PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Horae Homileticae — Volume 3 of 21
Simeon, Charles, 1759-1836 · 243,969 words · 482 reading sections
1 Samuel
Y^t kv?Jb 'mt/e^ 6- 'i/y^a^ t^>en/e^. t'l/y / ^ ^ C/Ae ■':vi-v NOW FIRST DIGESTED INTO ONE CONTINUED SERIES, AND FORMING A COMMENTARY SENIOR FillJ.OW OF KING'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. 18, ST. Paul's ciiurch-yard. % Text. Subject. Page. 261. i. 6, 7. Adoni-hezek's Punishment .... 1 202. ii. 1 — 5. The…
258 wordsSECTION 22 Samuel
Subject. 287. 288. 289. 290. 291. 292. 293. 294. 295. 296. 297. 298. 299. 300. 301. 302. 303. 304. 305. 306. 807. 308. 309. 310. 311. 312. 313. 314. 315. 316. 317. 318. vi. 20. vii. 8, 9. vii. 12. vii. 12. vii. 15—17. X. 12. xii. 16—23. xii. 23, 24. xiii. 11—13, xiv. 6. xvi. 7…
270 wordsSECTION 3X. 6, 7.
vn 319. 320. 321. 322. 323. 324. 325. 326. 327. 328. 329. 330. 331. 332. 333. 334. 33.'). 336. 337. 338. 339. 340. 341. 342. 343. 344. 345. 346. 347. 348. 349. 350. xvi. 5—12. xviii. 33. xix. 34. xxi. 1. xxiii. 1 — 1. xxiii. 5. xxiii. 15 — 17. xxiv. 11 — 15. ii. 44. iii. 11—13.…
306 wordsSECTION 4X. 16.
Text. Subject. Page. 351. AhaVs Sin in sparing Benhadad . . 425 352. xxi. 20. Ahab and Elijah in Naboth's Vineyard 429 353. xxi. 27—29. The feigned Repentance of Ahab . . 435 354. xxii. 8. Faithful Ministers Objects of Hatred . 439 355. xxii. 19 — 23. Satan's Stratagem to deceive Ahab 445 356. i.…
257 wordsSECTION 5Judges.
Hezekiah's Appeal to God .... 547 379. Hezekiah's Resignation 550 380. The Benefits arising from Peace and Truth 554 381. xxiii. 3. Covenanting with God 558 382. xxiii. 25. The Character of Josiah .... 562 CCLXl. adoni-bezek's punishment. Judg, i. 6, 7. But Adoni-hezek fled ; and they pursued after …
282 wordsSECTION 6Vol. Iii. B
g JUDGES, I. 6, 7. [261. with the tribe of Simeon, renewed the conflict with the Canaanites. God gave them success, and deh- vered into their hand Adoni-bezek, one of the most powerful of the kings of Canaan. Him they treated with great severity : and their conduct towards him forms the subject of our present con…
669 wordsSECTION 74 Judges, I. G, 7. [261.
[God has not relinquished the government of the earth : he orders and overrules every thing now as much as ever ; and in his former dispensations we behold a perfect exhibition of the government which he still administers. Still, as formerly, does he requite the wickedness of men ; sometimes on the offenders thems…
652 wordsSECTION 84 Judges, I. G, 7. [261.
P Eom.i.2G— 28. q 2 Thess. ii. 10— 12. -^ Isai. xxxiii. 1. ^ Rev. xviii. 5, G. 261.1 adoni-bezek's punishment. o order that it may be seen that he governs the world ; but he does not do it in all instances, in order that men may know, that he will judge the world. It often happens that the wicked prosper, and the…
461 wordsSECTION 96 Judges, Il 1—5. [262.
subdue, and torture in any way that he pleased. But at last God made him sensible of the enormity of his conduct. In like manner we may learn hereafter to view many parts of our conduct with far different feeHngs than we have yet done. God has borne with us indeed; but we must not consider his long- suifering as a…
365 wordsSECTION 10262.1 The Danger Of Indecision. 7
Judg. ii. 1 — 5. Ayid an Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to BocJihn, and said, I made you to go np out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land xvhich I sware unto your fathers ; aiid I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league icith the inhabitants of this land; ye shall…
474 wordsSECTION 118 Judges, Ii. 1—5. [262.
