PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Horae Homileticae — Volume 5 of 21
Simeon, Charles, 1759-1836 · 242,250 words · 497 reading sections
The Blessings Of Salvation.
2. The despised — [What harm has it done you hitherto, that you have been despised by an ungodly world ? Only seek your happiness in God, and you need not mind what man shall say concerning you. Man's judgment is but for "a dai/^^ :" whereas God's judgment will be for ever. The Prophets, the Apostles, and our Lor…
351 wordsSECTION 6262 Psalms, Xiv. 7. [510.
of Israel were come out of Zion ! When the Lord shall bring again the captivity of Israel, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad." We may conceive him in these words looking for- ward, not only to the times of the Messiah, but to the Messiah himself, who is frequently designated by the name of Saviour % a…
398 wordsSECTION 63510.J The Blessings Of Salvation. 63
salvation offered you in the Gospel, all the glory of heaven shall be yours. Cherish, then, this holy desire : and, in refer- ence to 3^our own souls in particular, be constantly saying, " O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!"] Realizing in his mind the object of his desire, the Psalmist proceeds …
431 wordsSECTION 6464 Psalms, Xv. 1—5. [511.
Satan, and bringing us " into the glorious liberty of the chil- dren of God." This it was for which the Saviour came into the world: and this it is which he effects, in all who are par- takers of his salvation. Let any say whether it be not a proper object of desire, or whether a captive soul can ever desire it to…
362 wordsSECTION 65511."] Character Of Such As Shall Be Saved. 65
Ps. XV. 1 — 5. Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle ? zvho shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and tvorketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not ivith his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose …
434 wordsSECTION 66Vol. V. F
r>6 PSALMS, XV. 1—5. [511. admitted into that true tabernacle which God himself has erected in heaven ? And can there be any inquiry more important ? Observe, 1. What is implied in the inquiry itself — [Certainly it implies, that all will not be saved. And this is a truth which our blessed Lord has confirmed bey…
411 wordsSECTION 67511.'] Character Of Such As Shall Be Saved. 67
as far as possible, " be conformed to Christ," " having the same mind as was in him," and " walking in all things as he walked." He would not willingly retain a right hand or a right eye that caused him to offend: his one labour and ambition is, to " stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." It is in thi…
491 wordsSECTION 6868 Psalms, Xv. 1—5. [511.
They adhere strictly to all their engagements. — No Believer will think lightly of his word, and still less of his oath. If he have promised any thing, he will on no account go back, even though the perfonnance of the promise should involve him in consider- able difficulty. In all pecuniary or commercial transactio…
490 wordsSECTION 69511. J Character Of Such As Shall Be Saved. 69
In relation to persons of this character, we behold with pleasure, III. Their salvation assured — Our blessed Lord represents them as persons whose habitation is founded on a rock^, and their stability is assured to them, 1. By the very graces which they exercise — [We do not mean to say, that any man, however e…
460 wordsSECTION 70Superior Blessedness Of True Christians.
hear God himself engaging to " keep the feet of his saints," and that " the righteous shall hold on his way, and that he who hath clean hands (the very persons described in our text) shall wax stronger and stronger"' ! " Let this then stir us up to walk worthy of our high calling ; and let us " be steadfast, immov-…
317 wordsSECTION 71512.1 Superior Blessedness Of True Christians. 71
conciliate the favour of their gods. The offering of human sa- crifices, to which I apprehend the Psahnist refers*^, sufficiently attests this : and the self-devotion of those who, at this day, cast themselves under the wheels of the temple of Juggernaut, in order to sacrifice their lives to that detestable idol, p…
426 wordsSECTION 7272 Psalms, Xvi. 4. [512.
the other hand, that their joys shall be multiplied that hasten after the Lord " Jesus Christ, who is the true God and eternal life*^." Yes, verily, they shall greatly rejoice ; as it is said, " Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, rejoice." To them shall be vouchsafed, L Peace of conscience — [This is un…
712 wordsSECTION 7374 Psalms, Xvl 5—7. [513.
i See the marginal reading of the text. GOD HIMSELF HIS PEOPLE's PORTION. Ps. xvi. 5 — 7. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places ; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the Loi'd, who hath given me counsel : my reins…
760 wordsSECTION 7474 Psalms, Xvl 5—7. [513.
