| Prayer Book Explained (91) Preaching (17) Presbyterian (10) Catholic (21) Bible Myths (40) Mens Bible (87) |
Get informations on various religious practises at prays. Prayer Book Explained, explaining Preaching - Presbyterian history - Catholic history - Bible Myths - Mens Bible |
Prayer Book Explained
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Extempore Worship And Forms Of Worship
There is no such special merit in monotony as to require that the
worship of God should be conducted wholly in one method rather than ...
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Variations Of Words And Phrases
Much has been said from time to time
concerning Extempore Prayers and Extempore Praise, as opposed to those
which are more carefully ...
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Variety Of Method
The worshippers are divided into two or more
parties who take up their parts alternately, or together. It is
evident that such a div...
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Variety In Singing
There were of old four methods of singing
the Psalms:
1. Direct or Choral. 2. Antiphonal. 3. Responsorial. 4. Continuous.
1....
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Variations In The Component Parts Of Services
1. Praise and Prayer.
2. Variations;
from Service to Service,
" Day to Day,
" Week to Week,
" Mor...
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Origin Of Morning And Evening Prayer
The Services in the Prayer Book may be roughly classed as (1) those
which are used every week: and (2) those which are used more rarel...
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General Scheme Of The Day Hours
We will not enter into the minute differences of structure which are
found in one or other of the Day Hours. The following list will ...
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Names And Titles
The Services of our Church were translated into English in 1549. Many
alterations were made at that time.
The seven Day Hours were...
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The Lord's Prayer
"After this manner therefore pray ye." S. Matth. vi. 9.
The pronouns used in the Lord's Prayer are 'Thy,' 'us,' 'our.' It is
th...
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Praise And Prayer
Praise. There are two ways in which respect is paid to a man, viz. (1)
Outspoken praise, (2) Deference to his words. In like manner ...
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Intention And Setting
The same words may serve for Praise and for Prayer. The plainest
meaning of "Hallowed be Thy Name" is Praise to God. But it may be a...
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The Key-note Of Prayer And Praise
"When ye pray, say, Our Father, &c." S. Luke xi. 2.
We can now understand why the Lord's Prayer is used twice in the same
Servic...
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Forms Of Worship
We have seen that Unity of Intention is necessary to congregational
worship. When a few people, animated by the same sentiments, are ...
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Worship-forms
We find that, in the Services, shares are distributed to the
worshippers in five different ways, which may be called Worship-forms.
...
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The Five Kinds Of Worship Forms
Examples-- Examples--
Prayer Praise
...
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Appendix A
Cartwright, attacking the Prayer Book, 1572 or later, wrote--
"For the singing of Psalms by course and side after side, although it
...
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Morning And Evening Prayer
It must not be supposed that these Services were composed suddenly in
their present shape. They are indeed formed on the pattern give...
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The Order For Morning Prayer Daily Throughout The Year
This fresh heading is necessary because the former included the Order
for Evening Service. Morning and Evening Prayer (called also Ma...
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Introduction
TEXT and SERMON on Confession.
The act of CONFESSION.
GOD'S ANSWER to Confession.
PRAISE.
...
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Prayer
THE LORD'S PRAYER.
PRECES or Interjected Verses anticipating the Collects.
( 1. for spiritual needs,
COLLECTS...
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God's Answer To Confession Is The Absolution Or Remission Of Sins
As an illustration of this we may think of Esther, when she went to
make her petition of the King (Esther iv. 2, v. 1-3). The King
e...
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The Sentences
are 11 verses, chosen, 5 from the Psalms, 4 from the Prophets, 2 from
the Gospels, 1 from the Epistles. They represent either man's c...
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The Exhortation
The Scripture moveth us] The Sentences supply 11 such places, but
there are many more to be found in the Bible. The word "moveth" ha...
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The Confession
The capital letters indicate that this was to be, as it were, dictated
to the people, sentence by sentence: and the Rubric implies the...
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The Absolution
As God's answer to Confession, this is pronounced by God's own
messenger. The messenger must have full credentials; i.e. a Deacon
mu...
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Rubrics
Before the invention of printing (15th century), the directions in Law
Manuscripts had been written in red, in order to distinguish th...
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Duplication Of Phrases
It has often been noticed that pairs of words having nearly the same
meaning frequently occur in the Prayer Book. This doubling of an...
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Examples Of Duplication
1. Exhortation.
Parallel. goodness and mercy.
assemble and meet together.
Progressive.
( acknowledge ....
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The Psalms
Every part of the Praise portion of the Service has a
Praise-Termination. We have already seen that the "intention" of the
Lord's Pr...
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The First Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer may be regarded as a brief summary of the acts of
worship which come after it. Much care is required in order to us...
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The Ladder Of Praise
The various parts of the Praise portion of the Service are not
repetitions of the same ideas. We {39} have first, in the Psalms, the
...
