The Rich and the Poor One in Christ

A Sermon

De: John Keble

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

HE who wrote this sentence was the richest as well as the wisest of men. For Holy Scripture expressly says, “King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.” And it was great part of his wisdom, no doubt, to consider how he should make the most of his riches, for GOD’S glory and the good of His people; and in order to do this, how he should order his own mind and heart concerning them. And we are told that GOD “gave him” not only “wisdom and understanding, exceeding much,” but also “largeness of heart, even as the sand which is on the sea shore.” Largeness of heart—what is that? We may partly judge by what is said to the Church; how it should be with her when the great Gospel promise should be fulfilled: “Thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged.” To all His other precious gifts the HOLY SPIRIT would add this crowning one, a heart to understand and value in some measure the greatness and depth of them all; and to fear exceedingly, as one entering into a cloud of glory:—a heart to perceive how that “whatsoever GOD doeth,” and whatsoever He giveth, “it shall be forever;” it has eternal and everlasting bearings; and it spreads far around, far beyond the immediate occasion and the person immediately benefited. I say, when a wise and understanding man’s mind is opened, not only to receive the truth, but thus to eel the length and breadth and depth and height of it—not for himself only, but for all for whom GOD intended it—then that person’s heart is “enlarged” in the sense in which Solomon’s was, and in which GOD intended His Church’s, and the hearts of all Christians to be. Those are the true “enlarged views,” my brethren, which look around on all men, and onward beyond all time; they are the very contrary to whatever is selfish and narrow-minded: and by them the HOLY SPIRIT instructed that wise and rich king, and the Church of which he was the type, to think of the rich and poor always as in relation one to the other: not as separate, not as in contrast, but as parts of one great and harmonious whole, in due time to be revealed in its fulness by Him Who ordained it, and Who alone understands it.