BEFORE we meet again, we shall have celebrated the feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, the Apostles. You will be at your daily work, and will not have the opportunity to attend the Service in Church. For that reason, it may be as well, you should lay up some good thoughts against that day; and such, by GOD’S blessing, I will now attempt to give you.
As you well know, there were twelve Apostles; St. Simon and St.
Jude were two of them. They preached the Gospel of Christ; and they
were like Christ, as far as sinful man may be accounted like the Blessed SON of GOD. They were like Christ in their deeds and in their
sufferings. The Gospel for the festival shows us this. They were like Christ in their works, because Christ was a witness of the FATHER,
and they were witnesses of Christ. Christ came in the name of GOD the Father Almighty; He came and spoke, and did
works which none other man did. In like manner, the Apostles
were sent to bear witness of Christ, to declare His power, His great
mercy, His sufferings on the cross for the sins of all men, His
willingness to save all who come to Him.But again, they were like Christ in their sufferings. If the world hate you, He says to them, you know that it hated Me, before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also. (more)
