Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-04-01
The Higher Life.

DO not suppose man to know himself;
that he comes into this world on 10 other
errand but to rise out of the vanity of time
into the riches of eternity; do not suppose
him to govern his inward thoughts and out
ward actious by this view Of himself, aud
then to him every day has lost all its evil ;
prosperity and adversely have no difference,
because he receives and uses them both in the
same spirit; life and death are equally well
come, because equally parts of his way to
eternity. For poor and miserable as this life
is, we have all of us free access to all that is
great and good and happy; and carry within
ourselves key to all the treasures that hea-
ven has to b-stow upon us, We starve in the
midst of plenty groan under infrmities with
the remedy in our own hand; live and die
without knowing and feeling anything of the
One only good, whilst we have it in our pow
er to know and enjoy it in as great a reality,
as we know and feel the power of this world
over us; for heaven is as near to our souls
as this world is to our bodies; and we are
created, we are redeemed to have our con-
versation in it; God, the only good of all
intelligent natures, is not an absent or dis
tant God, but is more present in and to our
souls than to our bodies and we are stran-
gers to heaven, and without God in the world
for this only reason, because we are void of
that spirit of prayer, which alone can, and
nevar fails to unite us with the One, only
good, and to open heaven and the kingdom Of
God within u.s. A root set in the finest soil
in the best climate, and blessed with all that
sun, and air, and rain can do for it, is not in
so sure wayof its growth to perfection, as
every man may be whose spirit aspires after
all that which God is ready and infinitely
DESTROYS to give him. For the sun meets not
the springing bud that stretches toward him
with half that certainty as God, the Source
of all good, communicates himself so the soul
that longs TO partake of Him.
We are all of us by birth the offspring of
God, more nearly related to Him than we are
to one another Tor in Him we live, and move
anb have our being.
Look not therefore, thou child of Paradise,
thou son of Eternity, look not with longing
eye after anything in this outward world.
There are the remains of the fallen angels in
it; thou hast nothing to do in it, but as Il
ruler over it. 1t stands before thee, as
mystery big with wonders; aud thou, whilst
an angel in Paradise, hast power to open and
display them all. 1t stands not in thy sphere
of existence, it is, as it were but picture
and transitory figure of things; for all that is
external is but as an image in glass, that
seems to have reality, which it hath not.
The life which springs up in this figure of II
world, in such an infinite variety Of kinds
and degrees, is but as shadow: it is a life
of such days and years, as in eternity have
no distinction from moment.
X
In heaven, all births and growths, all fig
ures and spiritual forms Of life, though infn-
lite ia variety, are yet all of heavenly kind !;
and only so many manifestations of the good
ness, wisdom, beauty and riches of the divine
nature. But in this new modelled chaos,
where the disorders that were raised by Luci.
fer are not wholly removed, but evil and
good must stand in strife, till the last puri-
flying fire, here every kind and degree of life
like the world from whence it springs, is u
mixture Of good and evil in its birth.
Therefore; my son, be content with thy an
gelical nature; be content, as an angel IN
Paradise to eat angels food and to rule over
T this mixed, imperfect, and perishing world,
without partaking of its corruptable, impure
and perishing nature.
Thou canst not at once be an angel and an
earthly animal.
Eat therefore only the food of Paradise ;
be content with angels bread William
La'o's Spirit Of Prayer"