PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Horae Homileticae — Volume 12 of 21
Simeon, Charles, 1759-1836 · 246,696 words · 540 reading sections
1507. J The Pive Thousand Fed. 383
waste, but to preserve our very remnants for future use : on the other hand, let our wants be ever so great, we should never doubt but he will supply us in the time of need.] 2. In a religious view — [Who does not see in the conduct of this multitude how we should seek the Lord ? Did they press upon him thus for …
485 wordsSECTION 362The Transfiguration Of Christ.
Luke ix. 29 — 32. And as he prayed, the fashion of his counte- nance teas altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. And, behold, there talked with him tivo men, which were Moses and Elias : who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter, and they that i…
724 wordsSECTION 363386 Luke, Ix. 29—32. [1508.
These conversed with him respecting his own approaching death — [One might have expected that they should have talked of heaven : but they had a subject in which all were yet more deeply interested ; a subject, in which the inexhaustible trea- sures of divine wisdom and knowledge are contained; a subject, which f…
775 wordsSECTION 364388 Luke, Ix. 55. [1509.
2. How diversified are the states of God's people upon earth ! [These highly favoured Disciples were now upon the mount ; but they were soon to descend into the valley again, and to go " through much tribulation in their way to the kingdom." Thus it is with all the Lord's people : the present is at best a chequer…
373 wordsSECTION 3651509.] Against Mistaking Our Own Spirit. 889
Luke ix. 55. Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of WHEN we consider what attainments men have made in science and philosophy ; when we see them marshalling the stars, measuring their distances, tracing their courses, and ascertaining their influ- ence, we are amazed at the strength of human intel- lect. But…
575 wordsSECTION 366390 Luke, Ix. 55. [1509.
[There is in every man a self-love, which renders him averse to view his own actions in an unfavourable light ; and a partiality that leads him to put the best construction upon them. If there be reason to doubt the purity of our own intentions, we do not like to bring matters to the test, and to weigh our actions…
407 wordsSECTION 3671509.] Against Mistaking Our Own Spirit. 391
[It is astonishing how irreverently even good persons will sometimes treat those portions of Scripture which militate against their sentiments or practice. The plainest declarations of God are considered as " hard sayings," and are slighted, either as impracticable in themselves, or as inapplicable to their case. …
460 wordsSECTION 368392 Luke, Ix. 57—62. [1510.
[If we will at all events conclude ourselves right, there is no hope of our being ever undeceived. We must be willing to suspect ourselves, and to listen to the counsel of our friends. Even Peter needed correction from his brother Paul1 ; and the duty of " teaching and admonishing one another111," necessarily impl…
281 wordsSECTION 3691510.] Addresses To Distinct Characters. 393
Luke ix. 57 — 62. It came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests ; but the Son of man hath not ivhere to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me.…
524 wordsSECTION 370394 Luke, Ix. 57—62. [1510.
contemplated a pre-eminence amongst his followers, as a post of worldly honour, and of enviable preferment. Now, amongst ourselves, also, there are many who are under a similar delusion. They think of nothing in religion, but its joys and honours. As for " entering into it by a strait gate," and finding it " a nar…
480 wordsSECTION 3711510.J Addresses To Distinct Characters. 395
And, however self-denying the office to which we are called may be, we are to discharge it instantly, without deference or regard to any human being. But many who hear the Gospel, and acknowledge their obligation to obey it, are yet kept back, from a mistaken idea, that respect even for a father, and that father i…
424 wordsSECTION 372396 Luke, Ix. 57—62. [1510.
Lord's people. In making such a profession, you are incom- parably more likely to meet with want and shame, than fulness and honour. The Apostles of our Lord, and particularly the Apostle Paul, were exposed to cold, and hunger, and naked- ness, and perils of every kind : and thousands of others, in different ages …
498 wordsSECTION 3731510.] Addresses To Distinct Characters. 397
danger to which, by the step which he contemplated, he would be exposed. The man who would finally be accepted of God, must " not only set out well, but must endure unto the end." He must take care of hankering after the flesh-pots of Egypt, which he has left. "Lot's wife" is a standing monument to all ages, and w…
486 wordsSECTION 374Service.
back, God can have no pleasure in you :" " you will draw back to certain and everlasting perdition." You must " be faithful unto death, if ever you would obtain a crown of life :" " he only, that endureth unto the end, ever will, or ever can, be saved."] Luke ix. 62. Jesus said unto him, No man having put his hand…
336 wordsSECTION 3751511.] Relinquishing The Lord'S Service. 399
The request of this last person seems to have brought to our Lord's mind the circumstances of Elisha, when he was called to serve Elijah : and it is to Elisha's occupation that our Lord alludes in the answer he gave hima. From his words we may deduce two important observations : I. When we engage in God's service…
442 wordsSECTION 376400 Luke, Ix. 62. [1511.
