The Works of Laurence Sterne, A. M. Volume 3; The sermons of Mr. Yorick

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.1805 Excerpt: ... Self-Examination. ISAIAH, 1. 3, The ox knovieth fiis owner, and the ass his master') crib,--but Israel doeth not know,--my people doeth not consider. IT is a severe but an affectionate reproach of the prophet's laid against the Israelites, which may safely be applied to every heedless and unthankful people, who are neither won by God's mercies, nor terrified by his punishments. There is a giddy, thoughtless, intemperate spirit gone forth into the woflrid, which possesses the generality of mankind;--and the reason the world is undone, is, because the world does not consider,--considers neither awful regard to God, nor the true relation themselves bear to him.----Could they consider this, and learn to weigh the causes, and compare the consequences of things, and to exercise the reason which Go» has put into us, for the government and direction of our lives,--there would be some hopes of a reformation: But as the world goes, there is no leisure for such inquiries--andlSo full are ouv minds of other matters, that we have no time to ask, or a heart to answer, the questions we ought to put to ourselves. Whatever our condition is, it is good to be acquainted with it in time, to be able to supply what is wanting, and examine the state of our accounts, before we come to give them up to an impartial judge. The most inconsiderate see the reasonableness of this there being few, I believe, either so thoughtless, or even so bad, but that they sometimes enter upon this duty, and have some short intervals of self-examination, which they are forced upop, if from no other motive, yet at leastt» free themselves from the load and oppression of spirits they must necessarily be subject to without it. liut as the scripture frequently intimates,--and observation confirms...