Sermons of John Newton - M - Booklet Twenty 48. The Song of the Redeemed, 49. The Chorus of Angels and 50. The Universal Chorus
By John Newton
Extract
Sermons of John Newton – Booklet Twenty
48. The Song of the Redeemed,
49. The Chorus of Angels and
50. The Universal Chorus
48. The Song of the Redeemed
“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou … hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” Revelation 5:9.
The extent, variety, and order of the creation, proclaim the glory of God. He is likewise, * Maximus in Minimis. The smallest of the works, that we are capable of examining, such for instance as the eye or the wing of a little insect, the creature of a day, are stamped with an inimitable impression of His wisdom and power. Thus in His written Word, there is a greatness considering it as a whole, and a beauty and accuracy in the smaller parts, analogous to what we observe in the visible creation, and answerable to what an enlightened and humble mind may expect in a book, which bears the character of a divine revelation. A single verse, a single clause, when viewed (if I may so speak) in the microscope of close meditation, is often found to contain a fullness, a world of wonders. And though a connected and comprehensive acquaintance with the whole Scripture, be desirable and useful, and is no less the privilege, than the duty, of those who have capacity and time at their disposal, to acquire it; yet, there is a gracious accommodation to the weakness of some persons, and the circumstances of others. So that in many parts of Scripture, whatever is immediately necessary to confirm our faith, to animate or regulate our practice, is condensed into a small compass, and comprised in a few verses: yea, sometimes a single sentence, when unfolded and examined, will be found to contain all the great principles of duty and comfort. Such is the sentence which I have now read to you. In the Messiah Oratorio, it is inserted in the grand chorus taken from the twelfth and thirteenth verses of this chapter. And as it may lead us to a compendious recapitulation of the whole subject, and, by the Lord’s …