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292 illustrations
The Victorian preacher recognized winter as uniquely perilous—not merely because of physical suffering, but because lengthy evenings create moral vulnerability.
This is no mere sentiment, but the living testimony of regeneration itself.
It is the shepherd's mark distinguishing the flock of the Lord Jesus from the rest of the world.
Rather, He sets him apart for Himself—to converse with him, to communicate Himself to him as a friend and companion, making him His delight.
Yet Scripture is unambiguous: the heart (*leb* in Hebrew, the seat of will and intention) cannot be good while its practice remains evil.
The prophets have sung of a golden age, the saints have prayed for one, and the Bible distinctly teaches that one will come.
First, the gospel illuminates what was previously hidden.
Exell's Victorian homily isolates four charges against this congregation, each applicable to contemporary faith communities.
Similarly, when a musician strikes an out-of-tune instrument, he produces sound but the instrument's broken strings produce the jarring discord.
Exell's *Biblical Illustrator* offers three principles for this conquest.
This seems counterintuitive until we understand what Spurgeon observed: the subjects of God's people's joy extend far beyond comfort and blessing.
The abuses of the tongue are manifold, and malignity ranks foremost among them.
The diseased crowded for healing; the teachable gathered for celestial wisdom; the curious witnessed stupendous miracles.
Yet YHWH's charge to him rings throughout Scripture: 'Be strong and courageous.' Maclaren observes that Christianity has elevated gentler virtues to unprecedented prominence, yet it has not erased the necessity of heroic strength.
Its acquisition presents such difficulties that it is seldom truly found in our age.
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?' The unworthy members of Zion—the *sinners in Zion*—cry out in terror, supposing the prophet speaks of annihilation.
The wisdom of Solomon stands in sharp contrast to our modern systems, which often direct men's attention everywhere but inward.
Our Lord exhorts His disciples to cultivate strength of character—but never at the expense of brotherly love.
The apostle Paul, when dissuading from impurity, eschewed mere physical or social arguments.
It is not mere religious habit but your entire conduct—all you think, feel, desire, speak, do, and suffer.
Little sins are peculiarly offensive to God precisely because they are little—we risk offending Him for what we ourselves care very little about and expect insignificant return from.
The accumulation of light things becomes overwhelmingly ponderous.
At the base of those ancient fortifications lie five or six courses of massive, squared blocks, 'the wonders of the world yet; well jointed, well laid, well cemented.' These represent gold, silver, and precious stones—the solid verities of Christ proclaimed...
Exell's Victorian illustration captures this paradox through a striking nautical image: a boat that has sailed the salt ocean, battered by storms and half-filled with briny water, now navigates fresh river currents.