Town and Country Sermons

Charles King
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Town and Country Sermons

The Project Gutenberg eBook, Town and Country Sermons, by Charles
Kingsley
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Title: Town and Country Sermons
Author: Charles Kingsley
Release Date: March 10, 2004 [eBook #11536]
Language: English
Character set encoding: US-ASCII
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOWN AND
COUNTRY SERMONS***
Transcribed by David Price, email [email protected]

TOWN AND COUNTRY SERMONS

SERMON I. HOW TO KEEP PASSION WEEK

(Preached before the Queen.)
Philippians ii. 5-11. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal
with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This the first day of Passion Week; and this text is the key-note of
Passion Week. It tells us of the obedience of Christ; of the
unselfishness of Christ; and, therefore, of the true glory of Christ.
It tells us of One who was in the form of God; the Co-equal and Co-
eternal Son; the brightness of his Father's glory, the express image of
his Father's person: but who showed forth his Father's glory, and
proved that he was the express likeness of his Father's character, by the
very opposite means to those which man takes, when he wishes to
show forth his own glory.
He was in the form of God. But he did not (so the text seems to mean)
think that the bliss of God was a thing to be seized on greedily for
himself. He did not think fit merely to glorify himself; to enjoy himself.
He was not like the false gods of whom the heathen dreamed, who sat
aloft in heaven and enjoyed themselves, careless of mankind.
No. He obeyed his Father utterly, and at all costs. He emptied himself
(says St. Paul). He took on him the form of a slave. He humbled
himself. He became obedient; obedient to death; and that death the

shameful and dreadful death of the cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him; has declared him to be perfectly
good, worthy of all praise, honour, glory, power, and dominion; and
has given him a name above all names, the name of Jesus--Saviour.
One who saved others, and cared not to save himself.
And therefore, too, God has given him that dominion of which he is
worthy, and has proclaimed him Lord and Creator of all beings and all
worlds, past, present, and to come.
It is of him; of his obedience; of his unselfishness, that Passion Week
speaks to us. It tell us of the mind of Christ, and says, 'Let this mind be
in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.'
How, then, shall we keep his Passion Week? There are several ways of
keeping it, and all more or less good. Wisdom is justified of all her
children.
But no way will be safe for us, unless we keep in mind the mind of
Christ--obedience and self-sacrifice.
Some, for instance, are careful this week to attend church as often as
possible; and who will blame them?
But unless they keep in mind the mind of Christ, they are apt to fall into
the mistake of using vain repetitions, as the heathen do; and of fancying,
like them, that they shall be heard for their much speaking, forgetting
their Father in heaven knows what they have need of, before they ask
him. And that is not like the mind of Christ. It is not like the mind of
Christ to fancy that God dwells in temples made with hands; or that he
can be worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed anything;
seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things. For in him we
live, and move, and have our being; and (as even the heathen poet
knew), are the offspring, the children, of God.
It is not according to the mind of
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