Six Plain Sermons on Subjects of the Day (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. 1870. Excerpt: ... St. John, 2nd Epistle, gth verse and following. "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God." It is not surprising that there has been manifested of late an impatience, almost an unreasoning impatience, under doctrinal teaching. The West has always been conspicuous in action rather than in speculation; and this tendency is even more strikingly conspicuous in the days in which we live. The English as a people may be said to be westernmost of the West in their own practical character. We are compelled to lead active, busy lives--lives which allow us little time for rest--much has to be accomplished in a short space--we are impatient of hindrances--we almost despise the means, in our hurry to secure the ends; we can scarcely in our eagerness wait for the growth to maturity of the seed our hands have planted: and the grand test to many is success. It is not surprising, therefore, that our religion takes the same shape, and that the more practical aspect is elevated above the theoretical. Truly we live now, not by pulsations, nor yet by thoughts, but by actions, and we value that part of our religion which we can bring down into the busy active scene, and which enables us to cut the knots of every-day life; we prefer doing good deeds to thinking good thoughts, and we smile at the thought of the contemplative life in monastery or convent, barely tolerating its existence amongst us, when accompanied by its more active forms of visiting the sick, teaching the children of the poor. We look, too, upon doctrines as exclusively the possession of theologians and ministers of religion; and because, in the case of some, the outer circle, the outworks of the defence as it were, which have been left as exercises of the faith, there ha...