Vol. 1, Sermon 21 - The Skepticism of Pilate
Preached November 7, 1852
"Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?" - John 18:38.
The lesson which we are to draw from this verse must depend upon the view we take of the spirit in which the words were spoken. Some of the best commentators conceive them to have been words of mockery: and such is the great Lord Bacon's view. " 'What is truth?' s ...read
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Vol. 1, Sermon 22 - The Israelite's Grave in a Foreign Land
Preached on the first day of Public Mourning for the Queen Dowager, Dec. 1849
*[ This sermon was formerly published by the Author in a separate form, and the following Preface to that publication explains so well the circumstances under which all the other sermons have been preserved, that it has been thought best to reprint the Preface here. ] ...read
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Vol. 1, Sermon 23 - The Star in the East
Preached January 6, 1850
"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." - Matthew 2:1,2.
Our subject is the Manifestation of Christ to th ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 1 - The Healing of Jairus' Daughter
Preached February 10, 1850
"And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, he said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose." -Matt. ix. 23-25.
This ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 2 - Baptism - part 1
Preached March 10, 1850
"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 3 - Baptism - part 2
Preached March 17, 1850
"The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us."-1 Peter iii. 2 1.
Last Sunday we considered the subject of baptism in reference to the Romish and modern Calvinistic views. The truth seemed to lie not in a middle course between the two extremes, but in a truth deeper than either of them. For there are va ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 4 - Elijah
Preached October 13, 1850
"But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper-tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, 0 Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers." -l Kings xix. 4.
It has been observed of the holy men of Scripture that th ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 5 - Notes on Psalm 51
Preached January 12, 1851
Written by David after a double crime:-Uriah put in the forefront of the, battle-the wife of the murdered man taken, etc.
A darker guilt you will scarcely find-kingly power abused-worst passions yielded to. Yet this psalm breathes from a spirit touched with the finest sensibilities of spiritual feeling.
Two sides ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 6 - Obedience the Organ of Spiritual Knowledge
Preached March 2, 1851
"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself."-John vii. 17.
The first thing we have to do is to put ourselves in possession of the history of these words.
Jesus taught in the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. The Jews marvelled at His spiritual ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 7 - Religious Depression
Preached March 30, 1851
"As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, 0 God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God ?"-Psalm x1ii. 1-3.
The value of the public reading of ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 8 - Faith of the Centurion
Preached April 6, 1851
"When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel."-Matt. viii. 10.
That upon which the Son of God fastened as worthy of admiration was not the centurion's benevolence, nor his perseverance, but his faith. And so speaks the whole ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 9 - The Restoration of the Erring
Preached July 27, 1851
"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." -Gal. vi. 1, 2.
It would be a blessed thing for our Christian society if we could contemplat ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 10 - Christ the Son
Preached Christmas Day, 1851
"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son."-Heb. i. 1, 2.
Two critical remarks.
1. "Sundry times"-more literally, sundry portions-sections, not of time, but of the matter of the revelation. God gave His ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 11 - Worldliness
Preached April 25, 1852
"If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." -l John ii ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 12 - The Sydenham Palace and the Religious Non-Observance of the Sabbath
Preached November 14, 1852
"One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 13 - The Early Development of Jesus
Preached January 2, 1853
"And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon him." -Luke ii. 40.
The ecclesiastical year begins with Advent, then comes Christmas-day. The first day of the natural year begins with the infancy of the Son of Man. To-day the Gospel proceeds with the brief account of ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 14 - Christ's Estimate of Sin
Preached January 9, 1853
"The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." -Luke xix. 10.
These words occur in the history which tells of the recovery of Zaccheus from a life of worldliness to the life of God. Zaccheus was a publican; and the publicans were outcasts among the Jews, because, having accepted the office under the ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 15 - The Sanctification of Christ
Preached January 16, 1853
"And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." -John xvii. 19.
The prayer in which these words occur is given to us by the Apostle John alone. Perhaps only St. John could give it, for it belongs to the peculiar province of his revelation. He presents us with more of the ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 16 - The First Miracle-1, The Glory of the Virgin Mother
Preached January 23, 1853
"This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him." -John ii. 11.
This was the " beginning, of miracles" which Jesus did, and yet he was now thirty years of age. For thirty years he had done no miracle; and that is itself almost worthy to be ca ...read
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Vol. 2, Sermon 17 - The First Miracle-2, The Glory of the Divine Son
Preached January 30, 1853
"This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him."-John ii. 11.
In the history of this miracle two personages are brought prominently before our notice. One is the Virgin Mary; the other is the Son of God. And these two exhibit different order ...read
Frederick W. Robertson