He that reads and grows no wiser seldom suspects his own deficiency, but complains of hard words and obscure sentences, and asks why books are written which cannot be understood.
Samuel JohnsonRead
To be of no church is dangerous. Religion, of which the rewards are distant, and which is animated only by faith and hope, will glide by degrees out of the mind unless it be invigorated and reimpressed by external ordinances, by stated calls to worship, and the salutary influence of example.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Being disconnected from a religious community can lead to a weakening of faith and moral structure.
Samuel Johnson emphasizes the importance of external structures and communal practices in sustaining personal faith and religious conviction. He suggests that without regular reminders and communal worship, the internal belief system may fade, highlighting the role of community and tradition in maintaining spiritual health.
Themes
FaithReligionCommunityWorshipConviction
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon about the importance of community in faith, one might quote this to highlight how solitary worship can weaken belief.
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Fly-fishing may be a very pleasant amusement; but angling or float fishing I can only compare to a stick and a string, with a worm at one end and a fool at the other.
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When any anxiety or gloom of the mind takes hold of you, make it a rule not to publish it by complaining; but exert yourselves to hide it, and by endeavoring to hide it you drive it away.
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A fishing rod is a stick with a hook at one end and a fool at the other.
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All severity that does not tend to increase good, or prevent evil, is idle.
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