Nor is it an open apostasy only from our holy pro- fession that is so fatal to us : for, II. A disposition to recede from it manifests us to be unfit for the kingdom of God — Not he only who indignantly throws away the plough, but he who, while he still professes to do the Lord's work, is "looking back" with a wi…
450 wordsSECTION 3771511.] Relinquishing The Lord'S Service. 401
they bear to spend an eternity in those employments for which they have no relish ? would not their exercises be an irksome task, and an intolerable burthen ? Could they have sweet communion with the glorified saints when they differ so widely from them ? Would they not rather be so condemned in their consciences …
473 wordsSECTION 378The Danger Of Rejecting The Gospel.
[Doubtless the work will often prove heavy and fatiguing. But God has promised " grace sufficient for us." And the more we labour, the greater our reward1. Yea, the very work itself is a source of much peace arid joyk, and wonderfully conduces to fit us both for this world and the next. Who will make so distinguis…
403 wordsSECTION 3791512.] Danger Of Rejecting The Gospel. 403
them how to act towards any city which should not receive them : they should express towards its in- habitants the indignation of God, and should make known to them both their iniquity and their folly. In confirmation of what he instructed them to do, he himself denounced his judgments against the cities that had…
433 wordsSECTION 3804-04 Luke, X. 10—16. [1512.
others rest in a mere formal profession of it, without any ex- perience of its transforming power. What then shall we say of them ? Are not they blind and hardened in a very awful degree ? Are not they also more obdurate than the idolatrous Syrians, or the filthy Sodomites? Yes: far less evidence, and an obscurer …
465 wordsSECTION 3811512.] Danger Of Rejecting The Gospel. 405
III. How great their folly! [The seventy Disciples were especially commanded to testify to those who rejected them, that the contempt which they manifested for their message did not at all invalidate the truth or importance of it : " Notwithstanding, be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come unto you." T…
503 wordsSECTION 382406 Luke, X. 20. [1513.
view the contemners of Christ, whether they manifest that contempt in a way of open infidelity or of secret disaffection. There will be degrees of misery, indeed, proportioned to the degrees of guilt which each has contracted; but the least miserable of those who perish under the light of the Gospel, will have a h…
360 wordsSECTION 3831513.] Enrolment Of Our Names In Heaven. 407
Luke x. 20. Notwithstanding , in' this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice because your names arc written in heaven. THERE is a holy jealousy which well becomes the ministers of God : for people are ever ready to pride themselves upon any distinctions which God may confer upon t…
406 wordsSECTION 384408 Luke, X. 20. [1513.
God's remembrance, in which the actions of men were recorded, will be brought forth at the last dayd; and they who were written in it will be exalted to glory e, whilst " those who were not written in it will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death f."] Our enrolment in that book is a fact which m…
480 wordsSECTION 3851513.] Enrolment Of Our Names In Heaven. 409
II. That when known,, it is a ground of most exalted j°y— The expulsion of devils from the bodies of men was a just ground of joy — [It was an evidence of God's presence with the Disciples ; (for who but God could cast them out ?) it was also a strong confirmation of their word ; (no stronger could be given :) it…
462 wordsSECTION 386410 Luke, X. 20. [1513.
they have found all the satisfaction in them that they once expected? and they will all be constrained to acknowledge, that vanity and vexation of spirit is the sum of all created good. In a little time our sweetest enjoyments cloy, and cease to afford us any material gratification : in a season of deep afflic- ti…
484 wordsSECTION 3871513. J Enrolment Of Our Names In Heaven. 411
more, God encourages you so to act, with an assurance that you shall not exert yourself in vain. Go to the Lord Jesus Christ, and cast yourselves at the foot of his cross, and then see whether it shall be in vain. He has said, that " Whosoever cometh unto him, he will in no wise cast out ;" and you may rest assure…
432 wordsSECTION 388The Gospel Revealed To Babes.
Luke x. 21. In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes : even so, Father ; for so it seemed good in thy sight. DEEP and mysterious are the ways of God, and " as far …
368 wordsSECTION 3891514.1 The Gospel Revealed To Babes. 413
of it. God is said to do what he permits to be doneb: and it is not by any active exertion of his which man cannot with- stand, but by such means only as leave men altogether respon- sible for their own blindness, that he hides his truth from the minds of any. The Gospel is hid from this description of persons, pa…
491 wordsSECTION 390414 Luke, X. 21. [1514.
