PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Horae Homileticae — Volume 5 of 21
Simeon, Charles, 1759-1836 · 242,250 words · 497 reading sections
3S2 Psalms, Xliii. 3, 4. [573.
Let us LEARN then, from this example of David, L The proper object of our ambition — [Crowns and kingdoms should not satisfy the Christian's ambition. He should seek to enjoy " God himself, even the living God," who has Hfe in himself, and is the one source of life to the whole creation. David, when driven from hi…
271 wordsSECTION 302Access To God In Ordinances.
Ps. xliii. 3, 4. O send out thy light and thy truth ! Let them lead me ; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy : yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God, my God. IT is supposed that David wrote both this and the preceding…
255 wordsSECTION 303573.1 Access To God In Ordinances. 333
joy," and there pay to God the vows which he had made : yes, and the harp which now hanged upon the willows should again be tuned, to sing with more devotion than ever the praises of his God. What he here promises, we find in another psalm he actually performed, as soon as the desired deliverance had been vouchsa…
423 wordsSECTION 304334 Psalms, Xliii. 3, 4. [573.
find acceptance with him, and be restored to that communion with him from which " we have been separated by our sins^."] But we should look still farther to, II. A life of entire devotedness to his service — David would offer on God's altar the sacrifices ap- pointed by the Law. But we have a richer offering than…
456 wordsSECTION 305Sources And Remedy Of Dejection.
who amongst us values God's ordinances as David did, and accounts the loss of them the most bitter ingredient even in the bitterest cup which he has to drink? And, in attending upon them, what coldness and formality do we too often feel! As for " our joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ," how faint is it, when…
388 wordsSECTION 306336 Psalms, Xliii. 5. [574.
deep called unto deep^/' to effect his ruin ; and it seemed as if all the powers of heaven and earth were combined against him. In complaining of these things, he sometimes expostulates with God, " Why hast thou forgotten me'?" but at other times he checks himself, and, as it were, reproves his soul for its disqu…
352 wordsSECTION 307574.1 Sources And Remedy Of Dejection. 337
1. Relapses into sin — [By far the greatest part of our sorrows originates here. A close and uniform walk with God is productive of peace: but declensions from him bring guilt upon the conscience, together with many other attendant evils. And if those professors of religion who complain so much of their doubts and…
428 wordsSECTION 308Sss Psa.Lms, Xliii. 5. [574.
the space of three thousand six hundred years is de- clared in the 11th chapter to the Hebrews ; toward the close of which, we are told what it enabled them to r/o", and what to suffer^. It was that which the Psalmist prescribed to himself as the cure of his disquietude : 1. '^ Hope in God"— [We are too apt in o…
465 wordsSECTION 309574.1 Sources And Remedy Of Dejection. 339
dwells in tliemy, and is, as it were, the very life of their souls ='. However distressed then we be, we should regard him as " the health of our countenance, and our God." What a foundation of hope did the remembrance of God's paternal relation to them afford to the Church of old=^! And what a sweet assurance doe…
479 wordsSECTION 310340 Psalms, Xlv. 3—5. [575.
rely, you need not fear though earth and hell should be com- bined agamst you^.] 2. Those who are entire strangers to disquietude and dejection — [We are far from congratulating you on your exemption from such feelings as these. On the contrary, we would pro- pose to you, in reference to that exemptio7i, the very…
299 wordsSECTION 311575.1 The Reign Of Christ Desired. 341
Ps xlv. 3 — 5. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, 0 most Mighty, ivith thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously , because of truth and meekness and righteous- ness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies; whereby the people …
459 wordsSECTION 312342 Psalms, Xly. 3—5. [575.
