PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Horae Homileticae — Volume 10 of 21
Simeon, Charles, 1759-1836 · 271,947 words · 591 reading sections
64 Hose A, Vi. 6. [1156.
[A " knowledge of God," and a delight in the exercise of " mercy" to the bodies and the souls of men, renders us con- formable to the image of Christ: it constitutes our meetness for heaven, where both our knowledge and our love will be perfected. But the performance of ceremonies, as has already been shewn, is wo…
410 wordsSECTION 621156.] Mercy Before Sacrifice. 65
Brethren, what must be the consequence of defying God in this daring and contemptuous manner ? O, that you would lay it to heart, before it be too late !] 2. Those who are attentive to the form, but regard- less of the power, of religion — [To those of your description, our Lord said, " Go, and learn what that me…
387 wordsSECTION 63Our Transgressions Of The Covenant.
Hos. vi. 7. But they, like men, have transgressed the covenant. THE merciful nature of God's dispensations greatly aggravates our guilt in violating his commandments. The law indeed which he imposed upon the Jews was in some respects an intolerable burthen ; but in other points of view it was replete with love and…
300 wordsSECTION 641157.] Our Transgressions Of The Covenant. 67
The peculiar covenant under which the Jews were, is altogether abrogated : and, as we have never been under it, we, of course, have never transgressed it. But we have transgressed, 1 . The covenant of works — [Under this covenant all are by nature : we are burn under it : and it is as much in force against us at …
437 wordsSECTION 65G8 Hosea, Vi. 7. [1157.
3. The special covenants which we ourselves have individually made with God — [In our baptism we entered into covenant with God ; and engaged to " renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh." At other times also, either at our confirmati…
403 wordsSECTION 661157. J Our Transgressions Of The Covenant. G9
to the covenant made with him, all his seed, to the very end of time, were to live in him, or in him to die. In this view it must be confessed, that his motives to steadfastness were more powerful than any which can operate on us; unless indeed we balance a regard for the Saviour's glory against his concern for hi…
452 wordsSECTION 6770 Hosea, Vii. 2. [1158.
can we adduce one single instance of a real saint whom he has finally, and for ever, forsaken ? No : he may have left hypo- crites, to shew all that was in their hearts ; and may have punished his own people with a temporary suspension of his favours; but "he has sworn once by his holiness that he will not lie unt…
362 wordsSECTION 681158.]] Folly Of Inconsideration. 71
Hos. vii. 2. They consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness. IT is certain that many who have the Gospel dis- pensed to them continue ignorant of its very first principles, and " perish at last for lack of knowledge." But there are still more who destroy their own souls through inconsidera…
441 wordsSECTION 6972 Hosea, Vii. 2. [1158.
impressed on the minds of all, he even swears in confirmation of it; " The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works V] But plain and important as this truth is, men do not consider it — [No man is so ignorant as not to be acquainted with this truth. There are many …
475 wordsSECTION 701158. J Folly Of Inconsideration. 73
To counteract this prevailing thoughtlessness, we will endeavour to expose, II. The folly of it- Such inconsideration can be productive of no good, and must be attended with incalculable mischief to the soul — 1. It will not induce forgetfulness in God — [Amongst our fellow-creatures our conduct may have con- s…
406 wordsSECTION 7174 Hosea, Vii. 2. [1158.
close of every day call ourselves to an account how the day had been spent, and what God had recorded concerning us in the book of his remembrance, we should certainly abstain from many sins, which we now commit without thought or remorse. Even if the Sabbath alone tvere spent in this holy exercise, we should be k…
459 wordsSECTION 72Ways11."]
you could suppose them all to have been crowded into the space of one day, and yesterday to have been the day in which they were all committed, what a monster would you appear in your own eyes ! Yet, admitting the enormity of each sin to have been precisely such as it was at the moment of its com- mission, and suc…
507 wordsSECTION 73Causes And Symptoms Of Spiritual Decay.
