Though the transgressor is ignorant of much of his sin, because, at the time of its commission, he sins blindly as well as wilfully, and unreflectingly as well as freely; and though the transgressor has forgotten much of that small amount of sin, of which he was conscious, and by which he was pained, at the time of its perpetration; though, on the side of man, the powers of self-inspection and memory have accomplished so little towards this preservation of man's sin, yet God knows it all, and remembers it all. His omnipotence (vers. But His mercy endureth for ever. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. ad probam IV. How shall we learn to walk by His side? "This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 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. "Forsake not the works of Thine own hands." The thought will flash across us that God sees us. He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God7. 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? To follow Jesus means to follow Jesus into a society where justice rules, where love shapes everything. And this perpetual though not always conscious sense of God's presence would, no doubt, if we would let it have its perfect work, gradually act on our characters just as the presence of our fellow-men does. 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. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made John CunninghamThe Ordinance of CovenantingIntroduction. 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. )God and ourselvesW. For the Chief Musician. 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. He is in (1)Heaven. (Admonition 23.) His omnipresence. He has suffered thus, partly from a certain obscurity in his style of writing, partly from the difficulty of the thoughts which he attempted to convey. That act whereby another being knows my secret thoughts and inmost feelings is most certainly inexplicable.I. These included visiting the second longest beach in the world called GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN MIGHT, BUT DOES NOT, KNOW OF HIMSELF. : 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. Justice, in this reference, is out of the question. He is a "faithful Creator," and if you are seeking to answer the end for which He made you, His everlasting honour binds Him to fulfil His part. 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. 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.". 6. 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. A History of the Half-Way Covenant. October 27th, 2022 The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your Hands. A Psalm by David. He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God7. (2)There is the error that imagines that death will make some fundamental alteration in their relation to God.2. 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 right state of mind plainly is to have the thought of God's presence so perpetually at hand that it shall always start before us whenever it is wanted. The thought will flash across us that God sees us. 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. 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. Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. 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. The right state of mind plainly is to have the thought of God's presence so perpetually at hand that it shall always start before us whenever it is wanted. When I was young, I used to make a lot of wishes using wishing bones or when blowing out my birthday candles. O Lord, Thou hast searched me, and known me. (Isa. "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. If we had such a window we should pray for shutters, and should keep them closed.God omniscientWeekly Pulpit. OURSELVES. v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. cxxxviii. )PeopleDavid, PsalmistPlacesJerusalemTopicsAbandon, Accomplish, Age, Chief, Complete, Concerneth, Concerns, David, Endures, Endureth, Eternal, Everlasting, Fall, Forever, Forsake, Fulfil, Fulfill, Hands, Kindness, Love, Loving, Lovingkindness, Loving-kindness, Mercy, Musician, O, Perfect, Psalm, Purpose, Steadfast, WorksOutline1. That of siding with Him against evil (vers. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. 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. v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. vi. "He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. The law and covenant of God are co-extensive; and what is enjoined in the one is confirmed in the other. My Prophetic Prayer Points for Today (My PPP) O God, I thank You for being my Shepherd in the previous months. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN KNOWS OF HIMSELF. But God's eye penetrates the darkest abode, the deepest cell, the obscurest corner, the blackest night. They are ever before David as an object of adoring wonder, not by day only, but by night; not merely in the watches of the night, but even in his sleep. And here let us look upon the bright as well as the dark side of this subject. (4)In the dark as well as the light.3. The faith of that Centurion He on this account chiefly praised, and said St. Though the transgressor is ignorant of much of his sin, because, at the time of its commission, he sins blindly as well as wilfully, and unreflectingly as well as freely; and though the transgressor has forgotten much of that small amount of sin, of which he was conscious, and by which he was pained, at the time of its perpetration; though, on the side of man, the powers of self-inspection and memory have accomplished so little towards this preservation of man's sin, yet God knows it all, and remembers it all. And this perpetual though not always conscious sense of God's presence would, no doubt, if we would let it have its perfect work, gradually act on our characters just as the presence of our fellow-men does. 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. 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. God Will Perfect That Which Concerns Me The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever do not abandon the works of your hands. The singer revolves in mind the secret processes of man's birth and development, and gratitude overflows into praise. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. How shall we learn to walk by His side? And this perpetual though not always conscious sense of God's presence would, no doubt, if we would let it have its perfect work, gradually act on our characters just as the presence of our fellow-men does. AugustineOf Holy Virginity. Why should not we have like confidence? III. I. "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. 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. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN MIGHT, BUT DOES NOT, KNOW OF HIMSELF. He wasnt saying O Lord, please perfect that which concerns me. He wasnt also making a wish. Here first we see that GOD FILLS US WITH ASSURANCE. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . : 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. 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. 11 Teach me Your way, O Lord, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. I. xlix. And this perpetual though not always conscious sense of God's presence would, no doubt, if we would let it have its perfect work, gradually act on our characters just as the presence of our fellow-men does. 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. To Dominicus, Bishop. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, "Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times." Psalm 34:15 Verse Concepts The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry. We cannot live long with men without catching something of their manner, of their mode of thought, of their character, of their government of themselves. 7. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." Psalms 139:16 "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. In the day when I cried Charles KingsleyOut of the DeepWherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind32. Though the transgressor is ignorant of much of his sin, because, at the time of its commission, he sins blindly as well as wilfully, and unreflectingly as well as freely; and though the transgressor has forgotten much of that small amount of sin, of which he was conscious, and by which he was pained, at the time of its perpetration; though, on the side of man, the powers of self-inspection and memory have accomplished so little towards this preservation of man's sin, yet God knows it all, and remembers it all. Ps. His communion is unbroken. That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. The Coming Andrew MurrayThe Ministry of IntercessionForasmuch as Each Man is a Part of the Human Race1. vi. "He will perfect that which concerneth me." God has made us so. 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. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. If we had such a window we should pray for shutters, and should keep them closed.God omniscientWeekly Pulpit. And lest the presence of God should be too much for us, Christ has taken human nature on Him, and has provided that He will be always with us as long as the world shall last. 17, 18).2. Does the Contemplative Life consist solely in the Contemplation of God, or in the Consideration St. 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. 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. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. (1)He knows our actions, ways, words, thoughts. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this.