself and his family, as they thought inseparable from the character of the Messiah, whenever he should appear.
We see how little the greatest external advantages can do without the divine blessing, when some of the nearest relations of Christ himself, by whom he had been most intimately known, were not prevailed upon to believe in him. Who then can wonder if some remain incorrigible in the most regular and pious families? How much more valuable is the union to him, which is founded on a cordial and obedient faith, than that which arose from the bands of nature! and how cautiously should we watch against those carnal prejudices by which even the brethren of Christ were alienated from him!
Page 204 - To Whom Much is Given
Let us seriously consider the punishments to be inflicted on the unfaithful servant. Let ministers, if such there are, who abandon themselves to a life of idleness and luxury; who stain their sacred character by intemperance; who proudly censure their brethren, and either call or wish for the secular arm to smite their fellow-servants, perhaps more faithful than themselves—let such hear and tremble. Their Lord may come in a very unexpected hour; (as indeed, when do such expect him?) and what are the stripes they have given others, when compared with those which they shall themselves receive! stripes which shall cut them asunder, and pierce deep into their very souls! How much more tolerable will it be, even for the worst of Gentile sinners, than for such!
Let all who are in any measure distinguished by the gifts of the divine bounty to them, or by their stations, whether in civil or sacred offices, attentively dwell on this great truth, so solemnly repeated again and again: let them consider it with a view to their own account: To whomsoever much is given, of him will much be required. May divine grace so impress it on their hearts, that they may be distinguished by present fidelity and future rewards, in proportion to the difference which Providence has already made in their favour! And may they never have reason to reflect with confusion and anguish on what is now their honour and their joy!
November 3, 2021
This is a new favorite Bible commentary for me. It is from the 1700s and includes a very long paraphrase with comments below. It has a unique and interesting layout but I do not get lost in its "apparatus" like I do with other multi-volume commentaries, which can get really complicated. Sometimes commentaries are only multivolume because the author wanted to regale us with ten pages of pagan creation myths, or a ten-page essay about his opinions about creation, rather than a straightforward biblical exposition.
Doddridge is very well known for another book which was very influential in the lives of William Wilberforce and many other people.
Doddridge is very well known for another book which was very influential in the lives of William Wilberforce and many other people.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews