FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   >>  
ng morose, nothing self-willed and intolerant, in the mind of him who sets himself in right earnest to the task of their perusal. In like manner, all highly wrought, impassioned, and uncontrollable emotions, which carry the infatuated understanding into a wide and wild sea of doubt and distraction, must be absent from the reader. It cannot be dissembled that, when read with a proper spirit, we rise from the perusal of Paley's Sermons not less convinced of the necessity of putting a guard upon the unruliness of our passions, than of living in peace, goodwill, and brotherly love with all mankind." Among the remainder in the first volume (in all 16,) is Bishop Horne's _Life a Journey_, upon that touching line in Psalm cxix.-- "I am a stranger upon the earth." How beautifully are the consolations of our blessed religion set forth in the imagery of the subsequent extract:-- "Although the traveller's first and chief delight is the recollection of his home, which lies as a cordial at his heart, and refreshes him every where and at all seasons, this does by no means prevent him from taking that pleasure in the several objects presenting themselves on the road, which they are capable of affording, and were indeed intended to afford. He surveys, in passing, the works and beauties of nature and art, meadows covered with flocks, valleys waving with corn, verdant woods, blooming gardens, and stately buildings. He surveys and enjoys them, perhaps, much more than their owners do, but leaves them without a sigh, reflecting on the far greater and sincerer joys that are waiting for him at home. Such exactly is the temper and disposition with which the Christian traveller should pass through the world. His religion does not require him to be gloomy and sullen, to shut his eyes, or to stop his ears; it debars him of no pleasure, of which a thinking and reasonable man would wish to partake. It directs him not to shut himself up in a cloister, alone, there to mope and moan away his life; but to walk abroad, to behold the things which are in heaven and earth, and to give glory to him who made them; reflecting, at the same time that if, in this fallen world, which is soon to be consumed by fire, there are so many objects to entertain and delight him, what must be the pleasures of that world which is to endure for ever, and to be his eternal home; Flocks feeding in green meadows, by rivers of water, remind him of the future happy con
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   >>  



Top keywords:

reflecting

 

meadows

 
objects
 

pleasure

 
delight
 

traveller

 

surveys

 

religion

 

perusal

 

temper


disposition

 

greater

 

sincerer

 

Christian

 

waiting

 

sullen

 

morose

 

gloomy

 

require

 

willed


blooming

 

gardens

 

stately

 

buildings

 
verdant
 
flocks
 

valleys

 

waving

 

enjoys

 

leaves


covered

 

intolerant

 

owners

 

entertain

 
consumed
 
fallen
 

pleasures

 

endure

 

remind

 
future

rivers
 

eternal

 
Flocks
 
feeding
 
partake
 
directs
 

cloister

 

debars

 

thinking

 
reasonable