PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Horae Homileticae — Volume 16 of 21
Simeon, Charles, 1759-1836 · 269,554 words · 584 reading sections
Efficacy Of The Gospel.
If we look at the effects which have followed from their exertions, these are " unspeakable " indeed : for, in addition to the temporal comfort administered to Christ himself in many of his poor members'^, I doubt not but that there are at this very hour before the throne of God several, whose first thoughts about…
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endure, for the good of others : yet through the arti- fices of false teaches, who sought to estabhsh their own influence on the ruins of his, every thing he did became to him an occasion of reproach. There were great disorders in the Corinthian Church, which he sought to rectify. He in the first instance adopted …
364 wordsSECTION 543596 2 Corinthians, X. 3—5. [2037.
But the text speaks of " imaginations and of high things which exalt themselves," not merely against the authority, but " even against the knowledge, of God." We must therefore mark the rebellion of men as it shews itself in their " thoughts" which serve as " strong-holds" in which they are intrenched and fortifi…
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services ; they will surrender up a portion of their hearts, pro- vided their old friends and allies may be permitted to continue unmolested in the remainder. The terms of the Gospel are too humiliating for them : and rather than they will come like Benhadad, trusting solely on the mercy of the king of Israel^, th…
422 wordsSECTION 545598 2 Corinthians, X. 3—5. {2037.
Nor is oratory of any use in this warfare. St. Paul was qualified beyond most to fight with this weapon, if he had judged it expedient : but he laid it aside as an incumbrance : he knew that, instead of advancing the interests of his Lord, it would "render the cross of Christ of none eflfectP;" and therefore he de…
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detesting the base servitude to which he submitted under the government of Satan. These, in proportion as they are enter- tained, form a very strong rampart around his soul. Now he cherishes also jealous thoughts, aware of the sub- tilty of his great adversary, and of the traitors which yet remain within his own b…
449 wordsSECTION 547600 2 Corinthians, X. 15, 16. [2038.
point our thoughts lead us when they are wholly unconfined, that will shew the real disposition of our minds : if we are car- nal and worldly, our thoughts will be running out after things of a carnal and worldly nature ; if, on the contrary, we are spiritual, then will our thoughts, which are known to God only, b…
258 wordsSECTION 5482038. I The Faithful Minister'S Desires. 601
2 Cor. X. 15, 16. Having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you accordi?ig to our rule abun- dantly, to preach the Gospel in the regions beyond you. THE Apostle Paul was a man of an enlarged heart: he panted for the salvation of the whole world, and to the utmost of his power laboured…
541 wordsSECTION 549602 2 Corinthians, X. 15, Ig. [2038.
we are to be assimilated to the image of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ ^ ; and to be rendered meet for the service of God on earth, or the enjoyment of him in heaven ] The Apostle's hopes of ultimately proceeding to regions beyond them, lead me yet fm'ther to notice, II. The desires of a faithful minister, in …
415 wordsSECTION 5502039. J Folly Of Pride And Boasting. 603
fore, the faithful minister will endeavour to bring his people : that, through the united efforts of many, that work may be done, which cannot be effected by individual exertion.] Let me now entreat you, 1. To improve your own privileges — [Through the tender mercy of God, " the Gospel is come unto you ;" and man…
277 wordsSECTION 551604 2 Corinthians, X. 18. [2039.
2 Cor. X. 18. Not he that commendeth himself is approved, hut lohovi the Lord commendeth. ONE would be ready to suppose, that the more any person excelled in every thing that was good, the more he would be filled with self-complacency ; and that the less holy any person was, the more he would be humbled under a s…
445 wordsSECTION 5522039.] Folly Of Pride And Boasting. 605
and self-complacency, when, if they formed a proper estimate of their conduct, they would rather be filled with shame and self-abasement.] 2. From their judging of them by an erroneous standard — [Though men are not nice and scrupulous in weighing their actions, they involuntarily and imperceptibly judge of them …
445 wordsSECTION 553606 2 Corinthians, X. 18. [2039.
nigh to God with their lips," but will not inquire whether they have " worshipped him in spirit and in truth." What can we expect from such partial views of their conduct, but that they will vaunt and boast themselves, as if they were worthy of the highest commendation?] Having traced the self-applause of men to i…
418 wordsSECTION 5542039.1 Folly Of Pride And Boasting. 607
We need go no further to prove that men, " measuring themselves by tliemselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise^"'\ That we may be preserved from this most destruc- tive habit, we will point out, III. The most effectual antidotes — 1. Study the holy law of God — [That is the only true sta…
407 wordsSECTION 555Godly Jealousy The Duty Of Ministers.