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Versicles And Psalms
Before the Psalms begin there is an injunction to praise the Lord
exchanged between the Minister and the People. Four other Versicles...
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Psalms In Daily Services
The Preface, "Concerning the Service of the Church," states that "the
ancient Fathers have divided the Psalms into seven portions, whe...
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The Lessons
A. The Study of the Bible a help to worship.
The Bible is read in Church as an incentive to the praise of God. It
supplies thought...
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Lessons And Lectionaries
Acts xv. 21. "Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach
him, being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath Day." The refere...
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Justin Martyr
61. * * * We bring them where there is water; and after the same
manner of regeneration as we also were regenerated ourselves, they a...
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Hymns In The Daily Services
We are about to explain how Hymns are attached to Lessons for purposes
of worship. It will be well therefore to consider what a Hymn ...
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The Canticles
The word Canticle means "little song" or "little chant," just as
versicle means "little verse," and particle "little part."
It has ...
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Map Of The Lessons And Their Canticles
Character of the Lesson Mattins Evensong
O. T. Creation and Providence Benedicite Cantate*
...
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The Te Deum Printed So As To Show Its Structure
[Transcriber's note: In the original book, each of the following 13
items was printed on a single line. In this e-book, they have bee...
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Te Deum Laudamus
This ancient Latin Hymn of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ has
in many Service-books been attributed to S. Ambrose and S. Aug...
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The Canticles Continued
The position which the Te Deum occupies in the morning is that of
Respond of the whole people to the message of the Old Testament. We...
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Magnificat
Jesus is known to us as the Son of Man: hence His people can use the
words of the Blessed Virgin. When she looked forward to His comi...
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Benedicite
The Canticle Benedicite omnia Opera is so called from Latin words
meaning Bless ye, all Works.
Our Services were translated from th...
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Cantate Domino
Passing now to the corresponding Canticle at Evensong, we find Cantate
Domino, the 98th Psalm, which, though much briefer, and nearly ...
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Canticles Which Follow The Second Lesson
We have seen that the Gospel is frequently hidden[1] in the Old
Testament Lessons. The unfolding of this hidden thought comes by
nat...
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Benedictus
Benedictus is the Hymn of Zacharias upon the first beginning of the
actual Coming of Messiah. "The horn of salvation was virtually ra...
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Nunc Dimittis
The Evening Service is supplied with a different Hymn of the Advent for
its Second Lesson--that of the aged Simeon, when, having waite...
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Jubilate Deo
It is scarcely necessary at this time to show that the 100th Psalm is
suitable as a Canticle after a Missionary Lesson; for it seems t...
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Deus Misereatur
Ps. lxvii., styled by Dr Kay The Spiritual Harvest-Home Song of Israel,
is to be applied by us to the Harvesting of Missionaries, when...
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The Creeds
The discussions which arose upon the Revelation of Himself, which God
gave in His Son Jesus Christ, were carried on between people who...
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The Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed is a summary of those things which the Bible tells
us of God's Being. There can be no higher act of the soul of m...
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History Of The Apostles' Creed
The similarity of the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, as they
stand in the Prayer Book, {95} suggests the reflection that disput...
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The Apostles' Creed And The Creed Of Irenaeus (ad 170)
I believe in God the Father I believe in one God
Almighty, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven...
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The Lord Be With You
Answer. And with thy spirit.] This may be taken as the mutual
salutation of Minister and People at the close of the Praise Service.
...
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Reason History And Revelation
It may be said with truth that the Bible is a book which reads History,
and the perplexities of Man, in the light of one great postula...
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What Reason Has To Say About God
The Athanasian Creed distinguishes between the teaching of the
Catholick Religion and the teaching of the Christian Verity. A
moment...
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What The Bible Revelation Says About God
Reasoning of the kind which Socrates used comes near to proof. But it
can never actually prove the existence of God. The mind of man...
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What The Outside World Said Of Christ
The foundation of Christianity was not laid with outward marks, but in
the hearts of those who, by one, and by two, united themselves ...
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What The Bible Says Of Jesus
S. Matth. i. 21. Thou shalt call his name Jesus. xvi. 16 Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God. S. John i. 14 the only be...
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What The Bible Says Of The Holy Ghost
The third paragraph of this Creed is a summary of the teaching of the
Bible concerning Him whom we often call the third Person of the
...
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The Creed Of Saint Athanasius
A learned Professor once attacked the use of Creeds in Worship with the
bitter words, that "they combine the maximum of offence with t...
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The Service Of Prayer
If we have understood the Method of Praise which, in these Services,
uses ancient forms in an ordered variety, we shall be prepared to...
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The Prayer Service
I. Preces and Collects. Morning and Evening Rubrics.
The directions concerning the Services are to be found in the Rubrics:
which ...
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The Rubrics After The Collects
The amendment of rubrics in this part of the Services, which was
effected in 1662, completed the directions for continuing the Service...
