The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-05-03

the boundless prairie; disappointing. pil-
low your head upon the earth: look up
INTO the unsecured heavens; listen to
! the whisper of the grass as a zephyr
pays over IT; let the monotonous hum
OF busy insects quiet the tumult in
your brain; and watch the hawk as
high IN air it poises or steady pinion
Defore darting downward for its prey;
! or, climb the mountains and forget
yourself as you stand in solemn Won
/ der amid gigantic rocks, upon the verge
OF grim and frightful precipices, sur
rounded by snowy pinnacles that stand
out like white canoes against a back
ground of blue. Such scenes forever leave
their impress upon the soul. They give
breadth and repose to life; they aid us in
forming more adequate conceptions of
Goa; and they lfnger in memory 10 in
Vlgorate or calm US when hurled into the
midst or the storm and battle OF life
Finally, we need to withdraw ourselves
from our fellow men in order that God
may Talk with us and that we may talk
with him. II is not sufficient that we ex-
anime ourselves, in order that we may
enchain the evil and enthrone the good
mat We discover there; nor is il enough
10 DOW with reverent heart before the
Deautnu and sublime manifestations of
the Divine Being that we behold in the
external world. 1t is the peculiar glory
OF man that ne was -reated in the spirit
ual image of God. Folded away in the
miniature Of God; every instinct, impulse
ana aspiration of man finds its counter
PEI and its fulfillment in God. Thus
God can communicate with man. and man
can talk with God; their natures are sim
'lcr. and between them q line of com
niunIcation has been established Man
IIneIeIore does not pray in vain; nor does
600. when he desires to comfort or in
Struct the heart of man, signal in vain
to secure his attention.
But If man would know much of God
a m 4~nll ~
we are alone in prayer or meditation that
the Spirit of God comes with the sweet
est consolation, and whispers his most
thrilling secrets to u.s. The trouble with
SO many OF us is that we are afraid to be
alone with God. When we are alone the
shadow of our evil self terrifies Us. con-
science rises up TO condemn US, and the
pain OF duty seems so plain that we dare
not refuse to pursue it. Some people will
not allow themselves a moment of soli-
tary thought if they an avoid it. And
Heavenly Guest to cross the polluted
threshold of their souls the light of his
presence would reveal a charnel house,
or chamber of horrors From one cor
ner hatred would protrude its distorted
ViSaee; from another murder would ex-
tend its reeking hands; lust would be
there, with burning eyes, and appetite
with loathsome and discolored features.
and coyetousness with clenched hand
and vicious face.
If we would know much of God we
must meet him upon our knees in soli-
tude- Divine things are crowded out of
our lives. We are so absorbed in money
getting. bread-winnin. pIeasure-seekins
and personal ambition that God is rarely
granted private audience with the soul.
Solitary intercourse with God produces
noticeable and blessed effects upon char
acte-- 1t has been the men and women
who have walked and talked with God
Who have been granted the inner light,
and who at the same time have mani
tested outwardly the glory of God Enoch
was the friend of God; they frequently
walked and talked together: and at last
the soul of the patriarch became so per-
feet under the influence of this divine
companlonship that one evening. when
the day was dying, he walked out toward
the setting sun, and was not. for God
took him to be his constant companion.
Forty days and forty nights Moses was
alone with God upon the mountain top
He saw the divine glory and talked face
TO face with the Father The result OF
this prolonged and intimate companion
skip with God was that not only Moses
heart. but likewise every fiber of his be-
i'm, was ablaZe with celestial light. so
that when lie descended TO talk with men
once more they could not look upon his
face. but were blinded by the godlike
solendor Of his countenance-
We marvel sometimes at the influence
Of certain deVout and earnest Christians.
They seem TO exert an irristible spell
upon all with whom they come in con-
tact. a single glance or their eye, SIN
gle thrilling sentence from their lips, or
a nomentary clasp of their hand strikes
conviction TO the heart of the sinner and
inspires in the soul of the listlesS Chris
tan a profound yearning for a holier life.
Need we wonder at their power, or in
qulre the source of the light that CLEANS
from their eyes and enobleS every fea-
ture? Ii we We're TO question these fa-
vorite children of God We should find thar
they We're accustomed to long. solitary
and uninterrupted intercourse with God
A life of Diety and devotion soon shows
itself upon the couatenance and reveals
itself IN conduct.
Meditation issues in action; the smould-
ering fires of thought are formed ;nto
flame by prolonged nursing. Columbus
dreamed of a new continent and the re-
sult was that Europe had no rest until
feet was placed at his disposal and lie
was sailing westward 10 rescue this
mighty continent from oblivion and 10
plant here the seed of the worlds most
to musing over England's injustice and
oppression, and ere long the fires of pa
triotism were blazing upon a thousand
hill-to0S and the flame of liberty swept
the entire country Garrison and Phillips
and Whittier and Brown meditated upon
the evils of human slavery; and as they
unused the fires of Indignation burned hot
and fierce: and when at last the confia-
grafton reached white heat the skaclsles
were melted from the limbs of 1000. 00a
slaves and they walked forth as free men
In these latter days men are bordering in
their minds the awful effects of intern.
perance, the corrupt p and lawless@eSS
that are ruling our cities and the fearful
injustice that permits the rich man tt
revel in luxury while his poor brother is
begging for work to feed his starving
children: and we are not. to be surprised
If in a few years a Whirlwind of fiery
wrath and Indignation sweeps over our
nation from coast to coast from northern
lakes to southern seas Woe to the rum.
seller. and woe to the denagogue; and
woe to the oDpreSsor of the poor when
the American citizen, clothed and in his
right mind rises in his strength TO drive
from their strongholds the demons that
have afflicted him.
The more immediate and the quieter in
huence of holy meditation is to kindle
into sacred flame the fire of the Holy
Spirit, which too often merely shoulders
upon the altar of our hearts. Meditation
upon the goodness and love of God fans
the dying embers of devotion into
rudy flame. The word fire comes from
a word meaning to purify; and the result
of the Holy Spirit afiame in our souls Is
to burn out the dross of evil purpose ana
evil desire; to expand the heart with gen
ial love for all mankind and shed abroad
Holy Spirit direct our thoughts that they
may rest upon sacred things: purify our
hearts from ali sin that the image of
Christ may be perfectly reflected there;
kindle the aspiration of our souls that
they may flame uD toward God, and
grant that from the fire that burns with
in light may shine about us to cheer
and guide those who walk in darkness
Today
Begins our foulard silk sale; the 90c.,
81 and s1.25 qualities at Gle, Tic. and
Sic q AT W x