This portion too is secured to them — [Israel in Canaan were surrounded with enemies on every side : but God, who had allotted to every tribe its portion, engaged to " maintain their lot." Even when all the males assembled thrice a year at Jerusalem, God undertook to be a Protector of their families and their poss…
303 wordsSECTION 7576 Psalms, Xvi. 5—7. [513.
II. The feelings which they have in the contempla- tion of it — Behold how David expresses, 1. His delight in it — [All the pious amongst the Israelites would find some reason to be pleased and delighted with the portion that was assigned them. To some their proximity to the sea would be a matter of joy ; to oth…
793 wordsSECTION 7678 Psalms, Xvi. 8—11. [514.
To those who possess not this portion, I will " give a word of counsel" in the name of the Lord — [Survey the portion of the worldling, and see how empty it is. Look back on all that thou hast enjoyed, and see how little solid comfort it has afforded Then survey " the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Thi…
547 wordsSECTION 77Dxiv.
Christ's resurrection and glory. Ps. xvi. 8 — 11. I have set the Lord always before me : because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth : my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou toilt not leave my soul in hell; neither loilt thou sufl'er thine Holy One t…
516 wordsSECTION 7880 Psalms, Xvl 8—11. [514.
to create in his mind desponding fears : but his confidence in an almighty Protector kept him steadfast ''; and determined him to preserve an undaunted spirit, however great or multi- plied his trials might be'. Paul also, in the view of certain and accumulated troubles, covdd say, " None of these things move me'^…
670 wordsSECTION 7982 Psalms, Xvii. 15. [515
Such too are the delightful prospects of all his saints — [They see, in the death and resurrection of Christ, the way to heaven opened : and, if they look to him as the resur- rection and the life'^, a fulness and perpetuity of joy awaits them also at their departure hence. Who can conceive what happiness they wi…
329 wordsSECTION 80515.] The Man Of God. 8S
Ps. xvii. 15. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness : I shall he satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. IN respect of outward appearance, there is but little difference between " the man of God/' and " the men of this world" But, in their inward principle, they are as far asunder as light from da…
685 wordsSECTION 8184 Psalms, Xvil 15. [515.
g2 will he possess all the glory and felicity of heaven. Could we but follow him into the presence of his God, and behold him in the full enjoyment of all that he here desired and pursued, methinks we should every one of us adopt the Psalmist's deter- mination, and say, " As for me, this shall be my one desire, m…
444 wordsSECTION 82God The All-Sufficient Portion Of His People.
Ps. xviii. 1 — 3. I to ill love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer ; my God, my strength, in tvhom I will trust ; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is ivorthy to he praised : so shall 7 be saved froyn mine enem…
336 wordsSECTION 8386 Psalms, Xviii. 1—3. [516.
And if he, from a sense of temporal mercies, was so inflamed with love to God, what should not we feel towards our incarnate God, the Lord Jesus Christ, in a review of all the wonders of Redeeming Love ? [View the Saviour in his personal excellencies ; and then say what should be our feelings towards him View him…
415 wordsSECTION 84516.J God The All-Sufficient Portion Of His People. 87
me), and the horn of my salvation (by whom I thrust down all my enemies), and my high tower." And shall not we, who have so much stronger enemies to contend with, acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as standing in all these relations to us for our salvation ? [Yes, in truth, long since had our great adversary the …
442 wordsSECTION 8588 Psalms, Xviii. 1—3. [516.
the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me : say unto my soul, I am thy salvation ^" It was thus that he brought down succour from on high, in every time of need. And it is in the same way that we must obtain help of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Though his promises to us are so free and full,…
479 wordsSECTION 86Dxvii.
