G. T. Shedd, D. D.: One of the most remark. The thought will flash across us that God sees us. Before the Searcher of hearts all mankind must appeal to mere and sovereign mercy. They were just desires I had in my head not necessarily things I hoped God would do or was even sure God could do. Persevere in what Thou hast begun." AugustineOf Holy Virginity. Dry bones; hopeless situations have a spiritual ear. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. 6 was given to actual disciples who knew God personally as their Heavenly Father. Like the air we breathe, like the light we see, it involves a mystery that no man has ever solved. Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative LifeEpistle Xlvii. To Dominicus, Bishop. And lest the presence of God should be too much for us, Christ has taken human nature on Him, and has provided that He will be always with us as long as the world shall last. Give thanks to Him and praise His name! 19-22).3. He has suffered thus, partly from a certain obscurity in his style of writing, partly from the difficulty of the thoughts which he attempted to convey. THE BASIS OF HIS CONFIDENCE. While the majority of the sermons listed below are "mine," several of them are sermons worked up by my dad, Frank Higginbotham, who preached over 60 years, and others were developed from seeds planted by various preachers I've heard throughout my lifetime. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. But whatever does really concern me, and especially my soul's full salvation, I am sure the Lord will perfect. Joseph put all his confidence in God, and God perfected all that concerned Joseph. C. H. Spurgeon: Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 25: 1879 - Christian Classics The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. Cultivate a loving affection for Him.(Homilist. xlix. Does the Contemplative Life consist solely in the Contemplation of God, or in the Consideration St. That of siding with Him against evil (vers. Those who are always hearing pure and high principles set forth as the guides of life learn to value and to know them even faster than they can learn to live by them. Hence Paul. Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. And though we thought that we had suffered loss from the tardiness of their coming, yet we find gain from their more abundant charity; seeing that from this delay in point Saint Gregory the Greatthe Epistles of Saint Gregory the GreatThe Coming Revival"Wilt Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?"--PS. Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. If we had such a window we should pray for shutters, and should keep them closed.God omniscientWeekly Pulpit. And this will generally be just when we are tempted to do wrong, or perhaps just when we are actually beginning to do it: some secret sin of which no one knows or dreams perhaps, some self-indulgence, which we dare not deny that God condemns. He has suffered thus, partly from a certain obscurity in his style of writing, partly from the difficulty of the thoughts which he attempted to convey. Rom. There is, therefore, nothing wrong in our forgetting that we are in the presence of God any more than there is anything foolish in our forgetting that we need air to breathe or light to see by, or that if we fall we may hurt ourselves: just in the same way as we very often, and quite rightly, forget that we are in the company of men who will take notice of our faults. The right state of mind plainly is to have the thought of God's presence so perpetually at hand that it shall always start before us whenever it is wanted. And this perpetual though not always conscious sense of God's presence would, no doubt, if we would let it have its perfect work, gradually act on our characters just as the presence of our fellow-men does. v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. 12), while the devil was exulting against us;--then God, in His loving-kindness, not willing man made in His own image to perish, said, Whom shall I send, and who will go?' Those who live much in refined and educated society acquire refinement insensibly. OURSELVES. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. vi. "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me;" not, "I will perform it myself. God has made us so. Whether he be at rest or in motion, in every posture and state, God knows him. : While the Americans were blockading Cuba, several captains endeavoured to elude their vigilance by night, trusting that the darkness would conceal them as they passed between the American war-ships. There is no reason to mourn a son as lost who is a religious, still less to fear for his delicacy of constitution. v. 22). Verse 8. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. This is the communion with Him, and with Christ, which unquestionably helps the struggling, the penitent, the praying, more than anything else. [2105] And these without all controversy we take to be humble. Wherefore a few witnesses, which the Lord deigns to suggest to my mind, I proceed to mention, from out the teaching of Christ concerning humility, such as perhaps may be enough for my purpose. Does the Contemplative Life consist solely in the Contemplation of God, or in the Consideration St. "He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. 6. )God all-seeing:In the mythology of the heathen, Momus, the god of fault-finding, is represented as blaming Vulcan, because in the human form, which he had made of clay, he had not placed a window in the breast, by which whatever was done or thought there might easily be brought to light. The right state of mind plainly is to have the thought of God's presence so perpetually at hand that it shall always start before us whenever it is wanted. the lord will perfect that which concerns me sermon "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. His omnipresence. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. "How can He be both?" God has made us so. Self-consciousness has been the problem of the philosophic mind in all ages; and the mystery is not yet unravelled. But while all held their peace, the Son [441] said, AthanasiusSelect Works and Letters or AthanasiusCovenant Duties. The worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. xlix. xlix. 19 III. Our lives would be radiant with joy, and our lips filled with praise; the joy of the Lord would be our strength. lxxxv. Ps. His omnipotence (vers. And this will generally be just when we are tempted to do wrong, or perhaps just when we are actually beginning to do it: some secret sin of which no one knows or dreams perhaps, some self-indulgence, which we dare not deny that God condemns. