PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Horae Homileticae — Volume 8 of 21
Simeon, Charles, 1759-1836 · 282,151 words · 604 reading sections
250 Isaiah, Xlix. 8—10. [951,
world ;" that, by believing in Him, they might regain all that they had lost in the first Adam, and all of which sin and Satan had despoiled them. Holiness was the possession, and heaven the heritage of man, whilst he retained his innocence : but he lost them ; and must be restored to them by the Lord Jesus Christ…
473 wordsSECTION 242951.1 Tiie Greatness Of Christs Salvation. ~57
beholding Christ as their Covenant-head and Surety, shall obtain an interest in the covenant which he has ratified, even in the covenant which is " ordered in all things and sure." A blessed day will that be ! Methinks the whole creation is groaning and travelling in pain for its arrival. The deliverance from Baby…
343 wordsSECTION 243258 Isaiah, Xlix. 8—10. [951.
" pasturage," even on the summit of the most barren " moun- tains." " A feast of fat things has he provided for us1 ; yea, and has " spread a table for us in the presence of our enemies"1." " The meek therefore may rest assured that they shall eat and be satisfied":" "their souls shall be satisfied, as with marrow…
669 wordsSECTION 2442()0 Isaiah, Xlix. 14—16. [952.
death and hell ? But I am happy to declare, that " now is an accepted time, and a day of salvation," to all who will "lay hold on the covenant" of grace, and embrace Christ as he is offered in the Gospel. And why should it not be an accepted time to you, my Brethren, as well as unto God ? Is there any other time b…
307 wordsSECTION 245God Will Not Forget His People.
Isai. xlix. 14 — 16. But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget : yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands ; thy ivalls are c…
273 wordsSECTION 246952.] God Will Not Forget His People. 2G1
a further ground for the complaint, that she is for- saken and forgotten of her God. St. Paul, aware that there was in appearance some reason for such an ap- prehension, states the question, " Has God cast off his people?" and then, hy an appeal to fact, he esta- blishes the truth which is asserted in our text, in…
443 wordsSECTION 247262 Isaiah, Xlix. 14—16. [952.
moisture is turned into the drought of summer1"." That " iniquities will separate between us and our God, and cause him to hide his face from us," is certain &: but we are not therefore to conclude, that he has forsaken and forgotten us ; since, however he may " speak against us," as with the voice of an enemy, " …
479 wordsSECTION 248952.] God Will Not Forget His Peotle. 263
hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us ? We looked for peace, and there is no good ; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble. We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers ; for we have sinned against thee. Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake ; do not disgrace the t…
498 wordsSECTION 249264 Isaiah, Xlix. 14—16. [952.
their distresses arise. Their apprehensions about God have the same effect on them as if they were founded in truth : and it often happens, that a man's whole life is embittered by fears, which the restoration of bodily health would remove at once. It seems probable that David, whose experience, under all the dive…
456 wordsSECTION 250952.] God Will Not Forget His People. 265
mother turn her back upon her sucking infant, and forget to administer to its necessities, when even her bodily feelings, no less than the tender emotions of her mind, must interest her deeply in supplying its wants. Rare as are instances of a mother being entirely destitute of natural affection, some have been fo…
504 wordsSECTION 251266 Isaiah, Xlix. 14—16. [952.
behold the entire building of his Church comjjlete in all its parts, not a stone wanting, or out of the place ordained for it ; yea, he sees also every individual stone formed and fashioned accord- ing to his sovereign will, and fitted perfectly for the situation which in his eternal counsels he has appointed it to…
486 wordsSECTION 252953.] Promised Increase Of The Church. 267
not always strive with us" in this manner : the time is coming when he will requite us according to our deeds, and turn a deaf ear to all our entreaties q? O that we may be wise in time, and improve aright " this day of our salvation1!"] 2. Those who think they are forsaken and forgot- ten of God — [This may be t…
405 wordsSECTION 253268 Isaiah, Xlix. 18 -23. [953.
Isai. xlix. 18 — 23. Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold : all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I lire, saith the Lord, Thou shall surely clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, and bind them on thee as a bride doetk. For thy tvaste and thy desolate places, and, the land of thy …
486 wordsSECTION 254953.] Promised Increase Of The Church. 2G9
In the passage before us, there is a prophecy re- lating to the future state of the Church : in discoursing upon which we shall notice, I. The promised increase of the Church — In the verse preceding our text, the substance of the promise is contained a : and in our text itself, its accomplishment is represented …
444 wordsSECTION 255270 Isaiah, Xlix. 18—23. [953.