To these the Gospel is revealed ; and they have such a perception of it as brings peace into their souls, and holiness into their hearts and lives. Of course, we must not suppose that the mere circumstance of any person's being weak in understanding will procure for him this blessing: but if he seek this blessing …
483 wordsSECTION 3911514. J The Gospel Revealed To Babes. 415
We should be duly sensible that this is indeed the conduct of God in relation to his Gospel : and we should evince, 1. Our submission to it, as an act of sovereignty — [Certainly in this matter God acts as a sovereign, who has a right to dispense his blessings to whomsoever he will : " it is even so, Father, for …
508 wordsSECTION 392416 Luke, X. 81. [1514.
of God in the disposal of his gifts is clearly asserted. But you may say, ' True ; God gave to some what he withheld from others: but he gave to those who he knew would duly improve his gifts : and the persons from whom he withheld them, were involved in no responsibility on account of them. In order to prove the …
483 wordsSECTION 3931514.]] The Gospel Revealed To Babes. 417
seems to have been an inequality in his dispensations, he has shewn an impartiality, making- up to the one in spiritual bless- ings what he has withheld in temporal; and giving advantages in reference to eternity to those who have the less favourable lot in respect of the things of time and sense. And is not this …
468 wordsSECTION 394The Blessings Of A Preached Gospel.
Luke x. 23, 24. And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see : for I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them ; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. OF…
353 wordsSECTION 3951515.] The Blessings Of A Preached Gospel. 419
had a view also of all his glorious perfections, of which the wisest philosophers could form no just conception. They knew, moreover, in what way a sinner might find acceptance with God ; whilst all the rest of mankind were left in awful suspense respecting their future state ; not knowing, certainly, whether they…
427 wordsSECTION 396420 Luke, X. 23, 24. [1515.
[The very appearance of our Lord amongst them was such as to lay a stumbling-block in the way of his immediate attendants. How could they conceive him to be the Saviour of the world, whom they saw exposed to hunger and thirst, and destitute of " a place where to lay his head ?" Or, if from his miracles they entert…
489 wordsSECTION 3971515.1 The Blessings Of A Preached Gospel. 421
also of the Holy Spirit, in applying to us the salvation which the Lord Jesus has wrought out for us. We have the further advantage of seeing many prophecies fulfilled, in the destruction of the Jewish state and polity ; the dispersion of that nation over the face of the globe, whilst yet they continue a distinct …
440 wordsSECTION 398The Good Samaritan.
3. How earnest should you be in diffusing these blessings through the world ! [It is not for yourselves alone that you are thus instructed, but for the world around you. And see how many millions of the human race are ignorant of that Saviour whom you worship, and of that salvation which you enjoy ! The unhappy Je…
429 wordsSECTION 3991516.] The Good Samaritan. 423
faithfulness, yet avoid giving them any unncessary offence. Our Lord was continually beset with per- sons of this description, but in nothing was his Divine wisdom more conspicuous than in the answers he gave them. The parable before us admirably illus- trates this observation — I. Explain the parable — We canno…
384 wordsSECTION 400424 Luke, X. 30—35. [1516.
any person, of whatever nation, or whatever religion, must be esteemed our neighbour. By his artful statement also, he drew from the lawyer himself an express, though reluctant, acknowledgment of this truth1".] But the peculiar suitableness of the parable to the occasion is that which most needs explanation — [Th…
430 wordsSECTION 4011516. J The Good Samaritan. 425
generous Benefactor. While we respect the exercise of love in a fellow-creature, let us study to comprehend the unsearchable love of Christ k ; and let us make his love to us the model of our love to others1.] 2. In the way expressly intended by our blessed Lord — [We have observed that the parable was intended t…
434 wordsSECTION 402Martha And Mary'S Characters Compared.
Luke x. 41, 42. Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things : but one thing is needful : and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. IT is a generally prevailing notion, that religion should be confined to the Church and the clo…
360 wordsSECTION 4031517.] Martha And Mary Compared. 427
opportunities and advantages are enjoyed : and the very same persons are in different frames at different seasons. The very best of men, if considered in the light in which some particular action would place him, would appear very unlike a true Chris- tian. Though, therefore, we must not apologize for sin, we must …
436 wordsSECTION 404428 Luke, X. 41, 42. [1517.
1. He lays down a general position respecting the care of the soul — [The care of the soul, by whatever terms we describe it, is justly called " the one thing needful." Were we indeed to judge by the conduct of the world at large, we should rather call it, ' the one thing needless ;' since every pursuit, however …
480 wordsSECTION 4051518.] One Thing Needful. 429
relatives against loving their Lord too much, and feeling too deeply the interests of their souls ? It was no little commen- dation of the part which Mary chose, that " it should never be taken away from her :" our Lord would not deprive her of it ; nor would he suffer any other, whether men or devils, to take it …
316 wordsSECTION 4064.30 Luke, X. 42. [1518.
