Soul-Depths and Soul-Heights: An Exposition of Psalm 130

by Octavius Winslow

Perhaps the best known of the Penitential Psalm. Psalm 130 contains the ardent prayer of a man who is distressed by a sense of God's anger against sin; it it, we see an earnest penitent turning to God, longing for forgiveness. But this Psalm is also marked by a steady upward progression: depth; prayer; conviction; light; hope; waiting; watching; longing; confidence; assurance; universal happiness and joy. As a barometer marks the rising of the weather, so each sentence of this Psalm records the progress of the soul.

Genres: Theology

135 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1876

About the author

Octavius Winslow (1 August 1808 – 5 March 1878), also known as "The Pilgrim's Companion", was a prominent 19th-century evangelical preacher in England and America. A Baptist minister for most of his life and contemporary of Charles Spurgeon and J. C. Ryle, he seceded to the Anglican church in his last decade.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

C. H. Spurgeon said that these sermons on Psalm 130 were "Not very deep nor very high, but pleasant spiritual reading." I have given it four out of five because there is so much good material in it. For those unwilling to read John Owen's work on this psalm, Octavius Winslow's sermons are a good place to begin. It is not the last word in exegesis, but its doctrinal and experimental reflections are very useful.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written 140+ years ago (1874), the Puritan Octavius Winslow's collection of sermons on Psalm 130 is fresh, deep, and timely.

Winslow walks through Psalm 130 phrase by phrase, following the ardent prayer of a man who is distressed by God's anger against his sin. Winslow follows the earnest penitent turning to God, and longing for forgiveness. The trajectory of the Psalm is upward: depth; prayer; conviction; light; hope; waiting; watching; longing; confidence; assurance; and joy.

Winslow invites to follow this upward trajectory in our own hearts and is such a faithful and thoughtful guide along the way. There are times when he is surprisingly contemporary: "To look then, within ourselves for spiritual light, joy, and hope, is just as unwise and vain as to put sound for substance" (11).

The depth of Winslow's pastoral wisdom is profound. To those struggling with the doctrine of election he urges, "You are not called to believe that you are one of the elect; but you are called to believe in Jesus Christ -- that you are a poor, lost sinner, feeling your need of the Saviour, looking only to his blood and righteousness as the ground of your pardon, justification, and final glory. Thus called by grace to be a saint of God, election will become to you one of the most encouraging, comforting, and sanctifying doctrines of the Bible" (15). As such, as deep as we may sink in sin, we are never out of the embrace and hold of Christ.

Winslow has a heart and eye for the beauty of Christ: "Oh, to learn experimentally these two great facts -- sin's infinite hatefulness and loves' infinite holiness! The love of God in giving his Son to die; the love of Christ in dying; the essential turpitude an unmitigated enormity of sin, which demanded a sacrifice so divine, so holy, and so precious!" (36). In the cross, the grace of Christ has "not only cancelled the built, but it has conquered the power of sin; it has not only deposed, but it has slain the tyrant" (53).

Read this book, friend, and be encouraged. "Arise from your 'depths', and give yourself to prayer! Lift up your eyes, dim with tears though they be, and gaze upon those sunny heights of divine communion towering above and smiling down upon you, and inviting your ascent. There sits your Father! There ministers your Intercessor!" (127).

[Deborah Laajanen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winslow's exposition of Psalm 130 is distinguishably excellent in both exegesis and doxology. Indeed, amidst a believer's soul-depths, God can turn it into soul-heights in His presence and personal communion.

[Molly Moody · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read & I probably would've gotten even more out of it if I had just faithfully read a section a day. It is Winslow's sermons on Psalm 130. Over & over Winslow poinrs away from us & to Christ, "One simple. believing sight of Christ will produce more light & peace & joy than a lifetime of looking within ourselves for evidences & signs of grace." I highly recommend.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/5 stars for this short but rich series of sermons on Psalm 130. Typical of the Victorian Era during which he wrote, Winslow "purple prose" is sometimes a bit much, but the basic message in these sermons represents the best of experiential, evangelical, and reformed piety.

[Vincent Lemieux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good

[Valerie Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

i could read this every year!

[Jan Kimbro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soul enriching, Christ exalting, full of eternal truth from God’s Word, this book delighted and fed my soul.

[christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a quick read, but a good, solid, old book of fortifying truth for hard times. Several highlighted passages for future reference.