in our chamber, and be still V Let us strive to keep a con- science void of offence, and to approve ourselves in all things to " Him, who searcheth the heart, and trieth the reins." Let it be our ambition, that on every day more and more acts of piety may be recorded in the book of God's remembrance; that so he ma…
361 wordsSECTION 741159.] Causes Of Spiritual Decay. 77
such was the infatuation of the people, that they were as unconcerned and secure as if they had been in the most safe and flourishing condition. It is not however our intention to enter any fur- ther into the history of the ten tribes. We shall rather draw your attention to our own personal con- cerns, of which t…
410 wordsSECTION 7578 Hosea, Vii. 8, 9. [1159.
intent on their worldly business, and have their hearts so engaged in it, as scarcely to have any zeal left for better things. Some are occupied with this or that favourite study, in com- parison of which the Bible, and prayer, and communion with God, have no charms for them. Some are inflamed by politics, and are…
416 wordsSECTION 761159. J Causes Of Spiritual Decay. 79
2. Outward proofs of that weakness — [" Grey hairs" are indications of declining strength. They are first thinly interspersed ; and afterwards diffused over the whole head. Thus are the symptoms of decline small at first, and scarcely visible, except upon close inspection. They will however appear, when the inward…
446 wordsSECTION 7780 Hosea, Vii. 13. [1160.
heart k." Without this, our services are of no value. Look to it then, my Brethren, that ye get your hearts quickened by the Spirit of God. You must not be satisfied with seeking : " you must strive to enter in at the strait gate1." You must "take the kingdom of heaven by violence"1." Beg then that you may be " re…
261 wordsSECTION 781160.] Danger Of An Unconverted State. 81
Hos. vii. 13. Woe unto them ! for they have fled from me: de- struction unto them! because they have transgressed against me : though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me. SUCH is the infatuation of unregenerate men, that they always promise themselves security in the ways of sin : but it is…
534 wordsSECTION 7982 Hosea, Vii. 13. [1160.
the Deity: they love not the ordinances where God reveals himself to men : when God calls them, " they all begin with one consent to make excuse : " some plead their social en- gagements ; others the pressure of worldly business ; all have some plea to make ; all say, in effect, I can not, or, I will not, come. In…
495 wordsSECTION 8011G0.] Danger Of An Unconverted State. 83
serve him not.' We must remember, that God interprets our actions; and considers men as speaking those things which their conduct shews to be the secret language of their hearts. And indeed this is strictly just ; for all must allow, that actions speak more forcibly, and more truly, than words. But will not the Lo…
473 wordsSECTION 8184 Hosea, Vii. 13. [1160.
should destroy seven nations greater and mightier than they, and establish them in the possession of their land; that he should, in ten thousand instances, step forth as their protector and deliverer, when they were reduced to the lowest state of wretchedness and misery ; that he should vouchsafe them, not one red…
527 wordsSECTION 821160.] Danger Of An Unconverted State. 85
gress ;" see him faithfully executing every thing he had under- taken for you, and yet yourselves " lying against him." This is the light wherein to view your conduct. Draw nigh, then, and see it; ponder it in jour hearts; consider it well. What offence can a servant commit against his master, or a child against h…
486 wordsSECTION 8386 Hose A, Vii. 13. [1160.
life with tolerable serenity ; what will they do at the instant of their departure from the body ? Then they will begin to understand the meaning of the word " destruction : " now perhaps they listen to it with indifference ; but then they cannot remain insensible to it. What terror must seize them when they behol…
493 wordsSECTION 841160.] Danger Of An Unconverted State. 87
" to fear God and keep his commandments was the whole end and happiness of man ? " No ; " every mouth must be shut ; and not you only, but the whole world, must become guilty before God." Know then that you, and that every man, while in an unregenerate state, is exposed to the wrath of God ; and that that wrath wi…
462 wordsSECTION 8588 Hosea, Vii. 14 [1161.
