Bad Advertisement?
Are you a Christian?
Online Store:Visit Our Store
| All Men Should Become Lights in the Firmament of Heaven.
PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP 
Chapter XIX.—All Men Should
Become Lights in the Firmament of Heaven.
24. But first, “Wash you, make you
clean;”1315
| 1315 “He alludes to the sacrament of Baptism.”—W.
W. | put away
iniquity from your souls, and from before mine eyes, that the dry
land may appear. “Learn to do well; judge the fatherless; plead
for the widow,”1316
that the earth may bring forth the
green herb for meat, and the tree bearing fruit;1317
and come let us reason together,
saith the Lord,1318
that there
may be lights in the firmament of heaven, and that they may shine
upon the earth.1319
That rich
man asked of the good Master what he should do to attain eternal
life.1320
Let the
good Master, whom he thought a man, and nothing more, tell him (but
He is “good” because He is God)—let Him tell him, that if he
would “enter into life” he must “keep the commandments;”1321
let him
banish from himself the bitterness of malice and wickedness;1322
let him
not kill, nor commit adultery, nor steal, nor bear false witness;
that the dry land may appear, and bud forth the honouring of father
and mother, and the love of our neighbour.1323
All these, saith he, have I
kept.1324
Whence,
then, are there so many thorns, if the earth be fruitful? Go, root
up the woody thicket of avarice; sell that thou hast, and be filled
with fruit by giving to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in
heaven; and follow the Lord “if thou wilt be perfect,”1325
coupled
with those amongst whom He speaketh wisdom, Who knoweth what to
distribute to the day and to the night, that thou also mayest know
it, that for thee also there may be lights in the firmament of
heaven, which will not be unless thy heart be there;1326
which
likewise also will not be unless thy treasure be there, as thou
hast heard from the good Master. But the barren earth was
grieved,1327
and the
thorns choked the word.1328
25. But you, “chosen generation,1329
you weak
things of the world,” who have forsaken all things that you might
“follow the Lord,” go after Him, and “confound the things
which are mighty;”1330
go after Him, ye beautiful feet,1331
and shine
in the firmament,1332
that the heavens may declare His
glory, dividing between the light of the perfect, though not as of
the angels, and the darkness of the little, though not despised
ones. Shine over all the earth, and let the day, lightened by the
sun, utter unto day the word of wisdom; and let night, shining by
the moon, announce unto night the word of knowledge.1333
The moon
and the stars shine for the night, but the night obscureth them
not, since they illumine it in its degree. For behold God (as it
were) saying, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the
heaven.” There came suddenly a sound from heaven, as it had been
the rushing of a mighty wind, and there appeared cloven tongues
like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.1334
And there were made lights in the
firmament of heaven, having the word of life.1335
Run ye to and fro everywhere, ye
holy fires, ye beautiful fires; for ye are the light of the
world,1336
| 1336 That is, as having their light from Him who is
their central Sun (see p. 76, note 2, above). For it is true of all
Christians in relation to their Lord, as he says of John the
Baptist (Serm. ccclxxxii. 7): “Johannes lumen illuminatum:
Christus lumen illuminans.” See also note 1, above. | nor are ye
put under a bushel.1337
He to whom ye cleave is exalted,
and hath exalted you. Run ye to and fro, and be known unto all
nations.
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
