The Water of Life, and Other Sermons

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Charles Kingsley. The Water of Life, and Other Sermons

SERMON I. THE WATER OF LIFE

SERMON II. THE PHYSICIAN’S CALLING

SERMON III. THE VICTORY OF LIFE

SERMON IV. THE WAGES OF SIN

SERMON V. NIGHT AND DAY

SERMON VI. THE SHAKING OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH

SERMON VII. THE BATTLE OF LIFE

SERMON VIII. FREE GRACE

SERMON IX. EZEKIEL’S VISION

SERMON X. RUTH

SERMON XI. SOLOMON

SERMON XII. PROGRESS

SERMON XIII. FAITH

SERMON XIV. THE GREAT COMMANDMENT

SERMON XV. THE EARTHQUAKE

SERMON XVI. THE METEOR SHOWER

SERMON XVII. CHOLERA, 1866

SERMON XVIII. THE WICKED SERVANT

SERMON XIX. CIVILIZED BARBARISM

SERMON XX. THE GOD OF NATURE

Отрывок из книги

The Gospels speak of disease and death in a very simple and human tone.  They regard them in theory, as all are forced to regard them in fact, as sore and sad evils.

The Gospels never speak of disease or death as necessities; never as the will of God.  It is Satan, not God, who binds the woman with a spirit of infirmity.  It is not the will of our Father in heaven that one little one should perish.  Indeed, we do not sufficiently appreciate the abhorrence with which the whole of Scripture speaks of disease and death: because we are in the habit of interpreting many texts which speak of the disease and death of the body in this life as if they referred to the punishment and death of the soul in the world to come.  We have a perfect right to do that; for Scripture tells us that there is a mysterious analogy and likeness between the life of the body and that of the soul, and therefore between the death of the body and that of the soul: but we must not forget, in the secondary and higher spiritual interpretation of such texts, their primary and physical meaning, which is this—that disease and death are uniformly throughout Scripture held up to the abhorrence of man.

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Let us obey that command literally, and see whether the promise is not literally fulfilled to us in return.

‘Martha said to Him, I know that my brother shall rise again, in the resurrection at the last day.  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life;’ and then showed what He meant by bringing back Lazarus to life, unchanged, and as he had been before he died.

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