the ordinance of circumcision, and had kept a pass- over unto the Lord ; in both which ordinances they had consecrated themselves to God afresh, and eno-aged to serve him, as his redeemed people. In coming therefore as from Gilgal, the Angel reminded them of their solemn engagements, and humbled them the more for…
386 wordsSECTION 12262.] The Danger Of Indecision. <)
But what is our state ? Do we find in ovu-selves this zeal ? Instead of proceeding to the utter extirpation of our spiritual enemies, are we not satisfied if they do not reign ? Are we not contented to let them exist, provided they keep themselves concealed from public view ? What then is the decla- ration of God …
450 wordsSECTION 1310 Judges, Ii. 1—5. [262.
Whether we consider our sin or our 2^u7iishment, we have but too much reason to weep. Indecision is not so hght a sin as some imagine*^: it shews an insincerity of heart, which is most odious in itself, and most offensive to God. See in what a light the Israelites beheld it, when once a conviction of it was brough…
498 wordsSECTION 14262.1 The Danger Of Indecision. U
no guilt imputed to us but that of omission and defect, yet must we apply to the blood of sprinkling, and seek for pardon through that one Sacrifice wliich was once offered for us on the cross.] Learn then from hence, 1. The value of a faithful monitor — [We do not like faithful admonitions, even from those whos…
446 wordsSECTION 15Ehud And Eglon.
ceased to listen to the voice of conscience, they proceeded from one wickedness to another, " till there was no remedy '\" And how often is this seen amongst ourselves ! Many are deeply affected on some particular occasion : they will weep, and pray, and think of the Saviour ; but in process of time they lose all …
662 wordsSECTION 1614 Judges, Iii. 20. [263.
2. As divinely commissioned — [No created power could have authorized Abraham to slay his son, or Israel to plunder Egypt, and extirpate the inha- bitants of Canaan : nor could any human being have executed such things of his own mind, without contracting very heinous guilt. But God is not bound by the rules which…
509 wordsSECTION 17263.^ Ehud And Eglon. 15
with sinful man. His Gospel is so called from the very cir- cumstance of its being a message of mercy, or, as the word means, good tidings from God to man : and ministers are am- bassadors from him, sent to beseech you in his name to accept reconciliation with him through the death of his Son. Indeed this ^message…
490 wordsSECTION 18Jael And Sisera.
for our security, the more secure we are in our own apprehen- sion, the more likely are we to receive such a message from God^. It was when the rich fool was looking forward to years of enjoyment, that God said to him, " This night thy soul shall be required of thee : " and it was when Job fondly expected he shoul…
403 wordsSECTION 19264.1 Jael And Sisera. 17
where such actions are recorded they are mentioned with abhorrence, there are some instances wherein they are mentioned with approbation and applause. Such was the case of Ehud, who stabbed Eglon king of Moab : and such was the case before us, where Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, destroyed Sisera, whom she h…
429 wordsSECTION 2018 Judges, V. 24—27. [264.
" the most blessed of women," for doing that which was in itself such a flagrant act of injustice and cruelty? I answer, (as we before answered in the case of Ehud,) that God is not bound by the laws which he has given to us; and that he may dispense with those obligations which men owe to each other, in order to …
447 wordsSECTION 21264.1 •^'^'^''^ "^^^ Sisera. 19
even the greater part of them unarmed, except with such weapons as they might hastily collect''. Indeed his mother and friends had not the least doubt of a successful issue to the conflict. But when his time was come, he and his army were wholly destroyed: and the very steps which he took for the destruction of Go…
499 wordsSECTION 2220 Judges, V. 31. [265.
morn, and shines forth in its might : so shall you rise above all your enemies, and shine forth in everlasting glory p.] The subject addresses itself particularly, 1. To those who are in affliction — [What was the remedy to v^^hich Israel had recourse, when their affliction pressed sore upon them? It was prayer: …
270 wordsSECTION 23265.] The Prayer Of Deborah. 21
Judg. V. 31. So let all thine enemies perish, 0 Lord : hut let them, that love him he as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. OF the victories gained by God's ancient people, many are so incredible, that we could never believe the histories that record them, if we did not know those histories to have been wr…
446 wordsSECTION 2422 Judges, V. 31. [265.
