PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Horae Homileticae — Volume 6 of 21
Simeon, Charles, 1759-1836 · 237,329 words · 495 reading sections
G69.1 Integrity. 195
integrity, should possess the Christian's mind. There are many things which will consist with what is called a sense of honour, which can never be admitted into the conduct of a real saint. The laws of honour have their origin from man: and as they derive their authority from man, so they have respect only to the …
510 wordsSECTION 182196 Psalms, Ci. 3. [669.
the labours to which, in the course of providence, they have been called, but to implore of God such a measure of spiritual strength as may enable them to combine the duties which they have been wont to separate : nor can we doubt, but that, if they be upright in heart, they shall have imparted to them grace suffi…
468 wordsSECTION 183670.] The Restoration Of The Jews. 197
unto us." It must be the one labour of our lives to be " sincere, and without offence, until the day of ChristV] Address — 1 . Mark well the beginnings of declension — [" Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith," says the Apostle : "prove your ownselves1." Let the first symp- toms of spiritual declension b…
272 wordsSECTION 184198 Psalms, Cii. 13—15. [670.
Ps. cii. 13 — 15. Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion : for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come : for thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof. So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. AMIDST all the personal afflic…
520 wordsSECTION 185The Restoration Of The Jews. 199
670.] [" Known unto God are all things from the foundation of the world:" and every thing that is " done, is done according to his determinate counsel and fore-knowledge g." The deli- verance of the Jews from Egypt was foretold to Abraham four hundred and thirty years before it took place ; and it was accomplishe…
437 wordsSECTION 186200 Psalms, Cii. 13—15. [670.
then that the approach of that blessed period is now evidently marked by, 1. The concern that is now felt for the Jewish people — [How many centuries have passed without any efforts made for their conversion to the faith of Christ ! They have been regarded by the Christian world as utterly unworthy of notice : o…
419 wordsSECTION 187670.1 The Restoration Of The Jews. 201
will yet be found, and that too at no distant period. At all events we have evidence enough to shew, that God is with us in our labours of love, and to assure us, that we shall not labour in vain, or run in vain. The very circumstance of so many heralds being stirred up to prepare their way, is a strong ground of …
458 wordsSECTION 188202 Psalms, Cii. 13—15. [670.
[See how deplorable is the present state of God's ancient people : compare it with the former periods of their history when they were so signally honoured with the presence of their God in the wilderness, and at Sinai, and in the days of David and Solomon Shall not the contrast fill you with pity and compassion ? …
506 wordsSECTION 189The Eternity And Immutability Of Christ.
Ps. cii. 25 — 28. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth ; and the heavens are the work of thy hands : they shall perish, but thou shalt endure ; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment : as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed : but thou art the same, and thy years shall ha…
380 wordsSECTION 190204 Psalms, Cii. 25—28. [671.
appointed season assumed our flesh at Bethlehem, was the eter- nal God; " his goings forth were of old, from everlasting5."] 2. His immutability — [The material creation is formed only as a theatre for the display of the Creator's glory: and, when it shall have answered its destined end, it will be destroyed by fi…
419 wordsSECTION 191Duty Of Praising God For His Mercies.
in his essence: and " of that word not one jot or tittle shall ever fail." " Never will he leave them; never, never will he forsake them." " He is able to keep them from falling;" and, " Of those whom the Father has given him will he lose none."] Improvement — Is there amongst you any tempted soul ? [Methinks som…
380 wordsSECTION 192206 Psalms, Ciii. 1—5. [672.
gations to God for past mercies, and no expectation of future blessings from him, we very much doubt : nor are we aware that God any where requires us so to divest ourselves of all the feelings of humanity, for the sake of engaging more entirely in the con- templation of his perfections. Nor indeed can we consent…
397 wordsSECTION 193672.1 Duty Of Praising God For His Mercies. 207
Let us but contemplate this, and the smallest mercy we enjoy will appear exceeding great ; yea, any thing short of hell will be esteemed a mercy b.] 2. The richness and variety — [The psalm primarily relates to David's recovery from some heavy disorder : and the terms wherein he expresses his grati- tude are prec…
508 wordsSECTION 194208 Psalms, Ciii. 1—5. [672.
3. The constancy and continuance — [See how triumphantly the Psalmist dwells on this e ; and let us compare our experience with his. Has not God made us also the objects of his providential care, by day and by night, from the earliest period of our existence to this present moment ? Has he not also renewed to us e…
419 wordsSECTION 195673.] The Goodness Of God. 209
[Praise is not a service of the lip and knee, but of the warmest affections of the soul. The " soul, and all that is within you," should be exercised in this blessed work. As you are to " love God with all your heart, and mind, and soul, and strength," so also you are to bless him with all your faculties and power…
341 wordsSECTION 196210 Psalms, Ciii. 8—13. [673.