2 Cor. xi. 2, 3. I am jealous over you tvith godly jealousy : for I have espoused you to one husbafid, that I may 2^resent you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpeiit beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. TO…
349 wordsSECTION 5562040.] Godly Jealousy A Minister'S Duty. God
Truly, if it had not been so plainly revealed, we could not have dared to entertain such a thought in our minds. That sinners, so guilty, so polluted as we are, should be admitted into so near and so endearing a relation to our incarnate God : how wonderful ! how surpassing all knowledge, and all con- ception ! Ye…
459 wordsSECTION 557Vol. Xvi. R R
010 i>. CORINTHIANS, XL 2,3. [2040. the happiness of man in innocence, and never rested till he had robbed him of it, so he envies all who are brought into this near relation to the Lord Jesus, and never ceases from his efforts to deprive them of it. The state which becomes those who are thus espoused to Christ,…
430 wordsSECTION 5582040.] Godly Jealousy A Ministers Duty. 611
derived from a compliance with such or such a temptation. He calls in question the import of such divine declarations as militate against his views, or at least the danger of acting in opposition to them : and by these devices he beguiles many to their everlasting ruin.] Persons so tempted are generally unconsciou…
424 wordsSECTION 559Ci2 2 Corinthians, Xi. 2, 3. [2040.
thing that is wrong, he must with all the solicitude of the tenderest parent point out the snare that Satan is laying for her feet. Her Divine Husband is " a jealous God :" and a corresponding jealousy in his ministers must be ever awake to the discernment of incipient danger, and the correction of the •slightest …
694 wordsSECTION 560614 2 Corinthians, Xl 23—29. [2041.
p 2 Pet. iii. 14, 17. i Jude, ver. 24. ST. Paul's zeal illustrated and improved. 2 Cor. xi. 23 — 29. Are they ministers of Christ ? {I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jeivsfive times received I forty stripes, save one. …
666 wordsSECTION 561614 2 Corinthians, Xl 23—29. [2041.
1. His sufferings — [St. Paul, at his conversion, had been told by the Saviour *' what great things he should suffer for his Master's sake :" and truly they were great, greater far than those which fell to the share of any other Apostle. He was " in stripes above measure," being five times scourged by the Jews to …
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unto death, as Paul was, he will be indebted foi' his protection, not to the abated hostility of men, but to the laws of the land in which he dwells.] 2. His dangers — [These were incessant, wherever he moved. Sometimes he was in peril " by waters," that is by rivers, which he was obliged to ford, or more probabl…
751 wordsSECTION 563618 2 Corinthians, Xi. 23—29. [2041.
Such was the life of that holy man ; and such were the labours in which it was continually occupied. We will now endeavour, II. To suggest such considerations as obviously arise from them — But where shall we begin ? or, once begun, where shall we end ? We must of necessity confine our- selves to a few which are…
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3. The spirit with which alone men should enter on the ministerial office — [Many, in undertaking this office, have no view but to their own case, or interest, or honour : and if in these thmgs pre-eminence is to consist, they would have no objection to equal " the very chiefest Apostles." But if their preferment …
385 wordsSECTION 565&20 2 Corinthians, Xl 29. [2042.
he will tell you, The love of Christ constraineth me. This it was that carried him forward in the midst of so many diffi- culties, and enabled him to bear up under such accumulated afflictions. This made him ready to be bound or to die, at any time or at any place, content that " Christ should be mag- nified in hi…
285 wordsSECTION 5662042.] Christian Sympathy. G21
2 Cor. xi. 29. Who is weak, and I am not loeak ? Who is offended, a7id I burn not ? TRULY, the testimony of a good conscience is a source of unbounded joy. There are, and ever were, those who would traduce the characters of the best of men. The Apostle Paul himself was reproached by many, yea, and by many who pro…
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darkness : not a man on earth would be able to stand, if not upheld by an almighty arm : in fact, the only way to be strong in the Christian warfare is, to feel ourselves " weak," and to be " strong only in the Lord and in the power of his might " ] 2. Those who are offended — [The consequence of weakness is, a l…
404 wordsSECTION 5682042.] Christian Sympathy. 623
[We are on no account to despise our weaker bretliren, but to treat them with all imaginable condescension and kind- ness ; as the Apostle himself tells us : " We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, " Th…
473 wordsSECTION 569624 2 Corinthians, Xii. 7—9. [2043.
world should stand, rather than make a weak brother to offend ^ Whatever be the stumbling-block in our brother's way, we should be inflamed with a desire to remove it, as much as we should to rescue an only child from any peril to which he was exposed. The value of his soul, and the honour of God as interested in …
390 wordsSECTION 5702043.] The Success Of Fervent Prayer. 625
2 Cor. xii. 7 — 9. Lest I should he exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a' thorn in the fesh, the messenger of Satan to bujjet me, lest I should he exalted above vieasure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me,…
440 wordsSECTION 571G2G 2 Corinthians, Xii. 7—9. [2043.