means of displaying the justice and hoKness of the Deity, which, if sin were unpunished, would be altogether compro- mised and eclii)sed.] 3. Her expectation ot it as certain — [In fact, her imprecation has the force of a prediction ; a prediction which shall assuredly be accomplished in its season. Of Sisera's a…
701 wordsSECTION 2524 Judges, Vi. 36—40. [266.
h Ps. xxxvi. 9. i Acts xxvi. 18. ^ phii. ij, 15^ 16. 1 Ps. xix. 1 — 3. "^ Eph. ii. 10. " Matt. v. 16. 0 Dan. xii. 2, 3. p Matt. xiii. 41 — 43. '! 2 Thess. i. G — 10. Gideon's fleece. Judg. vi. 36 — 40. And Gideon said unto God, If thou toilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, behold, I will put a fleece…
741 wordsSECTION 2626 Judges, Vi. 36—40. [266.
Do we not see in this the weakness of all mankind ? [Abraham repeatedly resorted to a base subterfuge in denying his wife, because he could not trust in God for his protection from Pharaoh^, and Abimelech*. Sarah, too, though commended for her faith, could not beheve that, at her ad- vanced period of Hfe, she shou…
690 wordsSECTION 2726 Judges, Vi. 36—40. [266.
And the same condescension may we also expect — [It is true, we are not authorized to specify the terms on which we will credit the di\ane testimony, or to expect any visible signs in confirmation of God's word : yet are we not a whit less assured of his condescension and grace, than Gideon and Thomas were. We sha…
415 wordsSECTION 285^8 Judges, Vi. 36—40. [266.
the sun-dial to go back, than to advance, ten degrees, fixed upon that which he conceived to be the more difficult : and " the Prophet Isaiah," who in God's name had offered him the sign, "cried unto the Lord ; and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz^"] To us,…
474 wordsSECTION 29Cclxvii.
Gideon's victory over midian. Judg. vii. 19 — 22. So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had hut newly set the toatch : and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that ivere in their hands. And the three companies …
382 wordsSECTION 3030 Judges, Vii. 19—22. [267.
and assured him of his presence in the undertaking, and of ultimate success in it : " Thou shalt save Israel out of the hands of the Midianites : have not I sent thee ? Surely I win be with thee ; and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man''." In confirmation of his call, God accepted his offering, which he c…
667 wordsSECTION 3130 Judges, Vii. 19—22. [267.
It should seem that this reduction of his numbers filled liim with some secret misgivings. God therefore graciously offered him a further sign, whereby his faith should be confirmed, and his fear altogether dispelled. This was a sign that should be given him by the enemy themselves. He was to go down with his serv…
279 wordsSECTION 3232 Judges, Vii. 19—22. [267.
flight, were followed by the other troops that had been dis- missed, and were thus entirely destroyed '\ Thus have we taken a connected view of the most important circumstances, in order that we may have our minds fuUy pre- pared for such observations as naturally arise from them.] We proceed then, II. To suggest…
415 wordsSECTION 33268.1 Gideon Pacifies The Ephraimites. ',)S
his success in this enterprise is more especially ascribecP. And what can we desire more than a promise of God's presence and co-operation? " If he be for us, who can be against us?" God has said, " Fear not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed^ for I am thy God : I will strengthen thee, yea, / tvill help thee, ye…
273 wordsSECTION 34Vol. Iii. D
Judg. viii. 1 — 3. Ajid the men of Ephraim said unto him. Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us 7iot, when thou wentest to fight ivith the Midianites ? And they did chide with him sharply. And he said unto them. What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaniyig of the grapes of Ephraim …
523 wordsSECTION 35268.1 Gideon Pacifies The Ephraimites. 35
exercise the liberty which he arrogates to himself''. To what an extent this domineering principle will prevail, we may see in the instance of Nebuchadnezzar ; who, because of the con- scientious refusal of the Hebrew youths to bow down to his idol, " was full of fury; and the form of his \asage was changed agains…
460 wordsSECTION 3636 Judges, Vi 11. 1—3. [268.
three hundred. Thus it is that innumerable quarrels arise, when a moment's inquiry would shew, that no reason for them exists, or at least no reason for such resentment as is felt by the offended person. Behold Da\'id, when Nabal had refused him the refreshments which he desired : nothing short of the death of Nab…
432 wordsSECTION 37268.1 Gideon Pacifies The Ephraimites. 37
than even the accusers ; and " the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel ''." Silence therefore is the best remedy, at least till the offended person is so far calmed as to listen readily to the voice of reason : and though the advice of Solomon appears at first sight as para- …
483 wordsSECTION 38Faint, Yet Pursuing.
