: 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. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. vi. 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. Therefore the first natural bond of human society is man and wife. But His mercy endureth for ever. THE BASIS OF HIS CONFIDENCE. 19-22).3. Psalm 138:8 Choice comfort for a young believer As every state has its dangers, so the peril of religious concern is despondency. 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. This is the communion with Him, and with Christ, which unquestionably helps the struggling, the penitent, the praying, more than anything else. 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. But this is more especially true in the work of grace in the heart. Before the Searcher of hearts all mankind must appeal to mere and sovereign mercy. If we had such a window we should pray for shutters, and should keep them closed.God omniscientWeekly Pulpit. There is no reason to mourn a son as lost who is a religious, still less to fear for his delicacy of constitution. The Lord reveals to us through His Word, the Bible, that we can be of good "cheer," that we can: 1) Rejoice in our problems because God will use them to our benefit: "Knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope" ( Romans 5:3-4 ); For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. Try to cherish an abiding sense of God's presence. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. 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. 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. G. T. Shedd, D. D.: One of the most remark. He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God7. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. 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. 5. To Dominicus, Bishop. (Isa. Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. He will revive us."--HOS. He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God7. To Dominicus, Bishop. The faith of that Centurion He on this account chiefly praised, and said St. God Will Perfect That Which Concerns Me The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever do not abandon the works of your hands. G. T. Shedd, D. D.: One of the most remark. If not, whence our own existence? 18, 19. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." (Matthew 6:9-13) iii. 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 ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN KNOWS OF HIMSELF. 18 " Ep., cxxx. The self-knowledge, remember, must come in the one way or the other. But in almost every case the dazzling rays of a searchlight frustrated the attempt, and the fugitives' vessel was captured by the Americans. The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. That of welcoming the Divine searching (vers. A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. 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 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? Christmas. 7 ad 3m II. "Jehovah will perfect that which concerneth me: Thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, [endureth] for ever; Forsake not the works of thine own hands." The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made John CunninghamThe Ordinance of CovenantingIntroduction. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. )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. 24).(W. 2. G. T. Shedd, D. D.)God's presenceArchbishop Temple. PHILIPPIANS 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. God has made us so. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me: Thy right hand shall save me."--PS. How shall we learn to walk by His side? You can speak to the mountain and it will give way (Mark 11:23). 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. 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 worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! 4. But if that knowledge whereby man knows himself is mysterious, then certainly that whereby God knows him is far more so. Before the Searcher of hearts all mankind must appeal to mere and sovereign mercy. In the day when I cried Charles KingsleyOut of the DeepWherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind32. 6. Here are 6 to get started: 1. 2. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." 7. : 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. "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. 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. Letter Xliii a Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. God has made us so. 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. G. T. Shedd, D. D.: One of the most remark. The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. 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. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? Then he pauses a moment, as if some doubt or question had entered his mind, and he adds, "Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever;" and then, with an upward look of intense devotion, addressing his words to the Lord, he prays, "Forsake not the works of thine own hands." Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? AugustineOn the Good of MarriagePrayer Out of the Deep. 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. Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. Forasmuch as Each Man is a Part of the Human Race Wherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind Letter Xliii a Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. Our hearts will put us in mind of God's eye being upon us every now and then involuntarily. 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. The friends of God are glad in the sure hope of being more and more consciously under His eye. To reveal the supreme interest of human life. "Whatever concerns me," says he, "the Lord will perfect.". 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. Let us not act so by Christ. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me: Thy right hand shall save me."--PS. The law and covenant of God are co-extensive; and what is enjoined in the one is confirmed in the other. : 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. 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. 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. That act whereby another being knows my secret thoughts and inmost feelings is most certainly inexplicable.I. His omniscience. For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one of its aspects, it starts infinite hope in another. 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. 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. If there is a creator of the universe, He must also be its sustainer: He cannot press material forces into service and go and leave them, as we do a windmill to draw water, for all force depends upon Him for its existence. S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. 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? St. Hilary of Poitiers is one of the greatest, yet least studied, of the Fathers of the Western Church. 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? "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. AugustineOn the Good of MarriagePrayer Out of the Deep. The worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one of its aspects, it starts infinite hope in another. That of a prayerful seeking of the Divine guidance (ver. 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. (Weekly Pulpit. OURSELVES. 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. Those who live much in refined and educated society acquire refinement insensibly. 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. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--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. That of siding with Him against evil (vers. From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. Of course, ere ever this be possible, the Lord's work must have begun in us; we must have yielded ourselves up to him in real repentance and faith; but if we have done that, why, instead of our too common misgiving and fear, have we not this glad persuasion that is expressed in our text? 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. 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. 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. From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. ad probam IV. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? 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.
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