Collected Sermons of James Durham The Sermons of James Durham Collected Sermons of James Durham: Sixty-one Sermons (2017) Collected Sermons of James Durham: Seventy-two Sermons on Isaiah 53 (2017) Collected Sermons of James Durham The Blessedness of the Death of those that Die in the Lord Heaven upon Earth: The Joys of a Good Conscience The Unsearchable Riches of Christ The Great Corruption of Subtle Self The Great Gain of Contenting Godliness & Miscellaneous Subjects in Sixty-One Sermons Edited by Chris Coldwell The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord: but the words of the pure are pleasant words. Proverbs 15:26. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. Proverbs 25:11. Naphtali Press & Reformation Heritage Books Collected Sermons of James Durham: Sixty-one Sermons. Copyright © 2017 by Chris Coldwell. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this new edition may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews and fair use. Naphtali Press Reformation Heritage Books P. O. Box 141084 2965 Leonard St. NE Dallas, Texas, 75214 Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49525 www.naphtali.com 616-977-0889 / Fax 616-285-3246 [email protected] [email protected] www.heritagebooks.org ISBN 978-1-60178-556-5 Contents introduction........................................................................................ 9 The Blessedness of the Death of those that Die in the Lord: Seven Sermons on Revelation 14:13 Dedication ........................................................................................................41 To the Reader ....................................................................................................55 1. Sermon 1 on Revelation 14:13 ........................................................................63 2. Sermon 2 on Revelation 14:13 ........................................................................71 3. Sermon 3 on Revelation 14:13 ........................................................................85 4. Sermon 4 on Revelation 14:13 ........................................................................96 5. Sermon 5 on Revelation 14:13 ......................................................................110 6. Sermon 6 on Revelation 14:13 ......................................................................123 7. Sermon 7 on Revelation 14:13 ......................................................................134 Heaven Upon Earth: Twenty-Two Sermons on the Joys of a Good Conscience To Alexander Durham ...................................................................................147 To the Readers and the Inhabitants of the City of Glasgow .....................149 8. Sermon 1 (1 of 6 on Acts 24:16) ....................................................................175 9. Sermon 2 (2 of 6 on Acts 24:16) ...................................................................185 10. Sermon 3 (3 of 6 on Acts 24:16) ...................................................................198 11. Sermon 4 (4 of 6 on Acts 24:16) ....................................................................208 12. Sermon 5 (5 of 6 on Acts 24:16) ....................................................................222 13. Sermon 6 (6 of 6 on Acts 24:16) ....................................................................232 14. Sermon 7: (1 of 3 on 1 Peter 3:21) ................................................................244 15. Sermon 8: (2 of 3 on 1 Peter 3:21) ................................................................254 16. Sermon 9: (3 of 3 on 1 Peter 3:21) ................................................................264 17. Sermon 10: (1 of 2 on Romans 9:1) ..............................................................275 18. Sermon 11: (2 of 2 on Romans 9:1) ..............................................................287 19. Sermon 12: (1 of 5 on 2 Corinthians 1:12) ..................................................300 20. Sermon 13: (2 of 5 on 2 Corinthians 1:12) ..................................................310 21. Sermon 14: (3 of 5 on 2 Corinthians 1:12) .................................................323 22. Sermon 15: (4 of 5 on 2 Corinthians 1:12) ..................................................333 23. Sermon 16: (5 of 5 on 2 Corinthians 1:12) ..................................................345 24. Sermon 17: (1 of 3 on Hebrews 13:18) .........................................................359 5 Sermons of James Durham 25. Sermon 18: (2 of 3 on Hebrews 13:18) .........................................................368 26. Sermon 19: (3 of 3 on Hebrews 13:18) .........................................................378 27. Sermon 20: (1 of 3 