Luke 4:18-22 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted… To awaken a spiritual interest in the poor is my object. 1. The outward condition of the poor is a hard one, and deserving of our sympathy — though not necessarily wretched. Give them the Christian spirit, and they would find in their lot the chief elements of good. 2. The condition of the poor is unfriendly to the action and unfolding of the intellect — a sore calamity to a rational being. 3. I proceed to another evil of poverty — its disastrous influence on the domestic affections. 4. Another unhappy influence exerted by poverty is that it tends to breed discontent, envy, and hatred — hence crime. 5. I pass on to another sore trial of the poor — the temptation to make up for their anxieties and privations by resorting to debasing gratifications — drink, &c. Yet — 6. The highest culture is in reach of the poor, and is sometimes attained by them. The great idea on which human cultivation especially depends is that of God. 7. We are solemnly bound, therefore, to cherish and manifest a strong moral and religious interest in the poor. Every man whom God has prospered is bound to contribute to this work. The Christian ministry is a blessing to all, but above all to the poor. If there be an office worthy of angels, it is that of teaching Christian truth. The Son of God hallowed it by sustaining it in His own person. (W. E. Channing, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, |
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