Loading...
Loading...
By Joseph S. Exell · 1887 · 1,353 illustrations
The Biblical Illustrator is a 56-volume reference work compiled by Joseph S. Exell in the late 19th century. Each passage of Scripture is illuminated with historical anecdotes, biographical sketches, analogies from nature, and homiletical observations drawn from ancient and contemporary sources. These illustrations have been carefully restored from the original public-domain text and rewritten for clarity and accessibility — preserving the historical depth while removing Victorian OCR artifacts.
This principle, drawn from Proverbs 26:27, establishes a sobering truth: every child of Adam, until renewed by Divine grace, presents to Omnipotence and Omniscience the same moral aspect.
When asked the meaning of *cherubim* (knowledge) and *seraphim* (flame), the boy recognized a hierarchy of grace: the cherubim excel in knowledge, the seraphim in loving God.
Exell (1887) observed that no classic equals the Word of God in influence.
David here stretches out his hand like a little child, crying to his Father: "Hold up my goings." **I.
They are the holy ones who stand before Elohim's throne and behold His face continually.
Exell observed that the present world presents a paradox: philosophers from Ray Lankester to John Stuart Mill cannot agree on nature's character.
Armed hosts from the north sweep through the land like a devastating wind, stripping the people's substance as a harvest-man gathers corn.
Scripture reveals two distinct covenants between God and man: the covenant of works and the covenant of grace.
Divine interpositions manifest throughout Scripture as providential rather than miraculous rescues.
Matthew Henry observed that when the Almighty permits enemies to prevail against Zion and Jerusalem, He ordains this affliction for a redemptive purpose—to perform a "whole work" of refining grace.
As the physical heart sends forth vital blood and spirits to enable the head's function, so a living principle of holiness within us enables genuine understanding of divine things.
Second, in His assumption of human nature: He passed by the higher nature of angels and took our nature with all its poverty and trial.
Exell identifies four formidable obstacles by which mortals attempt resistance to the Almighty's purposes.
They "belong" to Christ—they are peculiarly and emphatically His.
The child represents not ignorance, but receptivity—a spirit trusting, open to impression, and free from prejudice.
First, the phrase "If any man have an ear, let him hear" signals that spiritual discernment is required to grasp this mystery.
It is impossible to serve two masters thus.
In our present state, night brings necessary rest to weary bodies and overburdened minds.
Herod's sorrow when Salome demanded John the Baptist's head reveals a critical spiritual truth: not all tears flow from godly conviction.
Graciousness dissociated from strength carries its own formidable influence; strength dissociated from graciousness becomes mere force, bereft of those attributes which command the world's deepest confidence.
When we grip our own opinions with rigid hands, refusing the gentle correction of wise counsel, we chart a course toward destruction.
Who will go for Us?" He describes a messenger from two perspectives.
The distinction between these two gifts proves essential: instruction consists in the communication of right principles; counsel in the advice by which you may apply those principles practically.
Earnestness marks epochs of spiritual elevation and reveals individual character more than mere ability.