He beheld the Lord Jesus Christ as possessing in himself an excellency far beyond that of any created being: " Thou art fairer than the children of men." He saw that, both in the subject and manner of his ministrations, there was a grace which nothing could equal, and which God would honour with the most wonderful…
470 wordsSECTION 313575.] The Reign Of Christ Desired. 348
blished in the world. But, that I may open this to you the more fully, I wish you to mark, 1. Wherein that kingdom consists — [It is " in the cause of truth and meekness and righteous- ness" that the Saviour advances to the combat. The whole world is lying in darkness ; and he comes to dispel error from their min…
470 wordsSECTION 314544 Psalms, Xlv. 3—5. [57 5.
and " all the kingdoms of the world become the kmgdom of our God and his Christ." " Terrible things will God work," either in a way of mercy or of judgment. He has sworn, that " unto his Messiah every knee shall bow^." And every soul that bows not to the sceptre of his grace shall be " broken in pieces, as a potte…
483 wordsSECTION 315Benefits Attendant On Holiness.
It is from a view of God's " truth" that our " meekness" will be matured, and our " righteousness" be perfected : and when we are enabled to live altogether by faith in Christ, and in dependence on his promises, then shall we be enabled to " cleanse ourselves from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit, and to pe…
352 wordsSECTION 316346 Psalms, Xlv. 7. [576.
system of morality more pure and perfect than the united wis- dom of the whole world had been ever able to devise. In his life, "he was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners." Neither his friends who were most intimate with him, nor his enemies who were most inveterate against him, could ever find t…
458 wordsSECTION 317576-3 Benefits Attendant On Holiness. 347
The character of the true Christian is here most fitly drawn — [There are many unbelievers whose moral characters are unexceptionable : they abstain from open iniquity, and they perform many acts of righteousness. But the distinctive mark of the believer is, that " he loves righteousness and hates iniquity." He l…
477 wordsSECTION 318348 Psalms, Xlv. 10, 11. [577.
a payment of a debt. God has in numberless places assured his people, that " he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him," and that " it shall be well with the righteous, who shall eat the fruit of their doings *^."] Infer, 1. What a mercy is it to have such an example as Christ ! [If we entertain any doub…
370 wordsSECTION 319577. J Duty Of The Church As Married To Christ. 349
Ps. xlv. 10, 11. Hearken, 0 daughter, and consider, and in- cline thine ear ; forget also thine own people, and thy father s house. So shall the King greatly desire thy heauty : for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him. THE psalm before us is a kind of nuptial hymn ; the former part of which recites the excellenci…
433 wordsSECTION 320350 Psalms, Xlv. 10, 11. [577.
the companions of our unregenerate state must be forsaken^. Our very parents, yea, even life itself, must be hated, w^hen they stand in competition with him \ The change in our actions and affections must be entire''; and we must subscribe from our hearts the terms proposed to us'.] This injunction will not appear…
656 wordsSECTION 321352 Psalms, Xlv. 13—16. [578
z Matt. vi. 24. » Jam. iv. 4. ^ Prov. xxiii, 26. <= 1 Kings xviii. 21. ^ 2 Chron. xv. 12. ^ Ezek.xvi. 3,4,5,8, f Zech. iii. 3—5. Rev. xix. 7, 8. s 2 Pet. ii. 20. ^ This subject, and all others of a similar nature, must be treated with extreme care and delicacy. The passages from the book of Canti- cles are cited r…
779 wordsSECTION 322352 Psalms, Xlv. 13—16. [578
Suited to these qualities is, II. The felicity prepared for her — In due time " she shall be brought to the King's palace/' there to be united to him in indissoluble and everlasting bonds. Whilst she is here, she is to be employed in making herself ready — [In royal nuptials, much time was spent in preparing the…
290 wordsSECTION 323354 Psalms, Xlv. 13—16. [578.
[It was customary for a number of bridemaids to attend upon the bride, in order to welcome her to her destined home ^. Accordingly it is said, " The virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought with her to the King's palace." Even here, whenever any are united unto the Lord, many, both of saints and ang…
730 wordsSECTION 324354 Psalms, Xlv. 13—16. [578.