On this subject we would found a word or two of 1. Be cautious not too hastily to take offence — [Innumerable circumstances may exist, wliich, if known to us, would make us form a very different judgment of men and things, from that which at first sight we have entertained y. To weigh, and consider, and inquire, i…
321 wordsSECTION 39269.1 Faint, Yet Pursuing. 39
patience the race that is set before us^." I would notice him, therefore, under the two-fold character of A de- liverer to Israel, and A model to us: or, rather, instead of separating the two, I will combine them; that so the whole subject may come before us in a more luminous and useful point of view. Let us, th…
389 wordsSECTION 4040 Judges, Viii. 4. [269.
[Most particularly is this noticed in the Epistle to the Hebrews: " By faith Gideon and the others subdued king- doms"." There came, in obedience to his summons, two-and- thirty thousand men. But God directed him to dismiss from amongst them all who were timid : and instantly was his army reduced to ten thousand m…
488 wordsSECTION 41269.J Faint, Yet Pursuing. 41
enemies, than could the blowing of trumpets to destroy the walls of Jericho, or the breaking of pitchers to subdue the armies of Midian and of Amalek. It is " by faith you are to walk, and not by sight:" and " according to your faith it shall be done unto you."] You must further imitate, III. His full determiuati…
425 wordsSECTION 424^ Judges, Viii. 4. [269.
Midianites should visit it \^dth signal judgments, after having recovered from their present panic. They even ridiculed the sanguine expectations of Gideon, saying, " Are Zebah and Zalmunna yet fallen into thy hands, that I should incense them by giving relief to thee ? " But, notwithstanding the Midianites were f…
468 wordsSECTION 43Gideon Chastises The Men Of Succoth And Penuel.
Will you, then, draw back? God forbid ! Let me rather urge you to proceed : for, faint as ye are, ye shall surely overcome. Of Gideon's army, so far as we know, there died not one ; whilst the entire host of his enemies were slain. So shall all the powers of darkness fall before you, and not so much as a hair of y…
378 wordsSECTION 4444 Judges, Viii. 15-17. [270.
despising it, the men of Succoth and of Penuel de- served all that they suffered. Let us consider, I. The punishment inflicted on them — The lyrovocation they gave was exceeding great — [Gideon had already destroyed one-hundred-and-twenty thousand of the Midianitish army ; and was now pursuing with liis three hun…
440 wordsSECTION 45270.1 Succoth And Penuel Chastised. 45
God, who says, " Vengeance is mine ; I will repay." But he acted as a magistrate who was authorized to punish the treason of which these persons had been gviilty. Considered as an act of ingratitude only, it was exceeding sinful ; for what could be more base than to refuse a meal to those who had at the peril of t…
458 wordsSECTION 4646 Judges, Viii. 15—17. [270.
what they have to bear ; or what obligations we owe to them for exposing themselves to so many fatigues and dangers in our defence. Shall we then grudge to the state whatever is necessary for their support ? Is not the murmuring on account of om- burthens, and the striving to elude them, highly criminal? The men o…
721 wordsSECTION 4748 Judges, Ix. 7—15. [271.
^ Isai. XXXV. 3, 4, and Heb. xii. 13. jotham's parable. Judg. ix. 7 — 15. ^nd token they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to an…
936 wordsSECTION 4850 Judges, Ix. 7—15. [271.
