(2)Unseen world.(3)Everywhere. For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one of its aspects, it starts infinite hope in another. 23:1) I confess all my sins and iniquities, cleanse me with your blood, Lord Jesus . He may be an uncommonly thoughtful person, and little of what is done within his soul may escape his notice; nay, we will make the extreme supposition that he arrests every thought as it rises, and looks at it; that he analyzes every sentiment as it swells his heart; that he scrutinizes every purpose as it determines his will; even if he should have such a thorough and profound self-knowledge as this, God knows him equally profoundly and equally thoroughly. Here are 6 to get started: 1. So that whenever we are on the point of doing or saying anything cowardly, or mean, or false, or impure, or proud, or conceited, or unkind, the remembrance that God is looking on shall instantly flash across us and help us to beat down our enemy. Those who live much in a court acquire courtly manners. Are we not perpetually warned against departing from the living God, grieving and quenching the Holy Spirit? The text, however, itself, is its own guard. That of welcoming the Divine searching (vers. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. Don't forsake the works of your own hands. In my trouble I will call upon the Lord, and complain unto my God; so shall He hear my voice out of His holy temple, and my complaint shall come before Him; it shall enter even into His ears.--Ps. Our relation toward such a God should be 1. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. Now, in this condition of things, God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life. Phil 1:6. 18, 19. S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. So, David was saying it doesnt matter what my situation is today, it doesnt matter what is happening around me, I am convinced with everything in me because of the love and mercy of God, the Lord will perfect all that concerns me. The brilliant searchlight sweeping the broad ocean and revealing even the smallest craft on its surface is but a faint type of the Eternal Light from which no sinner can hide his sin. Ps. 8). The text, however, itself, is its own guard. Join me as we discover more below: G. T. Shedd, D. D.: One of the most remark. 2. There is the full assurance that He will be at work still in order to complete that which He has commenced. Like the air we breathe, like the light we see, it involves a mystery that no man has ever solved. And though we thought that we had suffered loss from the tardiness of their coming, yet we find gain from their more abundant charity; seeing that from this delay in point Saint Gregory the Greatthe Epistles of Saint Gregory the GreatThe Coming Revival"Wilt Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?"--PS. Letter Xliii a Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. (4)In the dark as well as the light.3. 27 of 37 9/29/2016 ( THU) ID 919161452389 RADIO BROADCAST Blog -This . "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . There is, therefore, nothing wrong in our forgetting that we are in the presence of God any more than there is anything foolish in our forgetting that we need air to breathe or light to see by, or that if we fall we may hurt ourselves: just in the same way as we very often, and quite rightly, forget that we are in the company of men who will take notice of our faults. 12), while the devil was exulting against us;--then God, in His loving-kindness, not willing man made in His own image to perish, said, Whom shall I send, and who will go?' Chapter i. Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative LifeEpistle Xlvii. "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. Being rich he becomes richer; being already high born, of still nobler lineage; being illustrious, he gains greater renown; and--what is more than all--once a sinner he is now a saint. He professes his confidence in GodDictionary of Bible ThemesPsalm 138:86708predestination8125guidance, promise8441goalsPsalm 138:7-81265hand of GodLibraryFaith in PerfectionIn the opening, I must remark that this is not the heritage of all mankind. "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me;" not, "I will perform it myself. iii. Justice, in this reference, is out of the question. NOTE THE ROCK ON WHICH HE RESTS. "To worship God." His omniscience. There is a sweetness and a power in the very monosyllable, "Thy mercy"; because it is peculiar to God, it is His own property, it distinguishes Him. Now, in this condition of things, God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life. 5, 6. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN KNOWS OF HIMSELF. AugustineOf Holy Virginity. If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? That of siding with Him against evil (vers. He is a man like ourselves; but as we look on him, we note how bright his eye, how radiant his countenance, how calm yet how joyous his tone, how happy in his conviction he seems to be, as he keeps saying to himself, "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." We do not agree with Momus, neither are we of his mind who desired to have a window in his breast that all men might see his heart. "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." The Promise of Peace You keep him in perfect peace You keep him in perfect peace. (2)His knowledge of us is entire, complete.2. lvii. H a man mounted on wings, not those of the sun (Malachi 4:2), nor of the wind (Psalm 18:10), but of the dawn, and pursued the farthest flight westward, if he should fly with the same swiftness as