Ps. ciii. 8 — 13. The Lord is merciful and gracious, sloiv to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide ; neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy to…
486 wordsSECTION 197073.1 The Goodness Of God. 211
Not to dwell on general views of his goodness, let us consider it, II. Particularly as it manifests itself towards us — It is here more minutely delineated : 1. In reference to his patience — [God will " chide" his people for their sins; nor would he act worthy of himself, if he did not manifest his displeasure …
496 wordsSECTION 198Perpetuity Of Gods Mercy.
Infer — 1. How base is it to sin against such a God! [Sin, of whatever kind, is really directed against him1'. And shall it appear a light matter to us to offend such a God? See this argument urged by Ezrac; and let every temptation be repelled with this indignant expression, How shall I do this great wickedness,…
384 wordsSECTION 199674. J Perpetuity Of Gods Mercy. 213
I. The character of God's people — In general terms they are represented as " fearing God." This of itself would be sufficient to distinguish them from all other people, more especially as it marks " the spirit of their minds." A humble sense of his presence, a dread of doing any thing contrary to his will, and a…
396 wordsSECTION 200214 Psalms, Ciii. 15—18. [674.
[It was " but yesterday" that we grew up ; and to-morrow " our place will no more be found." If suffered to continue for a while, we are only ripening for the scythe ; but a burning sun, or blasting wind, may cut short our existence in an hourd. And when once the flower of the grass is withered, all remem- brance …
511 wordsSECTION 201The Duty Of Praising God.
the glory of our salvation, and to ascribe all to the operation of his sovereign grace, since, whatever may be said of God's decrees, it is an infallible truth, that " without holiness no man shall see the Lord."] Let us learn from hence, 1. In what light we should view our present state of existence— [We should…
392 wordsSECTION 202216 Psalms, Civ. 33, 34. [675.
From the words before us, we may learn, I. What was the frame of David's mind — 1. It was a frame most becoming — [Such was the frame of man when he came out of his Creator's hands : and such to this hour would it have continued, if he had not sinned. " Praise is comely for the upright3;" and " it becometh well t…
474 wordsSECTION 203675.] The Duty Of Praising God. 217
fields shall yield no meat ; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls ; yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation6."] Nor need, we despair of resembling David. ; since he points out, in our text, II. The way in which it may be attained — As he …
480 wordsSECTION 204The Christian'S Desire.
Thus walking in the light of his countenance here, you shall have an earnest and a foretaste of your heavenly bliss.] Application — [I beseech you, Brethren, live not so far below your pri- vileges as Christians in general are wont to live. How much happier might you be, if you lived near to God in the con- templ…
710 wordsSECTION 205220 Psalms, Cvi. 10—12. [677.
Nor can we please God more than by pleading with him after David's example — [There is nothing so great, but we may freely ask it at the hands of God. Nor is there any thing so peculiar to the c Deut. xxxiii. 29. d Ps. xvii. 14. and lxxiii. 7. e Isai. lv. 2. f Prov. viii. 18. e 1 Pet. i. 6. h 1 Pet. i. 8. I Rom. …
402 wordsSECTION 206677.1 Effects Produced By National Mercies. 221
Ps. cvi. 10 — 12. He saved them from the hand of him thai hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. And the waters covered their enemies : there was not one of them left. Then believed they his words; they sang his praises. GRATITUDE for mercies received is a duty uni- versally approved. Every one …
470 wordsSECTION 207Psalms, Cvx 21—23. [678.
i refrain from praising him who had wrought their deliverance ; the most obdurate could not hut feel ; the most insensible could not but admire. Happy would it have been for them if they had always continued in this mind ; but though, through frailty, they soon relinquished this heavenly temper, the effect, while…
352 wordsSECTION 208678. J The Evil And Danger Of Ingratitude. 223
Ps. cvi. 21 — 23. They f org at God their Saviour, which had done great things in Egypt ; wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red Sea. Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them…
471 wordsSECTION 209224 Psalms, Cvi. 21—23. [678.
for kings and all that are in authority. Yea, even in Babylon, were the Jews taught to pray for the peace and prosperity of their very oppressors: how much more then should we inter- cede for our native country, where we enjoy every liberty that we can desire ! Let it not be said, that our governors do not deserve…
465 wordsSECTION 210The Zeal Of Phinehas Commended.
