Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church Lexington, KY. Pastor JOE H. HEAD
Pleasant Ridge Baptist ChurchLexington, KY. Pastor JOE H. HEAD 

 

 

 

OIL PAINTING

BY

OKEY SMITH

THE EXCELLENCIES OF THE BIBLE
         William Huntington (1745-1813)

"Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of Me." - John 5:39
                                  I.
I HAVE sometimes thought that a Nation must be truly BLESSED if it were governed by no other laws than those of this blessed Book (Deut. 4:5-6). It is so complete a system that nothing can be added to it (Deut. 4:2), nor taken from it (Rev. 22:19). It contains everything needful to be known and done (Acts 16:30-31). It affords a copy for a King (Deut. 17:18) and a rule for a Subject (1 Pet. 2:13-14). It gives instruction and counsel to a Senate (Ps. 105:22); authority and direction for a Magistrate (Ezra 7:25-26). It cautions a Witness (Exod. 23:1); requires an impartial verdict of a Jury (Lev. 19:15), and furnishes the Judge with his sentence (Deut. 16:19-20). It defends the rights Of ALL (Exod. 22), and reveals vengeance to every defrauder (1 Thess. 4:6), over-reacher (Isa. 49:26), or oppressor (Eccles. 5:8). It prescribes and limits the sway of the Sovereign (2 Sam. 23:3), the rule of the Ruler (Rom. 13:3-4), and the authority of the Master (Eph. 6:9), commands the Subject to honour (Rom. 13:1), and the Servant to obey (Col. 3:22), and pro-mises the blessing and protection of its Author to all who walk by its rules (Lev. 26:3-12; John 16:23).

                

II.

It sets the Husband as lord of the household (1 Pet. 3:5-7), and the Wife as mistress of the table (Prov. 31:15); tell Him how to rule (Col. 3:19) and HER how to manage (Prov. 31). It entails honour to Parents (Eph. 6:2) and enjoins obedience to Children (Col. 3:20). It gives directions for Weddings (Luke 14:8; John 2:2) and for Burials (Gen. 23:8-9); regulates Feasts (Luke 14:10-15) and Fasts (Isa. 58:6-7), mournings and rejoicings (Rom. 12:15), and orders Labour for the day (Exod. 20:9) and Rest for the night (John 9:4). It promises Food and Raiment (Luke 12:22), and limits the use of both (Rom. 13:13; 1 Pet. 3:3). It points out a faithful and an Eternal GUARDIAN to the departing Husband and Father (Exod. 22:22-24); tells him with whom to leave his, Fatherless Children (Ps. 146:9), and in whom his Widow is to trust (Jer. 49:11), and promises a Father to the former (Ps. 68:5) and a Husband to the latter (Isa. 54:5). It teaches a man how to set his House in order (Isa. 38:1), and how to make his Will (Prov. 13:22). It appoints a dowry for the Wife (Gen. 34:12), entails the right of the first-born (Gen. 48:18), and shews how the younger Branches shall be left (Gen. 49:13).


III.

It is the FIRST Book (John 1:1), the BEST Book (Prov. 30:5), and the OLDEST Book in all the world (Gen. 1:1). It contains the Choicest matter (Ps. 12:6), gives the best instruction (Ps. 19:7-11), and affords the Greatest Pleasure and Satisfaction that ever was revealed (Jer. 15:16). It contains the best Laws (Ps. 119:72) and profoundest Mysteries that ever were penned (Rom. 11:33). It brings the best of tidings (Luke 2:10-15), and affords the best of Comfort to the enquiring and disconsolate (1 Tim. 1:15). It exhibits Life and Immortality from everlasting (Rom. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:10), and shews the way to Eternal Glory (Ps. 16:11). It is a brief Recital of all that is PAST (Acts 7), and a certain Prediction of all that is to COME (Rev. 1:19). It settles all matters in debate (Isa. 8:20), resolves all Doubts (Prov. 22:21; Dan. 5:12), and eases the mind and conscience of all their scruples (Isa. 55:1; Matt. 11:28). It reveals the Only Living and true GOD (Exod. 34:6-7), and shews the way to Him (John 14:6); it sets aside ALL OTHER gods (Acts 4:12), and describes the Vanity of them (Isa. 44:9-20), and of all that trust in them (Ps. 97:7).

In short, it is a Book of LAW, to show right (Ps. 19:8; 119:128) and wrong (1 Cor. 1:19-27).

A Book Of WISDOM, that condemns all folly (Eccles. 7:25) and makes the foolish wise (Ps. 19:7; 1 Cor. 1:72).

A Book of TRUTH (John 17:17), that detects all lies (1 John 2:4, 22) and confutes all errors (Gal. 1:8).

And a Book of LIFE (Rev. 20:12), that giveth life (John 5:24), and shows the Way from everlasting death (1 Thess. 1:10).


IV.

It is the most Compendious Book in all the world (Heb. 4:12), the most ancient (Heb. 11:3), authentic (2 Pet. 1:21). and the most entertaining history that ever was published (Ps. 105). It contains the most ancient Antiquities (Gen. 11:4), strange Events (Ps. 78), wonderful Occurrences (Acts 5:15; 19:12), heroic Deeds (1 Sam. 17:49), and unparalleled Wars (Judges 7:19-20). It describes the Celestial (Job 38:31-33), Terrestrial (Gen. 1), and Infernal worlds (Rev. 19:20); and the origin of the Angelic myriads (Heb. 1:7), Human tribes (Gen. 9:19), and Devilish legions (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6; Rev. 12:7).