2. In honour — [It is not the poor only that shall devote themselves to God in that day, but the rich also. Hitherto " not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble have been called8:" but then it shall not be so: for all the great and mighty of the earth " shall bring their sons in their arms…
446 wordsSECTION 256953.] Promised Increase Of The Church. 271
accomplished. But God has taken the matter into his own hand; and has said "I will do it; /will lift up my hand to the Gentiles." And, if God will work, who shall let it? It is worthy of remark, that St. Paul himself grounds his as- sured expectation of these events on this very consideration of God's almighty pow…
469 wordsSECTION 257272 Isaiah, Xlix. 18—23. [953.
all these gather themselves together, and come to thee." Since the apostolic age, there has been no period like the present p; all nations making peace in the spirit of peace ; and societies of every kind combining, not in this land only, but in foreign lands also, to translate the Scriptures into all languages, an…
455 wordsSECTION 258954.] Desponding Fears Removed. 273
[God works by means: and it is by a blessing upon our efforts that he will accomplish his own gracious purposes. In this view, the answer which he gives to the petitions of his Church on this subject is very remarkable. The Church, in terms the most appropriate that can be imagined, entreats him to arise and execu…
360 wordsSECTION 259274 Isaiah, Xlix. 24— 26. [954.
Isai. xlix. 24 — 26. Shall the prey be taken from the might)/, or the lawful captive delivered? But tints saith the Lord, Even the captives of the might]/ shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered : for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee : and I will save thy children. And…
503 wordsSECTION 260954.] Desponding Fears Removed. * ' »
2. Their desert — [It is not their misfortune merely, but their fault, that they are in this sad bondage : they have " sold themselves to it by their iniquities'1:" as Esau bartered away his rights of pri- mogeniture for a mess of pottage6, so have they their liberty. They have chosen the gratifications of the fle…
461 wordsSECTION 261276 Isaiah, Xlix. 24—26. [954.
death utterly destroyed him," " and delivered from his power millions whom he had held in the most cruel bondage0." In his resurrection and ascension " he led captive," as it were at his chariot wheels, this malignant foe0 ; and has left his people nothing but to triumph over a vanquished enemy q. Here then is God…
457 wordsSECTION 262954. J Desponding Fears Removed. 27"?
never be right for persons, corrupt as we are, to presume upon salvation, as though it were a blessing easy to be attained. We are in a state of bondage to sin and Satan (To this our whole lives bear witness.) The power of our adversary is such as no human being has within himself an ability to with- stand (His vi…
503 wordsSECTION 263Dcccclv.
fully understood, but by experience. Those who have never known it by experience, are ready to imagine, that a deep sense of guilt and helplessness will produce discouragement ; and that an assured confidence in God will foster pride. But, if both be combined, as they ought to be, in our hearts, we shall possess t…
730 wordsSECTION 264280 Isaiah, L. 5—9. [955.
But besides the scourging, and plucking off his hair, we are told, They spat in his face ; " He hid not his face from shame and spitting." Now in Eastern countries it is deemed an insult even to spit upon the ground in the presence of another: what then must it be to spit in his face ? If a person would be so degr…
655 wordsSECTION 265280 Isaiah, L. 5—9. [955.
II. His supports — In the whole of his Mediatorial work he acted as the servant of the Father" ; in whom he confided, and hy whom he was assured of, 1. Effectual succour — [The Father had promised to uphold him under all his sufferings0 and on this promise he relied. Behold, how repeatedly, and with what assuran…
421 wordsSECTION 266282 Isaiah, L. 5—9. [955.
the world. All this he foresaw ; and the foresight of it enabled him to sustain the accumulated load of all his sufferings. He foresaw that his enemies would all " wax old as a garment, and that the very moth should eat them up ;" whilst he and his cause should live for ever. And what now is become of the chief pr…
491 wordsSECTION 267A Word In Season.
same holy confidence in our God. This is assuredly both our duty and our privilege1; and \vc may comfort ourselves with this reflection, that, " if we suffer with him, we shall also be glorified together."] 1 Rom. viii. 33 — 39. Mark the peculiar correspondence of this passage with the text, both in spirit and exp…
361 wordsSECTION 268284 Isaiah, L. 10, 11. [956.
voice, they are in darkness and have no light;" at least, their hope is so faint and glimmering, that it scarcely affords them any support at all. If we were not able to assign any reason for the divine conduct in this particular, it would be quite sufficient for us to know, that God never suffers his people to be…
436 wordsSECTION 269956.] * Word In Season. 285
few'1: and so persuaded are they, for the most part, of the happy issue of their conduct, that they will scarcely listen to any thing which may be spoken to undeceive them. But, how numerous or confident soever they may be, their state is widely different from what they apprehend.] To them God addresses a most sol…
458 wordsSECTION 270Consolation For The Afflicted.
