A Feast for Serpents

John ChurchProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

1.8

Word count: 57K words
Chapters: 6

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.A Feast for Serpents by J. ChurchAuthor: Church, J. (John), 1780?-1825?,Language: English, Class: BV: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Practical theology, Worship, Release Date: Oct 2, 2018

Editor's review

This is an English religious tract by John Church (c. 1780–1825), made available as a free ebook by Project Gutenberg. Its classification number BV (Christian practical theology and worship) places it among works of Christian devotion and preaching. It is short, and its language shows the typical style of English religious writing from the late eighteenth to the early nineteenth century: stately sentences, frequent scriptural citation, and an aim of exhortation and warning. The images of the serpent and the feast in the title suggest that readers should understand it in light of biblical traditions of the serpent and the banquet metaphor, rather than as an exotic tale. Its value lies mainly at the documentary and linguistic level: it is useful for studying English religious pamphlets, for understanding popular theological expression of the period, and for examining the scope of Project Gutenberg’s collection. It is best read as a primary historical source, not as systematic theological argument or literary entertainment.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and students studying English religious pamphlets of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
Learners who need English religious texts as linguistic corpora for language analysis
Ebook readers interested in Project Gutenberg’s documentary collections
Pastors and believers who wish to understand the style of popular Christian exhortation

Not a good fit for

General readers expecting plot-driven narrative or a literary reading experience
Readers with limited English proficiency who depend on modern translations
Those seeking systematic theology textbooks or contemporary devotional guides

Reading tips

Read the title and opening paragraph first to grasp the overall exhortative aim, then work through the cited scriptures paragraph by paragraph.
Read alongside relevant biblical passages on the serpent and the banquet to understand the religious context of the metaphors.
Use it as a sample of English religious style, excerpting typical sentences for language notes.
If length permits, read it in one sitting and write three sentences summarizing the author’s core exhortation.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a religious tract?

Judging from the Project Gutenberg classification number BV (Christian practical theology and worship) and the author’s identity, it is a religious exhortative tract, not a novel. The serpent and the feast in the title are religious images; read it as a theological text and do not expect fictional plot.

What level of English is needed to read this book?

The original is English religious writing of the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century, with long sentences and frequent scriptural citation. Upper-intermediate to advanced English reading ability is recommended, or use a dictionary and biblical background materials; otherwise long sentences and allusions may cause difficulty.

Where can the ebook be obtained?

The book was released by Project Gutenberg in October 2018 and prepared for online access in 2019. It is a free ebook and can be found on the Project Gutenberg website by title or author at no cost; available formats depend on what the site provides.

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About the author

John Church Author · British · 1780–1835

John Church (1780–1835) was an English Independent minister and Evangelical writer. Some bibliographic sources give his dates as "1780?–1825?", while the library record lists 1780–1835; the discrepancy cannot be fully resolved from the limited public information available. He is said to have been a foundling raised in the Foundling Hospital, and he began preaching in 1807. The library holds 23 of his works, mostly sermons and religious tracts, including A Confession of Evangelical Principles, The Precious Name, The Believer's Confidence in a Faithful God, and The Glory of Grace Effected by Weak Means. Centered on Evangelical faith, his writings urge believers to trust in God and hold fast to hope in adversity, showing a distinctively Independent and Evangelical character.