XXIV.

THE APOSTLE'S CONFLICT.

"For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you,

and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen

my face in the flesh; that their hearts might be comforted,

being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full

assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment of the

mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ."-COL. ii.

1, 2.

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61

XXV.

"THE LIVELY HOPE."

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which

according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto

a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the

dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that

fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you."-1 PET. i. 3, 4.

80

XXVI.

GOD'S PRESENCE IN GOD'S REST.

Arise, O Lord, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.

Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy

saints shout for joy."-Ps. cxxxii. 8, 9.

XXVII.

CHRIST, THE KING.

"Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?"

-Ps. ii. 1..

XXVIII.

THE MEETNESS FOR THE INHERITANCE.

"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be

partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light."-COL. i. 12.

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118

137

XXIX.

THE VISION OF THE WATERS.

"And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which

moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and

there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these

waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every

thing shall live whither the river cometh."-EZEK. xlvii. 9.

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155

XXX.

LARGENESS OF HEART.

"And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding

much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the

sea-shore."-1 KINGS iv. 29.

172

XXXI.

DUTY TOWARDS MINISTERS.

"Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the

brethren, and to strangers; which have borne witness of thy

charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on

their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well: Because

that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the

Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we might

be fellow-helpers to the truth."-3 JOHN 5-8.

193

XXXII.

FAITHFUL STEWARDSHIP: A CHARGE TO

YOUNG MINISTERS.

"Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall

make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of

meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord

when he cometh shall find so doing."-LUKE xii. 42, 43. .

214

XXXIII.

THE SPIRITUAL WANTS OF THE METROPOLIS.

"In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the

first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai

the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of

Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest,

saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people

say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord's house

should be built. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai

the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your

ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus

saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
Ye have sown

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much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye

drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but

there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages

to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the Lord of hosts;

Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood,

and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will

be glorified, saith the Lord. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it

came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon

it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house

that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.

Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the

earth is stayed from her fruit. And I called for a drought

upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn,

and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that

which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon

cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands. Then Zerubbabel

the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high

priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of

the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as

the Lord their God had sent him, and the people did fear

before the Lord. Then spake Haggai the Lord's messenger, in

the Lord's message unto the people, saying, I am with you,

saith the Lord. And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel

the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua

the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the

remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the

house of the Lord of hosts, their God, In the four and twentieth

day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king."

-HAG, i.

240

XXXIV.

CHURCH FELLOWSHIP.

"Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and

the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance

was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that

thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the

Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I

will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth

him."-MAL. iii. 16, 17.

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267

XXXV.

THE ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICE.

"For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou

delightest not in burnt-offering. The sacrifices of God are a

broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt

not despise."-Ps. li. 16, 17.

283

XXXVI.

DAVID'S VOWS UNTO GOD.

"Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.

For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou

deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in

the light of the living?"-Ps. lvi. 12, 13. .

300

XXXVII.

A PLEA FOR THE DISTRESSED.

"Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of

wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed

go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy

bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are

cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou

cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own

flesh?"-ISA. lviii. 6, 7.

317

XXXVIII.

CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP.

"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for

the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our

vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body,

according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue

all things unto himself."-PHIL. iii. 20, 21.

XXXIX.

GLORIFYING GOD.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good

works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."-MATT.

v. 16..

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333

347

XL.

THE CHRISTIAN'S DEATH, LIFE, PROSPECTS,

AND DUTY.

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also

appear with him in glory."-COL. iii. 2, 3, 4.

XLI.

THE APOSTLE'S GROUND OF TRUST.

"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excel-

lency 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."-PHIL. iii. 7, 8.

XLII.

THE EFFECTS OF PIETY ON A NATION.

"And he said, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet

but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And

he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake."-GEN. xviii. 32. .

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384

409