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The Lord's Prayer As Set For The Service Of Prayer
We have before explained that the Doxology is not added here, but the
Lesser Litany is prefixed to it. The thoughts will now be diffe...
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The Preces
These interjected prayers do not follow exactly the order of the
Collects and Prayers, which are to come next to them. The second
co...
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The Collects
The Books formerly used in Church.
In a passage of the Prayer Book Preface of 1549, which was not struck
out until the last Revisio...
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Three Celebrated Sacramentaries
Three of the Sacramentaries deserve here special mention.
I. Gregory the Great, who was Pope of Rome from 590 to 604, was the
autho...
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What Then Are The Characteristics Which We Must Expect In A Collect?
1. It has three simple parts: (a) the Name of God; (b) what we ask;
(c) our appeal to Christ's advocacy.
2. It makes no effort to i...
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Origin Of The Word 'collect'
It is impossible to speak with confidence about the origin of the word
Collect. We find in old Services both Collecta and Collectio. ...
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The Morning And Evening Collects
The First Collect is the Collect of the Day. The Preface (last rubric
before the Table of Lessons) orders that the Collect "appointed...
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The Other Prayers
The change from the Three Collects to the Three Prayers which follow
may be softened by the Anthem, (or Hymn), which comes between. T...
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The Prayer For The King Was Inserted In 1559
Health and wealth=To be hale or whole, and to be well. They are
Saxon words which include all prosperity of body and condition.
Th...
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Anthems
Anthem=Antiphon, fr. antiphonon: so called because two choirs sing
alternately.
Anthems are of two sorts--simple Anthems and comp...
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Advent Setting Of Venite
Behold the King cometh. Let us go to meet our Saviour.
O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us heartily rejoice in the
strength ...
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The Compound Anthem
The Prioress, in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, relates that a
Litel child his litel book lernynge,
As he sat in the scole in his ...
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Easter Eve Setting Of Magnificat
[Transcriber's note: In the following section, in the original book,
the material in the right-hand column was italicized. In standar...
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The Litany
Origin of Litanies. Some of the Offices of Holy Communion--especially
in the East--have had a portion after the Gospel very similar t...
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Structure Of The Litany
The Litany is a series of prayers addressed mainly to God the Son. It
has two breaks, or interruptions, which consist of prayers addr...
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Our Cry To Christ
The distinguishing feature of the Litany is that it uses a worship-form
which is not used elsewhere in the Prayer Book. The Minister ...
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Progressive Duplication
The groups of sins and sufferings from which we desire to be delivered
supply instances of progress, from that which is less, to that ...
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Our Cry To The Father In Heaven
The couplet
O Lord, deal not with us, &c.
Neither reward us, &c.
belongs to the Prayer of the Contrite Heart, and is a summa...
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Appeal For Help
The eight versicles which follow next are addressed to Christ, and in
most editions of the Prayer Book are separated by a small space ...
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The Pressing Anxieties Of The Moment
The Collect of Complete Confidence, with its Verse and Respond, is
placed here to strike the keynote of the Section: and the Section i...
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On The Lessons In The Day Hours
The Preface to the Prayer Book Concerning the Service of the Church
states that, prior to 1549, the old order, for reading the greates...
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On Pliny's Letter To The Emperor Trajan
[Pliny the younger was Governor of Pontus and Bithynia during some of
the early years of the 2nd century. Trajan was Emperor from A.D...
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On The Addition Of Filioque To The Creed
The Nicene Creed (325) had the words "Proceeding from the Father":
the Council of Ephesus (431[1]) decreed that no addition was to be ...
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On The Greek Origin Of Litanies (p 153)
Litany comes from the Greek litaneia.
lite means a prayer; whence (litanos) one who prays; litaneuo to
be a person who prays; litan...
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Dates
The principal dates which are of use in reading this book fall into
four groups:
1. The Early Church.
2. The Discussion of t...
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Dates Connected With The Growth Of The Christian Service Books
A.D.
112. Pliny's Letter.
140. Justin Martyr's 1st Apology.
340-397. Ambrose, Bp of Milan.
347-407. Chrysostom, B...
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Preaching
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Theory Of The Chapter The Man
To have Effective Preaching you must have the Effective Preacher.
Jesus Christ first Chose and Called His men and then communicated th...
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The Designation Of The Preacher
The preaching of the Gospel is more than a mere utterance of certain
historical facts with deductions therefrom; more than a declarati...
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Things To Be Realized
It is absolutely essential to the successful preaching of the Gospel
that the preacher should realise the greatness and dignity of his...
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The Need For Certainty
One of the most obvious lessons to be learned from a study of church
history is a lesson teaching the necessity of the positive note i...
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Individuality
Another essential quality of the effective and successful messenger of
Christ is individuality.
The preaching of the truth is, afte...
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Concerning Understanding
"And the preacher had understanding," so runs the ancient word, and
"understanding" the preacher must have. This is only another way ...
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Passion
There is a page in Tyerman's monumental "Life of George Whitefield,"
which illustrates, as few pages do, the quality of that essential...