Luke x. 42. One thing is needful. HERE we are introduced, as it were, into the bosom of a holy family ; and hear, in part at least, the instructions given to them : " One thing is need- ful." Let us now suppose that we ourselves are that family ; and that, in the place of our blessed Lord, I am called to instruct…
527 wordsSECTION 407] 518.1 One Thing Needful. 431
No : the thing of which Martha complained was, that when there were household concerns which called for her sister's attention, she was attending to the concerns of her soul. This was what she blamed ; and what our Lord commended. Let me not however be misunderstood, as saying that any person is at liberty to negl…
483 wordsSECTION 408432 Luke, X. 42. [1518.
man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall he give in exchange for his soul ? Methinks I have already said enough to engage you on the side of Mary, and to impress on you the necessity of following her example. Remember, this is " the one thing needful ;" and, in this view, the only thin…
509 wordsSECTION 4091518.] One Thing Needful. 433
the events of war, you may soon be hurled from your emi- nence, into a state of bondage and misery. But of common possessions how soon may you be bereaved, by fraud, or violence, or inundation, or fire ! And how soon must you, at all events, be deprived of them by death ! But if you have sought for eternal happine…
523 wordsSECTION 410Forms Of Prayer, Good.
Luke xi. 1. And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his Disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his Dis- ciples. SCARCELY any thing can more strongly mark our defection from God, than our inability to pray. It might well be supposed, tha…
338 wordsSECTION 4111519.] Forms Of Prayer, Good. 435
in this part of my discourse, being simply to shew, that, by the common consent of all, certain formu- laries have been judged expedient, for the marking and perpetuating of their respective sentiments. Some, indeed, have limited their formularies to a statement of principles ; others have extended them to forms o…
432 wordsSECTION 412436 Luke, Xl 1. £1519.
straitness, both of conception and expression, when they come before God in prayer ; and if they had not somewhat of a form prepared for them, they must abandon the use of family prayer altogether. As to the lawfulness of such forms, I conceive that to be placed beyond a doubt, by the answer which our Lord gave t…
404 wordsSECTION 4131519.] Forms Of Prayer, Good. 437
it is to be feared, exceedingly defective, both in energy and in scriptural instruction.] As for the Liturgy, no commendation can be too great for it — [Being of human composition, it must, of necessity, par- take of human infirmity. But, taken all together, it comes nearer to inspiration than any book that ever …
451 wordsSECTION 414438 Luke, Xi. 5—8. [1520.
in confirming, establishing, comforting, and edifying all who are so united ] Let me then recommend, 1. That these formularies be duly estimated by yourselves — [The Homilies are too much laid aside at this time. It is well that the attention of the world is now more called to them than it has been for the last …
253 wordsSECTION 4151520. [] The Force Of Importunity. 439
Luke xi. 5 — 8. And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves ; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not : the door is…
549 wordsSECTION 416440 Luke, Xl 5-8. [1520.
hand ; and, whilst the weary traveller rests himself, you go to him, and knock at his door, and entreat him to lend you some bread for the occasion. (This, though undesirable in itself, on account of the unseasonableness of the hour, you would feel justified in resorting to, on account of the greatness of the emer…
417 wordsSECTION 4171 520. J The Force Of Importunity. 441
tells us that " the prayer of the upright is his delight." To what an amazing extent did he bear with the importunity of Abraham, when, in a long strain of consecutive petitions and arguments in behalf of Sodom, he urged the sparing of that guilty city for the sake of fifty, forty, thirty, twenty, yea, even ten ri…
464 wordsSECTION 418U2 Luke, Xi. 5—8. [1520.
of shewing us, that " we are to pray always, and not faint g." Immediately after my text, the encouragement given by our Lord to importunity in prayer is conveyed with such remark- able repetitions, as cannot fail to strike every attentive reader, and to shew how urgent God is with us, to make us urgent in our sup…
473 wordsSECTION 419Importunity Encouraged.
answer our prayers; and which, if known to us, would lead us to acquiesce in, and even to desire, the delay. We need to be stirred up to more importunity in prayer, and to be made more deeply sensible of our need of mercy. We need also to be made more thankful to God for his answers to prayer : and all these benef…
402 wordsSECTION 420444 Luke, Xi. 9, 10. [1521.
applications. The appeal, as made by him, carries conviction to the mind. But the argument itself must not be pressed too far. We cannot, in all cases, infer from what man would do, that God will do the same: no, in truth; such a mode of arguing as that would lead, and often does actually lead, to the most fatal …
459 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical edition (1832-33); scan/OCR from Internet Archive.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.