Albert Lunel; or, The château of Languedoc Volume 1 - Tapa blanda

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. 1844 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VII. THE PHILOSOPHY OF A LANGTJEDOC PASTOK. " ' The young delight in action; contemplation is best suited and most pleasing to the old. But when the heart is rightly attuned to humane feelings, there is also a disposition in age to make its experience profitable to youth. Not only is there a satisfaction in dwelling upon the results of that experience, wholly apart from all ideas of egotism; there is a pleasure in conveying instruction, and in the act of making their own history useful to others they have a pleasing consciousness that they have themselves not lived in vain. "' Do not be alarmed, my good young man, at the prospect of a sermon. In the discharge of my pastoral duties I am never ashamed of preaching, nor reluctant to be instant in season and out of season, for the truths committed to my care. Woe be to me if I shun the service of my Master! But I have mixed with the world, as well as with the silent inmates of my study, and I have lived in society as well as in the pulpit. My lessons are of a kind that gownsmen fear too much the ridicule connected with familiar topics to teach on the Lord's day. The successors of our Saviour, even in early ages, much more the preachers of his Gospel in modern days, have lacked the gift of that divine taste as well as wisdom which dictated the exquisitely delicate composition of the parables. All their exhortations must for want of it be covered over with generalities, and, between the dread of exciting laughter and the fear of giving offence, the most impressive kinds of moral instruction are neglected, nay shunned by all who publicly teach the people. I shall address myself to you on the present occasion without any apprehension of either ridicule or resentment. My purpose is above...