the first rays of the morning shoot from one end of the heavens to the other, still he would not get beyond the Divine presence. I want to see it." But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. Hilary of PoitiersThe Life and Writings of St. Hilary of PoitiersPsalmsThe piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. vi. There is no reason to mourn a son as lost who is a religious, still less to fear for his delicacy of constitution. The 10 Best Books for Skeptics of Christianity. S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. That of a prayerful seeking of the Divine guidance (ver. "Thy mercy, O Lord," etc. But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. AugustineOn the Good of MarriagePrayer Out of the Deep. Therefore the first natural bond of human society is man and wife. That He had made the waters, but had not divided them from the land, or said to the sea, "Hitherto shalt thou go, but no farther"? S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. It is perfectly plain from the elevated central point of view where we now stand, and in the focal light in which we now see, that no man can be justified before God upon the ground of personal character; for that character, when subjected to God's exhaustive scrutiny, withers and shrinks away. 17, 18).2. This was Thomas' announcement and one that is perfect for our expectations this first Sunday after the Easter resurrection. iii. This is false. Our hearts will put us in mind of God's eye being upon us every now and then involuntarily. 2. God's mercy. The History of the Great Crime of Simony. WEB: Yahweh will fulfill that which concerns me; your loving kindness, Yahweh, endures forever. That act whereby another being knows my secret thoughts and inmost feelings is most certainly inexplicable.I. The worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! xviii. How shall we learn to walk by His side? 19-22).3. In short, to live with God is to be perpetually rising above the world; to live without Him is to be perpetually sinking into it, and with it, and below it. Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. 18, 19. The faith of that Centurion He on this account chiefly praised, and said St. "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. Nay, more, this process of self-inspection may go on indefinitely, and the man grow more and more thoughtful, and obtain an everlastingly augmenting knowledge of what he is and what he does, so that it shall seem to him that he is penetrating so deeply into those dim and shadowy regions of consciousness where the external life takes its very first start, and then he may be sure that God understands the thought that is afar off, and deep down, and that at this lowest range and plane in his experience he besets him behind and before.II. The faith of that Centurion He on this account chiefly praised, and said St. The faith of that Centurion He on this account chiefly praised, and said St. 1, 2. : While the Americans were blockading Cuba, several captains endeavoured to elude their vigilance by night, trusting that the darkness would conceal them as they passed between the American war-ships. The law and covenant of God are co-extensive; and what is enjoined in the one is confirmed in the other. He must be prepared for the Kingdom that has been prepared for him, Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, The ruler should always be chief in action, that by his living he may point out the way of life to those that are put under him, and that the flock, which follows the voice and manners of the shepherd, may learn how to walk better through example than through words. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. We will be engaging in this for 21 days. : The fact that God is always present and knows every minute trifle in our lives, and that His unerring judgment will assuredly take count of every detail of our character and our conduct, neither exaggerating nor omitting, but applying absolute justice; this truth is one of those which lose force from their very universality. And now you that are afraid about the future, rest with us in this sweet promise. In my trouble I will call upon the Lord, and complain unto my God; so shall He hear my voice out of His holy temple, and my complaint shall come before Him; it shall enter even into His ears.--Ps. The daily prayer in the closet, the endeavour to keep the attention fixed when praying with others, either in our regular services or in family worship. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. If you look at it, you will see that there is in its bowels a full description of a true Christian. Those who live much in refined and educated society acquire refinement insensibly. For those that are at variance are to be admonished to know most certainly that, in whatever virtues they may abound, they can by no means become spiritual if they neglect becoming united to their neighbours by concord. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made John CunninghamThe Ordinance of CovenantingIntroduction. G. T. Shedd, D. D.)God's presenceArchbishop Temple. G. T. Shedd, D. D.: One of the most remark. One man of God always feared death; but he might have spared himself his wretchedness, for he fell asleep one night in apparently excellent health, and died in his sleep. 19 III. "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. Our relation toward such a God should be 1. Nor does such a feeling indicate malevolence. THE DIVINE OMNISCIENCE (vers. 15. Then , 1. The so-called "Lord's Prayer," which actually is not the Lord's Prayer (that's in John 17) in Matt. He will revive us."