Book Description

Excerpt from The Collects of the Day, Vol. 2 of 2: An Exposition Critical and Devotional of the Collects; Appointed at the Communion Grant us the help of thy grace, that in keeping thy commandments we may please thee. We beseech you, says St. Paul, that ye receive not the grace of God in rain.1 It is received in vain, where the impres sions made by it are allowed to evaporate, - where they are not acted out in the conduct, and so worked into the texture of the character. The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: but that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. 1 And, similarly, the heart which drinketh in the dews of grace that fall upon it, and yet bringeth forth not the fruits of the Spirit, but only thorns and briers, the natural produce of a spiritual soil not tilled or cultivated by self-discipline, watchfulness, and prayer, is rejected of God. See in how vital a relation God's grace stands to the keeping of His commandments. Do you desire a summary of these commandments, a reduction of them all to one or two heads This is given us by our Lord and His Apostles. Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets 3 He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Love is the fulfilling of the law. And here is the very real and deep-seated connexion between our Collect and its Epistle and Gospel. The keynote of the Epistle, sounded at its opening and again at its close, is mutual love. Be loved, let us love one another. For love IS of God. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.