Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Union Of Love To God And Love To Man, A Sermon, Preached In St. Andrew's Church, New Town, Edinburgh,
liness , shall also ascend up on . hig h , and behold him , and share with him in his g lory . Thus HE saith to us , as well as to his immediate disciples * , ' Let not your hearts be troubled ; ye believe in GOD , believe also in ME . In my Father ' s house are many mansions ; if it were not so I would have told you . I go to prepare a place for you ; and if I go and prepare a place for you , I will come again and receive "
you unto myself , that where I am there ye may be also . '—What pleasant words are these ! Do not our hearts burn within us whilst we hear this voice from above , assuring us that pious friends on the : earth shall be everlasting companions in Heaven ? Therefore , depart from us , all ye unsocial and malevolent passions , that our hearts may be always open to those tender and benevolent feelings , and to that
brother } -, ' kindness and charity , which are suitable to beings who are going to the world of pure and everlasting friendship . There is still another argument for the exercise of love among the Christian brethren , which our Saviour himself has made frequent use of , and which cannot fail to have a powerful influence upon every sincere believer in him . —Although our Saviour be now personally absent from us , and we cannot therefore perform any acts of human friendship to himself ^ as Lazarus and his sisters , and as Zacheus and
Joseph of Arimathea did , yet we have it still in our power to shew him kindness in the person of his disciples , our Christian Brethren . He will consider the humane and beneficent deeds which we do to them as being done to himself . Now , who would not wish to give meat to Christ , if he saw him hungry , as he often was in the days of his flesh ? Who would not g ive him drink if he saw him thirsty ? Who would not ive him a lace to lodinif he saw him a stranger
g p ge , , ' and without a home ? Shew these acts of kindness to his disciples , your own Christian Brethren , and ye will perform them to him . Acts of benevolence ancl mercy clone to them , will bring you the same reward , and place you in the same rank in his favour and esteem , as if they had been done to himself . ' Whosoever shall give to drink , to one of these little ones , a cup of cold water only , in' the name of
a disciple , verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward f . * He also assureth us , that if we shall injure any of his disciples , our Christian Brethren , by persuading them to forsake'the faith of the Gospel , or by seducing them into acts of wickedness , the punishment thereof will be very great . ' Whoso shall offend one o : these little ones who belive in ME , it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck , and that he were drowned in the depths of the sea t . ' ' ¦
Thus we see that Christ will consider every injury that we do to our Christian Brethren , especially such injuries as tend to hurt their souls , or to take away their peace , as well as every ministry of kindness , as being done to himself .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Union Of Love To God And Love To Man, A Sermon, Preached In St. Andrew's Church, New Town, Edinburgh,
liness , shall also ascend up on . hig h , and behold him , and share with him in his g lory . Thus HE saith to us , as well as to his immediate disciples * , ' Let not your hearts be troubled ; ye believe in GOD , believe also in ME . In my Father ' s house are many mansions ; if it were not so I would have told you . I go to prepare a place for you ; and if I go and prepare a place for you , I will come again and receive "
you unto myself , that where I am there ye may be also . '—What pleasant words are these ! Do not our hearts burn within us whilst we hear this voice from above , assuring us that pious friends on the : earth shall be everlasting companions in Heaven ? Therefore , depart from us , all ye unsocial and malevolent passions , that our hearts may be always open to those tender and benevolent feelings , and to that
brother } -, ' kindness and charity , which are suitable to beings who are going to the world of pure and everlasting friendship . There is still another argument for the exercise of love among the Christian brethren , which our Saviour himself has made frequent use of , and which cannot fail to have a powerful influence upon every sincere believer in him . —Although our Saviour be now personally absent from us , and we cannot therefore perform any acts of human friendship to himself ^ as Lazarus and his sisters , and as Zacheus and
Joseph of Arimathea did , yet we have it still in our power to shew him kindness in the person of his disciples , our Christian Brethren . He will consider the humane and beneficent deeds which we do to them as being done to himself . Now , who would not wish to give meat to Christ , if he saw him hungry , as he often was in the days of his flesh ? Who would not g ive him drink if he saw him thirsty ? Who would not ive him a lace to lodinif he saw him a stranger
g p ge , , ' and without a home ? Shew these acts of kindness to his disciples , your own Christian Brethren , and ye will perform them to him . Acts of benevolence ancl mercy clone to them , will bring you the same reward , and place you in the same rank in his favour and esteem , as if they had been done to himself . ' Whosoever shall give to drink , to one of these little ones , a cup of cold water only , in' the name of
a disciple , verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward f . * He also assureth us , that if we shall injure any of his disciples , our Christian Brethren , by persuading them to forsake'the faith of the Gospel , or by seducing them into acts of wickedness , the punishment thereof will be very great . ' Whoso shall offend one o : these little ones who belive in ME , it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck , and that he were drowned in the depths of the sea t . ' ' ¦
Thus we see that Christ will consider every injury that we do to our Christian Brethren , especially such injuries as tend to hurt their souls , or to take away their peace , as well as every ministry of kindness , as being done to himself .