upon us." He now also desires to serve and obey God : it is his grief and burthen that he cannot get rid of sin ; he longs for holiness ; he desires to be changed into the Divine image ; he wishes to be in heaven, not merely because he shall there be free from trouble, but because he shall be free from sin. And no…
370 wordsSECTION 861161.] Prayers Of Unregenerate Men Considered. 89
Hos. vii. 14. They have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds. IT is not without reason that prayer has been called by some, the pulse of the soul : for by that more than by any thing else may be discerned the increase or declension of our spiritual health. Somewhat like prayer may …
496 wordsSECTION 8790 Hosea, Vii. 14. [1161.
their beds as miserable as they can be, " howling" and whining like dogs, and perhaps wishing that they were dogs, or any thing, rather than rational and accountable beings a.] But, whatever their prayers be, " they cry not unto God with their heart " — [View them in their public devotions ; they will confess the…
421 wordsSECTION 881161.1 Prayers Of Unregenerate Men Considered. 91
1. Voluntariness — [The wicked will pray only under some heavy calamity, or in the near prospect of death and judgment0: all their peti- tions are extorted by anguish or by terror. The regenerate, on the contrary, go to God willingly and cheerfully as to their father and their friend. We do not mean to say, that t…
455 wordsSECTION 8992 Hosea, Viii. 2, 3. [1162.
God himself calls the services of the temple a hateful "noise1;" and declares that the offering of a lamb with an unhumbled spirit, is as odious in his sight, as the offering of swine's blood, or "the cutting off a dog's neckV] Infer — 1. How little dependence can be placed on a death-bed repentance ! [Far be it…
339 wordsSECTION 901162.] The Danger Of False Confidence. 93
Hos. viii. 2, 3. Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we knoiv thee. Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him. THERE is not a more intimate connexion between any two things than between sin and misery. How- ever specious an appearance any hypocrite may make in the world, God, who sees …
428 wordsSECTION 9194 Hosea, Viii. 2, 3. [1162.
be filled with indignation if their acceptance with him were questioned, or their state before him made even for a moment a subject of doubt. Others again found their confidence on their having embraced the principles of the Gospel, and professed themselves in a more peculiar manner the folloivers of Christ. These…
428 wordsSECTION 921162.] The Danger Of False Confidence. 95
the Son of God by our continuance in sin, and counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and have done despite to the Spirit of his grace g." And, as for the laws either of the first or second table, we have never made them the rule of our conduct, or even desired to conform to …
452 wordsSECTION 9396 Hose A, Viii. 2, 3. [1162.
prove at last unsound, he shall sink the deeper into irremedi- able shame and misery ' ] Application — 1. Let us examine well the grounds of our con- fidence— [I would by no means be understood to condemn all con- fidence, but only to recommend a careful examination of the grounds on which our confidence is buil…
450 wordsSECTION 94The Nature And Extent Of Christian Innocence.
"if God be with us, who can be against us?" Our office is, to serve the Lord. His office, if I may so speak, is to save us. Only then let us attend to our part, and we may with safety leave to our heavenly Father the execution of his.] Hos. viii. 5. Hoiv long ivill it be ere they attain to innocency ? IT is imposs…
338 wordsSECTION 9598 Hosea, Viii. 5. [1163.
we by any means wash away so much as one sin that we have ever committed. Rivers of tears would be insufficient for that. Sinners therefore we must be even to the end.] Yet is there in a scriptural sense an innocency to be attained — [Our Lord said of his disciples, " Now ye are clean through the word that I have…
455 wordsSECTION 961163.] Nature Of Christian Innocence. 99
How long shall it be ere you begin to seek these blessed attainments ? Will you wait till old age, and give to God only the dregs of your life ? Or will you put off this necessary work to a dying hour ? Believe me, that is by no means a fit season for so important a work as this : and who can tell whether time for…
468 wordsSECTION 97The Consequences Of Sin.