temptation with which St. Paul was harassed ; since whatever our trials be, we may consider ourselves as in his situation, and obtain relief in the same way that he did.] The reason for which that affliction was sent him, it is of great importance to observe — [The Apostle was not yet perfect: and though he had b…
457 wordsSECTION 5722043.] The Success Of Fervent Fraver. 627
The person, whom he immediately addressed, was the Lord Jesus — [Paul had heard Stephen in the hour of martyrdom calling on the Lord Jesus ; and had seen what support was admini- stered to him on that trying occasion ^. And whither should he himself fly but to that same adorable Friend, who is " touched with the …
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[St. Paul did not merely submit to the Divine will, and bear with patience a trial which he could not remove ; but he even gloried in his tribulations; and made those very infir- mities, which just before had been a subject of such pathetic lamentation, an occasion of joy and triumph. It is thus that every Christi…
424 wordsSECTION 574A Sense Of Weakness Conducive To Strength.
vain." Who could have conceived that Paul should receive such a speedy and effectual answer to his prayer ? But if we were alike urgent in our supplications, we should be crowned with the like success ] Let us exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ — [He says to us, " Believe in God ; believe also in me "*." He …
323 wordsSECTION 575630 2 Corinthians, Xii. 10. [2044.
entered into combat with that experienced and mighty war- rior. But the weaker he was in himself, the more confident was he in his God ; and instead of being intimidated by the threatening aspect and boasting menaces of his adversary, he was as assured of victory, as if he had seen his enemy already under his feet…
666 wordsSECTION 576632 2 Corinthians, Xii. 14. [2045.
Among the various lessons which it teaches us, let us especially learn two : 1. Not to be too much elated on account of any manifestations of the Divine favour — [Paul was caught up into the third heavens ; but soon afterwards we behold him crying, with much anguish of mind, under a severe affliction. Thus it may…
313 wordsSECTION 5772045.1 The Duty Of Ministers. 633
2 Cor. xii. 14, I seek not yours, hut you. DISINTERESTEDNESS, in whatever it appears, is universally admired But most of all does its excellency appear, when it is manifested in the service of the sanctuary. The ministers, whom the prophet represents as " greedy dogs that could never have enough %" and who would …
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As long as they continue in this world, he is God's minister to them for good, and the medium through whom he will com- municate to them the blessings of grace and peace. He is to live for them, to the end that he may be " an helper of their joy," and "perfect that which is lacking in their faith." This is to be h…
438 wordsSECTION 579The Power Of The Risen Saviour.
should they not be as solicitous to receive, as their minister can be to communicate, good ; and should not every other consideration be regarded as a matter of comparative in- difference ? Happy would it be for the Church of God, and happy for the world at large, if such dispositions obtained amongst the hearers,…
377 wordsSECTION 580636 2 Corinthians, Xiii. 4. [2046.
persisted in them, he would exert his apostohcal authority, and inflict upon them, in the Saviour's name, some heavy judgment. Now, if he had not known that such an authority was delegated to him, and that the Lord Jesus Christ himself would uphold him in the exercise of it, he would not have ventured to utter su…
425 wordsSECTION 5812046.] The Power Of The Risen Saviour. 637
prisoner in the grave. At the time he had foretold, he burst the bonds of death, by which it was impossible he should be holden, and rose triumphant ; and in due season ascended to the right hand of his Father, far above all principalities and powers, whether in heaven or in hell. There He possesses all power in h…
419 wordsSECTION 582638 2 Corinthians, Xiii. 5. [2047.
newness of life those who were " dead in trespasses and sins." There was not a miracle wrought by our Lord in the days of his flesh, which, in a spiritual sense, he does not yet work by all his faithful ministers. Their cause, too, will he maintain against all their adversaries ; and he will, ere long, make it vis…
337 wordsSECTION 5832047. J Self-Examination Recommended. 639
2 Cor. xiii. 5. Examine yoiirselves, whether ye he in the faith; prove your owfi selves. Knoiv ye not your otun selves, how that Jestis Christ is in you, except ye he reprobates ? IT is generally, perhaps always, found, that they who are most forward to censure others, have most need of personal reformation. So it…
475 wordsSECTION 584640 2 Corinthians, Xiii. 5. [2047.
[The words, " prove your own selves," are not a mere repetition : they are intended to mark more particularly the care and accuracy with which the investigation should be made. The Apostle refers to the trying of metals, in order to find what measure of alloy or dross may be in them. Not to men- tion the care exer…
472 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical edition (1833); scan/OCR from Internet Archive.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.