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Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII (of 8), has been considered important throughout human history. In an effort to ensure that this work is never lost, we have taken steps to secure its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for both current and future generations. This complete book has been retyped, redesigned, and reformatted. Since these books are not scans of the authors' original publications, the text is readable and clear.

This book analyses the conceptual mechanisms behind the notion of “The Christian Life” in the collection of sermons preached by John Henry Newman (1801–1890) and published in eight volumes as Parochial and Plain Sermons (1834–1843). The study utilises tools of cognitive semantics, such as the theory of conceptual metaphor and metonymy and the theory of conceptual integration. Cognitivism offers an integral perspective on language and is gaining in popularity among scholars in the whole world. The book identifies a number of metaphorical models of “The Christian Life” in Newman’s sermons, based on structural metaphors, such as “A Journey”, “A Race”, “A Trial” and “Family Life”, as well as some models based on ontological metaphors, such as animalisations (“The Sheepfold” metaphor), vegetalisations (the “Christ is a Plant” metaphor) and reifications (“The Gift” metaphor). Each of the models constitutes a coherent set of metaphors, metonymies and metaphtonymies, present throughout the whole of Newman’s Parochial and Plain Sermons. It is also shown that the conceptualisation of “The Christian Life” is based on conceptual blending between conventional metaphors functioning in everyday English and the transcendental conceptual domain of “Christianity”. The book will be of interest to linguists, particularly those interested in cognitive linguistics, as well as to theologians, especially those focused on the theory of preaching, and to everyone interested in the legacy of John Henry Newman.

The love of friendship has, at the least, established its place as a necessary model of love in Christian tradition. This study shows the deep roots it has in Christian thought, among both ancient and modern writers, and is intended to facilitate further reflection on and exploration of its creative potential now and for the future.