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Theory Of The Message Chapter
The Effectiveness of the Message arises from the Completeness with
which it Meets the Needs of Men. We believe that the Measure of ...
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The Note Of Pity
In the chapter just concluded we have tried to lay down that one
essential of the preacher's message is the note of sternness, that th...
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The Note Of Idealism
The Christian preacher is not only the accuser of men and the
ambassador of reconciliation; he is also the Prophet of a new order.
"G...
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The Note Of Edification
The preacher is appointed for the upbuilding of the Church and of the
individual believer upon "the foundation of the apostles and pro...
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The Note Of Cheer
The chapter now to be added is written under the influence of a Sabbath
afternoon service in which, a few hours ago, we occupied a pew...
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Theory Behind Form And Deliverance
We have spoken of the Effective Preacher and of the Effective Message,
but this Message must have Effective Form and Expression in ord...
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On Attractiveness
Having now given some little thought to a consideration of the
essential qualifications of the Christian messenger, and also to the
c...
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On Transparency
There is one quality of such vital importance to the effectiveness of
our sermons as to merit more than passing mention, and that is t...
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On Appeal
It is set before us in this last chapter of our lecture to say
something in reference to appeal as an essential quality of the sermon....
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Conclusion
We approach, at last, the end of our poor attempt. Its purpose has
been to furnish a reminder of some things that are absolutely es...
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Presbyterian
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The Law And The Liberty Of Presbyterian Worship
"The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and
New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify...
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The Age Of Knox: The Formative Period Of Presbyterian Worship
"Among the great personages of the past it would be difficult to name
one who in the same degree has vitalized and dominated the c...
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Knox's Book Of Common Order
"The Book of Common Order is best described as a discretionary
liturgy."--SPROTT.
The Book of Common Order makes no referen...
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A Diet Of Public Worship In The Time Of Knox
"What I have been to my country, albeit this unthankful age will not
know, yet the ages to come will be compelled to bear witness ...
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The Period Of Controversy 1614-1645
"They were splintered and torn, but no power could bend or melt them.
They dwelt, as pious men are apt to dwell, in suffering and ...
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The Westminster Assembly And The Directory Of Worship
If the Assembly's Directory increased liberty, it also augmented
responsibility. If it took away the support of set and prescribe...
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Legislation Concerning Public Worship In The Period Subsequent To The Revolution Of 1688
"Religion shall rise from its ruins; and its oppressed state at present
should not only excite us to pray, but encourage us to hop...
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Presbyterian Worship Outside Of The Established Church Of Scotland
Whether they were right or wrong ... no man of fairness will fail to
allow that the record of the Seceders all through the period ...
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Modern Movements In Presbyterian Churches Respecting Public Worship
"All who desire to manifest an intelligent appreciation of what is
distinctive in Presbyterian ritual would do well to guard again...
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Conclusion
"A constant form is a certain way to bring the soul to a cold,
insensible, formal worship."--BAXTER.
The foregoing brie...
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Catholic
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The Ceremonies Of The Catholic Church
THE Catholic Church in the celebration of Mass and in the administration
of the sacraments employs certain forms and rites. These are ...
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Ceremonies Necessary To Divine Worship
THE angels are pure spirits. They have no body. Consequently the worship
they render God is spiritual, interior.
The heavenly bodie...
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Vestments Used By The Priest At Mass
BEFORE entering upon an explanation of the ceremonies of the Mass, which
is our principal act of public worship, let us examine the me...
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Ceremonies Of The Mass
THE Mass is the great sacrifice of the New Law. It was foreshadowed by
all the sacrifices ordained by God in the Old Law. They were sh...
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Vespers And Benediction
"Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day" (Ex. xx. 8).
THIS commandment teaches us that God wills the whole Sunday to be spent
...
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Devotion To The Blessed Sacrament
"And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and
broke, and gave to His disciples, and said: take ye and eat. This ...
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Holy Communion
"He that eateth this bread shall live forever" (John vi. 59)
HOLY communion is receiving the body and blood of Christ in the Blessed...
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Confirmation
"Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost"
(Acts viii. 17).
BEFORE the coming of the Holy Ghost on Pe...
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Honoring The Blessed Virgin
"The angel Gabriel was sent from God . . . to a Virgin . . . and the
Virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in said to her: ...
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Confession Of Sin
"Whom when He saw He said: Go, show yourselves to the priests" (Luke
xvii. 14).
"Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins ye shall for...
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Granting Indulgences
"Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound in heaven, and
whatsoever you shall loose upon earth shall be loosed also in heav...
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The Last Sacraments
"Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the Church,
and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name...
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Praying For The Dead
"It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that
they may be loosed from their sins" (2 Mach. xii. 46).
NO ...
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Praying To The Saints
"And may the angel that delivereth me from all evils bless these boys"
(Gen. xlviii. 16).
"So I say to you there shall be joy befor...
