1. Introd.—On the gospel.
2. ‘The Lord said to my Lord.’ 1
3. Great truths put obscurely in the law. Both as regards prophecy and religion and morals.
4. The law of Moses and the Old Testament like a bud, and the new law the open flower, e.g.—
5. The first commandment.
6. The thoughts of the heart—‘with all thy heart,’ Matt. v.; ‘If thy eye is single.’
7. Impurity, Matt. v.—divorce and polygamy.
8. The second great commandment—parable of the good Samaritan.
9. But something the same—faith, the Church, the order of ministers, and rites.
10. But all these might be dead without love of God, etc.
11. Let us beware lest we are outside Christians.
March 31, 1872 (Easter Day) [Victory of Good over Evil]
1. This day commemorates the victory of truth over falsehood, of good over evil, of Almighty God over Satan—quote Matt. xxviii. 1.
2. Not a recent event, the existence of evil—millions of ages ago, a revolt in heaven—rebel angels; thus Satan the god of this world. And the conflict began first in heaven—‘Michael and his angels.’ Then the devil was cast out, and came down to the earth. Then it went on to the greater conflict with the Son of God.
3. Wonderful there should have been such a conflict and such a victory.
4. (1) No evil without His permission. This is one wonder.
5. (2) Then when permitted, He might have destroyed it by a word; but He suffered it.
6. (3) He might have let it run its course, and die as a conflagration dies out.
7. (4) But He determined on a conflict and a victory.
8. (5) And a victory of apparent weakness over force.
9. This was His will, and since He chose this way, we believe it to be the best way.
10. This has been the character of the conflict ever since. There has been a conflict, and a victory of weakness over might. Martyrs.
11. Holy See.
12. Comfort of this time.
13. We do not know what is coming, but we do know that we shall conquer.
April 7 (Low Sunday) [Faith Conquering the World]
1. Faith is inculcated on us both by the epistle and gospel of this day.
2. What is faith? Why it is that secret inward sense in our conscience and our heart that God speaks to us, accompanied by a sense of the duty to obey Him 2—a sort of voice or command bidding us to believe, telling us to yield ourselves to Him.
3. Thus, if we hear any one scoff at religion, speak against God, or against our Lord, or the Blessed Virgin, the saints or truths of the Gospel, or at the Church, we are spontaneously shocked and turn away. And if unhappily we listen or read, a feeling of remorse and distress and sorrow comes upon us.
4. Faith not opposed to reason, but anticipates it. It is a short cut.
5. It is (1) evidently the beginning of religion. And (2) it was a new thing when our Lord came (except among the Jews). (3) It ‘overcame the world.’
6. It overcame the world. St. John prophesied when he said it should ‘overcome.’ How would Christianity have progressed without it?
7. It overcame the world—by contrast, ‘When the Son of man cometh,’ etc. 3
8. We need not take this to mean there will be no faith, but observe a contrast.
9. We do not know when this time will be, but we understand from what we see that a time will come. The unbelief now is dreadful, and should remind us of that time.
10. Let us pray that when He comes we may be found watching.
11. The trial came on the apostles suddenly, their faith failed.
April 14 (Second Easter) [Faith Failing]
1. Introd.—The good Pastor hardly made Himself known to His disciples than He went to heaven. He went away before men believed in Him.
2. This was His will—‘Not to all the people.’ Enumerate how few—the most five hundred brethren at once—but then, as it seems, ‘some doubted.’
3. For it was His will that ‘the just should live by faith,’ Hab. ii. 4—and then thrice in St. Paul 4.
4. Accordingly elsewhere He says, ‘We live by faith, not by sight’ 5—Abraham’s faith. So our Lord’s miracles. And He said, Mark xi. 22-23, ‘Have faith in God. Amen I say to you, That whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed, and cast into the sea; and shall not stagger in his heart, but believe that whatsoever he saith shall be done unto him; it shall be done.’
5. Thus the FOUNDATION of the Church is faith, Matt. xvi. 13-18, and when faith goes the Church goes. The angels: ‘Ye men of Galilee … so also will he come again.’ 6
6. The Church cannot go till faith goes; and as the Church will last as long as the world, therefore when faith dies out the world will come to an end.
7. I repeat few had faith when our Lord went, and few will have faith when He comes again. The foundation of the Church.
8. Hence the words, Luke—‘Shall He find faith on earth?’
9. All this makes us look to the future, especially when there is a failure of faith.
10. The prophecies distinctly declare a failing of faith.
11. On listening to prophecies in circulation 7—not to be trusted.
12. Of course I am not denying that holy people, nuns, etc., sometimes prophesy, but Scripture is surer, 2 Peter 8. Of course it requires an interpreter, but still there is something to guide us in the literal text.
13. The awful future—‘of that day and hour knoweth no one’—but it is profitable to read the words of Scripture, though we but partially understand them.