"Of course you are not such wiseacres as to think or to say that you can expound Scripture without assistance from the field of exposition. ... It seems odd that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves should think so little of what He has revealed to others. My chat (is) ... for you who are content to learn of holy men, taught of God, and mighty in the Scriptures. It has been the fashion of late years to speak against the use of commentaries. If there were any fear that the expositions of Matthew Henry, Gill, Scott, and others, would be exalted into Christian Targums, we would join the chorus of objectors. The temptations of our times lie rather in empty pretensions to novelty of sentiment, than in a slavish following of accepted guides. A respectable acquaintance with the opinions of the giants of the past might have saved many an erratic thinker from wild interpretations and outrageous inferences. Usually we have found the despisers of commentaries to be men who have no sort of acquaintance with them; in their case, it is the opposite of familiarity which has bred contempt." [C. H. Spurgeon, Commenting and Commentaries, Introduction]
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (6 Volumes)
Matthew Henry (1662-1714) is everybody's commentator. He wrote most of his commentary during his 25 years as a Presbyterian minister in England.
This is the most famous of historic commentaries and for personal use it remains unsurpassed. There could be no more precious gift alongside the Bible than his treasure-house of applications and spiritual devotions. For daily Bible study they are supreme. For preachers and teachers they ought to be a vital part of the "armoury" of commentaries. Charles Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher of the 19th century said of Henry:
"He is the most pious and pithy, sound and sensible, suggestive and sober, terse and trustworthy. You will find him to be glittering with metaphors, rich in analogies, overflowing with illustrations, superabundant in reflections. ... He sees right through a text directly; ... is not critical, but he quietly gives the result of an accurate critical knowledge of the original, fully up to the best critics of his time ... he is deeply spiritual, heavenly, and profitable, finding good matter in every text, and from all deducing most practical and judicious lessons. It is the poor man's commentary, the old Christian's companion, suitable to everybody, instructive to all." [also taken from Commenting and Commentaries]
Matthew Henry's commentary ought to be on the shelf of every Christian. The complete set, whether in six volumes or one, can be borrowed from the St. Thomas Evangelical Library. Please call (519) 633-8282 or e-mail the librarian, John Van Eyk, at elibrary@execulink.com for more information on this work or any other book you may be interested in.
Charles H. Spurgeon's Treasury of David (3 Volumes)
This is another work that is beyond all praise. And it has had plenty of praise from all quarters of Christendom, such as this from Philip Schaff: "The most important and practical work of the ages on the Psalter."
This is an original work over which Spurgeon laboured for yfears and years. And the results of such a labour of love can be seen in its many fruitful pages.
The pattern of the work is as follows: First, Spurgeon gives his own exposition of each verse under study. Then he gives illustrative extracts from the whole range of literature on the Psalms. Altogether, Spurgeon quotes hundreds of authors, and many of the quotatiosn are quite full. As you would expect, a host of the Puritans are quoted. For though they had not expounded all the Psalms, many of them expounded one or more of the Psalms (a prime example is Bishop Reynolds' incomparable exposition of Psalm 110). And there are quotations from sermons that may have been on a single verse of the Psalms. The whole makes a rich tapestry of Divine truth, a fascinating portrayal of David, and a lovely description of Christ as He appears in so many Psalms.
Most of the great Puritan writers have a great many quotations. But there are also quotations from all periods of history, up to the time of Spurgeon. The quotations, many of them from rare books we are not apt to see again, are precious and informative. The index of authors and bibliographies make this work even more useful.
This three volume set can be borrowed from the St. Thomas Evangelical Library. Please call (519) 633-8282 or e-mail the librarian, John Van Eyk, at elibrary@execulink.com for more information on this work or any other book you may be interested in.
