Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-01-26
SHORT SERMONS.
BY ALAY PEEAcHeR.-xo. THREE.
PURITY.

To the pure, all things are pure. To ister-
nal purity all things become pure. Each
man is the creator of his own world-each
walks in a universe of his own creation. As
the free air is to n man out of health the cause
of cold and diseased lungs, so to the healthy
man it is a source of great vigor The rotten
fruit which is sweet to the worm, is nauseous
to the palate of man To one man the whole
world is pollution-to another all purity
To the noble all things are noble-to the mean
all things are contemplate. The eye creates
the outward world it secs. The forest, the
valley, the river, the ocean, are the same 10
all and yet all these things are, TO dilferant
minds, myriad of different universes. One
man secs in that noble river an emblem Of
eternity. and feels that God is there; another
sees nothing in it but a very convenient road
for transporting his merchandise. Whence
comes the differance2 From the soul within
us. The soul can make OF this world vast
chaos-a mighty maze without place-or
mere machine-a cole cton OF lifeless forces
or it can make it the living vesture of God
the tissue through which he can become Wis.,
ible 10 us. In The spirit in which we look
on it, the world is an arena for mere self ag-
grandizement. or place for noble deeds in
which self is forgotten, and God is all.
Every thing speaks the language Of our
passing mood. The young adventurer, re-
volvng sanguine plans by the wayside, hears
l. 4 1. IL =,
tie wilderness. bidding him back to perSe-
velance and greatness. The soul spreads its
own hue oTer every thing the shroud or
wedding garment Of nature is woven in the
loom of our own feelings. Persons seem to
each man what he is TO himself; for all things
are the express image and counterpart of the
soul that dwell in it, Be Ecble, and all ra-
ture replies-I am divine; the child
of God be thou, too. his child and rOble.-
Be mean, and all nature dwindlss into a COM
temptible smallness.
Here. however. beware. The pure heart
shrinks nstinctly from what is wrong. by
the divine instinct within it, If that which
is wrong seems pure. then the heart is not
pure, but Initiated.
To the disorded mind. all things are out of
course. We make a wilderness by encour-
aging artificial wants, by creating selfish feel
ings; We project everything stamped with
The impress Of eur own being, and we gather
the whole of creation into our own panied
heart. 1t is marvellous 10 sec how a pure
and innocent nature purfies all that it APP
breaches. There is del icacy SO pure that
vicious men in its presence become almost
pure all of purity which is in them, is
brought out: like attaches itself to like the
pure heart becomes a center of attraction
round which similar a;9ms gather, and from
which dissimilar ones are repelled.
o. We do not want new world, we wrnt
ns1c hearts Let the spirit of Truth purify So
ciety. aud to the pure all things will be pure.
The arih viii put off the look of WEAKNESS
and gloom which it has worn so long-and
then the glorious language of the old proph-
cts will be fulfilled and the forests viii break
out with singing, ana the desert will blossom
as the rose.