Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-04-16
sImpIicI.r in spIrituaI rhInr..

Luther somewhere says there was once
an excellent good bishop who had often
earnestly prayed that God would manifest
to him something more than the Bible tells
us about the childhood of our Lord. At
last he had dream TO this effect. He
dreamed he saw a carpenter working with
saws and hammers and planes, just like
any carpenter, and beside him a little boy
picking up chips. Then cane a sweet
faced woman in a green dress, and called
them both to dinner, and set porrdge be-
fore them. All this the bishop saw, in
his dream, himself standing behind the
door that he might not be perceived. Then
the little boy, spying him, cried out:
"Why does that man stand there; shall he
not eat Of our porridge with us?" Where
at the bishop was so frightened that he at
once awoke. "Let this be as it may"
com ments Luther, ga true history or only
a dream fable, l none the less believe that
Christ, in his childhood and youth, looked
and acted like other children, vet without
SIM"
The story has a legitimate application,
not merely in that direct line in which
Luther used it, but in broader aspect. 1t
is fitted to suggest to US how much more
simple and natural piety is, and all spirit
ual things are, than we are continually be-
ing tempted TO imagine. We are all the
time initiating Naaman in expecting and
clamoring for "some great thing;" in for
getiulness of the fact that to love God and
to serve Him-whch is the whole duty of
man--is as simple and natural an act, or
series of actions, as that the babe should
lie in its mothers arms, and be sucked at
her breasts, and smile in her face, and
hang around her neck, and cling TO her
knee, and watch the light of her approving
smile, or the shade of her reproving frown.
When man who has been sinner is
converted from the error of his ways, and
is suddenly pledged TO have all his old
things pass away, aud all things become
new he is exceedingly apt to make griev-
ons mistakes, and to associate his new re-
ligion mainly with Sundays and prayers,
and going TO meetings, and all the general
routine of specially, and technically, relig-
ious things. And he is in danger of doing
this to the extent of supposing that only
when-so 10 speak-he can take his life out
of IFS ordinary tracks, and associations, and
processes, and apply it to this outside sys-
TEN of religious movements and meas
ures, is he really doing his duty and serv-
| ing God. And since his life must ever and
anon drop back into its former activities,
| and since the more artificial and really uu-
natural have been these departures in the
intent Of doing right, the greater will be
the temptation TO remain in the old chan
nels when once they have been regained,
it not unfrequently comes about that a Sc
rious conflict is engendered between ma
ture and grace, in which the contest is
needless and founded on erroneous data,
and the result therefore is almost sure to
be unhappy.
Such a man needs TO know that for him
TO serve God, and be good man, is not es-
pecially and pre-eminenuy a matter OF
Sundays and speciaties it is much more
a thing of daily and hourly obedience and
faith. To be good man, is for him to
keep on moving in his old orbit, only with
the right impulse and intent toward God.
If he have been living a vicious life, of
course, he must, and he spontaneously
will change that. He will break the deca-
loSuo no more lie VIII ne SOBER, ana
honest, and faithful TO every obligation oil
the commandments. But as TO all con-
corning which he was essentially blameless
before, he will be doing the same things
now, but with a different thought and rul.
ing purpose.
''who sweeps a room as for Thy laws
Makes that aud the action fine"
The piety that makes a man get up on
the right side of his bed in the morning
and keep on the right side of himself al
day; that makes him unwontedly loving
to his wife and children, and unusually pa
tient to his workmen; the piety that makes
itself felt in lubrlcating all the hinges o
life and taking the harshness and squeal
out of the daily running of the life ma
chine; will not be wanting in Sabbatl
sanctity when Sunday comes; but tha
Sabbath sanctity will be the least part of i
least for mans comfort and use, least fol
Gods glory.
Tie simplicity of genuine faith, the per
feet naturalness OF prayer-asking not for
mally for "the Jews" and far off things
"proper" 10 be made the subject of peti
ton, but pouring out itself into the ear o
God as tenderly, and as arilessly, as a ILL.,