“…Every minister of the Gospel should so preach that he need never be ashamed of the words he has spoken. Do you suppose that if I were ashamed of my sermons I would have them put in cold print to speak long after I am dead?

Rev. Simon Peter Long was a faithful and beloved pastor in the Ohio Synod. These sermons were delivered live from 1903 to 1904. This volume also includes his famous “Sermon on Secret Societies”.

Simon Peter Long (1860-1929)

…studied at Capital University and the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary in Columbus and at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. He was a student of Matthias Loy. Rev. Long served as a pastor from 1886 to 1929, as President of Lima College from 1898-1903, and as Professor and President in the Chicago Lutheran Bible School. His sermons are among the treasures of the Church.

“Do not be like a dead fish in the stream, that always goes with the water; be a live fish and swim against the stream. Too many dead fish in the Church these days, they are anything and everything because others are.

Be Something and Stand For It

“God’s truth is too plain to have a thousand opinions about doctrine. Let us find out what God teaches, and believe it, and tell the people. I expect to get the respect of every citizen in this city, not by siding in with everybody, but by being a man – a man of God, and that is what I want you all to be. Dear young people, who have come into the Church of God, be something and stand for it, and dare to be singular, as Rahab was.” – Simon Peter Long

The Scripture Twisters

“A man who will turn and twist one Word of the Bible is no Lutheran, I do not care by what name he is known. A Lutheran is a man who holds fast to the very form of God’s Word, and I come to you today, and tell you to hold fast to the Lutheran Church, because the Lutheran Church stands for the form of God’s Word.” – From the sermon for Pentecost.

