Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. But if that knowledge whereby man knows himself is mysterious, then certainly that whereby God knows him is far more so. 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. 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. His omnipotence (vers. This thought is expanded and enforced by its application to all measures of space. That of a prayerful seeking of the Divine guidance (ver. 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?' 23, 24). lxxxv. 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. 8). The separate, personal thinking of God toward every one of us.(1)Innumerable.(2)Constant.II. How priceless the blood of Calvary, in which the saints have "washed their robes and made them white"! cxxxviii. (Weekly Pulpit. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. 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. G. T. Shedd, D. D.)God's presenceArchbishop Temple. cxxxviii. Justice, in this reference, is out of the question. In a sermon preached before the Virginia Company in 1610 William Crashaw advanced a range of arguments to justify the Virginia enterprise. At best we can only see the outside of a thing, the curve, the angle, the colour. 23, 24). II. 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. 19 III. (2)There is the error that imagines that death will make some fundamental alteration in their relation to God.2. cxxxviii. For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one of its aspects, it starts infinite hope in another. 2. Enter your email address and we will send you a link to reset your password. 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. He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. 1. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? We become unconscious of everything by long use. That of welcoming the Divine searching (vers. He sees the whole of every object. For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one of its aspects, it starts infinite hope in another. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. Chapter i. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. There is no reason to mourn a son as lost who is a religious, still less to fear for his delicacy of constitution. Our relation toward such a God should be 1. The faith of that Centurion He on this account chiefly praised, and said, A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. 15. Rom. 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. Differently to be admonished are those that are at variance and those that are at peace. 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. It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. The self-knowledge, remember, must come in the one way or the other. If it be God's plan for you for life you will carry it through. S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. With our past of perversity; what can we do but cast ourselves on God's infinite pity? 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. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. 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. 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. Jesus prayed all the time, and at any time. If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? 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. Your womb has a spiritual ear. 15. v. 22). When I healed people, Christ did that through me. lxxxv. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. This is living with God. 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. 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. "The Lord will perfect." ad probam IV. 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. 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. S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. Like when Jesus in Mark 4:39 said Peace be still. The worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. Whence the march and trend of history, always revealing "a power not ourselves, which makes for righteousness," and which sweeps away opposition like dust before the oncoming storm? N.T. To reprove some prevalent impieties in human conduct. 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. 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. He learnt his theology, as we shall see, from Eastern authorities, and was not content to carry on and develop the traditional teaching of the West; and the disciple St. The thought will flash across us that God sees us. 24).(W. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made John CunninghamThe Ordinance of CovenantingIntroduction. 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. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN KNOWS OF HIMSELF. 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. GOD.1. 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. able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. (Isa. 1 John 1:9, 1 Samuel 1:18, 1 Samuel 1:4-5, 1 Samuel 1:9-11, 2 Kings 4:13-17, 2 Kings 4:18-20, 2 Kings 4:28, 2 Kings 4:32-37, 2 Peter 5:15, 2 Samuel 7:15-17, 2 Timothy 4:10, 2 Timothy 4:7, 3 John 2, Colossians 4:14, Exodus 23:25, Ezekiel 37:1-10, Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 17:1-2, Genesis 18:10, Genesis 3:15, Hebrews 6:13-15, Hebrews 8:12, Isaiah 14:27, Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6-7, Jeremiah 1:12, Job 42:12-17, Joel 2:25-26, Mark 10:46-52, Mark 10:52, Mark 11:23, Mark 4:39, Mark 8:22-25, Matthew 2:13, Matthew 2:1-3, Matthew 2:19-20, Matthew 2:6, Numbers 23:19, Philemon 23-24, Philippians 1:6, Philippians 4:19, Proverbs 21:30, Psalm 138:8, Psalm 23:1, Psalm 43:5, Psalm 91, Psalms 138:8, Romans 4:18-21, Sermon Topics: 7. 2. 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. He is in (1)Heaven. The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me. For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one of its aspects, it starts infinite hope in another. (Isa. Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. 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. The former are made and fulfilled by its glorious Originator; the latter are enjoined and obligatory on man. To reveal the supreme interest of human life. English Revised Version (ERV) "How can He be both?" Rom. 1, 2. The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands. That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. II. able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me: Thy right hand shall save me."--PS. He will revive us."--HOS. AugustineOf Holy Virginity. Therefore the first natural bond of human society is man and wife. GOD.1. You can speak to the mountain and it will give way (Mark 11:23). And some will pass through great affliction and some will experience a great many wants. 7 ad 3m II. 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. when do trees bloom in the smoky mountains. 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 . 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. To reveal the supreme interest of human life. 17, 18).2. Think of all those who, on the night of the Passover, came out of Egypt, but yet never entered into Canaan; their carcasses fell in the wilderness, because of their unbelief. 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 law and covenant of God are co-extensive; and what is enjoined in the one is confirmed in the other. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. To Dominicus, Bishop. S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. 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. )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. Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. 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. [2105] And these without all controversy we take to be humble. He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God7. The worst thing that can happen to anyone is for the mercy of God to depart from the person. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. 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. (Psa. He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. xviii. He sees how he has been made to differ from the inferior creation in constitution and destiny. 1. There is no reason to mourn a son as lost who is a religious, still less to fear for his delicacy of constitution. Here's how David describes the Lord's response to his cry for help. For the Lord is good and His love is eternal, and His faithfulness endures to all generations." (Ps. 6. There is no reason to mourn a son as lost who is a religious, still less to fear for his delicacy of constitution. Our relation toward such a God should be 1. 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. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? 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. His omnipotence (vers. S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. xviii. And have not many actually made shipwreck of faith and a good conscience? And, without doubt, it is only as we are confident in the Lord that we render effective service and become channels of blessing to others: which God grant we may! 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. 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. 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 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. 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?