What Set Him Right, by the Author of 'The Recreations of a Country Parson' (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1885 edition. Excerpt: ... can come of brooding on, and which would be a thousand times better put away and quite forgot. Ah, there may be David's sad experience, and yet it may utterly fail to lead the soul to David's healthful and wise resort. The fire of fever may burn hotly, all but unbearably, in a poor heart, which yet is never compelled by it to turn for relief to God in Prayer. It is easy to show how foolish (to say the least) it is to cherish these old regrets. But I have no faith whatever in any treatment of our spiritual errors and distresses on the principles of mere reason. Philosophy will not cure any poor mortal: We must have help from above: we must have something sent to calm us, and keep us calm, which transcends nature: Nothing less will avail us than God's grace, which means God's Holy Spirit, sought and found through Prayer. Sometimes, indeed, He comes unprayed for; and sometimes, when earnestly asked for, He delays; but surely (for it is plainly promised) He must come in His own good time, which is the right time. In any case, if you wish to be really delivered from any distressing inward experience, see you do not think to deal with it in any skill or strength of your own: That will be a failure, be sure. Ah, the fevered heart would have staid with David, --would have lasted on, growing always hotter, had he not turned just to where he turned, that day. Even these old regrets, revived through morbid brooding, need (if you are indeed to be delivered from them) the treatment my text suggests: but much more will the fresh irritations and troubles that come new day by day. For, in some kind of way, you may make it plain to a man that it is foolish to go and deliberately awake an old sleeping sorrow: you may in some degree persuade him not to go and by..