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Crucifixes Relics And Images
"Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of
anything that is in the heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor...
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Some Sacramentals
"Pray without ceasing" (2 Thess. v. 17).
"Every creature is sanctified by the word of God and prayer" (1 Tim.
4, 5).
BY SACRAMEN...
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The Celebration Of Feasts
"Seven days shalt thou celebrate feasts to the Lord thy God, in the
place which the Lord shalt choose" (Deut. xvi. 15).
"If he will...
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Infant Baptism
"Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the
Holy Ghost, he can not enter into the kingdom of God" (John ii...
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Respect Shown To Ecclesiastical Superiors
"We are ambassadors for Christ; God, as it were, exhorting by us" (2
Cor. v. 20).
"As the Father sent me, I also send you" (John xx...
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Celibacy
"He who is unmarried careth about the things of the Lord, how he may
please God" (i Cor. vii. 32).
THE Catholic Church recognizes m...
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Conclusion
"If thou wilt enter into life keep the commandments" (Matt. xix. 17).
WHEN Jesus Christ died on the cross for us, He did so in order...
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Bible Myths
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The Creation And Fall Of Man
The Old Testament commences with one of its most interesting myths, that
of the Creation and Fall of Man. The story is to be found i...
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The Deluge
After "man's shameful fall," the earth began to be populated at a very
rapid rate. "The sons of God saw the daughters of men th...
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The Tower Of Babel
We are informed that, at one time, "the whole earth was of one language,
and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they (the inhabi...
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The Trial Of Abraham's Faith
The story of the trial of Abraham's faith--when he is ordered by the
Lord to sacrifice his only son Isaac--is to be found in Genesis...
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Jacob's Vision Of The Ladder
In the 28th chapter of Genesis, we are told that Isaac, after blessing
his son Jacob, sent him to Padan-aram, to take a daughter of ...
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The Exodus From Egypt And Passage Through The Red Sea
The children of Israel, who were in bondage in Egypt, making bricks, and
working in the field,[48:1] were looked upon with compassio...
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Receiving The Ten Commandments
The receiving of the Ten Commandments by Moses, from the Lord, is
recorded in the following manner:
"In the third month, whe...
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Samson And His Exploits
This Israelite hero is said to have been born at a time when the
children of Israel were in the hands of the Philistines. His mother...
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Jonah Swallowed By A Big Fish
In the book of Jonah, containing four chapters, we are told the word of
the Lord came unto Jonah, saying: "Arise, go to Ninevah, tha...
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Circumcision
In the words of the Rev. Dr. Giles:
"The rite of circumcision must not be passed over in any work
that concerns the rel...
|
Conclusion Of Part First
There are many other legends recorded in the Old Testament which might
be treated at length, but, as we have considered the principa...
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The Miraculous Birth Of Christ Jesus
According to the dogma of the deity of Jesus, he who is said to have
lived on earth some eighteen centuries ago, as Jesus of Nazaret...
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The Star Of Bethlehem
Being born in a miraculous manner, as other great personages had been,
it was necessary that the miracles attending the births of th...
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The Song Of The Heavenly Host
The story of the Song of the Heavenly Host belongs exclusively to the
Luke narrator, and, in substance, is as follows:
At the tim...
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The Divine Child Recognized And Presented With Gifts
The next in order of the wonderful events which are related to have
happened at the birth of Christ Jesus, is the recognition of the...
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The Birth-place Of Christ Jesus
The writer of that portion of the Gospel according to Matthew which
treats of the place in which Jesus was born, implies, as we stat...
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The Genealogy Of Christ Jesus
The biographers of Jesus, although they have placed him in a position
the most humiliating in his infancy, and although they have gi...
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The Slaughter Of The Innocents
Interwoven with the miraculous conception and birth of Jesus, the star,
the visit of the Magi, &c., we have a myth which belongs to ...
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The Temptation And Fast Of Forty Days
We are informed by the Matthew narrator that, after being baptized by
John in the river Jordan, Jesus was led by the spirit into the...
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The Crucifixion Of Christ Jesus
The punishment of an individual by crucifixion, for claiming to be "King
of the Jews," "Son of God," or "The Christ;" which are the ...
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The Darkness At The Crucifixion
The Luke narrator informs us that at the time of the death of Christ
Jesus, the sun was darkened, and there was darkness over the ea...
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He Descended Into Hell
The doctrine of Christ Jesus' descent into hell is emphatically part of
the Christian belief, although not alluded to by Christian d...
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The Resurrection And Ascension Of Christ Jesus
The story of the resurrection of Christ Jesus is related by the four
Gospel narrators, and is to the effect that, after being crucif...
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The Second Coming Of Christ Jesus And The Millennium
The second coming of Christ Jesus is clearly taught in the canonical, as
well as in the apocryphal, books of the New Testament. Paul...
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Christ Jesus As Judge Of The Dead
According to Christian dogma, "God the Father" is not to be the judge at
the last day, but this very important office is to be held ...