--HOS. (4)In the dark as well as the light.3. Said Milton, speaking of his travels abroad when a young man: "I again take God to witness that in all places where so many things are considered lawful, I lived sound and untouched from all profligacy and vice, having this thought perpetually with me, that though I might escape the eyes of men, I certainly could not the eyes of God."4. But that crown of life which you have submitted to His wisdom, which you have taken up in obedience to the plain indications of His providence, which you follow out with integrity, walking before the Lord and committing your way unto Him that crown of life shall have His blessing, and none shall be able to put you on one side. G. T. Shedd, D. D.: One of the most remark. Cultivate a loving affection for Him.(Homilist. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. lxxxv. The brilliant searchlight sweeping the broad ocean and revealing even the smallest craft on its surface is but a faint type of the Eternal Light from which no sinner can hide his sin. 13-16).4. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. How shall we learn to walk by His side? ad probam IV. Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative LifeEpistle Xlvii. 2. (1)Innumerable.(2)Constant.II. Those who live much in a court acquire courtly manners. Our hearts will put us in mind of God's eye being upon us every now and then involuntarily. That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. (Admonition 23.) I. 1, 2. Hence Paul Leo the GreatWritings of Leo the GreatSense in Which, and End for which all Things were Delivered to the Incarnate Son. 1. Justice, in this reference, is out of the question. He will revive us."--HOS. From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. The law and covenant of God are co-extensive; and what is enjoined in the one is confirmed in the other. G. T. Shedd, D. D.: One of the most remark. Hilary of PoitiersThe Life and Writings of St. Hilary of PoitiersPsalmsThe piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. For he who is required by the necessity of his position to speak the highest things is compelled by the same necessity to exhibit the highest things. (Weekly Pulpit. v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. He is present in all things, yet distinct from all things.Practically, this subject serves three important purposes. S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. Then is the moment to choose whether or not we will live in the presence of God; then when the finger of conscience is pointing to Him and saying, "He is looking at you. Psalm 138:8 This is a message that grips my heart because I have every reason to believe that the LORD desires to perfect that which concerns His children. III. The daily prayer in the closet, the endeavour to keep the attention fixed when praying with others, either in our regular services or in family worship. (Isa. And here let us look upon the bright as well as the dark side of this subject. xviii. 18 " Ep., cxxx. Then I would exhort you to get rid of it. I. OURSELVES. GOD.1. He must be prepared for the Kingdom that has been prepared for him Saint Bernard of ClairvauxSome Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of ClairvauxThat the Ruler Should be Always Chief in Action. xviii. 9 Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. The self-knowledge, remember, must come in the one way or the other. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made John CunninghamThe Ordinance of CovenantingIntroduction. On all hands there are disappointed folk who, thinking of condition rather than character, find life "tame." That of welcoming the Divine searching (vers. What is it? II. Forasmuch as each man is a part of the human race, and human nature is something social, and hath for a great and natural good, the power also of friendship; on this account God willed to create all men out of one, in order that they might be held in their society not only by likeness of kind, but also by bond of kindred. Before the Searcher of hearts all mankind must appeal to mere and sovereign mercy. The blood of atonement will never fail. We cannot stand forever between two opinions. The promise is not the foundation. Forasmuch as each man is a part of the human race, and human nature is something social, and hath for a great and natural good, the power also of friendship; on this account God willed to create all men out of one, in order that they might be held in their society not only by likeness of kind, but also by bond of kindred. You have a plan on hand. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. : The fact that God is always present and knows every minute trifle in our lives, and that His unerring judgment will assuredly take count of every detail of our character and our conduct, neither exaggerating nor omitting, but applying absolute justice; this truth is one of those which lose force from their very universality. We have received with the utmost gratification the letters of your Fraternity, which have reached us somewhat late by the hands of Donatus and Quodvultdeus, our most reverend brethren and fellow-bishops, and also Victor the deacon with Agilegius the notary. Perfect all that concerns me O Lord (Psalm 138:8) O Lord, let Your hand of perfection straighten every crooked path before me. And have not you a corrupt nature, an evil bias, a heart prone to evil, and loving it all too well? What are those things you are standing for and believing that the Lord will bring to pass concerning you, beloved take the Word of God as it and with a simple faith believe in your heart that His promises will not fail to the ground but will fulfill all it intend to do in your life and situation in Jesus Name. The thought will flash across us that God sees us. He will revive us."