2. Those who profess to stand in the relation of his Spouse — [Look forward for the period when he will come and take you to himself. The precise hour of his arrival is not known : but it will not be very long, at all events. In the mean time, let your preparation for him be diligent and unintermitted. Seek to be…
261 wordsSECTION 325The River Of God.
build up a wall around you, that, if you should for a moment incline to follow after your former lovers , you may not be able to find your paths." If unhappily you have gone in pursuit of them , implore of God, that " you may never find them ; or, having found, may never overtake them :" or, if you have overtaken …
345 wordsSECTION 326579.] The River Of God. 357
that " there was shewn to him a pure river of water of Hfe, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb^." From God, as the primary cause of all good, and from the Lamb, who has " purchased the Church with his blood," and who is constituted " Head over all things to his Church," and has …
490 wordsSECTION 327358 Psalms, Xlvi. 4. [579,
this river as proceeding " from under the threshold of the sanctuary, and from the side of the altar,'' where the sacrifices were offered. Being brought to it by the heavenly messenger who had been sent to instruct him, he was made to pass through its waters, which, in the first instance, rose only " to his ankles…
487 wordsSECTION 328579.1 The River Of God. 359
with him, and exhausted all its virtue". Not a human being shall fail of obtaining all he needs, if only he apply the remedy in faith : " The fountain is opened for sin, and for unclean- nessP: and its powers are yet as eiTectual as on the day that David washed in it^, or the murderers of the Lord of glory sprinkl…
524 wordsSECTION 329360 Psalms, Xlvl 4. [579.
within himself, as it were, "a well of water springing up unto everlasting lifey." Such perfect satisfaction both to soul and body will these waters give, that all who drink of them will have a foretaste of heaven itself: " they draw water out of this fountain with inexpressible joy'':" "and they are abundantly sa…
637 wordsSECTION 330362 Psalms, Xlvii. 5—7. [580.
THE ascension OF CHRIST AN OCCASION FOR JOY. Ps. xlvii. 5 — 7. God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Si?ig praises to God, sing j^^dises : sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth : sing ye praises with understanding. IF we read the Psalms of David…
657 wordsSECTION 331362 Psalms, Xlvii. 5—7. [580.
^ Isai. liv. 5. "^1 Tim. ill. 16. ^ Rom. ix. 5. e Col. ii. 14, 15. " Eph. iv. 8. ' John xvi. 11. 580.] Christ's ascension an occasion for joy. 363 came, and am set down with my Father upon his throne ''." But farther, it is a fledge that he will give us the victory also over all our enemies ; He is constituted Hea…
523 wordsSECTION 332364 Psalms, Xlvii. 5—7. [580.
fully with the exhortation of the text, praise should be our one employment from day to day, and the very element in which we Uve. So far as our imperfect state will admit of it, the dispositions and habits of the heavenly hosts should be in such constant exercise with us, that earth should be the very fore- taste…
476 wordsSECTION 333Dlxxxi.
365 THE church's security IN GOD. Ps. xlviii. 12 — 14. Walk about Zion, and go round about her : tell the towers thereof: mark ye well her bulwarks; consider her palaces ; that ye may tell it to the generation folloiving. For this God is our God for ever and ever : He will he our guide even unto death. MEN read …
339 wordsSECTION 3343G6 Psalms, Xlviii. 12—14. [581.
1 . Of the Jewish Church — [This was founded on the purposes, the perfections, and the promises of God ; and from them were derived her strength and her security. In a season of great alarm and terror, the prophet being asked, " What shall we answer the messengers of the nation," who come to apprise us of the app…
680 wordsSECTION 3353G6 Psalms, Xlviii. 12—14. [581.
Were the Church to be destroyed, the whole plan of Re- demption, as devised by the Father, executed by the Son, and applied by the Spirit, would fail ; and the Lord Jesus Christ himself woidd be robbed of all his recompence and all his glory. But, whoever surveys " these towers," will know assuredly, that " Mount …
295 wordsSECTION 3363G8 Psalms, Xlviii. 12—14. [581.
they were constructed: and tliey defy all the assaults, whether of traitorous friends, or open foes. Then view her Liturgy. — Next to the Bible, it stands the wonder of the world. Never was there such a composition for the use of those who would worship God in spirit and in truth : and, whilst piety shall continue…
660 wordsSECTION 3373G8 Psalms, Xlviii. 12—14. [581.