V.

It will instruct the most accomplished Mechanic (1 Kings 6:7) and the profoundest Artist (Ps. 139:15-16); it will teach the best Rhetorician (Exod. 4:12), and exercise every power of the most skilful Arithmetician (Rev. 13:18); puzzle the wisest Anatomist (Eccles. 11:5), and exercise the nicest Critic (Matt. 7:4-5). It corrects the vain Philosopher (Col. 2:8; Job 38), and confutes the wise Astronomer (Job. 22:12); it exposes the subtle Sophist (1 Cor. 3:19), and makes Diviners mad (Isa. 44:25). It is a complete Code of Laws (Ex. 22), a perfect Body of Divinity (Rom. 8), an unequalled narrative (John 21:25), a book of Lives (Heb. 11), a book of Travels (Num. 33), and a book of Voyages (Jonah 1; Acts 27).

VI.

It is the best COVENANT that ever was agreed on (Jer. 32:40), the best DEED that ever was sealed (Isa. 8:16), the best EVIDENCE that ever was published (John 5:39), the best WILL that ever was made (John 14:27), and the best TESTAMENT that ever was signed (Heb. 9:15). To understand it is to be Wise indeed (Prov. 2:6-7); to be ignorant of it is to be Destitute of wisdom (1 Cor. 2:14).


VII.

It is the King's best copy (1 Kings 9:4), the Magistrate's best RULE (Rom. 13:1-8), the Housewife's best GUIDE (Prov. 31), the Servant's best DIRECTORY (Eph. 6:5-8), and the Young Man's best COMPANION (PS. 119:9). It is the School-boy's SPELLING-BOOK (2 Tim. 1:5), and the Learned Man's MASTERPIECE (1 Cor. 2:6-7). It contains a choice GRAMMAR for a novice (Matt. 21:16) and profound MYSTERY for a sage (Job 40:4). It is the ignorant man's DICTIONARY (Isa. 35:8), and the wise man's DIRECTORY (Job 28:12-28). It affords knowledge of witty inventions (Prov. 8:12), and dark Sayings for the GRAVE (Prov. 1:6); and is ITS OWN INTERPRETER (Gen. 40:8; 1 Cor. 2:13).


VIII.

It is Little Faith's choice Breast (Isa. 66:11 ; 1 Pet. 2:2), and the strong man's substantial Dish (Heb. 5:14). It is the Lady's best LOOKING-GLASS (2 Cor. 3:18), in which she may see both her heart and her face (Jas. 1:23-25), and the face and heart of everybody else (Ps. 14:2, 3; Rom. 3:12). It is an exact BALANCE (Prov. 16:11), in which a man may weigh both his spirit and his actions (Job 31:6), and tell the exact weight of himself (Ps. 22:6; 1 Pet. 1:24) and of all Mankind (Ps. 62:9; Eccles. 1:13-14; Jer. 17:9-10). It is the Astronomer's best TELESCOPE (1 Con 13:12), in which he may see the Sun (Mal. 4:2), Moon (Can. 6:10), and seven Stars (Rev. 2:1), and an awful Eclipse of the damned (Matt. 25:30); and it reveals a World of which no Geographer could ever give a map (Rev. 22:2); and a way to it which no lion hath ever trod (Isa. 35:9), and which the Vulture's eye hath never seen (Job. 28:7).

IX.

It promises” FREEDOM INDEED" to all who embrace its truths (John 8:32-36); Freedom from the reign of sin (Rom. 6:14), of Satan (Acts 26:18), and of death (Rom. 6:9); and except a man receive the TRUTH, the real TRUTH (John 16:13), and that IN THE LOVE OF IT (2 Thess. 2:10), he never shall be able to govern himself (Prov. 16:32), or to bridle his Temper (Col. 3:12-13), his Passions (Rom. 6:12-13), his Tongue (Ps. 39:1; 141:3), or his Sin (Ps. 119:133).

X.

It encourages the Wise (Prov. 2; 16:16), the Warrior (1 Tim. 6:12), the Swift (Heb. 12:1), and the Overcomer (Rev. 3:5), and promises an eternal reward to the Excellent (Matt. 25:21), the Conqueror (2 Tim. 4:7-8), the Winner (1 Cor. 9:24), and the Prevalent (Matt. 24:13). And that which crowns all is, that THE AUTHOR is without Partiality (Acts 10:34), and without Hypocrisy (Jas. 3:17); IN WHOM IS NO VARIABLENESS (Mal. 3:6), NOR SHADOW OF TURNING (Jas. 1:17).

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Revelation 11:17 "Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned." 

 

SERVICES:

SUNDAY MORNING:

Bible Study 9:30
Worship 10:30

 

SUNDAY EVENING:



Choir Practice 5:00



Men’s Prayer 5:15



Evening Worship 6:00

 

WEDNESDAY EVENING:

Men’s Prayer 5:15

Sermon 6:00

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