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. 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. 6. AugustineOf Holy Virginity. Here's how David describes the Lord's response to his cry for help. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." (Matthew 6:9-13) Do the Moral Virtues pertain to the Contemplative Life? Let the path I daily walk in not be a crooked, corrupt and perverse path. That of welcoming the Divine searching (vers. Our hearts will put us in mind of God's eye being upon us every now and then involuntarily. And here let us look upon the bright as well as the dark side of this subject. ", 3. The Christmas Messengers, Audience and Message. II. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. IN WHAT DID IT ISSUE? Nay, more, this process of self-inspection may go on indefinitely, and the man grow more and more thoughtful, and obtain an everlastingly augmenting knowledge of what he is and what he does, so that it shall seem to him that he is penetrating so deeply into those dim and shadowy regions of consciousness where the external life takes its very first start, and then he may be sure that God understands the thought that is afar off, and deep down, and that at this lowest range and plane in his experience he besets him behind and before.II. 1, 2. 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. Do the Moral Virtues pertain to the Contemplative Life? The worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! 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. "This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. It is perfectly plain from the elevated central point of view where we now stand, and in the focal light in which we now see, that no man can be justified before God upon the ground of personal character; for that character, when subjected to God's exhaustive scrutiny, withers and shrinks away. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN KNOWS OF HIMSELF. ad probam IV. The Lord will perfect that which concerns me. He will revive us."--HOS. 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. 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.". 1, 2. Does the Contemplative Life comprise many Acts? GOD.1. Rom. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one of its aspects, it starts infinite hope in another. 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. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures foreverdo not abandon the works of your hands. AugustineOf Holy Virginity. 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. AugustineOf Holy Virginity. Like when Jesus in Mark 4:39 said Peace be still. 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?' Nay, more, this process of self-inspection may go on indefinitely, and the man grow more and more thoughtful, and obtain an everlastingly augmenting knowledge of what he is and what he does, so that it shall seem to him that he is penetrating so deeply into those dim and shadowy regions of consciousness where the external life takes its very first start, and then he may be sure that God understands the thought that is afar off, and deep down, and that at this lowest range and plane in his experience he besets him behind and before. 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. : 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. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. : 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. 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. 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. We become unconscious of everything by long use. 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. 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. Those who live much in a court acquire courtly manners. 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. The psalmist affirms . The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me. 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. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. The ruler should always be chief in action, that by his living he may point out the way of life to those that are put under him, and that the flock, which follows the voice and manners of the shepherd, may learn how to walk better through example than through words. David praises God for the truth of his word4. Text-Featuring a sermon is a less expensive way to bring this sermon to the attention of thousands on the right bar with optional newsletter inclusion. According to Scripture, we can be certain that God will perfect everything that concerns us because God cares about us. Being rich he becomes richer; being already high born, of still nobler lineage; being illustrious, he gains greater renown; and--what is more than all--once a sinner he is now a saint. Nay, more, this process of self-inspection may go on indefinitely, and the man grow more and more thoughtful, and obtain an everlastingly augmenting knowledge of what he is and what he does, so that it shall seem to him that he is penetrating so deeply into those dim and shadowy regions of consciousness where the external life takes its very first start, and then he may be sure that God understands the thought that is afar off, and deep down, and that at this lowest range and plane in his experience he besets him behind and before.II. 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. 18 " Ep., cxxx. 73 views, 1 likes, 0 loves, 2 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Church of the Saviour UMC: Modern Worship, Church of the Saviour - January 29, 2023 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. For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. His omnipotence (vers. iii. Those who live much in a court acquire courtly manners. Who conceived the character of Christ, in an age overlaid and penetrated through and through with error? 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. God has made us so. 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. )God and ourselvesW. Cultivate a loving affection for Him.(Homilist. This is living with God. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. vi. "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. Being rich he becomes richer; being already high born, of still nobler lineage; being illustrious, he gains greater renown; and--what is more than all--once a sinner he is now a saint. That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. 8). 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. 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. That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. (Isa. 18 " Ep., cxxx. 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. The self-knowledge, remember, must come in the one way or the other. AugustineOn the Good of Marriage, Prayer Out of the Deep. able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. 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. 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. 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. Not only his outward acts, but the thoughts from which they spring are at once discerned. Before the Searcher of hearts all mankind must appeal to mere and sovereign mercy. Hoyt, D. D.: This psalm sings of I. God's mercy. 9 Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. 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. I. 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. v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. KJV: The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. Rom. 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. And it is not his way to leave off what he once begins. S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. 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. Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. The worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! Let us not act so by Christ. 15. For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. Nor did God create these each by himself, and join them together as alien by birth: but He created the one St. Self-consciousness has been the problem of the philosophic mind in all ages; and the mystery is not yet unravelled. In my trouble I will call upon the Lord, and complain unto my God; so shall He hear my voice out of His holy temple, and my complaint shall come before Him; it shall enter even into His ears.