on Hebrews 9:13, 14) .....................................................392 28. Sermon 21: (2 of 3 on Hebrews 9:14; Hebrews 10:22) ................................402 29. Sermon 22: (3 of 3 on Hebrews 10:22) .........................................................414 The Unsearchable Riches of Christ: Fourteen Communion Sermons Preached at Glasgow Dedication ......................................................................................................431 30. Sermon 1: A Preparation Sermon on 1 Corinthians 11:29 ........................440 31. Sermon 2: A Preparation Sermon on 1 Corinthians 11:29 ........................453 32. Sermon 3: Preached before the Communion on Matthew 22:2–4 ...........464 33. Sermon 4: Preached after the Communion on Philippians 1:27 ..............485 34. Sermon 5: A very Heavenly Sermon on Philippians 3:20 ..........................503 35. Sermon 6: Preached after the Communion on Isaiah 55:1–3 ...................518 36. Sermon 7: Preached after the Communion on Psalm 85:8 .......................533 37. Sermon 8: (1) Preached before the Communion on Jeremiah 50:4, 5 ......550 38. Sermon 9: (2) Preached before the Communion on Jeremiah 50:4, 5 ......561 39. Sermon 10: (3) Preached before the Communion on Jeremiah 50:4, 5 ....575 40. Sermon 11: (4) Preached at the Communion on Jeremiah 50:5 ...............586 41. Sermon 12: (5) Preached after the Communion on Jeremiah 50:5 ..........604 42. Sermon 13: (1) Preached at the Communion on Matthew 26:28, 29 .......618 43. Sermon 14: (2) Preached after the Communion on Matthew 26:29 ........638 The Great Corruption of Subtle Self Dedication ......................................................................................................651 44. Sermon 1 of 7 on Matthew 16:24 .................................................................655 45. Sermon 2 of 7 on Matthew 16:24 .................................................................665 46. Sermon 3 of 7 on Matthew 16:24 .................................................................678 47. Sermon 4 of 7 on Matthew 16:24 .................................................................697 48. Sermon 5 of 7 on Matthew 16:24 .................................................................712 49. Sermon 6 of 7 on Matthew 16:24 .................................................................723 50. Sermon 7 of 7 on Matthew 16:24 .................................................................735 The Great Gain of Contenting Godliness Dedication ......................................................................................................749 51. Sermon 1 (1 of 3 on 1 Timothy 6:6–8) .........................................................803 52. Sermon 2 (2 of 3 on 1 Timothy 6:6–8) .........................................................812 53. Sermon 3 (3 of 3 on 1 Timothy 6:6–8) .........................................................822 54. Sermon 4 (1 of 1 on 2 Timothy 3:5) .............................................................832 6 contents Sermons of James Durham Miscellaneous Sermons 55. 1. A Discourse upon Extemporaneous Prayer (Neh.2:4) ............................855 56. 2. Excellent Thoughtfulness about Worldly Things (Matt. 6:31) ...............867 57. 3. God’s Relation to His People, a Means to Prevent Anxiety (Matt. 6:32) .877 58. 4. But One Thing is Needful (Luke 10:42) ...................................................887 59. 5. Sermon 1 on Revelation 22:20 ..................................................................896 60. 6. Sermon 2 on Revelation 22:20 ..................................................................906 61. 7. A Sermon on Ephesians 4:11–12 ...............................................................916 Indices 943 contents 7 Introduction James Durham of Pittkerro (1622–1658), was born “a good gentleman, of the house and family of Grange Durham, an ancient, honorable, and some- time flourishing family in the parish of Monifieth, in the shire of Angus.”1 He was the oldest son and heir of Sir James Durham, who outlived him.2 His mother was Helen Ramsey, the daughter of the archdean of Dunkeld. In 1643 Durham succeeded to a portion of the family lands in Angus “in the parish of Murroes, then called Easter Powrie, but now called Wedder- burn…” (29),3 and stood to inherent his father’s considerable estate. He had attended Saint Andrews University in about 1637–1640.4 He did not finish his course of studies at university and looked simply to take up the 1. See the life of Durham in Donald John MacLean, James Durham (1622–1658) And the Gospel Offer in Its Seventeenth Century Context (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2015), 66–75. See also the overview