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Difficulties of such.......

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43.

Fight the good fight of faith.-Lay hold on eternal life.-2 Tim vi. part of ver. 12.

Duties consequent.

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55. O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called; which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee! Amen.1 Tim. vi. 20, 21.

SEC. II. Later, Sudden, IMMEDIATE:

Saul of Tarsus.

Doctrinal Principles

thereby inculcated......

66.

Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at mid-day, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me, and them which journeyed with me.-Acts xxvi. 12, 13.

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Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at mid-day, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me, and them which journeyed with me.-Acts xxvi. 12, 13.

DIST. III. OPERATIVE.

SEC. I. CONFLICTIVE And Contested:

Example 1: Self-reliance:

Simon Peter.

92.

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat,-but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.-Luke xxii. 31, 32.

Example 2: Unbelief:

Thomas Didymus

109.

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my

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side and be not faithless but believing. And Thomas answered and said
unto him, My Lord and My God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, be-
cause thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not
seen and yet have believed.-John xx. 24-29.

Example 3: Blind Understanding:
The Two Disciples.

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123.

Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke xxiv. 25-27.

Example 4: Worldly-mindedness:

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And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham: for the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.-Luke xix. 9, 10.

SEC. II. APT AND IMPLICIT :
Lydia...........

152.

And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there; and she constrained us.-Acts xvi. 14, 15.

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SEC. I. THE WORD PREACHED:

Dionysius and Damaris. ... 166.

Among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris. Acts xvii. part of ver. 34.

SEC. II. THE WORD WRITTEN:

Ethiopian Eunuch.

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180.

The place of the Scripture which he read was this-He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth in his humiliation his judgment was taken away; and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself or of some other man?—Acts viii. ver. 32-34.

SEC. III. DIVINE CALL:

Andrew, Simon, James,
John, Philip....

Jesus saith unto him, Come and see.-John i. part of ver. 39.

193.

SEC. IV. AFFLICTION:

The Blind Beggar.

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206.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.-John ix. 35-38.

SEC. V. PRIVATE COUNSEL:

Apollos,

218.

Whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.-Acts xviii. part of ver. 26.

SEC. VI. PROVIDENTIAL CIRCUMSTANCE:

Philippian Jailor.

235.

And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in the house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.-Acts xvi. 32-34.

SEC. VII. FERVENT SEeking:

Cornelius.

249.

Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.-Acts x. part of ver. 4.

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Peter and John................................ Concluding the whole, by a Consideration of the Saviour's Interdiction of Comparisons, "What is that to thee ?" and of the Saviour's Direction to Personal Fidelity, "FOLLOW THOU ME."

240.

263.

Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.-John xxi. 20-22.

SERMONS.

SERMON XV.

PART III.

GENUINE CONVERSION. DIST. I. MORAL. SEC. I.

NATHANAEL.*

Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.John i. part of ver. 47.

WE now approach that part of our course of subjects which embraces the particular cases recorded in the New Testament of real and satisfactory conversion. The cases hitherto considered have been those, in the first place, which are clearly pronounced in Scripture to have been defective of conversion, or, secondly, those which, however encouraging in outward appearance, were still of a doubtful, uncertain, compromising Probably the same as Bartholomew, and one of the Baptist's hearers. St John, who mentions Nathanael, does not name Bartholomew, while the evangelists that speak of Bartholomew, do not name Nathanael. The tradition also is a credible one, that he was the bridegroom at Cana in Galilee. See John ii, 2.-xxi. 2.

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