Ps. cvi. 30. Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment ; and so the plague was staged3-. TO enter profitably into this subject, it will be necessary that I state, in few words, the history to which my text refers. Balaam had been invited by Balak, King of Moab, to come and curse Israel, whose approach he drea…
344 wordsSECTION 211226 Psalms, Cvi. 30. [679.
before the Lord against the sun." In this way one thousand more were slain. Yet behold, whilst ven- geance was thus executing upon the offenders, a prince of one of the tribes brought a Midianitish princess, in the very sight of Moses and of the whole congregation, to his tent, defying, as it were, the indignatio…
663 wordsSECTION 212228 Psalms, Cvl 30. [679.
II. The excellence of it as displayed in the history before us. To view his conduct aright, we must consider him as performing a magisterial act of piety towards man, and a ministerial act of piety towards God ; in both which points of view it is highly commended to us by God himself. See it as a magisterial act…
441 wordsSECTION 213679.1 The Zeal Of Phineiias Commended. 229
others might either say or do, he would approve himself to God as an active magistrate, and a con- scientious servant of the Most High. That he did not go forth as one who was not authorized to execute the laws, is evident from the commendation given to him both by God and man : and therefore he stands as a patte…
354 wordsSECTION 214230 Psalms, Cvi. 30. [679.
land, in the suppression of outrage, and in the dimi- nution of the terrors diffused through the whole country by reckless and desperate incendiaries. And I cannot but hope that the firmness manifested both by the civil and legal powers in our sister isle6, will be attended with a similar blessing from the Most H…
380 wordsSECTION 215679.] The Zeal Of Phinehas Commended. 231
merit for the children of Israel f." He was the presumptive heir to the high-priesthood : and with his own hand he here offered an atonement to his offended God, for whose honour he was deeply in- terested, and whose wrath he laboured to avert. In this so far as his zeal for God's honour was concerned, he is a pa…
372 wordsSECTION 216232 Psalms, Cvl 30. [079.
would be accounted " a troubler of our Israel/' and be condemned for his needless, his insufferable, pre- ciseness. But whence is this ? It is owing to the lukewarmness of the generality, and not to any undue energy in those who serve the Lord. Of all people under heaven, a minister of Christ is most bound to exe…
385 wordsSECTION 217679.1 The Zeal Of Phinehas Commended. 233
a day. But by means of this atonement we are em- powered both to arrest its progress, and to take away its guilt. And need I say, that such ministers are a blessing in the land ? Truly they are a blessing, and shall be accounted so as long as the world shall stand. What if, like Phinehas,they overstep the bounds …
374 wordsSECTION 218234 Psalms, Cvl 30. [679.
magisterial authority, and should find it promptly exerted for him when occasion requires. On the other hand, the magistrate, whose office is rather for the suppression of evil than the inculcation of good, needs the aid of ministers, for the effecting of an entire change in the sentiments and habits of the commu…
382 wordsSECTION 219Praise To God For His Mercies.
God be removed from us, in our individual capacity at least, if not collectively as a nation : and, at all events, his eternal judgments shall be averted from us, and all the blessings of his covenant be our ever- lasting portion. This is the plague which, after all, we are most interested in removing, even " the …
345 wordsSECTION 220236 Psalms, Cvi. 48. [680.
against his vicegerents, their worshipping of the molten calf, their contempt of the Promised Land, their joining with the Moabites and Midianites in the worship of Baal-peor, their quarrelling with Moses at Kadesh ; and, finally, their incor- porating themselves with the Canaanites, and imitating their idolatrous…
426 wordsSECTION 221680.1 Praise To God For His Mercies. 237
[Were our sins noted in a book, as theirs are, we should be found to have been as perverse and obstinate as they. In truth, their history is a mirror, wherein the countenance of the whole Christian world shines as clearly as the sun at noon-day. They are the very prototype, to which we are perfectly conformed; yes…
449 wordsSECTION 222Psalms, Cvii. 1
[681. and fear and evil habits : it is impossible you should. But, if once you obtain reconciliation with God, and, " by a spirit of adoption, are enabled to call him Father," then will your mouth be opened to sing his praise ; and you will desire that every child of man should join with you in that blest employme…
320 wordsSECTION 223681. J Praise To God For Redemption. 239
Ps. cvii. 1 — 3. 0 give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy ; and gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the ivest, from the north, and from the south. THE intent of this psalm …
494 wordsSECTION 224240 Psalms, Cvii. 1—3. [681.
how it wrought in due time, in sending that Saviour into the world, even the eternal Son of God, and in laying all our ini- quities on him. Think how it has shewn itself to every individual amongst us, in bearing with all our iniquities, and in following us with offers of a free and full salvation. Think how it has…
439 wordsSECTION 225681.] Praise To God For Redemption. 241
blessing which your souls can desire : and ye shall finally possess all the glory and felicity of heaven. Think now what, in the view of these things, should be the state of your minds. If those who have never yet experienced one of these benefits, have yet abundant reason to celebrate the goodness and mercy of th…
424 wordsSECTION 226The Duty And Grounds Of Praise.
