Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." My brethren, if you have these marks you are manifest Christians. But read on:-" And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." What an exhibition of Christian life! What a manifestation of being able to do all things through Christ who is All in all! You will perceive the use of exhortations and counsels to spiritual exercises. You may command and exhort a dead sinner, if you like, but such commands and exhortations will never give life. Christ is in all His saints. Do not run away from this particular point. A Christian is a very wonderful man wherever he is. Whoever touches him, touches Christ. It is a blessed reality that Christ is in the saint. A Christian man is a sacred thing, the Holy Ghost has made him so. He is the abode of Christ; he is the temple of the Spirit; he is generally despised by the world, but a glorious eternity awaits him.

After a practical sort, allow me to ask one or two questions. What estimate have you formed of Christ ?-and what estimate have you formed of these things connected with our text generally? Do you exclaim with Asaph as in the 73rd Psalm ?" Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides Thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." Is He your portion? Is He your only one in heaven and in earth? No wonder if He be so to you that you should be less taken up with earthly than with heavenly things. Again, St. Paul puts it in this way-when he was brought to see Christ in His exceeding fulness for himself "Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." This was his estimate of Christ. "And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." What a glorious estimate this was which the Apostle formed of the Lord Jesus Christ. Asaph and Paul agreed in their estimate of Jehovah Jesus. None like Christ. Is this your estimate of Him who is the choicest among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely? Are your words those of the song? Is Christ altogether lovely to you in His person as the beloved Son of God? Is He altogether lovely to you in His offices as your Prophet to teach, as your High Priest in Heaven, and as your King to conquer all your enemies? Do you see your completeness in Him who is All in all? If so, then consider this a foretaste of that eternal fulness which you shall enjoy in that kingdom which your heavenly Father prepared for you from the foundation of the world. I find it very difficult to stop, but I will

conclude my subject by quoting a hymn. To some of you, it may sound rather quaint, I shall, however, quote it for the truth which it contains. It runs thus:

I've found the Pearl of greatest price,

My heart doth sing for joy;

And sing I must a Christ I have

O what a Christ have I !

Christ is a Prophet, Priest, and King;

A Prophet full of light,

A Priest that stands 'twixt God and man,

A King that rules with might.

My Christ, He is the Lord of Lords,
He is the King of Kings;

He is the Sun of righteousness,
With healing in His wings.

My Christ, He is the Tree of Life,

Who in God's garden grows,

Whose fruit does feed, whose leaves do heal;

My Christ is Sharon's Rose.

Christ is my meat, Christ is my drink,

My medicine, and my health,

My peace, my strength, my joy, my crown,

My glory, and my wealth.

Christ is my father, and my friend,

My brother, and my love,

My head, my hope, my cousellor,

My advocate above.

My Christ He is the heaven of heavens,

My Christ what shall I call!

My Christ is first, my Christ is last,

My Christ is all in all.

JOHN MASON, 1683.

HYMN.

Compared with Christ, in all beside,
No comeliness I see;

The one thing needful, dearest Lord,

Is to be one with Thee.

The sweetness of Thy dying love,

Into my soul convey ;

Thyself bestow; for Thee alone,

My All in All I pray.

Less than Thyself will not suffice

My comfort to restore;

More than Thyself I cannot crave,

Nor canst Thou give me more.

Love of my God, for Him again
With love intense I'll burn;
Chosen of Thee, 'ere time began,

I'll choose Thee in return.

Whate'er consists not with Thy will,

O teach me to resign;

I'm rich to all th' intents of bliss,
If Thou, O God, art mine.

TOPLADY, 1772.

SERIES II. No. 3.

"THE BROKEN IN HEART."

A SERMON

PREACHED BY THE

REV. J. BATTERSBY

(Vicar of St. Simon's, Sheffield),

AT ST. GEORGE THE MARTYR'S, SOUTHWARK, LONDON,

WEDNESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 4TH, 1876.

The 147th Psalm, and the 3rd verse.

"HE HEALETH THE BROKEN IN HEART, AND BINDETH UP THEIR WOUNDS."

THIS Psalm opens as it closes with a Hallelujah!- "Praise ye the Lord." Several things are mentioned in this psalm for which the Psalmist calls upon persons to praise God. He is to be praised for His great care of the Church, for His power, for His mercies, for His providential dealings, for His blessings bestowed upon the kingdom, and for His marvellous power over the meteors, and also for His ordinances which He has appointed in the Church of God. You will perceive that I have been reading from the heading of the psalm. It is a very fair summary; and for all these good and excellent things the Psalmist says :--" Praise ye the Lord." Praise is described in the 1st verse as being good

"For it is good to sing praises unto our God." Why is it good? Because it comes from the hearts of those who are loved of God, and who have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, and who have been quickened and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. From such persons praise is good, it is well, it is acceptable, it is the right and proper thing to offer unto God. This praise is said to be pleasant: "for it is pleasant." It is pleasing is this praise unto God, who has done so many and great things for His children. Praise is pleasant and agreeable, because it is offered up to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is the spiritual offering of a broken and contrite heart. Praise is also comely. It is becoming a child of God, who is saved with an everlasting salvation, to give praise to the Lord. Praise the Lord for His great love, for His eternal redemption, for His quickening and renewing spirit, for His preserving and sustaining power and grace. It is comely or becoming a sinner saved to praise the Lord. "The Lord doth build up Jerusalem." I shall not speak of Jerusalem literally, but of Jerusalem spiritually. I look upon Jerusalem here as the Church of God. The spiritual Jerusalem which is not of this world, but which is from above. This is the new Jerusalem which descends out of heaven from God. The divine architect is God himself. The foundation stone is Christ. The stones are all believers. Sovereign grace is the cement which binds the whole and every stone together. These stones were hewn out of the quarry of corrupt nature by the Holy Spirit. By him they were dressed, and squared, and polished, and beautified, and are now aptly described as the holy city, the heavenly Jerusalem. "The Lord doth build up Jerusalem." Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together. How blessed are they who dwell in this city of which it is said, the Lord is the Builder thereof. The Lord dwells in this city Jerusalem. He keeps it, and there are peace and prosperity within its walls. Again : gathers together the outcasts of Israel." Outcasts-this is just the state in which we all are by nature, outcasts. Go back to the account as it is given of our first parents. It is said that they were cast out, or driven out of the garden. This is true of all their offspring-all are outcasts, lying in the open field of this world, in their sins, in their shame, and in their blood, to the loathing of their person as Ezekiel has it, 16th chapter. In this polluted condition they would remain for ever, were it not that the Spirit of God in mercy goes forth in His quickening and drawing power, and thus "He gathers together the outcasts of Israel." It is of no consequence where they are scattered throughout the world. They may be as far apart as the poles, but the Spirit knows them, and He brings them to Jesus in His own time. He brings them to rest upon that foundation which never gives way. This is the work of the Spirit of God, which has been going on for ages, and is still going on, and will continue to go on until the last vessel of mercy has been gathered out. "He healeth the broken in heart, and He bindeth up their wounds." A word or two upon the 4th verse "He telleth the number of the stars." All God's children are stars in His right hand. The Lord spake to Abraham in the 15th chapter of Genesis, when he was childless, and said, "Look, Abraham, and see if thou canst tell the

"He

« AnteriorContinuar »