2. To obey God's word is our truest happiness — [We cannot have a more unfavourable picture of religion, nor a more favourable view of a carnal state, than in the text : yet who would hesitate which state to prefer? Who would not rather be " altogether such as Paul," notwithstanding his chain, than be like Festus …
393 wordsSECTION 271957.] Consolation For The Afflicted. 287
or affliction. To obtain the consolation which the text is suited to convey, it will be proper to consider, I. What God has done for us already — The description given of God's people is sufficiently appropriate, and will distinguish them from all other people upon earth. They " seek" the favour of " the Lord," a…
395 wordsSECTION 272288 Isaiah, Li. 1—3. [957.
As the Church at large, so every individual member of it may be in very afflictive circumstances — [The Jews were reduced to the greatest distress during their captivity in Babylon ; and their once fertile country was become a wilderness ; nor could they remember Zion but with deep sorrow and regret. Thus the peop…
372 wordsSECTION 273957.1 Consolation For The Afflicted. 289
same in his choice of us ? Why did he hew us out of the quarry, while such a mass of stone, equally fit for his purpose, was left behind? Why did he "form us into vessels of ho- nour," while so much of the very " same lump was left to form vessels of dishonour?" Who shall deny the fact that such a selection has be…
488 wordsSECTION 274A Dissuasive From The Fear Of Man.
Application — Let us hearken to the advice given us in the text: 1. Let us, both for our humiliation and comfort, review the dispensations of God's providence and grace towards us . . . 2. Let us, under our heaviest trials, look forward to the season when God's promises shall receive their final accomplishment .…
288 wordsSECTION 275958.] A- Dissuasive From The Fear Of Man. 291
[Had it been intimated, that persons professing religion and at the same time dishonouring it by their conduct, would be objects of reproach, it would have been nothing but what we might reasonably expect ; because hypocrisy is more de- testable than even the most flagrant vice : but that persons " in whose heart …
438 wordsSECTION 276292 Isaiah, Li. 7, 8. [958.
II. The advice here given in reference to it — Here let us notice, 1. The advice itself — [The human mind naturally shrinks back from revilings and reproach : and well it may, when any thing really dis- graceful is imputed to us. Such a regard to the opinions of men, so far from being wrong, is truly amiable and …
477 wordsSECTION 277958.1 A Dissuasive From The Fear Of Man. 293
peace and joy the souls of the weary and heavy-laden. And, whilst the Gospel itself continues unchanged, what is now the state of those who once suffered reproach for the Gospel's sake? Are they the less happy on account of what they once endured? or do they now regret that they exposed themselves to igno- miny an…
459 wordsSECTION 278The Church Pleading With God.
peace with usk," and even become a witness for us against those who yet load us with their reproaches1. But, however this may be, man's judgment is but for a daym; and then the Lord's time will come, and our righteousness will shine forth as the noon-day11. Be contented then to follow your Divine Master, and to be…
352 wordsSECTION 279959.] The Church Tleading With God. 295
Heaven addressing us in such terms of grace and mercy. But his ancient people, listening only to their own desponding fears, complained, as it were, of him, as if he had become regardless of their cries, and in- different to their welfare. This was not well. Yet as, on the whole, their importunity was pleasing unt…
400 wordsSECTION 280296 Isaiah, Li. 9, 10. [959.
also at this very hour. Hence they, both in Babylon and in their present dispersion, are represented as reminding God of his former mercies, and as urgently imploring at his hands a renewal of them. And, no doubt, a repetition of these mercies, or of deliverances equivalent to them, shall yet take place in their b…
448 wordsSECTION 281959.] The Church Pleading With God. 297
ever done for the salvation of the world : and if we did but call to mind the mercies with which we have been daily loaded from our youth up to this present moment, we never should want memorials of God's love to us, or grounds for encouragement under the most afflictive dispensations.] 2. That we should make them…
477 wordsSECTION 282298 Isaiah, Li. 9, 10. [959.
[It may be, your sins have been very great ; and you are ready to account yourselves so unworthy, that it is scarcely to be hoped that God should ever have mercy upon you. But bear in mind the sovereignty he exercised in the call of Abraham. Was he not an idolater, in the midst of an idolatrous people1? Yet did Go…
492 wordsSECTION 283960.1 Despondency Reproved. 299
making the very depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over. To you, then, he is now saying, " Come down into the very depths of the sea :" it is there that you shall see my wonders in your behalf. Be not frightened, " though the waves thereof roar:" for " when thou passest through the waters, I will be …
395 wordsSECTION 284300 Isaiah, Lii. 1—3. [960.
