This is God's method
with us in His Church, and what is it but St Paul's method with these
Corinthians?
Believe this, then, you who wish to be Churchmen in spirit and in truth.
Believe that St Paul's conduct is to you a type and pattern of what God
does, and what you ought to do. That God's method of winning you to do
right is to make you love Him and trust Him; and that your method of
winning your children to do right is to make them love and trust you.
Let us remember that if our children are not perfect, they at least
inherited their imperfections from us; and if our Father in heaven, from
whom we inherit no sin, but only good, have patience with us, shall we
not have patience with our children, who owe to us their fallen nature?
Ah! cast thy bread upon the waters,--the bread which even the poorest can
give to their children abundantly and without stint,--the bread of
charity,--human tenderness, forbearance, hopefulness,--cast that bread
upon the waters, and thou shalt find it after many days.
SERMON XXII. GOD IS OUR REFUGE
Westminster Abbey, 1873.
Pages:
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261