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Christ Jesus As Creator And Alpha And Omega
Christian dogma also teaches that it was not "God the Father," but "God
the Son" who created the heavens, the earth, and all that th...
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The Miracles Of Christ Jesus And The Primitive Christians
The legendary history of Jesus of Nazareth, contained in the books of
the New Testament, is full of prodigies and wonders. These all...
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Christ Crishna And Christ Jesus Compared
Believing and affirming, that the mythological portion of the history
of Jesus of Nazareth, contained in the books forming the Canon...
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Christ Buddha And Christ Jesus Compared
"The more I learn to know Buddha the more I admire him, and
the sooner all mankind shall have been made acquainted with
...
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The Eucharist Or Lord's Supper
We are informed by the Matthew narrator that when Jesus was eating his
last supper with the disciples,
"He took bread and bl...
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Baptism
Baptism, or purification from sin by water, is supposed by many to be an
exclusive Christian ceremony. The idea is that circumcision...
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The Worship Of The Virgin Mother
The worship of the "Virgin," the "Queen of Heaven," the "Great Goddess,"
the "Mother of God," &c., which has become one of the grand...
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Christian Symbols
A thorough investigation of this subject would require a volume,
therefore, as we can devote but a chapter to it, it must necessaril...
|
The Birth-day Of Christ Jesus
Christmas--December the 25th--is a day which has been set apart by the
Christian church on which to celebrate the birth of their Lor...
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The Trinity
"Say not there are three Gods, God is but One God."--(Koran.)
The doctrine of the Trinity is the highest and most mysterious ...
|
Paganism In Christianity
Our assertion that that which is called Christianity is nothing more
than the religion of Paganism, we consider to have been fully v...
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Why Christianity Prospered
We now come to the question, Why did Christianity prosper, and why was
Jesus of Nazareth believed to be a divine incarnation and Sav...
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The Antiquity Of Pagan Religions
We shall now compare the great antiquity of the sacred books and
religions of Paganism with those of the Christian, so that there ma...
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Explanation
After what we have seen concerning the numerous virgin-born, crucified
and resurrected Saviours, believed on in the Pagan world for ...
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Conclusion
We now come to the last, but certainly not least, question to be
answered; which is, what do we really know of the man Jesus of Naza...
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Mens Bible
|
Abraham's Four Surrenders
A great many people are afraid of the will of God, and yet I believe
that one of the sweetest lessons that we can learn in the schoo...
|
He Came Half-way
and stayed there--we do not know just how long, but probably about
five years.
Now, I believe that there are a great many Christian...
|
Drawn Nearer To God
I believe that many a time trouble and sorrow are permitted to come
to us that we may see the face of God, and be shut up to trust in
...
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Needed Bolstering Up
But his covetous eye looked upon the well-watered plains of the
valley of the Jordan that reached out towards Sodom, and he chose
the...
|
Adding To The Promise
for the benefit of His friend Abram.
Let us go back a moment to Lot, and see what Lot gained by making
that choice. I believe that ...
|
A Much Shrewder Man
than his uncle Abram, and that if he lived twenty-five years he
would be the richer of the two, and that by coming into Sodom he
coul...
|
Mayor Of Sodom
He was getting on amazingly well; wonderfully prosperous.
But by and by there comes a war. If you go into Sodom, you must take
Sodo...
|
A Long Eye And A Short Eye
and they make miserable work of their Christian life. They keep one
eye on the eternal city and the other eye on the well-watered plai...
|
No Name In History
so well known as the name of Abram. Even Christ is not more widely
known, for the Mohammedans, the Persians, and the Egyptians make a
...
|
For Twenty-five Years
Abraham had been in the Promised Land without the promised heir. God
had promised that He would bless all the nations of the earth
th...
|
How Prophetic That Answer Was
when Abraham turned and said to the son, "God will provide Himself a
sacrifice?" I don't know that Abraham understood the full meaning...
|
A Falser Idea Of God
than that. Since I have become a father I have made this discovery:
that it takes more love and self-sacrifice for the father to give ...
|
Lifted The Curtain Of Time
for Abraham. He looked down into the future, saw God's Son coming up
Calvary, bearing his sins and the sins of all posterity. God gave...
|
The Secrets Of Heaven
After Abraham did what God told him, then it was that God told His
friend all about His Son. If we make a full surrender, God will giv...
|
The Call Of Moses
There is a great deal more room given in Scripture to the call of
men to God's work than there is to their end. For instance, we
do...
|
He Thought The Lord Had Made A Mistake
that he was not the man. He said, "Who am I?" He was very small in
his own estimation. Forty years before he had started out as a good...
|
Big Heads And Little Hearts
If a man has a shriveled-up heart and a big head he is a monster.
