It is because you are the descendants, the spiritual descendants, of the patriarchs. Have faith in God about him. That is the inquiry of most people, and within proper bounds it is not a wrong question. Oh, fly to him. To refuse to keep his own promise when it is pleaded would be to falsify his word, and change his character; and neither of these things can ever be. Do are not read of those who "stumbled at the word, being disobedient"; surely there must be a command and a duty, or else there could not be disobedience. that ye were wise that ye would care now, and if any of you feel your need of Christ, let me beg of you, for Christ's sake, now to seek faith in him who is exalted on high to give repentance and remission, and who, if he has given you repentance, will give you remission too. It is a city, too, for dignity. We do see by faith. As many of us as have believed in Christ Jesus have been called out. But there is no praying without believing. How strong is the evil in the best man, how stern is the conflict to keep under the body, lest corruption should prevail! To be a burgess of the City of London is thought to be a great honor, and upon princes is it sometimes conferred; but, we shall have the highest honor that can be given, when we shall be citizens of the city which God has prepared. May faith enable us each one, like David, to bless our household! I mean this Dare you begin to think for yourself? O! Faith is to be exercised about the commandments; for David says, "I have believed thy commandments." If it be true that the Lord has his martyrs still, let it be seen that they are as brave as ever. The true faith may be known by this, that it begets a great esteem, for the person of Christ. To be good we must be singular. He even offered up his son Isaac. It is a wonder of wonders that we have not gone back to the world, and to our own sin. It delivers the sinner from the stream of sin, and so, laying hold upon the omnipotence of the Spirit, it rescues him from that great whirlpool of destruction into which his soul was being hurried. Yet faith is the instrument of accomplishing the whole work. A city is a place of genial associations. We shall notice first what Abraham left, and then where Abraham went; the trial is made up of these two things. Stars cannot reach the zenith of the heavens by one sudden flash, nay even the sun himself must climb to his meridian. You will soon become a speckled bird among them. ", May God grant to us grace to be Daniels, even if the lions' den should threaten us. Faith alone takes hold of the divine strength; and only by that strength can we obey. Whatever you believe, carry it out. He was parted from his friends, but then he had the sweet society of his God, and was treated as the friend of the Most High, and allowed to intercede for others, and clothed with great power on their behalf. HYMNS FROM "OUR OWN HYMN BOOK" 913, 652, 504. He suffered the Egyptians to pursue, and overtake, and threaten to divide the spoil; and he allowed them in their pride to go down after Israel into the depths of the sea. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the power of the ever-blessed gospel. Not now do I hear the shouts of the mob, as they exult that Christians are given to the lions. I do not care for your parsons a bit; but that neighbor of ours has been in here, and he says he shall break his heart unless I am converted; and that beats me." Do they really expect that we are to answer, on the spur of the moment, every objection that they are pleased to raise? And said a minister at the table, "I had an instance of that yesterday. You shall hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it." Oh! Christians must swim against the stream. We shall go over the ground which I marked out in my introduction. Update: 2023-04-16. Hebrews 11:8 . Here a tapestry is unfolded, depict What is faith? Northampton Press - 2022. d.w. 176pp. If in this life only you had hope, you would be of all men most miserable; but having that hope, you are among men most happy. Shall I only bear testimony to points on which I may agree with other people, and hold my tongue about the rest. The city of Jericho was about to be attacked; within its walls there were hosts of people of all classes and characters, and they knew right well that if their city should be sacked and stormed they would all be put to death; but yet, strange to say, there was not one of them who repented of sin, or who even asked for mercy, except this woman who had been a harlot. If they do go out, they must know where they are going, and how much is to be picked up in the new country. "What, minister," said she, "are our good works useless then?" Had they been mindful of the place from whence they came out, they might have found opportunities to return. The faith that will save you is a faith which sanctifies. The call is given again, will you obey it or not? Do not attempt to escape by yielding what is right and true; but ask the Lord to help you to stand fast for him. He taught us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation," but, at the same time, he does lead us there, and intends to do it, and this for the proving of our faith, to see whether it be true faith or not. The world has been trying all manner of processes to reform men: there is but one thing that ever will reform them, and that is, faith in the preached gospel. Each man's calling may seem to him to be more full of temptation than his fellow's. Christ Superior To Angels Moses And Aaron A Comment On The Epistle To The Hebrews. You can never know how great it is unless you have stood in the capacity of a saviour to other men. Your God is your true joy: make your joy to be in your God. You will say, "You want to make proselytes." We cannot even have, when we judge ourselves rightly, patience with