The Happy Christian Or Piety The Only Foundation Of True And Substantial Joy

Excerpt from The Happy Christian: Or, Piety the Only Foundation of True and Substantial Joy The unexpected favor with which the religious public received the "Advice to a Young Christian" - the author's first production - induces the hope that, after the lapse of several years, some additional observations on practical religion from the same pen, may not be unacceptable. This little book, though designed for all classes of readers, was written, it must be confessed, with an eye rather to the young; whether professors or non-professors. The former, it is hoped, may be stimulated by it to greater activity in the divine life; and the latter, by the accompanying conviction of the Holy Spirit, be persuaded that piety is the only foundation of true and substantial joy. If this sequel to the "Advice," following in the wake of its humble predecessor, shall but serve - like the life-boat in the storm - to rescue from impending danger, any who were induced by the former to steer for the port of peace, it will afford its author the most heart-felt satisfaction. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from The Happy Christian: Or, Piety the Only Foundation of True and Substantial Joy IN this small volume an attempt is made to an swer the question, Who are the happy? Many who are ignorant of the nature of true religion, who have never personally experienced its joys or its consolations, entertain the idea that it wars against their felicity. Indeed, some go so far as to assert that religion actually makes its votaries gloomy. To repel this charge is the design of the first part of this treatise. If the reader have indulged such false and absurd notions, the perusal of these pages, it is hoped, will convince him of his error, and disclose to him the fact that piety is the only foundation of true and substantial joy. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

"The aim of the writer is rather to vindicate Piety from an unjust aspersion, namely, that she robes her followers in gloom and sadness. That she makes them serious, we do not deny; but there is a wide difference between sobriety and melancholy. Sobriety is not opposed to cheerfulness, though it is to levity. Cheerfulness abounds everywhere in the works of God; but levity nowhere, except in the bosom and on the countenance of the thoughtless; and there, it is not the legitimate expression of God's image, but the evidence and the effervescence of sin. The lark is cheerful, as it mounts from its grassy nest, and soars away to the heavens, singing as it goes. Cheerful also is the summer morning, revealing its glad scenery, as the rising sun gilds one feature after another of the landscape. Nature in all this has a lesson for man: she teaches him that Piety, in inculcating cheerfulness while she rebukes levity, is but a faithful response to her own emphatic instructions." "There is but one influence which can effectually reach and relieve that heart, or drive from that anxious countenance its look of deep despondency: Piety can do it. It is her province alone to heal the wounds of our disordered nature, and to send the glow of spiritual health through the soul. And when she comes to perform her work of love and mercy, she first, like her great Author, enters the polluted temple of the heart, and with a scourge, drives out the intruder, and then consecrates it by her presence, and illuminates it by her own heavenly smile." Chapter 1 Piety vindicated from the charge of gloom Chapter 2 Piety gives more and purer joys than it takes away Chapter 3 The adaptation of piety to all the soul's desires Chapter 4 The joy of true piety Chapter 5 Pious joy enjoined in the scriptures Chapter 6 The foundation of pious joy Chapter 7 The joy of believing in God Chapter 8 Pious joy connected with proper conceptions of the divine character Chapter 9 The relation of pious joy to the doctrine of Providence Chapter 10 The joy of salvation Chapter 11 Joyful Promises Chapter 12 Joyful prospects Chapter 13 Obstructions to pious joy Chapter 14 Constant contact with the WORLD unfavorable to pious joy Chapter 15 Constant contact with the WORLD unfavorable to pious joy, continued Chapter 16 The pursuit of riches unfavorable to a Christian's happiness. Chapter 17 Social and business engagements sometimes obstructions to a Christian's joy. Chapter 18 Business engagements Chapter 19 The influence of light reading opposed to the progress of piety Chapter 20 The spirit of controversy opposed to the exercise of pious joy Chapter 21 Circumstances favorable to the promotion of pious joy Chapter 22 The useful Christian happy Chapter 23 The joy of contentment Chapter 24 Submission Chapter 25 Joy in death Chapter 26 Conclusion

This thoughtful exploration of the relationship between piety and happiness offers insights into how religious belief can lead to a more fulfilling life. Drawing on both scripture and personal experience, the author makes a compelling argument for the importance of cultivating and maintaining a deep sense of piety. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Trieste Publishing has a massive catalogue of classic book titles. Our aim is to provide readers with the highest quality reproductions of fiction and non-fiction literature that has stood the test of time. The many thousands of books in our collection have been sourced from libraries and private collections around the world.The titles that Trieste Publishing has chosen to be part of the collection have been scanned to simulate the original. Our readers see the books the same way that their first readers did decades or a hundred or more years ago. Books from that period are often spoiled by imperfections that did not exist in the original. Imperfections could be in the form of blurred text, photographs, or missing pages. It is highly unlikely that this would occur with one of our books. Our extensive quality control ensures that the readers of Trieste Publishing's books will be delighted with their purchase. Our staff has thoroughly reviewed every page of all the books in the collection, repairing, or if necessary, rejecting titles that are not of the highest quality. This process ensures that the reader of one of Trieste Publishing's titles receives a volume that faithfully reproduces the original, and to the maximum degree possible, gives them the experience of owning the original work.We pride ourselves on not only creating a pathway to an extensive reservoir of books of the finest quality, but also providing value to every one of our readers. Generally, Trieste books are purchased singly - on demand, however they may also be purchased in bulk. Readers interested in bulk purchases are invited to contact us directly to enquire about our tailored bulk rates.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.