AugustineOn the Good of MarriagePrayer Out of the Deep. A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. 7. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . GOD.1. Whence our expectations of reward for doing right, of punishment for wrong-doing? For it is written, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace (Gal. 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. This must ever be our first appeal, to mercy. 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. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. To Dominicus, Bishop. Nor does such a feeling indicate malevolence. He compasseth man's path, and his lying down, and is acquainted with all his ways. He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God7. So that whenever we are on the point of doing or saying anything cowardly, or mean, or false, or impure, or proud, or conceited, or unkind, the remembrance that God is looking on shall instantly flash across us and help us to beat down our enemy. To Dominicus, Bishop. That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. Said Milton, speaking of his travels abroad when a young man: "I again take God to witness that in all places where so many things are considered lawful, I lived sound and untouched from all profligacy and vice, having this thought perpetually with me, that though I might escape the eyes of men, I certainly could not the eyes of God."4. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. For he who is required by the necessity of his position to speak the highest things is compelled by the same necessity to exhibit the highest things. O Lord, Thou hast searched me, and known me. 18 " Ep., cxxx. Justice, in this reference, is out of the question. Hilary of PoitiersThe Life and Writings of St. Hilary of PoitiersPsalmsThe piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. I. OURSELVES. Rom. (Isa. A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. (2)His knowledge of us is entire, complete.2. Ps. Forasmuch as each man is a part of the human race, and human nature is something social, and hath for a great and natural good, the power also of friendship; on this account God willed to create all men out of one, in order that they might be held in their society not only by likeness of kind, but also by bond of kindred. 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. III. 1, 2. The worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! 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. 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 yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. And how, through us, others would be blessed! [2105] And these without all controversy we take to be humble. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. Before the Searcher of hearts all mankind must appeal to mere and sovereign mercy. David praises God for the truth of his word4. And it is not his way to leave off what he once begins. Hence Paul. It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. 3. He compasseth man's path, and his lying down, and is acquainted with all his ways. S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. 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?' The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 1, 2. 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?' Though the transgressor is ignorant of much of his sin, because, at the time of its commission, he sins blindly as well as wilfully, and unreflectingly as well as freely; and though the transgressor has forgotten much of that small amount of sin, of which he was conscious, and by which he was pained, at the time of its perpetration; though, on the side of man, the powers of self-inspection and memory have accomplished so little towards this preservation of man's sin, yet God knows it all, and remembers it all. To Dominicus, Bishop. 1. He is our model. It's a collection of assorted personal concerns, like "come soon before winter if you can" (verses 9, 21) and "bring my cloak from Troas" (verse 13), and "watch out for Alexander the coppersmith" (verse 15), and "nobody showed up to support me at my defense" (verse 16), "but the Lord stood by me" (verse 17), and "greet . able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. 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. [2105] And these without all controversy we take to be humble. The self-knowledge, remember, must come in the one way or the other. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. 8). Like the air we breathe, like the light we see, it involves a mystery that no man has ever solved. 7 ad 3m II. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. xlix. 2. For that voice more readily penetrates the hearer's heart, which the speaker's life Leo the GreatWritings of Leo the GreatHow those that are at Variance and those that are at Peace are to be Admonished. 1. The strophe closes with a frank confession of the writer's impotence and awe. He does not come back in a quarter of an hour and say, "Have you my money safe? He compasseth man's path, and his lying down, and is acquainted with all his ways. (Admonition 23.) Before the Searcher of hearts all mankind must appeal to mere and sovereign mercy. . To save items to a SermonFolder, please sign in to your account. This is the communion with Him, and with Christ, which unquestionably helps the struggling, the penitent, the praying, more than anything else. At best we can only see the outside of a thing, the curve, the angle, the colour. Verse 18: And Jesus will rescue me from every evil dead. lvii. Then is the moment to choose whether or not we will live in the presence of God; then when the finger of conscience is pointing to Him and saying, "He is looking at you. To follow Jesus means to follow Jesus into a society where justice rules, where love shapes everything. 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 will revive us."--HOS. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. 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. God has made us so. We could never discharge our duties properly if we were to be perpetually distracted by the consciousness of what was around us: and, above all, we might be daunted by the perpetual thought of the presence of God, and so be paralyzed instead of helped. But while all held their peace, the Son [441] said, AthanasiusSelect Works and Letters or AthanasiusCovenant Duties. Lectionary texts. v. 22). 19 III. Said Milton, speaking of his travels abroad when a young man: "I again take God to witness that in all places where so many things are considered lawful, I lived sound and untouched from all profligacy and vice, having this thought perpetually with me, that though I might escape the eyes of men, I certainly could not the eyes of God."4. Chapter i. 4. 1, 2. lxxxv. G. T. Shedd, D. D.: One of the most remark. 1. vi. Those who live much in refined and educated society acquire refinement insensibly. Some are too small and some too distant. Those who live much in a court acquire courtly manners. 19-22). Ps. 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. 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."(W. 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. Differently to be admonished are those that are at variance and those that are at peace. able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative LifeEpistle Xlvii. But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. 6. And how it would bless us! He must be prepared for the Kingdom that has been prepared for him Saint Bernard of ClairvauxSome Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, That the Ruler Should be Always Chief in Action. : The fact that God is always present and knows every minute trifle in our lives, and that His unerring judgment will assuredly take count of every detail of our character and our conduct, neither exaggerating nor omitting, but applying absolute justice; this truth is one of those which lose force from their very universality. He will revive us."--HOS. vi. 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?' He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God7. I will ask you three questions suggested by the words themselves, and according to your answer to these three questions, shall be Charles Haddon SpurgeonSpurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859Question of the Contemplative LifeI. 19 III. That act whereby another being knows my secret thoughts and inmost feelings is most certainly inexplicable.I. The mountains; the obstacles and hindrances before you have a spiritual ear. 17, 18).2. Jesus prayed all the time, and at any time. 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. To reveal the supreme interest of human life. 19-22).3. One of my favorite scriptures is this confession from the psalmist David: "The LORD will perfect that which concerns me" (Psalm 138:8, NKJV). "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. "(Archbishop Temple. ( Psalm 138:8) "God will perfect everything that concerns you." ( Psalm 138:8, NKJV) I have heard my wife use King David's phrase many times in her public prayers. 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?' If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God . 1, 2. The faith of that Centurion He on this account chiefly praised, and said St. (Isa. 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.