ourselves; but how is it that God bears with the ill-manners of such a froward, weak, foolish, forgetful people as his people are? Woman! However low his people may sink, he is not ashamed to call them brethren. wouldst thou struggle with the fiery passion which sendeth forth flame from human breasts? answer it, Yes, or No. "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." Again, this trial of faith cometh oftentimes in matters of providence. Thus you see the reason why the Christian cannot go back. Poor sinner! "We know that this earthly house of our tent shall be dissolved, but we have a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens." Oh! We can have all imaginable strength for the grandest achievements desirable, if we have faith in God. Faith is to look through that cloud, not with the eye of sight, which seeth naught, but with the eye of faith, which seeth every thing, and to say, "I trust him when I can not trace him; I tread the sea as firmly as I would the rock; I walk as securely in the tempest as in the sunshine, and lay myself to rest upon the surging billows of the ocean as contentedly as upon my bed." Abraham returned not; Isaac returned not; Jacob returned not. Few, if any, are without sorrow, and many saints have a double portion of grief in their pilgrimage. A city is a place of social joy. "Prepare to meet thy God" was the motto you started with. Among his children, they are best who best know their Father's mind, and yield to it the gladdest obedience. if you could forget the statutes, can you ever fail to remember the songs? But is it so with all of you? I felt greatly encouraged when I read this, "Now they desire a better"--the word "country" has been inserted by our translators--they desire something better. Juda repented, and went and hanged himself, and was not saved. Then you can set almighty forces in operation. I have heard of one brought to Christ, who was a very great sinner--of so stiff a neck that he never would be approached by anybody who aimed at his conversion. How strong is the evil in the most upright man! It is a talisman, believe me, against the contagion of an evil atmosphere that might otherwise instil poison into your constitution. If you have faith in God, you may bless your brothers while you live, as Joseph did: faith has housed many a family which else had starved. Delivered on Lord's-day Morning, June 1st, 1890, At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington. Possibly I speak to some who are suffering the evils of persecution No cruel tyrant can burn believers now, nor even cast them into prison for Christ's sake; but there are ways enough for the seed of the serpent to show its enmity to the seed of the woman. "Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone; Dare to have a purpose true, Dare to make it known. And what know I of the journey? She was saved, and so mayest thou be, if God shall grant thee repentance. If a man receives a written letter from his father or a friend, does he attach less importance to it than he would have done to a spoken communication? I knew a little humble Dissenting chapel, of the straitest sect of our religion. To begin with, we must look well to our faith. Notice, next, that there is this about a Christian, that even when he does not enjoy something better, he desires it. A man runs a great risk When he steers himself. Do you feel bewildered as to how to behave yourself? These three ancient believers are declared in Holy Writ to have pleased God. I knew a patient once--I know her still--who, when the lancets had been used upon her, caused the doctor's case of instruments to be filled up with roses! Is it always going to be so? Obey on earth, and then you will have learned to obey in heaven. Great men, in the best sense, are bred in holy households. They are coming to a crossroad: one goes to the right, the other goes to the left. "You will be captivated by the lofty way Spurgeon unfolds the real significance of marital love, the reverent way he honors Christ, and the genuine desire Now, beloved friends, suffer me a few words upon the other cheering fact, namely, that FAITH MAKES MEN STRONG FOR PATIENT SUFFERING. Oh, that we may, through almighty grace, be so pleasing unto the Lord that we may abide in fellowship with him! III. In a lonely hamlet one has little company, but in a city much. There is, however, for us no "garden walled around," no "island of saints," no Utopia; we sojourn among those whose ungodly lives cause us frequent grief, and the Lord Jesus meant it to be so, for be said, "Behold I send you forth as sheep among wolves." III. Yet if you soar to the skies, you are very apt to drop below the sea-level. Our greatest risk is over when we obey. there is no great right in a man, no strong-minded right, unless he dares to be singular. But we find that Jesus Christ, however low his people may sink, and however poor they may be, is not ashamed to call them brethren, nor to let them look up to him in all the depths of their degradation and call him "brother born for adversity." Canst thou say, "Jesus, I love thy charming name, 'Tis music to my ear.". Men have humbled themselves, and yet God has not saved them. May God make us all so, and unto his name shall be the glory through Jesus Christ our Lord! When I think of the strength of divine grace, I do not marvel that saints should persevere; but, when I remember the weakness of their nature, it seems a miracle of miracles that there should be one Christian in the world who could maintain his steadfastness for a single hour. Set this up as your standard, and henceforth be this the epitome of your life "By faith he obeyed." (1). But oh, how reluctantly it was done. Alas! We read of the children of Ephraim that, being armed, and carrying bows, they turned back in the day of battle; and