" clean." Not that any attainment, however great, will super- sede the necessity of continued watchfulness: for St. Paul himself felt the need of " keeping under his body, and bringing it into subjection, lest, after having preached to others, he him- self should become a cast-away : " and the proper use of all the…
319 wordsSECTION 9811(34.1 The Consequences Of Sin. 101
can hold no water a. Solomon, with the amplest means of enjoyment, confessed thisb. And we may address that appeal to all the votaries of pleasure c — .] 2. To worldlings — [The lovers of this present world seem to follow some- thing substantial. They hope to obtain, not a momentary gratification, but solid and l…
440 wordsSECTION 99102 Hosea, Viii. 7. [1164.
world to come. Alas ! what disappointment will they one day experience"1! What will it avail them to "have had a name to live, while they were really dead?" or to have " cried, Lord, Lord ! while they departed not from iniquity ? " The pains they have taken to keep up a profession will all be lost. Nothing will re…
740 wordsSECTION 100104 Hosea, Viii. 12. [1165.
y Ps. xi. 6. z Isai. v. 24. a Isai. xxxii. 2. b Gal. vi. 7, 8. c Eph. v. 15, 16. d Isai. lv. 2. e Heb. vi. 10. f Matt. x. 42. s Ps. cxxvi. 6. h 1 Cor. xv. 58. men's disregard of the gospel. Hos. viii. 12. I have written to him the great things of my Law, but they were counted as a strange thing. GOD, in estimati…
780 wordsSECTION 101106 Hosea, Viii. 12. [1165.
But consider also the importance of these things. There is not any child of man, to whom the tidings of them are made known, that can be saved without an experimental acquaint- ance with them, and a suitable operation of them upon his soul. Under a sense of our fallen condition, we must lie low before God, in dust…
621 wordsSECTION 102Misery Of A Deserted People.
" Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law1."] 2. How inestimable are the privileges of God's people ! [" They have been brought out of darkness into marvel- lous light ;" and the " things which God has hid from the wise and prudent, he has revealed unto them" Still, how- ever, there…
286 wordsSECTION 103108 Hosea, Ix. 12. [1166.
special protection. On the other hand, they are destroyed with equal rapidity when he sets his face against them. War, famine, and pestilence are his ministers : the stars in their courses fight against his enemies : the elements enlist themselves under his banners. Universal nature rises up to avenge the quarrel o…
435 wordsSECTION 1041166.1 Misery Of A Deserted People. 109
We cannot pretend to specify all the means which are to be used ; but we will notice some of the most important : 1. Let us abstain from that which will drive God from us — [Sin is "that abominable thing which his soul hates;"- and, if we wilfully indulge it, he will shew his abhorrence of it, by hiding his face…
452 wordsSECTION 105Bringing Forth Fruit To Ourselves.
us then watch against a neglect of secret duties, or deadness in them. Let us "give ourselves to the word of God and prayer." Let us "stir up ourselves, to lay hold on Godm;" and, with a holy boldness, say, like Jacob, " I will not let thee gon." In this way we may detain him, and secure his continued presence : o…
708 wordsSECTION 106112 Hosea, X. 1. [1167.
3. When self is the end of our actions — [God's command is, that " whatever we do, we should do all to the glory of Godc." But what if we be studying how- to advance our own reputation or interest in the world? What if, like Jehu, we be actuated by pride, when we profess to be doing the Lord's workd? What if, even…
507 wordsSECTION 107The Duty Of Seeking God.
[Our Lord has told us what will be the end of a barren vinek. And shall not such also be the end of those who live to themselves rather than to God? Let our Lord determine this point also1: and let " the unprofitable servant" not think himself secure on account of his freedom from gross sins; but remember that the…
331 wordsSECTION 108114 Hosea, X. 12. [1168.
prophet himself as collectively importing, that we should " seek the Lord :" but, separately taken, they point out the particular manner in which we should seek him : 1. In the performance of his will — [Though no man ever hopes to reap wheat, where he has sowed only tares, almost all expect to obtain heaven, not…
452 wordsSECTION 1091168.1 The Duty Of Seeking God. 115
other way of combining diligence in exertion with an humble dependence on the Divine favoure.] For the impressing of this duty on our minds, let us consider, II. The arguments with which it is enforced — Confining ourselves to the hints suggested in the text, we shall pass by many obvious and important arguments…
452 wordsSECTION 110Christ Called Out Of Egypt.
