Westminster Sermons: with a PrefaceKingsley, Charles
Religion
Westminster Sermons: with a Preface
Kingsley, Charles
Sermons, English -- 19th century
First, silly persons; whom Solomon calls fools--though they often think
themselves refined and clever enough--luxurious and "fashionable" people,
who do not care to learn, who think nothing worth learning save how to
enjoy themselves; who call it "bad form" to be earnest, and turn off all
serious questions with a jest. These are they of whom Wisdom says--"How
long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity, and the scorners delight
in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? I also will laugh at your
calamity, and mock when your fear cometh."
Next, mean and truly vulgar persons; who are shameless; who do not care
if they are caught out in a lie or in a trick. These are they of whom it
is written that outside of God's kingdom, in the outer darkness wherein
are weeping and gnashing of teeth, are dogs, and whosoever loveth and
maketh a lie.
And next, and worst of all, self-conceited people. These are they of
whom Solomon says, "Seest thou a man who is wise in his own conceit?
There is more hope of a fool than of him." They are the people who will
not see when they are going wrong; who will not hear reason, nor take
advice, no, nor even take scorn and contempt; who will not see that they
are making fools of themselves, but, while all the world is laughing at
them, walk on serenely self-satisfied, certain that they, and they only,
know what the world is made of, and how to manage the world. These are
they of whom it is written--"He that being often reproved, hardeneth his
neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." Then they
will learn, and with a vengeance, what being confounded means by being
confounded themselves, and finding themselves utterly wrong, where they
thought themselves utterly right. Yet no. I do not think that even that
would cure some people. There are those, I verily believe, who would not
confess that they were in the wrong even in the bottomless pit, but, like
Satan and his fallen angels in Milton's poem, would have excellent
arguments to prove that they were injured and ill-used, deceived and
betrayed, and lay the blame of their misery on God, on man, on anything
but their own infallible selves.
Who, then, are the people who know what being confounded means; who are
afraid, and terribly afraid, of being brought to shame and confusion
efface?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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