Contents

• Pulpit Power
• A Remarkable Ride Matt. 21: 1-9. Advent Sunday.
• Christmas Is Coming, And So Is Christ Luke 21:25-36. Second Sunday In Advent.
• Our Christmas Catechism Matt. 11:2-11. Third Sunday In Advent.
• An Advent Autobiography John 1: 19-28. Fourth Sunday In Advent.
• Plain Philosophy For Poor People Luke 2:1-14. Christmas Morning.
• The Christian Church Luke 2:33-40. First Sunday After Christmas.
• Four Jewels From Jesus Luke 2:21. New Year’s Day.
• The Christ-Child Crowned Matt. 2:13-23. Sunday After New Year.
• How Heathen Reach Heaven Matt. 2:1-12. Epiphany.
• The Lost Lord Luke 2:41-52. First Sunday After Epiphany.
• A Marriage And A Miracle John 2:1-11. Second Sunday After Epiphany.
• Which Way? Matt. 8:1-13. Third Sunday After Epiphany.
• A Terrible Tempest Matt. 8:23-27. Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.
• The Heavenly Harvest Matt. 13:24-30. Fifth Sunday After Epiphany.
• The Transfiguration Matt. 17:1-9. Sixth Sunday After Epiphany.
• God’s Gift Of Grace Matt. 20:1-16. Septuagesima.
• The Royal Road To Ruin Luke 8:4-15. Sexagesima.
• The Passion Proclamation Luke 18:31-43. Quinquagesima.
• That Same Old Serpent Matt. 4:1-11. First Sunday In Lent. Invocavit.
• A Beautiful Battle Matt. 15 21-28. Second Sunday In Lent.
• Dumb Devils Luke 11:14-28. Third Sunday In Lent.
• Let Nothing Be Lost John 6:1-15. Fourth Sunday In Lent.
• Did Jesus Sin? John 8:46-59. Fifth Sunday In Lent.
• (Reunion of Catechumens.) The Scarlet Thread. Joshua 2:15. Palm Sunday.
• Good Friday.
• Resurrection Rocks Mark 16:1-8. Easter.
• Sunday John 20:19-31. First Sunday After Easter.
• The Heart Of History John 10:11-18. Second Sunday After Easter.
• A Little While And A Long While John 16:16-23. Third Sunday After Easter.
• The Truth Must Be Told John 16:5-15. Fourth Sunday After Easter.
• The King’s Key John 16:23-30. Fifth Sunday After Easter.
• The Celestial Counselor Mark 16:14-20. Ascension Day.
• The Comforter Is Coming John 15:26 To 16:4. Sixth Sunday After Easter.
• Hold Fast 2 Tim. 1:13-14. Pentecost.
• Who Are Heathen? John 3:1-15. Trinity Sunday.
• Nine Reasons Why Rich And Poor Should Be Saved Luke 16:19-31. First Sunday After Trinity.
• Divine Enthusiasm Luke 14:16-24. Second Sunday After Trinity.
• Pity The Poor Pharisee Luke 15:1-10. Third Sunday After Trinity.
• Going To God’s Gallery Luke 6:36-42. Fourth Sunday After Trinity.
• How The Savior Caught Simon Luke 5:1-11. Fifth Sunday After Trinity.
• Admission Above Matt. 5:20-26. Sixth Sunday After Trinity.
• Seven Loaves Of Bread And Seven Baskets Of Crumbs Mark 8:1-9. Seventh Sunday After Trinity.
• Congregational Conscience Matt. 7:13-23. Eighth Sunday After Trinity.
• Those Dirty Dollars Luke 16:1-9. Ninth Sunday After Trinity.
• Why Did Jesus Cry? Luke 19:41-48. Tenth Sunday After Trinity.
• The Heavenly Hunter Matt. 18:9-14. Eleventh Sunday After Trinity.
• Two Sides Of Salvation Mark 7:31-37. Twelfth Sunday After Trinity.
• The Lord’s Lodge Luke 10:23-27. Thirteenth Sunday After Trinity.
• The Men, The Master And The Man Luke 17:11-19. Fourteenth Sunday After Trinity.
• A Call For Catechumens Matt. 6:24-34. Fifteenth Sunday After Trinity.
• A Rumor Of The Redeemer Luke 7:11-17. Sixteenth Sunday After Trinity.
• Is It Right? Luke 14:1-11. Seventeenth Sunday After Trinity.
• Silenced Sinners Matt. 22:34-46. Eighteenth Sunday After Trinity.
• Sick Sinners Nineteenth Sunday After Trinity, Matt. 9:1-8.
• Speechless Sinners Matt. 22:1-14. Twentieth Sunday After Trinity.
• One O’Clock John 4:46-54. Twenty-first Sunday After Trinity.
• Two Things Sinners Can Not Do With Their Sins Matt. 18:23-35. Twenty-second Sunday After Trinity.
• John’s Vision Of The Reformation Rev. 14:6-11. Reformation Sunday.
• Young America Matt. 22:15-22. Twenty-third Sunday After Trinity.
• Twice Twelve Are Twelve Matt. 9:18-26. Twenty-fourth Sunday After Trinity.
• Dangerous Deceptions Matt. 24:15-28. Twenty-fifth Sunday After Trinity.
• The Apostles’ Creed On The Judgment Day Matt. 25:31-46. Twenty-sixth Sunday After Trinity.
• A Sermon On Secret Societies 1 Kings 18:21.

That Holy Book Divine by Simon Peter Long

That Holy Book Divine.
 So deep from first to last,
Whole Book, each Book, each word,
 Hold fast; hold fast; hold fast.

The doctrines in that Book
 Our Luther found at last
And gave them to the world,
 Hold fast; hold fast; hold fast.

To Christ and not to man
 To Christ “the first and last,”
To Him you cling for life.
 Hold fast; hold fast; hold fast.

The bird that has no wings
 Must not sail on the mast;
Nor must the human soul
 By its own strength hold fast.

Nor must it hold to hands
 That pull to hell at last;
But cling to “that good thing,”
 Eternal life – hold fast. – Amen.

Publication Information

• Lutheran Library edition first published: 2018-12-14
• Update: 2019-10-02 (v5)
• Copyright: CC BY 4.0