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. Chapter i. The Lord's invitation to follow him is individual and personal, and it is compelling. v. 22). Thomas experiences the presence of the risen Christ and he responds by saying "MY LORD AND MY GOD!" Thomas addresses Jesus in the same language in which Israel addressed Yahweh. iii. Being confident of this, he that has begun a good work in you will perform it. If we had such a window we should pray for shutters, and should keep them closed.God omniscientWeekly Pulpit. We cannot live long with men without catching something of their manner, of their mode of thought, of their character, of their government of themselves. The worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! One man of God always feared death; but he might have spared himself his wretchedness, for he fell asleep one night in apparently excellent health, and died in his sleep. And though we thought that we had suffered loss from the tardiness of their coming, yet we find gain from their more abundant charity; seeing that from this delay in point Saint Gregory the Greatthe Epistles of Saint Gregory the GreatThe Coming Revival"Wilt Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?"--PS. He will revive us."--HOS. 7. The word, "me," in the text, cannot be appropriated by any man, unless he, in some respects, resembles the character of David, who penned this psalm. Wherefore a few witnesses, which the Lord deigns to suggest to my mind, I proceed to mention, from out the teaching of Christ concerning humility, such as perhaps may be enough for my purpose. It is a simple question of time; a simple question whether it shall come here in this world, where the blood of Christ "freely" flows, or in the future world, where "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin. That of welcoming the Divine searching (vers. vi. Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative Life, Epistle Xlvii. Specially with His people. "(Archbishop Temple. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . Wherefore a few witnesses, which the Lord deigns to suggest to my mind, I proceed to mention, from out the teaching of Christ concerning humility, such as perhaps may be enough for my purpose. In a declaration of faith you are speaking to yourself which was what David was doing in this verse. ad probam IV. the regular habit of reading the Bible at a fixed time, the occasional reminders of ourselves that God is looking on, these are our chief means of learning to remember His presence. 5, 6. From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. Self-consciousness has been the problem of the philosophic mind in all ages; and the mystery is not yet unravelled. Davids confident assurance that God will perfect all that concerns him was based on what David knew about God from his own personal dealings with God. Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. (Weekly Pulpit. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. He professes his confidence in GodDictionary of Bible ThemesPsalm 138:86708predestination8125guidance, promise8441goalsPsalm 138:7-81265hand of GodLibraryFaith in PerfectionIn the opening, I must remark that this is not the heritage of all mankind. In short, to live with God is to be perpetually rising above the world; to live without Him is to be perpetually sinking into it, and with it, and below it. The word, "me," in the text, cannot be appropriated by any man, unless he, in some respects, resembles the character of David, who penned this psalm. But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. Those who are always hearing pure and high principles set forth as the guides of life learn to value and to know them even faster than they can learn to live by them. 1. Christ: The Perfect Servant - Grace to You The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. That act whereby another being knows my secret thoughts and inmost feelings is most certainly inexplicable.I. 2. And though we thought that we had suffered loss from the tardiness of their coming, yet we find gain from their more abundant charity; seeing that from this delay in point Saint Gregory the Greatthe Epistles of Saint Gregory the GreatThe Coming Revival"Wilt Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?"--PS. It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. Does the Contemplative Life comprise many Acts? That of welcoming the Divine searching (vers. St. Hilary of Poitiers is one of the greatest, yet least studied, of the Fathers of the Western Church. "Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever." The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made John CunninghamThe Ordinance of CovenantingIntroduction. THE RESULT OF THIS CONFIDENCE. But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. We do not agree with Momus, neither are we of his mind who desired to have a window in his breast that all men might see his heart. The Coming Andrew MurrayThe Ministry of IntercessionForasmuch as Each Man is a Part of the Human Race1. When David said the Lord will perfect that which concerns him, he wasnt praying to God. When David said the lord will perfect that which concerns him, David wasn't saying how I wish the lord perfect that which concerns me. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." Does the Contemplative Life consist solely in the Contemplation of God, or in the Consideration St. xlix. Now, in this condition of things, God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life. Those who live much in a court acquire courtly manners. For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one of its aspects, it starts infinite hope in another. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. Sunday, February 26, 2023~ Reverend Damaris Y Walker, Esq., Pastor 7 ad 3m II. The simple question, then, which meets us is, Wilt thou know thyself here, and now, that thou mayest accept and feel God's pity; or wilt thou keep within the screen, and not know thyself until beyond the grave, and then feel God's judicial wrath? It leads to prayer. The separate, personal thinking of God toward every one of us.(1)Innumerable.(2)Constant.II. We have received with the utmost gratification the letters of your Fraternity, which have reached us somewhat late by the hands of Donatus and Quodvultdeus, our most reverend brethren and fellow-bishops, and also Victor the deacon with Agilegius the notary. Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. But while all held their peace, the Son [441] said, AthanasiusSelect Works and Letters or AthanasiusCovenant Duties. To refute some popular errors of human life. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. 15. The daily prayer in the closet, the endeavour to keep the attention fixed when praying with others, either in our regular services or in family worship. 8). His omnipotence (vers. 24).(W. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God7. Download MP3 (13.5MB) Request: transcript & translate this sermon What? (Weekly Pulpit. lvii. He must be prepared for the Kingdom that has been prepared for him Saint Bernard of ClairvauxSome Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of ClairvauxThat the Ruler Should be Always Chief in Action. He may be an uncommonly thoughtful person, and little of what is done within his soul may escape his notice; nay, we will make the extreme supposition that he arrests every thought as it rises, and looks at it; that he analyzes every sentiment as it swells his heart; that he scrutinizes every purpose as it determines his will; even if he should have such a thorough and profound self-knowledge as this, God knows him equally profoundly and equally thoroughly.