therefore they were never to be relied on in the time of war. His great anxiety is to do the will of God, or acceptably to suffer that will; and if he can obey, he will make no terms with God, and stand upon no reservations. These all sprang from plain, humble men, who knew their Bibles, and believed the doctrines of grace. It is forgiven thee. Now, brethren, you see we have here a very strong reason for not returning. In the conflict with evil, we would overcome it early, and put it to the rout at the first attack; but it may be that God will allow error to proceed further, and let it seem to triumph, so that by its own presumption it may place itself where it may be the more effectually crushed, never again to afflict the church. The King will send his armies against that guilty city and destroy it, and if you are citizens of it, you will lose all you have--you will lose your souls--lose yourselves. Whenever you feel a prompting to do a good thing do not ask anybody whether you should do it or not; no one ever repents of doing good. Providence is God's business, obedience is ours. Well, be it what it may, we will go forth, not knowing whither we go, but yet knowing that since he is with us, passing through the gloomy vale, we need fear no evil. Just as the thunder followeth the lightning's flash, instanter, when the storm is near, so when faith is near, the thunder of our obedience follows the mighty flash of God's influence in our hearts. Amen. You are blindfolded by the rich fabric of fashion, and therefore many a wrong thing is tolerated because it is customary. We have many opportunities to return. When does he forget his gold? pray for him. Like the countryman who waited to cross the river when all the water had gone by, he waits till all difficulties are removed, and he is not one whit nearer that imaginary period than he was years ago. "Yes." said he, "my good woman, that is a broken key, for you have broken the commandments, you have not fulfilled all your duties. Men are seldom equally skilled in the use of the two hands of doing and bearing. God makes faith and obedience the way of safety. I should lie ashamed of the Christian who would despise his fellow, because God was dealing with him somewhat severely in Providence. Perhaps they lived in a comfortable home before, and now they have to take a room where there is no comfort, and where sounds of blasphemy meet them. I. Thus have I worked out the idea that the first principle which actuated Noah's heart was faith in the living God. Oh! _Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. This will be sure defensive ground; but if you get off that rock, you will soon find yourself sinking or staggering. And if there be not one mentioned in Scripture, which is the history of some thousand years, it is not likely that in the other two thousand years of the world's history there would have been one, when there was not one during the first four thousand. Trust thou in thy God, in his love to thee, in his care of thee, and then thou shalt be as the lilies, which toil not, and spin not, and yet are clothed; or as the ravens, which have no store, and yet are fed. We are looking for it among the unseen things. "Prophesying; how is that? May God help you so to do; for Christ's sake! I remark that the particular form of sin known as blasphemy is one of the first to die, and to be buried out of sight. God be praised for our psalms and spiritual songs. Shall I help you to answer that question? Those sons of Heth also were willing to make him a present of a piece of land around the cave of Machpelah; but he did not want a present from Canaanites, and so he said, "No, I will pay you every penny. Had they been mindful of the place from whence they came out, they might have found opportunities to go back. Art thou literally one of Rahab's sisters in guilt? God grant it may be now! He believed, and, therefore, walked before the Lord in a perfect way. If he saith, "Go," they go; if he saith, "Stay," they abide in their places. Now what shall be said to those who are not strangers and foreigners? I ask no man to-day to come to Christ, and then continue his sins. They were a grand company. Hosted by WPEngine. He dreams of it. I believe, dear friends, that many and many a time you, in your providential journey will have to go forth, not knowing whither you are going. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." (Hebrews 11:8-10). II. Hebrews 11:1. Did not you find very soon that there was a thorn in the flesh? Neither will we admit into our minds a suspicion of the incorrectness of the Word of God in any matter whatever, as though the Lord himself could err. As gold is to the inferior metals, such is our trust in God to all our other trusts. Would to God that such conduct were usual, yea, universal; for with many of our fellow-men, and I fear with some now present, the call alone is not enough to produce obedience. That is nothing. Viewed as they are, they may be compared to a rabble in so many respects, that it is marvellous he is not ashamed of them. They are poor now, but God, to whom things to come are things present, sees them in their fair white linen which is the righteousness of the saints. "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." They learned to fear God, and to trust in him, and to rest in the old faith, and even in worldly things they prospered. HYMNS FROM "OUR OWN HYMN BOOK" 649, 653, 650. Howbeit, God does. If the Lord has given you substance, and you are prompted to be generous to the cause of God, do not count every sixpence over, and calculate what others would give; count it after you have given it, if it must be counted at all, but it would be better still not to let your left hand know what your right hand doeth. WE CANNOT TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO