Monday, January 23, 2012
Commemoration of Phillips Brooks, Bishop of Massachusetts, spiritual writer, 1893

What sort of Christians are we that go about asking for the things of this life first, thinking that it shall make us prosperous to be Christians, and then a little higher asking for the things that pertain to the eternal prosperity, when the Great Master, who leaves us the great law, in whom our Christian life is spiritually set forth, has as His great symbol the cross, the cross, the sign of consecration and obedience? It is not simply suffering too. Christ does not stand primarily for suffering. Suffering is an accident. It does not matter whether you and I suffer. “Not enjoyment and not sorrow” is our life, not sorrow any more than enjoyment, but obedience and duty. If duty brings sorrow, let it bring sorrow. It did bring sorrow to the Christ.

... Phillips Brooks (1835-1893), Addresses, Philadelphia: Henry Altemus, 1895, p. 16 (see the book; see also John 8:31-36; 4:34; 6:38; Acts 4:19-20; Rom. 8:1-2; more at Christ, Cross, Duty, Obedience, Prosperity, Simplicity, Sorrow, Suffer)

 
Compilation Copyright, 1996-2024, by Robert McAnally Adams,
        Curator, Christian Quotation of the Day,
        with Robert Douglas, principal contributor
Logo image Copyright 1996 by Shay Barsabe, of “Simple GIFs”, by kind permission.
Send comments to curator@cqod.com.

Last updated: 01/16/22

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