well fill me with alarm and terror." As for love to God, you know not what it means : and for confidence in him you have not the smallest ground : no, nor have you any access to him in the hour of necessity. Hence you are a prey to your ene- mies, and " are led captive by the devil at his will." Unhappy creatures …
399 wordsSECTION 8790 Psalms, Xviii. 23. [517.
me according to my righteousness ; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord ; and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judg- ments were before me ; and I did not put away his statutes from me. I was also upright before him, and I kept mysel…
376 wordsSECTION 88517.] Besetting Sins. 91
prone to indulge an inordinate desire of wealth : whilst those of the lowest rank are apt to yield to the unhallowed emotions of murmuring and discontent. When John the Baptist saw persons of different vocations coming to his baptism, he parti- cularly adverted to their respective occupations, to guard them agains…
475 wordsSECTION 8992 Psalms, Xviii. 23. [517.
away an evil to which we have been long accustomed. A man that has long yielded to fretfulness and impatience will never want occasions whereon to shew the irritability of his mind. A person who has given way to impurity, will contract such a propensity to the indvxlgence of it, that his very " eyes will be full o…
422 wordsSECTION 90517.1 Besetting Sins. 93
called a conqueror, and values himself upon that as entitling him to the admiration of mankind. And the man who is, with insatiable avidity, amassing wealth, applauds himself as pru- dently providing for his family. And if a man's faults be too glaring to be turned into virtues, he will extenuate them under the na…
501 wordsSECTION 9194 Psalms, Xviii. 25, 26. [518.
our Lord i." I again say, its motions may still continue : but its power is broken, and its reign destroyed ; so that he is no longer the bond-slave of Satan ; for " the truth has made him free : and he is free indeed ^"] That I may enforce this subject on your hearts and consciences, I declare before God and this…
362 wordsSECTION 92518.1 Equity Of The Divine Procedure. 95
Ps. xviii. 25, 26. With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself mei-ciful ; with an upright man thou zoilt shetv thyself up- right ; toith the pure thou ivilt sheio thyself ptire ; and with the f reward thou wilt shew thyself froward. IN the present dispensations of Providence, we may behold a far greater measure of e…
363 wordsSECTION 9396 Psalms, Xvi 11. 25, 26. [518.
him : you have not willmgly entertained the thought of him in your minds: you have, in effect, " said to hiui, Depart from me ; I desire not the knowledge of thy v^^ays." About his favour you have felt but little concern : nor has it been a matter of any importance in your eyes, whether he was pleased or displease…
512 wordsSECTION 94518.1 Equity Of The Divine Procedure. 97
be left for ever in your sins, and have no part with him to all eternity. The whole tenor of jour life has been to this effect, ' We will not have this man to reign over us : ' and therefore from him and his kingdom you shall be separated for ever."] 3. Towards your own souls — [You have not eared about them, or s…
453 wordsSECTION 9598 Psalms, Xviii. 25, 26. [518.
How, then, will God deal with you ? Do you repent of the evil you have done against me ? He will say : Then " I will repent of all the evil which I have thought to do against you''." Are you saying. How shall I appear before my God ? He will say, " How shall I give thee up, Eplu'aim? How shall I de- liver thee up,…
473 wordsSECTION 96518. "1 Equity Of The Divine Procedure. 99
[You have given up yourselves to God in a way of holy obedience ; and have encountered much, in order to approve your fidelity to him. To you, then, God will say, " You have been faithful over a few things: be ye rulers over many things." You acknowledged me as your Master : I acknow- ledge you as my servants. You…
497 wordsSECTION 97Thanksgiving For Any Great Deliverance.
