CONTENTS
OF
THE SEVENTH VOLUME.
| [Sermon XXIX. Preached March 21, 1773. Acts xxiv. 24, 25.] | |
|---|---|
| After certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jew, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith of Christ. And, as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time, when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. | 1 |
| [Sermon XXX. Preached Dec. 19, 1773. 1 John v. 11.] | |
| And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life; and THIS LIFE IS IN HIS SON. | 18 |
| [Sermon XXXI. Preached June 12, 1774. Gal. vi. 8.] | |
| He that soweth to the Spirit, shall OF THE SPIRIT REAP LIFE EVERLASTING. | 32 |
| [Sermon XXXII. Preached June 19, 1774. 2 Cor. vii. 1.] | |
| Having therefore these promises (dearly beloved) let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. | 46 |
| [Sermon XXXIII. Preached April 28, 1776. 1 Tim. iii. 16.] | |
| Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh; justified in the spirit; seen of Angels; preached to the Gentiles; believed on in the world; received up into glory. | 62 |
| [Sermon XXXIV. Preached May 19, 1776. Isaiah l. 11.] | |
| Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks; Walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks which ye have kindled: This shall ye have of my hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow. | 77 |
| [Sermon XXXV. Preached Nov. 15, 1767. 2 Cor. iv. 3.] | |
| If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. | 95 |
| [Sermon XXXVI. Preached Nov. 13, 1774. 1 Peter iii. 15.] | |
| —Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. | 110 |
| [Sermon XXXVII. Preached Feb. 4, 1770. John vii. 46.] | |
| Never man spake like this man. | 124 |
| [Sermon XXXVIII. Preached Nov. 20, 1774. Matth. xiii. 10.] | |
| The Disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest Thou to them in Parables? | 143 |
| [Sermon XXXIX. Preached Nov. 27, 1774. Matth. xiii. 58.] | |
| And he did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. | 159 |
| [Sermon XL. Preached May 23, 1773. 2 Cor. iv. 5.] | |
| We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. | 176 |
| [Sermon XLI. Preached. Dec. 15, 1771. Matth. xi. 5.] | |
| The Poor have the Gospel preached unto them. | 193 |
| [Sermon XLII. Preached Jan. 24, 1773. John xiv. 2.] | |
| In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. | 210 |
| [Sermon XLIII. Preached May 5, 1776. John xvi. 12, 13.] | |
| I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, shall come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. | 222 |
| [Sermon XLIV. Preached May 29, 1774. T.S. Acts i. 11.] | |
| Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you, shall so come, in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. | 237 |
| [Sermon XLV. Preached June 23, 1776. St. Matth. xiii. 55, 56.] | |
| Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James and Joses and Simon and Judas? And his sisters, are not they all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. | 253 |
| [Sermon XLVI. Preached Feb. 4, 1776. James iv. 7.] | |
| Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. | 267 |
| [Sermon XLVII. Preached March 29, 1772. Prov. xvi. 6.] | |
| By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. | 283 |
| [Sermon XLVIII. Preached May 31, 1772. 1 Cor. vi. 12.] | |
| All things are lawful unto, me; but all things are not expedient: All things are lawful for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any. | 296 |
| [Sermon XLIX. Preached July 5, 1772. Matth. v. 38, 39, 40, 41.] | |
| Ye have heared that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also: And, if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also: And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. | 310 |
| [Sermon L. Preached May 14, 1775. Luke ix. 26.] | |
| Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory and in his Father’s, and of the holy Angels. | 327 |
| [Sermon LI. Preached May 21, 1775. Luke ix. 26.] | |
| Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy Angels. | 341 |
| [Sermon LII. Preached Jan. 29, 1775. St. Matth. xvi. 18.] | |
| I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. | 354 |
| [Sermon LIII. Preached Feb. 5, 1775. St. Matth. xvi. 18.] | |
| And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. | 367 |
| [A Larger Discourse], by way of Commentary, on that remarkable Part of the Gospel-history, in which Jesus is represented, as driving the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple[1]. | 383 |
SERMON XXIX.
PREACHED MARCH 21, 1773.
Acts xxiv. 24, 25.
After certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith of Christ. And, as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
This Felix, whose name is become so memorable in the Christian church, had been made Procurator of Judæa by the Emperor Claudius, and continued in that government during the six or seven first years of Nero: when he was recalled to answer for his oppressive administration before the emperor; who, we are told, would have punished him, according to his deserts, but for the interposition of Pallas, at that time Nero’s chief minister.
He was, indeed, in all respects a very corrupt and profligate man, as appears from the testimony of Tacitus[2] and Josephus[3]; from whom we learn, that he was more especially addicted to the vices of lust and cruelty; both which he exercised in the most audacious manner; vexing the people with all sorts of oppression, and rioting in his excesses, without restraint. Drusilla, too, is represented to us in a light, not much more favourable. For, though a Jewess, and the wife of another man, she had contracted a marriage, or rather lived in adultery with this pagan governor of Judæa; transgressing at once both a moral and positive law of her religion, for the sake of ascending to that honour.
One would wonder how persons of this character should have any curiosity to hear Paul concerning the faith of Christ. And, without doubt, they had no serious desire of information. It is likely they proposed to themselves some entertainment from questioning the prisoner; and the presence of Drusilla makes it credible that the entertainment was chiefly designed for her; who might be a bigot to her religion, though she scorned to live up to it; and therefore wanted, we may suppose, to insult Jesus in the person of his disciple.
However, let their purpose be what it would, such were Felix and Drusilla, before whom Paul reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and a judgment to come.
Paul was not in the number of those complaisant preachers, who take a text, in which their hearers have no concern. He had to do with persons, who bade defiance to religion in all its forms; and his subject was well suited to the occasion. They expected an amusing tale of Jesus Christ: but the Apostle, who knew how unworthy they were of being instructed in the faith, as not yet possessing the fist principles of morals, took up the matter a great deal higher; and, discoursing to them on the natural duties of justice and temperance, which they had grossly violated, and on the natural doctrine of a judgment to come, which they had never believed or respected, gave them to understand, that they had much to learn, or practise at least, before they were fit hearers of what he had further to say concerning the Christian revelation.