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I. THE IGNOMINY OF INGRATITUDE.

1. The ungrateful Christian acts against the voice of his conscience.

(1)  Natural reason acknowledges the duty of gratitude.

(2)  The general consent of mankind brands with infamy the ungrateful.

2. Ingratitude sinks the human being below the level of the brute creation.

3. Ingratitude is infinitely ignominious, because directed against God.

(1)  God exhorts us so often to be grateful.

(2)  His beneficence is unlimited.

(3)  All His benefits are gratuities.

(4)  The ungrateful man denies, in fact, the existence of God.

II. THE PERNICIOUS CONSEQUENCES OF INGRATITUDE.

1. Temporal consequences.

(1) God threatens to deprive the ungrateful of the blessings received (Luke 9:26). God has ever been the absolute owner of whatever He gives; and He gives and takes according to His good pleasure.

(a)  He threatens so to direct events that His gift shall become a curse instead of a blessing to the ungrateful receiver.

(b)  To refuse whatever he may ask for in future.

(c)  To send chastisements upon him so as to convince him that He is the Lord.

(2) God fulfilled His threatenings

(a)  on our first parents;

(b)  on Israel;

(c)  on Nebuchadnezzar.

(d)  Your own life and the life of your acquaintances will bear similar testimony.

2. Everlasting consequences. If the sinner remain ungrateful to the end of his earthly life, he will be deprived of all Divine gifts for all eternity. He will be deprived —

(1) Of the Word of God, instead of which he will incessantly hear only the words of Satan.

(2) Of the celestial light against which he closed his eyes; in punishment of which he will be buried in everlasting darkness.

(3) Of the Beatific Vision, instead of which he will behold only the vision of devilish deformity.

(4) Of the sacramental means of salvation.

(5) Of heavenly peace and joy.

(Horar.)

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KJV: And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

WEB: It happened as he was on his way to Jerusalem, that he was passing along the borders of Samaria and Galilee.