Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever: forsake not the works of Your own hands." Psalm 138:8 I HAVE selected this text, or, rather, it has been given to me to furnish a motto for the whole year to all the believing family of God now present. 18, 19. 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 . This is a prayer which you and I may well bring before God, whose workmanship we are. To Dominicus, Bishop. Differently to be admonished are those that are at variance and those that are at peace. 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. To reveal the supreme interest of human life. 1, 2. The former are made and fulfilled by its glorious Originator; the latter are enjoined and obligatory on man. 8). Those who live much in refined and educated society acquire refinement insensibly. He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. 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. Beyond the sea, and far out of the sight of man, God's hand would lead him, and God's right hand grasp him. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." Psalms 139:16 "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one of its aspects, it starts infinite hope in another. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." What we may comprehend as seeing a slow response is due to God not listening to us, we are not taking time to be patient. Does the Contemplative Life consist solely in the Contemplation of God, or in the Consideration, To Dominicus, Bishop. This is what we need to impart interest to life. To Dominicus, Bishop. cxxxviii. )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. If you look at it, you will see that there is in its bowels a full description of a true Christian. 8). : 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. But in almost every case the dazzling rays of a searchlight frustrated the attempt, and the fugitives' vessel was captured by the Americans. This is the communion with Him, and with Christ, which unquestionably helps the struggling, the penitent, the praying, more than anything else. "(Archbishop Temple. G. T. Shedd, D. D.)God's presenceArchbishop Temple. Do the Moral Virtues pertain to the Contemplative Life? 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. The answer is the same. AugustineOn the Good of MarriagePrayer Out of the Deep. 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. A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . If we had such a window we should pray for shutters, and should keep them closed.God omniscientWeekly Pulpit. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. We cannot live long with men without catching something of their manner, of their mode of thought, of their character, of their government of themselves. There is no reason to mourn a son as lost who is a religious, still less to fear for his delicacy of constitution. Unknown Location. Our hearts will put us in mind of God's eye being upon us every now and then involuntarily. 13-16).4. That of siding with Him against evil (vers. 24).(W. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN MIGHT, BUT DOES NOT, KNOW OF HIMSELF. Sunday, February 26, 2023~ Reverend Damaris Y Walker, Esq., Pastor Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative LifeEpistle Xlvii. From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. 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. able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. v. 22). 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. S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. 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. God has made us so. He will revive us."--HOS. 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. 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. 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. v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. That of welcoming the Divine searching (vers. (Isa. 19-22). But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. The importance of an interest in Christ. That He had made the waters, but had not divided them from the land, or said to the sea, "Hitherto shalt thou go, but no farther"? 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. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me: Thy right hand shall save me."--PS. 1. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made John CunninghamThe Ordinance of CovenantingIntroduction. They are ever before David as an object of adoring wonder, not by day only, but by night; not merely in the watches of the night, but even in his sleep. The poet multiplies expressions to indicate how complete is God's knowledge of him. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. )PeopleDavid, PsalmistPlacesJerusalemTopicsAbandon, Accomplish, Age, Chief, Complete, Concerneth, Concerns, David, Endures, Endureth, Eternal, Everlasting, Fall, Forever, Forsake, Fulfil, Fulfill, Hands, Kindness, Love, Loving, Lovingkindness, Loving-kindness, Mercy, Musician, O, Perfect, Psalm, Purpose, Steadfast, WorksOutline1. : 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. AugustineOf Holy Virginity. But if that knowledge whereby man knows himself is mysterious, then certainly that whereby God knows him is far more so. 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. xlix. We become unconscious of everything by long use. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN MIGHT, BUT DOES NOT, KNOW OF HIMSELF. 231 and 1506: "Faith in Perfection", and, "Choice Comfort for a Young Believer." Verse 8. Before the Searcher of hearts all mankind must appeal to mere and sovereign mercy. Ps. The worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? 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. That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. 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. 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. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. (Weekly Pulpit. Therefore the first natural bond of human society is man and wife. 15. The Lord will perfect that which concerns you there. If we had such a window we should pray for shutters, and should keep them closed.God omniscientWeekly Pulpit. 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. 17, 18).2. )PeopleDavid, PsalmistPlacesJerusalemTopicsAbandon, Accomplish, Age, Chief, Complete, Concerneth, Concerns, David, Endures, Endureth, Eternal, Everlasting, Fall, Forever, Forsake, Fulfil, Fulfill, Hands, Kindness, Love, Loving, Lovingkindness, Loving-kindness, Mercy, Musician, O, Perfect, Psalm, Purpose, Steadfast, WorksOutline1. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made John CunninghamThe Ordinance of CovenantingIntroduction. There must be a foundation for the promise. The former are made and fulfilled by its glorious Originator; the latter are enjoined and obligatory on man. so his questioner asks again; and the psalmist is at no loss for reply. The petition is a proof of humility. When I kept going, in danger and beatings and shipwreck and insults and prison, that was the power of Christ in me. 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. Whence the original plan, stupendous beyond conception, more minute than the most powerful microscope can reveal, which must have preceded the first act of creation? 17, 18).2. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God7. How can I turn all my worries and problems over to God? Hoyt, D. D.: This psalm sings of I. From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. 19-22).3. 7 ad 3m II. 1. xviii. Here is what we see in this text: the promise of peace, the God of peace, and the recipient of peace. 19-22).3. From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. 19 III. 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. He bringing me home, Timothy, and I'm going to see his face. "He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. 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. GOD.1. The Lord will perfect that which concerns me (Psalm 138:8) Thought for the day, Nov 1, 2017 - YouTube 0:00 2:01 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me (Psalm 138:8) Thought. How shall we learn to walk by His side? (4)In the dark as well as the light.3. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. 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?' (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. (2)Unseen world.(3)Everywhere. Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative LifeEpistle Xlvii. able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. 24).(W. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me: Thy right hand shall save me."--PS. The Coming Andrew MurrayThe Ministry of IntercessionForasmuch as Each Man is a Part of the Human Race1. In the day when I cried Charles KingsleyOut of the DeepWherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind32. The law and covenant of God are co-extensive; and what is enjoined in the one is confirmed in the other. 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. S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. PRAYER POINTS FOR JULY - Tesh N Writings The law and covenant of God are co-extensive; and what is enjoined in the one is confirmed in the other. As they are the works of His hands, they must be very dear unto Him, He cannot but love them and delight in them, and He rests in His love. 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. 23, 24). 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. 1, 2. 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. G. T. Shedd, D. D.)God's presenceArchbishop Temple. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. For it is written, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace (Gal. If you look at it, you will see that there is in its bowels a full description of a true Christian. 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.