of his presence ? He will work it in us by his good Spirit, and transform us into his own blessed image1. Yea, he will " rain down righteousness upon us," giving us " abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness"1." Let this then encourage us ; for " none ever sought his face in vain"."] Application — [Let…
373 wordsSECTION 1111169.] Christ Called Out Of Egypt. 117
Israel : nor can we doubt but that it has a prophetical meaning in reference to our blessed Lord. And I think the whole analogy of Scripture justifies us in affixing to it also a mystical meaning, in reference to the Church of God in all ages. In accordance with this view, let us consider, I. Its historical impor…
393 wordsSECTION 112118 Hosea, Xl 1. [1169.
It had been ordained of God, that every possible evidence should concur to establish beyond a doubt the Messiahship of Jesus — [Nothing could be conceived more unlikely than that Jesus the Messiah should be brought forth out of Egypt. He was to be born at Bethlehem e, and to be educated at Nazareth f. How, then, …
444 wordsSECTION 1131169.J Christ Called Out Of Egypt. 119
[Every one of them does he bring out of Egypt. How- ever long we may have been in bondage there, he looses our bonds, and " brings us into the glorious liberty of his children." See what he did for his people of old, and then you will see what he will do for us : did he cause them to go from their bondage, and to …
447 wordsSECTION 114120 Hosea, Xl 4. [1170.
shall go into Arabia before he enters fully on his apostolic office11. Thus does God generally cause his people's faith to be tried0; and " allures them into the wilderness, before he speaks comfortably to themp." If, then, your faith be tried, know that it is needful for your best interests'1, and that it is by y…
300 wordsSECTION 1151170.] Manner In Which God Draws His People. 121
Hos. xi. 4. / drew them tvith cords of a man, ivith bands of love. THE doctrine of Divine influences is generally considered as enthusiastic and absurd. But though we grant that there is much in it which is above our comprehension, there is nothing in it that is contrary to reason. We know not how mind operates u…
516 wordsSECTION 116122 Hosea, Xl 4. [1170.
written revelation of his will, and taking them for his own peculiar people above all the people upon the face of the whole earth. To them also he held forth the prospect of an inhe- ritance, even of a land flowing with milk and honey, where they should enjoy such peace, and plenty, and happiness, as were unknown …
459 wordsSECTION 1171170.] Manner In Which God Draws His People. 123
[He will draw us, even as he did them, by rational con- siderations, and by gracious influences, or, as my text expresses it, " by the cords of a man, and by the bands of love " When first God begins a work of grace upon the soul, he shews to a man his fallen state, and his utter incapacity to save himself. Then H…
490 wordsSECTION 118124 Hose A, Xl 7—9. [1171.
love also, and you have burst all these bands asunder, and cast all these cords from you ? Do you not know that heaven and hell are before you? and are you acting the part of rational beings, whilst you take no care to flee from the wrath to come, and to lay hold on eternal life ? And have you never heard of what …
362 wordsSECTION 119H71.J God'S Compassion. 125
god's compassion. Hos. xi. 7 — 9. My people are bent to backsliding from me : though they called them to the Most High, none at all would exalt him : [yet] how shall I give thee up, Ephraim ? how shall I deliver thee, Israel ? how shall I make thee as Admah ? how shall I set thee as Zeboini ? mine heart is turned …
432 wordsSECTION 120126 Hosea, Xl 7—9. [1171.
What might such persons expect at the hand of God ? II. God's conduct towards them — How different are God's ways from the ways of man ! Instead of executing vengeance in a moment, He deliberates — [Admah and Zeboim were cities destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah ; and such monuments of wrath do the unre- generat…
377 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical edition (1832-33); scan/OCR from Internet Archive.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.