Edward Hitchcock sermons no. 178 and 179, "Meditation," 1823 July

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Edward Hitchcock sermons no. 178 and 179,

Creator	Hitchcock, Edward, 1793-1864
Title	Edward Hitchcock sermons no. 178 and 179, "Meditation," 1823 July
Dates	1823-07
Abstract	Edward Hitchcock's Sermons 178 and 179 on the influence of meditation upon the religious affections, based on Psalm 39:3. The sermons share the same title and biblical text, but they were not always preached at the same times or at the same places. The numbering of the two sermons appears to be opposite to the order of their preaching, with sermon 179 covering topics mentioned in 178 as being previously discussed. Hitchcock has noted on the first page of sermon 178 the dates and places where he had delivered the sermon between 1823 and 1842 as well as Bible chapters and hymns related to the sermon. On the first page of sermon 179 he has noted the dates and places where he had delivered the sermon between 1823 and 1854 as well as Bible chapters and hymns related to the sermon. Hitchcock remarks in 178 that in the morning he had spoken about the influence of meditation on a love of complacency and on a love of gratitude. He now intended to speak about the influence of meditation upon love of benevolence, which he defined as compassion for those under the influence of sin and the state of the impenitent sinner's soul. He enumerated a number of effects of this meditation and argued for regular practice of private self-examination and reflection. In sermon 179, Hitchcock discusses the concept that meditation tends to arouse and strengthen religious feelings, especially holy love. Hitchcock then discusses the ideas of the love of complacency and the love of gratitude, explaining the concepts. He encourages his listeners to contemplate God's creations and moral character to increase one's love of God's character, and to contemplate God's mercy to strengthen one's "love of gratitude" for God.
Physical Description	1 item (33 pages), This single item consists of two sermon booklets tied together, Number 178 (16 pages) and 179 (17 pages).
Languages	English
Place of Creation	Massachusetts
Genre	Sermons
Subject	Hitchcock, Edward, 1793-1864 – Sermons
Subject	Sermons, American – Massachusetts – 19th century
Subject	Meditation – Christianity – Sermons
Subject	God (Christianity) – Worship and love – Sermons
Part of	Edward and Orra White Hitchcock Papers
Finding Aid	View the finding aid for this item's collection
Repository	Amherst College Archives & Special Collections
Shelf Location	Box 7 Folder 14
Rights	Public Domain: This material has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights. While Amherst College Archives & Special Collections claims no rights or authority over this material, we do ask that any publication or use of this material cite the Archives & Special Collections at Amherst College as the source of the images and the repository where the original documents can be found.