2. Our expectations from him — ["He will be our guide even unto death." See how remarkably he guided Jehoshaphat on the occasion which we su]3pose to be more particularly referred to : he told Jehosha- phat where his enemies were, at what precise spot he should find them, and when he should go against them : twice…
811 wordsSECTION 338582.] The Folly Of Worldly Men. 371
y Ps. xlvi. 1—5. z 1 Pet. V. 7. ^ Ps. xci. 9, 10. ^ Isai. xxxiii. 20—22. in your own souls, and " God may dwell in you, whilst you thus dwell in him ! " For, if you thus " know in Whom you have believed, and that He is able to keep that which you have committed to him "," you cannot but be happy : since he has ex…
287 wordsSECTION 339B B 2
Ps. xlix. 13. This their way is their folly : yet their jyos- terity approve their sayings. IT is generally supposed that wisdom pertains chiefly, if not exclusively, to those who are profi- cients in arts and science : but learning and wisdom are by no means necessarily connected with each other: they may exist …
501 wordsSECTION 340582.] The Folly Of Worldly Men. 373
the Rich Man and Lazarus we behold the bitter consequences of living only to the flesh : the man who has his good things in this life, will want in the eternal world a drop of water to cool his tongue : " he will never see light," but be consigned over to the everlasting regions of darkness and despair «. We wonder…
429 wordsSECTION 341374 Psalms, Xlix. 13. [582.
and they speak well, who say, " Let us eat and drink, for to- morrow we die." But this world is a mere passage to a better; it is an inn, at which we sojourn for a night, in our way to a better comitry. A person tarrying only for a few hours is not greatly elated, if his accommodations be good ; nor greatly depres…
500 wordsSECTION 342582.1 The Folly Of Worldly Men. 375
[There is nothing urged with greater confidence to deter young - persons from a religious course, or to draw them back again to the world, than example. They are told from time to time what such and such persons do ; and can this be wrong ? But whoever they are who are proposed to us for examples, we have only one…
500 wordsSECTION 343The Degraded State Of Man.
" approved the sayings" of a blind ungodly world, instead of the infallible sayings of their God. This is the way to " walk not as fools, but as wise :" and, so walking, you shall surely ere long have the plaudit of your Judge, " Well done, good and faithful servants ! enter ye into the joy of your Lord."] Ps. xli…
353 wordsSECTION 344583.] The Degraded State Of Man. 377
though, after all, in ten thousand instances, instinct in them leaves him far behind, and enables them to discern and execute things without number which man with all his attainments can never reach. But it is in things relating to the soul that I am to speak of him : and in these he will be really found as stupid…
465 wordsSECTION 345378 Psalms, Xlix. 20. [583.
and all look to present gratifications, without any regard to the future. And what is the state of man, of every man, by nature, whether he be old or young, rich or poor, learned or unlearned ? Is not every one living for himself, and seeking the things of time and sense, rather than those which are apprehended on…
483 wordsSECTION 346583.1 The Degraded State Of Man. 379
that they, if God manifested it to them, might see that they themselves are beasts. For that which befalleth the sons of men, befalleth beasts ; even one thing befalleth them : as the one dieth, so dieth the other ; yea, they all have one breath : so that a man hath no pj-e-emijience above a beast : for all is van…
479 wordsSECTION 347380 Psalms, L. 7—15. [584.
neighbour accounts all this as folly : but the time is coming, and very shortly too, when it will be made to appear which of the two was really wise ] 2. Of what immense importance is the Gospel ! [It is the Gospel only that changes the hearts of men. Doubtless God may use anij means, or accomplish the conver- si…
262 wordsSECTION 348584.] Obedience Preferred Before Sacrifice. 381
Ps. \. 7 — 15. Hear, 0 my people, and I will speak ; 0 Israel, and I loill testify against thee; I am God, even thy God. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices, or thy hurnt-ojfer- ings, to have been continuaUy before me. I ivill take no bullock out of thy house, nor he-goats out of thy folds ; for every beast…
582 wordsSECTION 3493S2 Psalms, L. 7—15. [584.
