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Sunday Evening Readings, a Commentary On the Epistles and Gospels
Sunday Evening Readings a Commentary On the Epistles and Gospels Author:James Mayo, James Mayo General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1891 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. Epistle, Romans xv. 4 -- 13. Gospel, Luke xxi. 25 -- 33. We are here taught to notice the signs which nature affords us of what is coming to pass concerning our eternal interests. We may also gather up significant hints which our Lord gave of what will take place in the end of the world, beside remarking His plain declarations on that subject. The Epistle to-day is full of hope; the Gospel at first sight is full of despair. " The God of hope make you to abound in hope," says the former: the latter rejoins, "Men's hearts shall fail them. On earth there shall be distress of nations with perplexity." Despair will, however, clearly have the predominance: it will be the condition of most men. It will be only a very small number that will be the exception. The "you" whom St Paul addresses are to be always a very few among the many. This is quite in agreement with what our Lord addsfarther on in our Gospel. " When these things come to pass lift up your heads, your redemption, my few faithful disciples, draweth nigh." He contrasts the state of mankind in general with that of the eleven true Apostles who were talking with Him about the goodly appearance of the Temple. And before this he had, in answer to a direct question whether few only would be saved, given advice which certainly implied that there would be few. For if among professing disciples many would be found false and would be rejected, what must be the lot of the masses that have disdained even to make a profession ! There are, it is true, some who shall unexpectedly come in from remote parts of the earth, and shew thems...« less