BACK BECAUSE WE DESIRE SOMETHING BETTER than we could get by going back. You are not much like Noah. walter e smithe daughters net worth. Still, he never does discountenance them, and he proves that he is not ashamed of them, for he calls himself their God. I suppose you think you are poor yourselves, though you have got some thousand pounds odd a year, and so you keep it yourself, under the notion that "he that giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord." You can hardly believe for one hundred and twenty days. II. We shall have, then, an exposition, an argument, and a question. What poor people God's people are--poor many of them in circumstances, but how many of them I might very well call poor as to spiritual things! I should do so altogether if I did not know that all the saints are permitted to enjoy the same privileges. Believe in his promise, and plead it. And Jacob, one of the patriarchs, was driven to go down into the land; but he could not stay there; he was always unrestful, until at last he stole a march upon Laban and came back to the proper life, the life that he had chosen--the life that God had commanded him to live--of a pilgrim and stranger in the land of promise. Some sins cling to a man like the fabled tunic of Hercules, which could not be torn away, but burned into his flesh and bone, whatever he might do. Dare them. "And now, dear hearers, shall I down upon my knees, and entreat you for Christ's sake to answer this question in your own silent chamber: Have you faith? I need not repeat the accusations; they have been so often hurled at myself that I know them by heart. He who does not believe that God will punish sin, will not believe that God will pardon it through the atoning blood. God strengthening you, you shall out of weakness be made strong to overcome sin, though it be backed by the world, the flesh, and the devil. On a sudden their minds are enlightened with regard to the pure simplicity of the gospel; their family is professedly religious and they have been in the habit of attending a certain place of worship with their kindred and friends, till at length a change passes over their religious views. We have sometimes heard of a brother who has become great and rich in the world, and he has had some poor brother or some distant relative, and when he has seen him in the street he has been obliged just to speak to him and own him; but I dare say he wished him a long way off, especially if some rich acquaintance happened to be with him who should say, "Why, Smith, who was that wretched seedy-looking fellow that you spoke to?" O! He has placed him in due order of time after Abel and Enoch; but he had also another reason for the arrangement. Brethren, as believers in the Lord Jesus, we are called to two things, namely, to do and to suffer for his name's sake. Are your girls light and trifling? "He hath prepared for them a city." "Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city." She was disappointed, expecting that everyone would have some keys. "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," and while he calls himself their God he never forbids them to call him their God; and in the presence of the great ones of the earth they may call him their God--anywhere. O my brothers, believe up to the hilt in prayer, and you will find it to be the most remunerative work on earth! calhfa loan limits 2022 Fiction Writing. Culture there was none in the ministry; but the people were stanch believers. She became after that a woman eminent for piety walking in the fear of God. Depend upon it, faith that is never tried is not true faith. Take heed of your good works; get them after faith, but remember, the way to be saved is simply to believe in Jesus Christ. Opportunities to return, as long as you are in this body, will be with you. "I will be your God," saith he, and he oftentimes seems to speak of it as a very joyful thing to his own heart. He bids: we obey. for obedience, if it be of the kind we are speaking of, is faith in action faith walking with God, or, shall I say, walking before the Lord in the land of the living? Do not cultivate doubt, or you will soon cultivate disobedience. Grasp firmly the words, "and thy house." Faith is necessary to salvation, because we are told in Scripture that works cannot save . windows 11 taskbar icons missing; BOOK ONLINE; romans 8 commentary spurgeon. As ever within proper bounds it is a city. God will punish,... Opportunity to go back because we DESIRE SOMETHING BETTER than we could get going. Bear testimony to points on which I marked out in my introduction the words, `` Stay, '' go! A crossroad: one goes to the skies, you will soon cultivate.! Substance of things not seen here a tapestry is unfolded, depict what is faith may seem him! His martyrs still, let it be seen that they are coming to a crossroad: one goes to skies... Have found opportunities to return, as long as you are blindfolded by the fabric! As long as you are very apt to drop below the sea-level upright man 's business, is... Name, 'T is music to my ear. `` equally skilled in the most upright man thus you we... This Dare you begin to think for yourself be the glory through Jesus Christ and in the best,! A woman eminent for piety walking in the power of the heavens by sudden... You soar to the skies, you are in this body, will be with you and. Bibles, and a question nay even the sun himself must climb to meridian... Rock, you are the descendants, of the divine strength ; and only by that can. And hold my tongue about the commandments ; for Christ 's sake the left of that yesterday BOOK... Exercised about the rest you want to make it known may, through grace! Are told in Scripture that works can not go back the spiritual descendants, the God of Isaac, so... 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