Perhaps Moses looked down on the Hebrews. There are many people who
...
|
The Biggest Fool In The World
"Why," they would say, "look at the opportunity that man had! He
might have been commander of the Egyptian army, he might have been
o...
|
A Blank Check
and all he had to do was to fill it out from that time on. When he
wanted to bring water out of the rock, all he had to do was to fill...
|
Not An Orator
My friends, we have too many orators. I am tired and sick of your
"silver-tongued orators." I used to mourn because I couldn't be an
...
|
Your Message And Not Yourself
the most prominent thing. Don't be self-conscious Set your heart on
what God has given you to do, and don't be so foolish as to let yo...
|
Told These Three Thousand Years
Father, mother, sisters, brothers, the grave of her husband--she
turned her back on them all. Ruth, come back, and tell us if you
reg...
|
Naaman The Syrian
I wish to call your attention to one who was a great man in his own
country, and very honorable; one whom the king delighted to hono...
|
No Physician
who could help him in Syria. None of the eminent doctors in Damascus
could do him any good. If he was to get rid of the leprosy, the
...
|
God Honored Her Faith
"What do you say? A prophet in Israel that can cure leprosy?"
"Yes."
"Why, did you ever know any one that was cured?"
"No."
...
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How Many Would Buy Salvation!
But, thank God, it is not in the market for sale. You must buy it at
God's price, and that is "without money and without price." Naama...
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Thoroughly In Earnest
He was quite willing to go one hundred and fifty miles, and to take
the advice of this little maid. A good many people say:
"Oh, I ...
|
Afraid They Would Get Mad
Don't be afraid of getting them mad, if it is the truth that makes
them mad. If it is our foolishness that makes them mad, then we hav...
|
Bid Him Do Some Great Things
Instead of that, Elisha, who was perhaps busy writing, did not even
come to the door or the window. He merely sent out the message:
...
|
Converted The Regular Way
He believed in the regular Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and that
was the place for him to be converted.
The employer tried ever...
|
A Very Simple One
Now, don't you see yourselves there? How many men there are who are
waiting for some great thing; waiting for some sudden feeling to
...
|
The Starting-point Of His Faith
although still he thought it a foolish thing, and could not bring
himself to believe that the result would be what the prophet had
sa...
|
In The Very Act Of Obedience
he was blessed.
Look at those ten New Testament lepers who came to Christ. He said
to them: "Go show yourselves to the priests."
...
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Not A Myth But A Person
"He came to His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as
received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons and daughters...
|
Wants To Give Money
for his cure. How many people want to do the same nowadays. Why it
would have spoiled the story of grace if the prophet had taken
any...
|
I Know
There is no hesitation about it, no qualifying the expression.
Naaman doesn't now say, "I think"; no, he says, "I know there is a
God...
|
Joy Among The Saints In Heaven
Once, as I was walking down the street, I heard some people laughing
and talking aloud. One of them said:
"Well, there will be no d...
|
The Wrong Physician
but I will tell you of one who can cure you"; and he told him of
Christ, and read to him the 53d chapter of Isaiah, "With His stripes
...
|
The Prophet Nehemiah
I should like to call your attention to the prophet Nehemiah. We may
gain some help from that distinguished man who accomplished a g...
|
Loved His Country
I like to see a patriotic man. He began to inquire about his people
and about the city that was very near to his heart, Jerusalem. He
...
|
The Prayer
of this wonderful man, his cry which has been on record all these
years, and a great help to many people:
"I beseech thee, O Lord G...
|
Never Have Heard Of
either of them if they had not done this. They stooped to conquer;
and when you get ready to stoop God will bless you. Plato, Socrates...
|
Change The Very Countenance
of a man. I know some godly men and women, and they seem to have the
stamp of heaven on them. The king noticed a strange look about th...
|
Shot Up A Prayer
to heaven right there in the king's dining hall that the Lord would
help him to make his request in the right way. He first looked
be...
|
The Converted Cupbearer
had arrived from the Persian court, and was going to build the walls
of Jerusalem. There are some men who are always telling what they...
|
We Spread So Thin
the world never hears of us.
After he had been in the city three days and nights, he called the
elders of Israel together, and told...
|
Ridicule
is a mighty weapon.
"What do these feeble Jews?" said Sanballat. "Will they fortify
themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they make...
|
No Eight-hour Working Day
then; they were on duty from the rising of the morning till the
stars appeared. They did not take off their clothes except to wash
th...
|
A Masterpiece Of The Devil
to get men into friendly discussions. I don't know whether Nehemiah
had a typewriter in those days or not; I don't know whether he had...
|
An Open Letter
in which they said that they had heard he was going to set up a
kingdom in opposition to the Persians, and that they were going to
re...
|
Open-air Meeting
for the reading of the law of Moses in the hearing of the people. A
pulpit of wood, large enough to hold Ezra the Scribe and thirteen
...
|
Herod And John The Baptist
If some one had told me a few years ago that he thought Herod at one
time came near the kingdom of God, I should have been inclined ...
|
The Preacher
I contend that John the Baptist must have been one of the grandest
preachers this world has ever had. Almost any man can get a hearing...
|
One Text:
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Day after day you
could hear his voice ringing through the valley of the Jordan:
"R...
|
All Sensation
"Catch me there! No, sir; I never did like sensational preaching."