[682. Ps. cvii. 8, 9. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men ! for he satisjieth the longing sold, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. AMONG the various graces which characterize the true Christian, that of gratitude to God is very con- spicu…
335 wordsSECTION 227682.1 The Duty And Grounds Of Praise. 213
a more sublime idea of this employment, than those by which David describes its effects upon the soulc In this view- he strongly recommends it to us, and we may also recommend it to each other, as "good, pleasant, and comely11" It is a duty which we owe to God. There is not any precept in the Bible more plain than…
485 wordsSECTION 228244 Psalms, Cvil 8, 9. [682.
There is nothing that may not in some view or other be made a ground of praise and thanksgiving. In the text we are led to notice, 1. Those which are general — [The goodness of God, as manifested in the wonderful dis- pensations of his providence, is that which first offers itself to our consideration. How bounti…
476 wordsSECTION 229682.1 Tiie Duty And Grounds Of Praise. 245
And should we not praise him for these? If we are silent on subjects like these, verily our mouths will be shut in the day that our ingratitude shall be punished by our indignant God.] 2. Those which are more particularly specified as vouchsafed to " the longing and hungry soul" — [Under the image of a weary trave…
472 wordsSECTION 230248 Psalms, Cvil 43. [683.
his God, and to join in those celestial anthems for which he had not the smallest taste ? No : we must begin on earth the work we are to carry on in heaven : nor can we hope to participate the felicity of the saints, if we have not first cultivated their disposition, and found delight in their employment.] 2. Thos…
292 wordsSECTION 231Dclxxxiii.
god's love seen in all his dispensations. Ps. cvii. 43. Whoso is wise and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving -kindness of the Lord. TO know God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent, is the highest privilege and perfection of man. This attainment, infinitely beyond all others, consti- t…
497 wordsSECTION 232248 Psalms, Cvii. 43. [683.
must ascribe nothing to chance, and nothing to the creature, except as an instrument in the hands of God. If the folly or malignity of man injure us, or the wisdom or benevolence of man repair the injury, we must look through the second causes, and fix our eyes on God, as the first great Cause of all. If we see no…
932 wordsSECTION 233250 Psalms, Cx. 1—7. [684.
1. View the hand of God in every thing — b Jam. v. 11. [Things may be called great or small by comparison ; but, in fact, there is nothing small, when considered in relation to the possible events which may spring from it. The opening of the book precisely in the place where the services of Mordecai to Ahasuerus …
405 wordsSECTION 234684.] The Person And Offices Of Christ. 251
Ps. ex. 1 — 7. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until L make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion : rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the mo…
474 wordsSECTION 235Psalms, Cx. 1—7.
[684. freely give us all things3?" What argument would it be to say, " He that gave us a creature, how shall he not also give us himself, and all the glory of heaven ? " But if Christ be God, equal with the Father, then is the argument clear, obvious, and unanswerable.] In the psalm before us the divinity of Chri…
503 wordsSECTION 236684.] The Person And Offices Of Christ. 253
The Psalmist now addressing himself to the Mes- siah, proclaims to him the success that should attend him in the execution of, II. His offices — The second and third verses may undoubtedly be applied to his regal office, because they speak of his " ruling in the midst of his enemies :" but, if we con- sider how …
435 wordsSECTION 237254 Psalms, Cx. 1—7. [684.
The numbers that shall thus be converted to the Lord exceed all calculation or conception. As the drops of " dew" issuing from " the womb of the morning," so will be the progeny that shall be born to him, innumerable : there may be but " an handful of corn cast on the top of the mountains ; but yet shall the fruit…
503 wordsSECTION 238The Person And Offices Of Christ. 255
684.] [Melchizedec, though a priest, was a king also, and one that was most eminently fitted to typify the Saviour, being " king of righteousness and peace1." Thus was Christ not a priest only, but "a priest upon his throne s." Being now exalted to the right hand of God, he " sitteth there, till all his enemies b…
513 wordsSECTION 239256 Psalms, Cxi. 2. [685.
Do you farther look to him as your King, desiring him to bring, not your actions only, but " your every thought, into captivity " to his sacred will ? This is the test whereby you are to try the state of your souls before God ; for according to your experience of these things will be your sentence in the day of ju…
378 wordsSECTION 240685.] The Great Work Of Redemption. 257
Ps. cxi. 2. The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. THIS psalm is one of those appointed by our Church for Easter Day : for which it is sufficiently appropriate, in that it celebrates that redemption of God's people from Egypt, which was typical of the redemption wrough…
426 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical edition (1832-33); scan/OCR from Internet Archive.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.