Such was the occasion of the parable : we proceed to explain, II. The import — Two leading truths are contained in it; 1. That worthless men affect the honours which the wise and good decline — [The character of the wise and good is fitly represented by those valuable trees, the olive, the fig, and the vine. The…
615 wordsSECTION 49Jotham S Parable, 51
271.] be a miracle if they do not, when a fit opportunity occurs, prove also a plague to him".] This parable was in the nature of a prophecy ; of which we now proceed to consider, III. The accomplishment — [Never was a prophecy more exactly fulfilled. " The triumph of the wicked is short." For three years Abimel…
468 wordsSECTION 5052 Judges, Ix. 7—15. [271.
of them also took refuge in a tower, he proceeded to use the same stratagem against them : but being grown incautious from success, he went too near the tower, so that a woman threw a piece of a millstone upon his head, and brake his skull : and he, indignant at the thought of being killed by a woman, " ordered hi…
497 wordsSECTION 51Cclxxii.
jephthah's vow. Judg. xi. 80, 31. And Jephthah voioed a vow Ktito the Lord, and said, If thou shalt ivithout fail deliver the children of Ammon into miyie ha^ids, then it shall he, that whatsoever Cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely he …
317 wordsSECTION 5254 Judges, Xl 30, 31. [272.
obtain*'; and we know that Paul both made a vow hmiself ^ and united with others in services to which by a voluntary engagement they had bound them- selves ^ The vow of Jephthah has engaged the attention of learned men in all ages : but they are by no means agreed as to the import of it. We propose, I. To explai…
691 wordsSECTION 5356 Judges, Xl 80, 31. [272.
But, as no pious man would have made such a vow, so, if Jephthah had made it, the latv itself had jyrovided a ransom for her. We have before said, that vows were encouraged under the law ; and 2^ersons, as well as things, might be devoted to God. But if either persons, or things, were devoted to him, the law permi…
754 wordsSECTION 5456 Judges, Xl 80, 31. [272.
P ver. 12 — 27. 1 Judg. x, G. f Judg. x. 16. = 1 Sam. xiv.45. t See Exoil. xxi. IG, 17. Lev. vi. 3, 5. 2 Sam. ii. 19. 272.] JEPHTHAIi's VOW. 57 house to meet me, shall surely be the Lord's, or I will offer it up for a burnt-offering ; " that is, it shall be consecrated to the Lord ; or, if it be fit to be offered …
542 wordsSECTION 5558 Judges, Xl 30, 31. [272.
increasing the number of the Lord's people, or a hope that the Messiah might spring from them : and this was a peculiarly heavy calamity to her, because she was the only child of Jeph- thah"; and her doom cut her off from all prospect of raising up a seed who should inherit his honours, and follow his ex- ample. T…
730 wordsSECTION 56Go Judges, Xl 30, 81. [272.
It may be objected to this, that no other instance of devoting a person to virginity occurs. It is true : but neither does any other instance of devoting a person to death. The instance of Abraham and Isaac is not at all in point : for there the deter- mination to offer Isaac was not the result of a rash vow, but o…
722 wordsSECTION 57Go Judges, Xl 30, 81. [272.
272.1 jephthah's vow. 61 paid to them. It will be well if we lay this to heart in future. Peradventure we have, Hke Jephthah, inconsiderately opened our mouths to the Lord : let us then at least, like Jephthah, proceed to the performance of our vows. The duty we have undertaken may be difficult and self-denying ; …
498 wordsSECTION 5862 Judges, Xl So, 31. [272.
which God inflicted upon the whole Jewish nation in the time of David, for Saul's impiety in violating an engagement which had been hastily contracted by Joshua four hundred years before in favour of the Gibeonites'^: and much more will God visit upon us in the eternal world the violation of en- gagements entered …
722 wordsSECTION 5904 Judges, Xiii. 2^, 23. [273.
f Jer. ]. 5. s Rom. xii. 1. manoah's vision. Judg. xiii. 22, 23. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. But his wife said unto him. If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a hurnt-ofilering and a meat-offering at our hands, neither wotdd he have shewe…
652 wordsSECTION 6004 Judges, Xiii. 2^, 23. [273.
" vcr. 2 .'i, '' Nuirib. vi. 2 «. '' vcr. 0, 7. 27f3.1 MANOAIl's VISION. G5 experienced a very different effect. The revelation produced, 1. In Manoah, fear — [Ho now perceived and knew, that the person who had announced these tidingKS to him was God, in human shape: and therefore he conceived that both he and h…
445 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical edition (1832-33); scan/OCR from Internet Archive.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.