File Name: Simeon, Charles - Horae Homileticae Commentary (21 volumes)
File Submitter: Josh Bond
File Submitted: 07 May 2012
File Category: Commentaries
Author: Charles Simeone-Sword Version: 9.x - 10.x
This isn’t just an expositional commentary, it’s a teaching tool with 21 volumes and 40 megabytes of text. It’s a goldmine for experienced preachers, but it’s also an excellent aid for inexperienced preachers who might still need someone to walk them through a biblical text and help them expound upon it.
Charles Simeon was one of the most prominent evangelical clergymen in the Church of England in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. He was known both for his passion for mission and his extraordinary biblical preaching. But when Simeon looked at the clergy around him he saw men who were often unable to preach well. They either preached poor sermons or they parroted the sermons published by others. Simeon’s passion for preaching drove him to collect and publish his own sermons, preached from Genesis to Revelation and spanning fifty-four years of ministry.
But he didn’t simply publish manuscripts or transcripts of his sermons. Simeon wanted a tool that would both encourage good preaching and that would train good preachers by giving them the skills they needed. To that end, Simeon published what he calls “skeletons” rather than full sermon texts. He begins by laying out the main points or divisions of the biblical text, which he then shows the preacher how to flesh out and expand. He includes copious biblical cross-references as well as excellent aids to practical application. His method is best seen in his use of three dashes (“— — —”) found throughout the text. This is Simeon’s way of saying, “I’ve walked you through the text, I’ve pointed you in the right direction, now you flesh it out in your own words.”
About the e-Sword Edition:
The e-Sword edition includes the primary commentary file and 2 supporting Reference Library files (Subject and Lectionary Index and John Claude's revised essay on sermon composition).
Volumes I and XXI of the printed edition are of special note. The first volume contains Simeon’s introductory essay, which is often quoted and referred to in other books on preaching. In e-Sword, select this commentary and click Commentary > Information to view the introductory essay. While it’s short, it’s also inspiring, explains Simeon’s homiletic rationale, and serves as a sort of “user’s guide” to the whole series.
The final volume includes copious indexes, including Subject and Liturgical/Lectionary indexes, as well as Simeon’s “improved” version of Jean Claude’s excellent essay on sermon composition. Simeon even includes several of his own skeletons to illustrate Claude’s instructions. See the files: Simeon, Charles - Subject, Liturgical, Lectionary Indexes.topx and Simeon, Charles and Claude, John - Claude's Essay on the Composition of a Sermon.topx.
The Subject and Lectionary usage is demonstrated below:
The Commentary Book view, showing every sermon/exposition in each book, is demonstrated below:
21 volumes and 40 megabytes of value-packed text:
Volume I: Genesis to Leviticus
Volume II: Numbers to Joshua
Volume III: Judges to 2 Kings
Volume IV: 1 Chronicles to Job
Volume V: Psalms 1-72
Volume VI: Psalms 73-150
Volume VII: Proverbs to Isaiah 26
Volume VIII: Isaiah 27-66
Volume IX: Jeremiah to Daniel
Volume X: Hosea to Malachi
Volume XI: Matthew
Volume XII: Mark to Luke 16
Volume XIII: Luke 17 to John 12
Volume XIV: John 13 to Acts
Volume XV: Romans
Volume XVI: 1 & 2 Corinthians
Volume XVII: Galatians & Ephesians
Volume XVIII: Philippians to 1 Timothy
Volume XIX: 2 Timothy to Hebrews
Volume XX: James to Jude
Volume XXI: Revelation; Claude’s essay on Sermon Composition, Indexes
Reviews:
I have loved Charles Simeon's 'Expository Outlines' since I began to prapare sermons in my studies for the gospel ministry. As soon as I could, I acquired a set and I have consulted them almost weekly for over thirty years. Simeon is always suggestive and practical, whatever the passage. He opens up the text and applies it. He never wanders off the track down the rabbit trails of story-telling or speculation. Christ is always the center of his thought and the destination of his discourses. His outlines can still show young preachers the way to sound proclamation of Bible truth and Gospel grace. It would be wonderful to see these once more available to the Christian public." -Gordon Keddie, Pastor and Author
"[Horae Homileticae] is the best place to go for researching Simeon's theology. You can find his views on almost every key text in the Bible. What Simeon experienced in the word was remarkable. And it is so utterly different from the counsel that we receive today that it is worth looking at." - Dr. John Piper
"If you have the money to do this project, and enough orders to warrant it, I think it would be a monumental achievement for you, and a wonderful gift to the church!" - Dr. Don Kistler
These expository outlines (or 'skeletons') are not a verse-by-verse explanation of the English Bible. Rather, they are a chapter-by-chapter study with explanations of the most important and instructive verses in each chapter. Simeon's aim with this commentary is 'Instruction relative to the Composition of Sermons.' To this end, his exposition of the Scriptures is designed to maintain a focus on the more general aspects of a passage over and above possible treatments of particulars. His test for a sermon, as he teaches in Horae Homileticae, is threefold: does it humble the sinner, exalt the Saviour and promote holiness?
"If Wilberforce is the most famous evangelical layman in the Church of England, then Simeon is the most famous evangelical clergyman." - Who's Who in Christian History by Warren Wiersbe
"[Simeon's] authority and influence extended from Cambridge to the most remote corners of England, his real sway in the Church was far greater than that of any primate." -Thomas Macaulay
Click here to download this file
