To start saving items to a SermonFolder, please create an account. 2. 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. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. If that Being has gone down into these depths of human depravity, and seen it with a more abhorring glance than could ever shoot from a finite eye, and yet has returned with a cordial offer to forgive it all, and a hearty proffer to cleanse it all away, then we can lift up the eye in adoration and in hope. 19-22).3. v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. )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. There must be a foundation for the promise. [2105] And these without all controversy we take to be humble. David praises God for the truth of his word4. But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. 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. I will ask you three questions suggested by the words themselves, and according to your answer to these three questions, shall be, I. He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. lxxxv. 231 and 1506: "Faith in Perfection", and, "Choice Comfort for a Young Believer." Verse 8. ad probam IV. 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 Great, The Coming Revival"Wilt Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?"--PS. Nor does such a feeling indicate malevolence. 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 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. 18, 19. 3. "But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15b). AugustineOn the Good of Marriage, Prayer Out of the Deep. Give me to see, and know that I am thine in an everlasting Covenant, which cannot be broken: that from having committed my soul-concerns into thy hands; all my earthly interests I may safely leave at the disposal; and that . 17, 18).2. cxxxviii. 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. 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. )God and ourselvesW. 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. This is the communion with Him, and with Christ, which unquestionably helps the struggling, the penitent, the praying, more than anything else. The worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! This might lead us to sadness and despair, but the Lord worketh in us . 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. This is false. S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. And so, as I thought and prayed about what I might bring to you in these wonderful days, I was drawn by the Holy Spirit . 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. The separate, personal thinking of God toward every one of us.(1)Innumerable.(2)Constant.II. II. But while all held their peace, the Son [441] said, AthanasiusSelect Works and Letters or AthanasiusCovenant Duties. He is present everywhere, in the entirety of Himself. 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. For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. 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. 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. 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. He compasseth man's path, and his lying down, and is acquainted with all his ways. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. 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. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made John CunninghamThe Ordinance of CovenantingIntroduction. 15. The Christmas Messengers, Audience and Message. 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? Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. 15. 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?' Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. OURSELVES. Our relation toward such a God should be 1. The Coming, 1. 1, 2. 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. That of siding with Him against evil (vers. iii. Chapter i. Those who live much in refined and educated society acquire refinement insensibly. A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. "I do not see how I am to be perfected My nature is so vile." THE LORD GIVES US REST IN HIS MERCY, for what says the text, "Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever." We cannot get away from God's presence. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. You seem quite sure and very happy about it; but what do you mean?" The brilliant searchlight sweeping the broad ocean and revealing even the smallest craft on its surface is but a faint type of the Eternal Light from which no sinner can hide his sin. Psalm 138:8 King James Version 8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one of its aspects, it starts infinite hope in another. Your womb has a spiritual ear. A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. For those that are at variance are to be admonished to know most certainly that, in whatever virtues they may abound, they can by no means become spiritual if they neglect becoming united to their neighbours by concord. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . Whether he be at rest or in motion, in every posture and state, God knows him. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me: Thy right hand shall save me."--PS. It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. Having trouble logging into your account? vi. Differently to be admonished are those that are at variance and those that are at peace. xlix. cxxxviii. This is the communion with Him, and with Christ, which unquestionably helps the struggling, the penitent, the praying, more than anything else. 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. AugustineOn the Good of MarriagePrayer Out of the Deep. 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. 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. In a declaration of faith, you speak to yourself to build up your faith, to activate your faith in God and to encourage yourself in the Lord. He is a "faithful Creator," and if you are seeking to answer the end for which He made you, His everlasting honour binds Him to fulfil His part. Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. That of welcoming the Divine searching (vers. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. Hence Paul Leo the GreatWritings of Leo the GreatSense in Which, and End for which all Things were Delivered to the Incarnate Son. S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. CONTINUALLY I am clearing the ground and laying the foundation of eternal salvation in the Grace of God which was manifested in Christ Jesus when He came into the world to save sinners. For it is written, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace (Gal. 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. - S.C. Before the Searcher of hearts all mankind must appeal to mere and sovereign mercy. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. lxxxv. 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. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this.