Ps. xviii. 50. Great deMverance giveth he to his King : and sheweth mercy to his Anointed, to David, a7id to his seed for evermore. THE Psalm before us is also recorded in the Second Book of SamueP. There it stands, as it v^^as dravv^n up at first by David for his own immediate use : but here it is inserted, with…
339 wordsSECTION 98519.] Thanksgiving For Any Great Deliverance. 101
was cast at him ; and frequently did God in a visible manner interpose to keep him from falling into the hands of Saul. Once he was in the midst of Saul's army, and in the very same cave with Saul : and yet was preserved by God, so that neither Saul nor any of his soldiers could find it in their hearts to touch hi…
474 wordsSECTION 99102 Psalms, Xviii. 50. [519.
acquainted with grief ;" " nor was ever sorrow like unto his sorrow :" " his visage was marred more than any man's, and his form more than the sons of men." How justly it might be said of him, that " the sorrows of hell encompassed him," we learn from his history : " Now," says he, " is my soul sorrow- ful even un…
484 wordsSECTION 100519.] Thanksgiving For Any Great Deliverance. 103
But like many other passages of Scripture, the psahn admits also of an interpretation, which is,] 3. Spiritual, as it relates to the people of God in all ages — [The circumstance of its having been altered, and set apart for the use of the Church, shews, that, in substance, it exhibits the dealings of God with hi…
411 wordsSECTION 101104 Psalms, Xviii. 50. [519.
in darkness and the shadow of death : and the constant frame of our souls should be, " Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name be the praise ! " We may, indeed, without impropriety on some occasions say, as the Psalmist, " / have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them ; / have wounded them, that they…
780 wordsSECTION 102106 Psalms, Xix. 7—9. [520.
X ver. 25—27. y ver. 21—23. EXCELLENCY OF GOd's WORD. Ps. xix. 7^ — 9. The law of f lie Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple : the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart : the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes : the fear …
954 wordsSECTION 103108 Psalms, Xix. 7—9. [520.
As the different terms which we have considered i Rom. vii. 12. ^ Ps. cxix. ^Q>. 1 The author would be understood to speak this with diffidence, because he is not aware that any commentator has put this construc- tion on the words : but he considers any other interpretation as un- suitable to the context. Somethin…
745 wordsSECTION 104The Use And Benefit Of The Scriptures.
We may learn from hence, 1. Our privilege — [If it was the highest privilege of the Jews, that " to them were committed the oracles of God," much more are we distinguished, who have the writings of the New Testament superadded to those of the Old. Let us learn to estimate this privilege aright. Let us remember, t…
732 wordsSECTION 105The Use And Benefit Of The Scriptures.
But we will proceed to mark more distinctly, II. Their use — A variety of uses are mentioned in the preceding context : but the text comprehends them all under two particulars : 1. They warn us against much evil — [We could have had no conception of the deceitfulness and depravity of the heart, if God had not re…
266 wordsSECTION 106112 Psalms, Xix, 10, 11. [521.
danger, is set before us in living characters. We are enabled in the Scriptures to discern the track of the godly, and to see where all that have suffered shipwreck, have perished : so that, notwithstanding we are passing through an ocean filled with hidden rocks and shoals, yet, if we only attend to the buoys whi…
462 wordsSECTION 107Prayer Against Sins Of Infirmity And Presumption.
Ps. xix. 12, 13. Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep hack thy servant also from presumptuous sins ; let them not have dominion over me : then shall I he upright, and I shall he innocent from the great transgression. THE moral law, as revealed in the Scriptures, is a perfect tra…
387 wordsSECTION 108114 Psalms, Xix. 12, 13. [522.
But besides the guilt we have contracted through defect, consider that which has arisen fro77i deviatmns from the pre- cise Hne of duty which we should have followed. We may conceive of an arrow shot in the right line towards an object, though it fall short of the object itself: and so we may conceive of our attem…
494 wordsSECTION 109522.] Prayer Against Sinful Propensities. 115
of old "for the errors of the people^:" and in the atonement of Christ must we seek refuge from all which have been, however inadvertently, committed by us. This is strongly in- timated by the offerings which were appointed for all without exception, when they erred; but which differed according to the degree of c…
415 wordsSECTION 110116 Psalms, Xix. 12, 18. [522.