--Ps. For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one of its aspects, it starts infinite hope in another. But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN KNOWS OF HIMSELF. 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. The faith of that Centurion He on this account chiefly praised, and said St. That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. For it is written, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace (Gal. 17, 18).2. 7. What sunshine of the soul we should enjoy! David wasnt saying how I wish the Lord will perfect that which concerns me like how you could say how I wish theres no work tomorrow, how I wish theres no school tomorrow, how I wish I could speak French, or how I wish someone will just write a cheque of 5million in my name. A wish doesnt necessarily have anything to do with God nor is a wish based on faith in God, because it isnt usually directed to God or addressed to God. God has made us so. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. v. 22). 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? There is no reason to mourn a son as lost who is a religious, still less to fear for his delicacy of constitution. He will revive us."--HOS. 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. Nor did God create these each by himself, and join them together as alien by birth: but He created the one St. 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. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. xlix. S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. vi. So, too, by living in the presence of God and, as it were, in the courts of heaven, we shall assuredly learn something of a heavenly tone, and shake off some of that coarse worldliness, that deeply ingrained selfishness, that silly pride and conceit which now spoils our very best service. He compasseth man's path, and his lying down, and is acquainted with all his ways. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN MIGHT, BUT DOES NOT, KNOW OF HIMSELF. 19-22).3. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius John Edgar McFadyenIntroduction to the Old TestamentLinksPsalm 138:8 NIVPsalm 138:8 NLTPsalm 138:8 ESVPsalm 138:8 NASBPsalm 138:8 KJVPsalm 138:8 Bible AppsPsalm 138:8 ParallelPsalm 138:8 Biblia ParalelaPsalm 138:8 Chinese BiblePsalm 138:8 French BiblePsalm 138:8 German BiblePsalm 138:8 CommentariesBible Hub, (2)His knowledge of us is entire, complete.2. Men only see what a man says and does; God sees all that a man is. AugustineOf Holy Virginity. 5, 6. S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. His omnipotence (vers. G. T. Shedd, D. D.: One of the most remark. 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. 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 DIVINE OMNISCIENCE (vers. 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. 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. He compasseth man's path, and his lying down, and is acquainted with all his ways. 18 " Ep., cxxx. St. Hilary of Poitiers is one of the greatest, yet least studied, of the Fathers of the Western Church. Wherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind32. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN KNOWS OF HIMSELF. Why should he? 15. Therefore the first natural bond of human society is man and wife. How great is the gratitude that is due to God from His saints, how innumerable are His blessings, how vast His mercy, how rich His grace and lovingkindness. The Lord Will Perfect All That Concerns Me Is a Declaration of Faith When David said the Lord will perfect that which concerns me, he was making a declaration of faith. God's justice. "He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. 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. 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. He compasseth man's path, and his lying down, and is acquainted with all his ways. It is perfectly plain from the elevated central point of view where we now stand, and in the focal light in which we now see, that no man can be justified before God upon the ground of personal character; for that character, when subjected to God's exhaustive scrutiny, withers and shrinks away. 19 III. You seem quite sure and very happy about it; but what do you mean?" 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. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. (Weekly Pulpit. S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. Well," he says, "I know the Lord has begun his work in me. thou establish my soul in it more and more. 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. There is a sweetness and a power in the very monosyllable, "Thy mercy"; because it is peculiar to God, it is His own property, it distinguishes Him. When used as an adjective, this is how the dictionary describes the meaning of perfect- adjective prfikt 1. 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. Carelessness? OURSELVES. S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. ad probam IV. So, David was saying it doesnt matter what my situation is today, it doesnt matter what is happening around me, I am convinced with everything in me because of the love and mercy of God, the Lord will perfect all that concerns me. If you look at it, you will see that there is in its bowels a full description of a true Christian. Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative LifeEpistle Xlvii. He will revive us."--HOS. "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. Ps. 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?' How shall we learn to walk by His side? "He will perfect that which concerneth me." That act whereby another being knows my secret thoughts and inmost feelings is most certainly inexplicable.I. His meditations are continuous. 15. When I preached or taught or wrote letters, that was Jesus at work in me. He compasseth man's path, and his lying down, and is acquainted with all his ways. Lectionary texts. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. 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. 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? xlix. 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. Before the Searcher of hearts all mankind must appeal to mere and sovereign mercy. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. The Lord will bear with you and forbear. 15. But whatever does really concern me, and especially my soul's full salvation, I am sure the Lord will perfect. "But are you not afraid? --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. The faith of that Centurion He on this account chiefly praised, and said St. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. We become unconscious of everything by long use. vi. Our hearts will put us in mind of God's eye being upon us every now and then involuntarily. If you look at it, you will see that there is in its bowels a full description of a true Christian. 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. That of welcoming the Divine searching (vers. 5, 6. 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. The so-called "Lord's Prayer," which actually is not the Lord's Prayer (that's in John 17) in Matt. Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative LifeEpistle Xlvii. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made, St. Hilary of Poitiers is one of the greatest, yet least studied, of the Fathers of the Western Church. 2. 1, 2. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." Psalms 139:16 "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. Nay, more, this process of self-inspection may go on indefinitely, and the man grow more and more thoughtful, and obtain an everlastingly augmenting knowledge of what he is and what he does, so that it shall seem to him that he is penetrating so deeply into those dim and shadowy regions of consciousness where the external life takes its very first start, and then he may be sure that God understands the thought that is afar off, and deep down, and that at this lowest range and plane in his experience he besets him behind and before.II. Does the Contemplative Life comprise many Acts? This was Thomas' announcement and one that is perfect for our expectations this first Sunday after the Easter resurrection.
What Happened To Gordon Monson,
Can Ribena Cause Black Stools,
How Long Does It Take For A Blanket To Decompose,
Things To Do In River Ranch Lafayette,
Articles T
the lord will perfect that which concerns me sermon