The Life of the Soul

"The Life of the Soul" by Jonathan Brierley (JB) was originally published in 1912, both in England and The United States. It immediately became clear to me after perusing JB's book that it was indeed important to preserve for future generations in a new format befitting of today, rather than simply the dull facsimile reprint. Bearing in mind the time it was written in, the sophistication coupled with simple language makes for an interesting read. It becomes apparent to the reader in no...
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"The Life of the Soul" by Jonathan Brierley (JB) was originally published in 1912, both in England and The United States. It immediately became clear to me after perusing JB's book that it was indeed important to preserve for future generations in a new format befitting of today, rather than simply the dull facsimile reprint. Bearing in mind the time it was written in, the sophistication coupled with simple language makes for an interesting read. It becomes apparent to the reader in no time that the writer is indeed a thinker whose articulation in due course becomes one of appreciation by the reader. It also became apparent to me that this book could actually be a sequel to our recent publication of Henry Jackson's "Undiscovered Teachings of Jesus." JB's life is a book in itself; indeed the following extremely truncated biography of Jonathan Brierley is however warranted. According to JB himself, he lived almost entirely in the thought world and during his writing career was affectionately known as JB. He was a preacher, a reader, a thinker and a writer. He was a religious man through and through, but the religious man who believed that religion was the most practical thing in the whole world- if you only get religion, and not certain ecclesiasticisms, rationalisms, dogmatisms or conventionalism. He was preeminently a student of the soul of man. He plunged into an exploration of his own soul or the soul of universal humanity. His physicality left much to be desired, and for many years he was in his body a broken man, but his soul was robust and radiant, and it radiated health into the souls of those who read his essays. JB was the most uncompromising and unblushing of optimists. He was always amazed at God's goodness to him, at the riches beyond the reach of a Rothschild placed at his disposal. It was not until his chosen career as a Congregational minister was he broken by a nervous breakdown that JB entered on his Second and far-reaching career as a prophet of the pen. Shall it be said that for that career he was predestined in the Divine plan? In the ministry he was the most faithful of pastors, and his sympathetic personal dealing with the members of his flock had given him that insight into human nature, and that sympathy with the psychology and the worries of the average man, which enabled him as philosopher always to keep his finger on the pulse of life. His physical weakness, often with much pain, went to the enrichment of his humanity as well as of his divinity. And to JB, the Man of Nazareth was the lode-star of his being, his constant Companion, the Master of all his thinking, in whose school he was always the most eager and the most submissive of scholars. Jonathan Brierley was born on Christmas Day of 1843 in Leicester England. He was, in fact, the fifth son and was certainly not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and there was very little Spoiling of the Brierley children. The father believed in children being taught from their earliest years to depend on themselves as much as possible. They were expected to help themselves rather than look for constant help from their parents. This kind of training was found very useful in later days, leading to the formation of invaluable habits of self-reliance. Jonathan was sent to a private school run by Mr. Benjamin Hill, where he picked up the rudimentary elements of education which were thought sufficient intellectual equipment in those days for a youngster who was expected without waste of time to earn his own living. It is hoped that the reader of this book finds within its pages the joy and wonder of the subject within, elucidated in such a way as to ward off any consideration of a secular persuasion. For those who need no assistance in their steadfast belief of a soul, this will in no uncertain terms allow you to shine brightly in new found knowledge presented by the prophet with a pen.