Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1843-12-01
WHERE is GODl

REV. Mr.. PTERPoNT, on the occasion on
Dfuneral discourse whichhe recently preach
ed, thus beautifully answers this question ::
But where is God He is here. He is
essentially here, as much as he is any where.
He is essentially alike in all places of his
dominion He is most in pure, loving, and
holy hearts. He dwelleth most with spirits
that are most like himself; because such
spirits can most clearly apprehend the pres
ence and energy of that Infinite Spirit whom
eye cannot see, but who is spiritually dis
cerned. Popular opinion, indeed, and much
Of the religious language of all nations and
ages, which is the representative or spoken
image" of popular opinion, places the Inf
mite Spirit chiefly in the starry heavens, and
points towards them, when it would show
the path on. which the spirit, that has left
this fallen tenement, has started to 60 back
to the God who gave ii. But science tells
us that this earth is itself a star, and is as
much a part Of the starry heavens as any
other. And if the spirits that for time
have dwelt on the earth, CO. at death, TO 9th
er stars, the spirits who have dwelt Tor a
time on other stars, may as nationally come
to the earth. when at death, they return to
OOu WIN gave luIuIs PNlOuNO NNllo U.s. tliui
as far as heaven consists in place, earth is a
b, part of heaven; and therefore, that "the
dwelers upon earth are as much in heav-
en-, as the jewellers upon any other of all the
stars of God He hoIdeth all the stars in
his right hand our own as closely and low
ingly as any one of the shining host
Where is God, more than he is here .
Where, then, more than here, are the spir-
its that proceeded from Him, and have re-
turned to him from whom they camel OF
q ''the whereabout' Of the man who has CIV
en- up the ghost we know literally nothing
Why may we not as nationally suppose the
spirit to be here now, as before it ceased to
manifest itself through the medium Of this
now hfeess form Why not as nationally
regard it as present with those whom it has
known and loved in life, sympathlsng in
Vi their trials, and communing still with their
spirits, as to regard it as transferred through
measureless regions of space to some other
shining sphere, to be commingled and to
commune with spirits of some rank or order
Of whom it has hitherto had no knowledge,
and with whom it can have no sympathy
Do we know all the media by which the dis
embodied spirit can acquire knowledge, or
experience Joy, or hold communion with
j, loved and congenia spirits, either in the
flesh or out of it! Is it not the teuden-
.cy. of our own spirits to regard the depart
? ed spirits Of those who have loved us here,
as still retaining interest in US; as knowing
what concerns us; as the witnesses with
our striies with temptation, and rejoicing
, withius in our victory, or as rejoicing with
us in our victory, or as mourning with us
when we have fallen? Who does not feel
himself strengthened in the trying hour, by
the thought that his father or his mother
some sainted child or friend, is at that mo-
: ment regarding him with deep, yea with
painful interest, and saying 10 him, "Be
thou faithful unto DEATH and thou shalt re-
ceive crown of life W Do not our spirits
, seem to hear the whispers of kindred spir-
its communing with us, while we are COM
q muning with our own hearts; whispering
words Of encouragement or of admontion
Of faithful counsel or of solemn warning
And are we not conscious that their spirit
ual communings are salutary TO our own
spirits'