of God, any farther than they are accompanied by vital piety — [On many occasions God declared his contempt for out- ward observances, in comparison of spiritual obedience : " I will have mercy, and not sacrifice:" " Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice ; and to hearken, than the fat of rams." By the Prophet …
482 wordsSECTION 350Obedience Preferred Before Sacrifice. 383
584.] audience were filled with indignation, which was visibly mani- fested in all their countenances, and which gave occasion to that exceedingly abrupt change in Stephen's address to them ; " Ye stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost : as your fathers did, so do ye*…
426 wordsSECTION 351384 Psalms, L. 7—15. [584.
are truly alive to God " We shall offer him the sacrifice of praise continually'"," and " render to him the calves of our lips"."] 2. Of willing service — [The Jews were, by the very covenant they had entered into at their circumcision, bound to consider themselves as "a holy people, a kingdom of priests :" and w…
483 wordsSECTION 352584.1 Obedience Preferred Before Sacrifice. 385
[It is not by negative virtues, no, nor by positive virtues of an external kind, that we are to judge of ourselves, but by the disposition of our minds towards God. We may be able to say with the Pharisee, " I am no extortioner, not unjust, no adulterer;" and may be able to add with him, "I fast twice in the week,…
452 wordsSECTION 353True Penitence Described.
Ps. li. 1 — 3. Have mercy upon me, 0 God, according to thy loving-kindiiess ; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions ! Wash me throughly from mine hiiquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknow- ledge my transgressions ; and my sin is ever before me. SIN is, for the most…
357 wordsSECTION 354585. J True Penitence Described. 387
should be retained in the book of God's remembrance, as a ground of procedure against liim in the hist day Thus will every true penitent come to God : and plunge, as it were, into the fountain of the Redeemer's blood, " the fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness " ] 2. His pleas — [Though David had, till the…
439 wordsSECTION 355388 Psalms, Li. 1—3. [585.
Address — 1. Those who are not conscious of having com- mitted any flagrant transgression — [Many, doubtless, are of this character. But have they, on that account, any reason to boast? Who is it that has kept them ? " Who is it that has made them to differ ? " Will they themselves deny that the seeds of all evil…
461 wordsSECTION 356Sin An Offence Against God.
kindletli." Walk humbly, then, before God ; and cry to him day and night, " Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not ! "] Ps. li. 4. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight; that thou mightest he justified ivhen thou sj)eakest, and he clear when thou judgest. THE …
347 wordsSECTION 357390 Psalms, Li. 4. [586.
who were slain ; against his own army, who were hereby weakened and discouraged ; against the whole nation, whose interests were hereby endangered ; against the Church of God, who were hereby scan- dalized ; and the ungodly world, who were hereby hardened in their iniquities. It was " a sin also against his whole…
388 wordsSECTION 358586.]] Sin An Offence Against God. 391
upon it. But in violating his commands, we trample on his authority, and say in effect, " I am at my own disposal : who is Lord over me^?" " Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice ? I know not the Lord ; neither will I obey his voice ^^ :" "I will not have this man to reign over me'\" We have a striking exe…
502 wordsSECTION 359392 Psalms, Li. 4. [586.
ivant of justice and of holiness shall be displayed before the whole assembled universe.] 5. A defiance of his power — [Men who commit iniquity are represented as " stretching out their hands against God, and strengthening themselves against the Almighty ; yea, as running upon him, even on his neck, upon the thic…
436 wordsSECTION 360Sin An Offence Against God. 393'
586.'] penal evil of damnation will not appear in the least to exceed the moral evil of sin, if we duly consider against whom sin is committed. Consider his greatness. " Great is the Lord," says the Psalmist, " yea, his greatness is unsearchable." If we could conceive the meanest reptile, or the smallest insect, …
514 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical edition (1832-33); scan/OCR from Internet Archive.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.