--HOS. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. AugustineOn the Good of MarriagePrayer Out of the Deep. lxxxv. If we had such a window we should pray for shutters, and should keep them closed.God omniscientWeekly Pulpit. "God is a Spirit," etc. There is, therefore, nothing wrong in our forgetting that we are in the presence of God any more than there is anything foolish in our forgetting that we need air to breathe or light to see by, or that if we fall we may hurt ourselves: just in the same way as we very often, and quite rightly, forget that we are in the company of men who will take notice of our faults. It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. He professes his confidence in GodDictionary of Bible ThemesPsalm 138:86708predestination8125guidance, promise8441goalsPsalm 138:7-81265hand of GodLibraryFaith in PerfectionIn the opening, I must remark that this is not the heritage of all mankind. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. This is the communion with Him, and with Christ, which unquestionably helps the struggling, the penitent, the praying, more than anything else. He may be an uncommonly thoughtful person, and little of what is done within his soul may escape his notice; nay, we will make the extreme supposition that he arrests every thought as it rises, and looks at it; that he analyzes every sentiment as it swells his heart; that he scrutinizes every purpose as it determines his will; even if he should have such a thorough and profound self-knowledge as this, God knows him equally profoundly and equally thoroughly. The brilliant searchlight sweeping the broad ocean and revealing even the smallest craft on its surface is but a faint type of the Eternal Light from which no sinner can hide his sin. It is common-sense the common-sense of religion. The worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! In the day when I cried Charles KingsleyOut of the DeepWherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind32. In the day when I cried Charles KingsleyOut of the DeepWherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind32. (Weekly Pulpit. His omnipresence. 1. xviii. "God will perfect everything that concerns you." ( Psalm 138:8, NKJV) I have heard my wife use King David's phrase many times in her public prayers. 19-24). The Lord Will Perfect That Which Concerns Me. AugustineOn the Good of MarriagePrayer Out of the Deep. For those that are at variance are to be admonished to know most certainly that, in whatever virtues they may abound, they can by no means become spiritual if they neglect becoming united to their neighbours by concord. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops promotes the greater good which the Church offers humankind, especially through forms and programs of the apostolate fittingly adapted to the circumstances of time and place. The daily prayer in the closet, the endeavour to keep the attention fixed when praying with others, either in our regular services or in family worship. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius, The Saints' Final Perseverance Secured by the Mercy of God, The saints' final perseverance secured by the mercy of God, David praises God for the truth of his word, He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God. Chapter i. Chapter i. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . The worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! The simple question, then, which meets us is, Wilt thou know thyself here, and now, that thou mayest accept and feel God's pity; or wilt thou keep within the screen, and not know thyself until beyond the grave, and then feel God's judicial wrath? The ruler should always be chief in action, that by his living he may point out the way of life to those that are put under him, and that the flock, which follows the voice and manners of the shepherd, may learn how to walk better through example than through words. The word, "me," in the text, cannot be appropriated by any man, unless he, in some respects, resembles the character of David, who penned this psalm. David praises God for the truth of his word4. said Collins, the infidel, to a poor but pious man. And as God thus begins the work of a sinner's salvation from mercy, it no way depends upon our merit or worth. That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. Let us not act so by Christ. That act whereby another being knows my secret thoughts and inmost feelings is most certainly inexplicable.I. The separate, personal thinking of God toward every one of us.(1)Innumerable.(2)Constant.II. For that voice more readily penetrates the hearer's heart, which the speaker's life Leo the GreatWritings of Leo the Great, How those that are at Variance and those that are at Peace are to be Admonished. The brilliant searchlight sweeping the broad ocean and revealing even the smallest craft on its surface is but a faint type of the Eternal Light from which no sinner can hide his sin. He may be an uncommonly thoughtful person, and little of what is done within his soul may escape his notice; nay, we will make the extreme supposition that he arrests every thought as it rises, and looks at it; that he analyzes every sentiment as it swells his heart; that he scrutinizes every purpose as it determines his will; even if he should have such a thorough and profound self-knowledge as this, God knows him equally profoundly and equally thoroughly.