Isai. lii. 1 — 3. Awake, awake; put on thy strength, 0 Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, 0 Jerusalem, the holy city : for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncir- cumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem : loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O…
405 wordsSECTION 285960.] Despondency Reproved. 301
for ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight : for the Lord will go before you ; and the God of Israel will be your rere-warda." The promise, that " there should no more come into Jeru- salem the uncircumcised and the unclean," evidently directs our minds to a period yet future : for not only was Jerusalem…
467 wordsSECTION 286302 Isaiah, Lii. 1—3. [960.
inspired Apostle gives us: " Work out," says he, " your own salvation with fear and trembling ; for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure V The man with the withered hand is a fit example for us to follow. The command given him by our Lord was, " Stretch forth thine hand." He di…
470 wordsSECTION 287960.] Despondency Reproved. 303
wonderful than their deliverance from Egypt or from Babylon ; a way that shall leave no doubt, upon the minds of any, that the hand of the Lord hath done itg. To this the whole nation may look forward with confidence ; for " the mountains shall depart," saith God, " and the hills be removed ; but my kind- ness sha…
501 wordsSECTION 288The Nature Of The Gospel.
wings as eagles ; they shall run and not be weary ; they shall walk and not faint1." As for seeking to justify your despon- dency by any peculiarities in your state, it is all folly ; it is all impiety ; it is all a forgetfulness of God. " Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the laivful captive delivered ? …
338 wordsSECTION 289961. J Tiie Nature Of The Gospel. 30,>
[The Gospel supposes men to have offended God, and to be obnoxious to his everlasting displeasure. It further sup- poses that they have no way of conciliating the Divine favour, or of warding off the stroke of his indignation. Coming to men in this helpless and hopeless state, it publisheth tidings of peace and sa…
417 wordsSECTION 290306 Isaiah, Lil 7. [961.
Saviour, which is Christ the Lorde." As soon as ever the full effects of the Gospel came to be experienced, the converts, filled with every malignant temper just before, were filled with joy, and " ate their bread with gladness and singleness of heart, blessing and praising Godf." No sooner was the Gospel preached…
668 wordsSECTION 291308 Isaiah, Lii. 8. [962.
Isai. lii. 8. They shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall briny ayain Zion. EXCEEDINGLY strong and animated are the descriptions given us, in the prophetic writings, re- specting the return of the Jews from Babylon3 And in that event is God represented as to be pre- eminently glorified b. But we must not, in r…
557 wordsSECTION 292962.] The Saint'S Vision Of Ciikist. 309
[That event indeed, duly considered, would serve to throw light upon our redemption by Christ ; and more especially in the view in which it is foretold in the preceding context: " Thus saith the Lord : Ye have sold yourselves for nought ; and ye shall be redeemed without money B." And, as we shall see presently, i…
418 wordsSECTION 293310 Isaiah, Lii. 8. [962.
his character and mission, until the day of Pentecost : but when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them, then they saw him to be indeed " the Son of God, the Saviour of the world p." They had seen him, and conversed familiarly with him after his resurrection, for the space of forty days; and had now received the…
459 wordsSECTION 294962.] The Saint'S Vision Of Christ. 311
remarkable accomplishment. But without determining any thing respecting that, one thing is clear ; namely, there will be avast increase of light bestowed upon the Church in that day; insomuch, that " the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun sevenfold, in the day that the Lord…
508 wordsSECTION 295312 Isaiah, Lii. 13. [963.
his Holy Spirit, and, through his divine agency, impart to you that " knowledge of Christ in which alone consists eternal lifee."] 2. What effect has your knowledge of Christ pro- duced upon you? [From my text we may learn, that, in proportion as we see Christ " eye to eye," we may hope, both in our individual an…
266 wordsSECTION 296963.] Christ Rewarded For His Services. 3\'S
Isai. Iii. 13. Behold, my servant shall deal prudently , he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. IN the writings of Moses, the enjoyment of the land of Canaan was held forth as the great incentive to obedience ; and spiritual blessings were but obscurely intimated. But in the prophetic writings, the gr…
479 wordsSECTION 297314 Isaiah, Lii. 13. [963.
himself as sent by the Father, and as receiving a com- mandment from him. We must not, however, conceive from hence that he is only a creature ; for though in his official capacity he was inferior to the Father, in his own nature he was equal to the Father, as St. Paul tells us ; " He was in the form of God, and …
410 wordsSECTION 298963. J Christ Rewarded For His Services. 315
and at another time he told his disciples, that " the Father had appointed unto him a kingdom." Thus plain is it, that whether he executed the office of a prophet, priest, or king, he acted in the capacity of a servant. In the whole of his work he prospered. The text says, " My servant shall deal prudently ;" but…
358 wordsSECTION 299816 Isaiah, Lil 13. [963.
called : and such was the constraining power of his voice, that, without hesitation, they left all that they had, and followed him. And though he commanded his subjects to make no account even of their own lives when standing in competition with his will, and promised them nothing but poverty and persecution in t…
387 wordsSECTION 300963.] Christ Rewarded For His Services. 317
We might further illustrate his success by enume- rating the benefits which his mediation has procured : but as these constituted a part of that reward which was conferred on him, we shall wave the mention of them in this place, and proceed to consider, II. The recompence that was awarded him for his fidelity — …
358 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical edition (1832-33); scan/OCR from Internet Archive.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.