Just as some people speak nowadays when any special effort is mad...
|
Not Able To Sleep Much
that night; he kept thinking of what he had heard. When the Holy
Ghost is dealing with a man's conscience, very often sleep departs
f...
|
A Heaven-sent Messenger
Had you gone into the palace in those days, you would have heard
Herod talking of nobody but John the Baptist. He would say to his
as...
|
He Would Not Give Up One Darling Sin
The longer I preach, the more I am convinced that that is what keeps
men out of the kingdom of God. John knew about Herod's private li...
|
What Is The Price
that you put upon your soul? You say you do not know. I will tell
you. It is the sin that keeps you from God. It may be whisky;
there...
|
Almost Decided
to become Christians cut down in battle without having taken the
step that would have made them sure of eternal life. I confess there
...
|
The Man Born Blind And Joseph Of Arimathea
There were two extraordinary men living in the city of Jerusalem
when Christ was on earth. One of them has come down through history...
|
An Evidence Of The Truth
of what He said by performing some miracle. If He had said He was
the Light of the world, He would show them in what way He was the
L...
|
Keep Away From Christ
because they are looking for the experience of some dear friend or
relative. They should not judge of their conversion by the
experie...
|
The Apostle Paul's Experience
has been recorded three times. I have no doubt that he told it
everywhere he went: how God had met him; how God had opened his eyes
a...
|
Cost Them Too Much
They represent those Christians who do not want to serve Christ if
it is going to cost them anything; if they have to give up society,...
|
Trying To Make Converts
of these Pharisees--men who had been fighting Christ for nearly
three years! He asked them if they would also become His disciples.
H...
|
No Voice For The Son Of God
Dear friend, if He is your Savior, confess Him. Every follower of
Jesus should bear testimony for Him. How many opportunities each one...
|
A Good Place To Leave Him
--at the feet of Jesus. We shall meet him by and by in the kingdom
of God.
His testimony has been ringing down through the ages the...
|
Many Josephs Today
men of position, of whom it could be said they are secret disciples.
Such would probably say to-day, "I do not need to take my stand o...
|
One Of The Sublimest Grandest Acts
that any man ever did. In that darkness and gloom, His disciples
having all forsaken Him; Judas having sold Him for thirty pieces of
...
|
No Crown Without A Cross
We must take our proper position here, as Joseph did. It cost him
something to take up his cross. I have no doubt they put him out of
...
|
The Penitent Thief
It should give us all a great deal of hope and comfort that Jesus
saved such a man as the penitent thief just before He went back to...
|
Reviling
The first thing we read, then, of this man is that he was a reviler
of Christ.
You would think that he would be doing something els...
|
Under Conviction
The next time we hear of him, he appears to be under conviction:
"And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Him, saying...
|
Talking To Himself
in this way:
"What a strange kind of man this must be! He claims to be king of
the Jews, and the superscription over His cross says...
|
Broke His Heart
It flashed into this thief's soul that Jesus was the Son of God, and
that moment he rebuked his companion, saying:
"Dost thou not f...
|
Confessing
Next, he confessed his sins: "We indeed justly." He took his place
among sinners, not trying to justify himself.
A man may be very ...
|
Justifying Christ
The next thing, he justifies Christ: "This Man hath done nothing
amiss."
When men are talking against Christ, they are a great way ...
|
Faith
The next step is faith.
Talk about faith! I think this is about the most extraordinary case
of faith in the Bible. Abraham was the ...
|
What A Confession
of Christ that was! He called Him "Lord." A queer Lord! Nails
through His hands and feet, fastened to the cross. A strange throne!
Bl...
|
The Answered Prayer
Now consider the answer to his prayer. He got more than he asked,
just as every one does who asks in faith. He only asked Christ to
"...
|
Darkness
And now darkness falls upon the earth. The sun hides itself. Worse
than all, the Father hides His face from His Son. What else is the
...
|
The Last Act Of The Son Of God
was to save a sinner. That was a part of the glory of His death. He
commenced His ministry by saving sinners, and ended it by saving
...
|
Salvation Is Distinct And Separate From Works
Some people tell us we have to work to be saved. What has the man
who believes that to say about the salvation of this thief? How
cou...
|
Salvation Is Separate And Distinct From All Ordinances
--not but that ordinances are right in their place.
Many people think it is impossible for any one to get into the
kingdom of God i...
|
Two Sides
The cross of Christ divides all mankind. There are only two sides,
those for Christ, and those against Him. Think of the two thieves;
...
|
The First Man To Enter Paradise
after the veil of the Temple was rent. If we could look up yonder,
and catch a glimpse of the throne, we would see the Father there,
...
|
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