Redeemer : and that, as we shovdd live altogether by faith in him, so we should live altogether to his glory. Now, if we are habitually neglecting these duties, and living to ourselves and to the world, what is our life but one continued course of pre- sumptuous sin? 1 wish that the more moral, decent, and conscie…
480 wordsSECTION 111522.^ Prayer Against Sinful Propensities. 117
If not delivered from them in time, we shall suffer the punishment of them to all eternity — [How heinous they are in the sight of God may be known from hence ; that, though sacrifices were appointed for sins of mfirmity, none were prescribed for any presumptuous sin whatever : the offender was to be cut off witli…
454 wordsSECTION 112118 Psalms, Xx. 7. [523.
deceive yourselves by endeavouring to vindicate yourselves before God: for, whatever you may say to extenuate your guilt, your sins even of infirmity need forgiveness ; and your sins of presumption, if not repented of and forgiven, will plunge you into remediless and endless ruin.] 2. To improve the present moment…
307 wordsSECTION 113524.1 The Kingdom Of David And Of Christ. 119
Ps. XX. 7. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses : hut we will remember the name of the Lord our God. ASTONISHING is the success of united prayer : nor are any so situated as not to need the interces- sions of others. David, though so great and powerful, stood in need of them : and he here records the benefit…
345 wordsSECTION 114120 Psalms, Xxl 1—7. [524.
Ps. xxi. 1 — 7. The king shall joy in thy strength, 0 Lord; and in thy salvation hoiv greatly shall he rejoice ! Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness ; thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked …
443 wordsSECTION 115524.] The Kingdom Of David And Of Christ. 1521
grievous and accumulated, wrongs did he sustain ! Con- sider his conflicts also with the powers of darkness, and the terrors of his Father's wrath O what reason had he to rejoice in the termination of such sufferings, and to magnify his Father who had brought him in safety through them ! For tliis he had prayed; a…
512 wordsSECTION 116122 Psalms, Xxi. 1—7. [524.
a sweet savour"^." In a word, it is through his righteousness that forbearance and forgiveness were exercised from the be- ginning, just as they will be exercised even to the end : and all who were saved before liis advent are in that respect on the same level with those who have been saved since : there is but on…
493 wordsSECTION 117524.] The Kingdom Of David And Of Christ. 123
have received, from death to Hfe, from slaves to free-men, from children of the devil to sons of God, and not rejoice in it? Can we think of our having been made " kings and priests unto God," " heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ," yea, partners of his throne, and partakers of his glory for evermore ; can we…
563 wordsSECTION 118126 Psalms, Xxi. 7. [525,
«?gaT -(T _C^ Tf-Tr^ Tg- ^o"' XJIX. ^i^ 'Su- 525.] iSLW ■* XJ i>i « r*$: iuM' Ae IL L: r S £ki. ^. ■ 2 SaiL. XT. B'R. 1 ifil"— = "Tr* 33.3 IT. avixscxic. more may we hope that he wall respect those offered to him this day ! " The mercy of the Most High" has hitherto been signally manifested towards vi…
492 wordsSECTION 119Dxxvi.
our lord's complaint on the cross. Ps. xxii. 1. My God, my God, ivhy hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the tvords of my roaring ? THE prophecies relating to our Lord have not only declared what works he should do, and what sufferings he should endure, but even the very words th…
350 wordsSECTION 120128 Psalms, Xxii. 1. [526.
yet he must learn" the nature and the difficulty of "■ obedience (yea, and be made perfect too) through sufferings*"." Nor could he properly sympathize with us, which, as our great High-Priest, he ought to do, unless he himself should endure the very temptations, which we, in our measure, are called to sustain*^.]…
734 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical edition (1832-33); scan/OCR from Internet Archive.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.