Even Sir Kenneth, whose reason at once and prejudices were
offended by seeing his companions in that which he considered as
an act of idolatry, could not help respecting the sincerity of
their misguided zeal, and being stimulated by their fervour to
apply supplications to Heaven in a purer form, wondering,
meanwhile, what new-born feelings could teach him to accompany in
prayer, though with varied invocation, those very Saracens, whose
heathenish worship he had conceived a crime dishonourable to the
land in which high miracles had been wrought, and where the day-star of redemption had arisen.
The act of devotion, however, though rendered in such strange
society, burst purely from his natural feelings of religious
duty, and had its usual effect in composing the spirits which had
been long harassed by so rapid a succession of calamities. The
sincere and earnest approach of the Christian to the throne of
the Almighty teaches the best lesson of patience under
affliction; since wherefore should we mock the Deity with
supplications, when we insult him by murmuring under His decrees?
or how, while our prayers have in every word admitted the vanity
and nothingness of the things of time in comparison to those of
eternity, should we hope to deceive the Searcher of Hearts, by
permitting the world and worldly passions to reassume the reins
even immediately after a solemn address to Heaven! But Sir
Kenneth was not of these.
Pages:
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498