The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1854-12-29
Beautiful Truths.

My morning haunts are, where they should be
al home; not sleeping or concocting the surfeits
of an irregular feast, but up and string In win
ter, often ere the sound Of any bell awakes men
to labor to devotion III summer, as of with
the bird that first rises, or much tardier, tc
read good authors, or cause them TO be read, rIl
the attention be weary memory have its full
freight.
cannot praise fugitive and cIostrred virtue
unexercsed and unbreathed, that never sales ou
and sres her adversary, but snks out of the race
where that immortal garland is 10 be run for, mol
without dust and heat. This was the reason why
our sage and serious poet Spenser, describing true
temperance under The person of Guon, brings
him in with his palmer throug h he cave of mann
mon and the bower Uf earthly bliss, that he might
see and know, and yet abstain.
Prayer is tle peace Of our spirit, the stiffness
Of our thoughts, the evenness OF recollection, the
seat Of meditation, the rest Of cares, aud the
calm Of our tempest; prayer is the issue Of a
quiet mind, OF untroubed thnughs ii is the daugh
Ter ol charity, and the sister OF meekness and
he that prays TO God with angry Chat is, with
a troubled and discomposed) spirit, is like him that
rrtres into battle TO mediate, and sells up his
closet IN the out-quarers of army.
CheerlulEess and festival spirit fills The soul
full of harmony i; complses music for churches
and hearts; it makes and publishes Qualifications
of, God; it produces thank fuIness aud serves the
end OF charity and, wien The o,l of gladness
over, it Rlakes bright and tall emissions Of
light and holy fires, reaching op 10 a cloud, and
making Joy round about and, therefore, such il
is SO innocent, aud may be pious and full Of
holy advantage, whatsoever can iRnocenly min
lister to this holy Joy does set forward the work of
religion and charity. And, indeed. charity ITSELF
which is the vertical top of all religion, is nothing
else but all union Of joys concentrated in the
h, art and reflected from all the angles of our life
and intercourse. 1t is a rejoicing in Goo, a glad
ness in our neighhors' good, pleasure in doing
good, rejoinng with him; and without love we
cannCi have any JOY al all.
Oar infancy is full OF folly; youth, Of disorder
and Toll; age, of infrmily. Each time hath his
burden, and that which may justly work our weari-
ness; vet infancy Iongeth after youth and youth
after more age and he that Is very old, as he is
a child for simplicity, So he would he for years.
account old age the best of the three; partly,
for that il hath passed through the folly and dis
order of The others partly, for that tic inconven
fences of this but bodily, with bettered state
of The mind and partly, for that it is nearest TO
dissolution. There is nothing more miserable
than an old man that would be young again. II
was an answer worthy the Communications OF Pc
irarch, and that which argued mind truly phi.
losophIcaI OF him. who, when bis friend brmoan-
ed his age appearing 10 his white temples, telling
hIm he was sorry see him look so old, replied
"Nay, be sorry rather that ever | was young, to
be fool. E1tractS from Various Authors.