"I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition; which o'erleaps itself, And falls on the other.—-" Macbeth.
A proud ecclesiastic requested one of his devotees to give him a leg on mounting his horse, which he did so heartily as to throw him to the other side of the saddle, and broke his neck.—Ed.
21 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10).
22 When we had no righteousness of our own to cover us, he put on us naked beggars that rich robe, the righteousness of Christ. Though black in ourselves, we are comely in Christ's comeliness; but we never live upon his righteousness, only as we see none in ourselves.—Ryland.
23 "Sweeting," an obsolete term for a sweet apple.—Ed.
24 This whole paragraph is omitted from all editions subsequent to 1688, when the author died. It is the practical illustration of his whole theory. By their fruit ye shall know them; the fruit does not make them what they are by nature and sin or by grace and righteousness. The rebuke of the Saviour, Matthew 15:16, falls heavily on the man who rejected this paragraph.—Ed.
25 Abel possessed righteousness before his offering, which influenced him to make this acceptable sacrifice.—Ed.
26 "Then was I most distressed with blasphemies, if I have been hearing the word, then uncleanness, blasphemies, and despair would hold me as captive." "I blessed the condition of the dog and toad, and counted their state far better than this sate of mine."—Grace Abounding.
27 Many are the devices of Satan to keep souls from Christ. The world and the flesh are his grand instruments of seduction, while his temptations and snares drown them in despair. Their wisdom is to resist manfully by faith in the serpent-bruiser, Jesus. He will consummate his victories by a glorious triumph over all the powers of hell and darkness.—Ryland.
28 "A sweeting tree," a sweet apple, and not a crab apple tree.—Ed.