Sermond Translated from the French of ---With Memoira of His Life (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. 1816. Excerpt: ... SERMON V. CHRIST THE ONLY WAY OF SALVATION. John xm 6. lam the way, and the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. MEN are subject to three very ancient evils, sin, ignorance, and death. When I survey all the religions which have appeared in the world, all the sects of philosophers, all the arts which have been invented, to find remedies against these three evils; I seem to behold human nature in the situation of those diseased persons, who, among certain nations, used to be placed at the doors of their houses, that every passenger might contribute his advice or medicine for their cure. For want of skilful physicians, and a solid and regular practice, to which they were strangers, all were in the habit of prescribing for their neighbours, and each individual communicated the result of his own experience. But what multitudes passed by us and considered our maladies, before one was found able to cure them. Philosophers came with their pretended discoveries, their counsels and their precepts: they proposed to dissipate our gloom, and to restore us to happiness by reclaiming us to virtue. They gave us nothing but words; they wrote fine books, and made large promises to our wants, but were not able to relieve them. They called upon man to arise; and they gave him no strength to obey the exhortation. They called upon him to look; and they afforded him only a transient, glimmering light, insufficient for the discernment of objects. They dissuaded from the fear of death; but they never disarmed him, or supplied any means of escaping from his power. The world with its policy and prudence, the arts it has invented, its power and protection, has never been able to effect more than a temporary oblivion of these evils; it has left them as great...