Year: 1877

Ane Dplflt WoIlus


The following is an extract from one Of
Bishops Simpsons beautiful sermons


Man rises on the triumphs Of art iust in
proportion as he approaches towards the
invisible. The studies Of men lead 10 the
same direction. We commence with the
simple elements around us---the visible
We take hold, in philosophy and chemis.
try, on what might be termed the alpha
bets, the elements, the grosser forms Of
matter. As we rise in our speculations,
we go still higher, and light aud heat and
electricity and magnetism, in all their i'm
palpable forms, pass before us in review;
and to-day, large part of chemical and
philosophic science is employed in refer
ence to this impalpable and imponderabIe
element, and science rises to its highest
glory as it lays hold of the invisible.


II we can know that we shall be the
sons Of God and heirs of glorious inher-
itance-with this assurance we can look
out into the invisible with calmness.
There is no one Of US that does not have
q feeling that the invisible is near US. Il





gathers about us-its very shadows seem
sometimes to fall upon us. We know not
BY nature what that invisible il, but that
there is an invisible, the very instincts of
our hearts tell us. Who has not been an
xious to lift the veil that shrouds it from
our view ? Who has not thought of
friends who have just passed over the
boundary line? Who has not trembled
by the side of the DEATH bed and the grave
when the eternal seemed to come so near
and the invisible to move in view ? And
why that feeling We have relative to
the invisible.


The very grave itself is passage into
the beautiful and the glorious. We have
laid our friends in the grave, but they are
around. The little children that sat upon
our knee, into whose eyes we looked with
love, whose little hands clasped our neck,
on whose cheek we imprinted the kiss
we eau almost feel the throbbing of their
hearts to-day. They have passed from
us,-but where are they? Just beyond
the line Of the invisible. And the fathers
and mothers that educated us, that direc-
ted and comforted us-where are they but
just beyond the line of the invisible ?
The associates of our life, that walked
along lifes pathway, those with whom wa
took sweet counsel, and who dropped from
our side-where are they but Just beyond
us?-not far away-it may be very near
us, in the heaven of light and love. Is
there any thing to alarm us in the thought
Of the invisible? mol 1t seems to me
that sometimes, when our heads are on the
pillow, there come whispers as of JOY from
the spirit-land, which have dropped into
our hearts, thoughts of the sublime and
beautiful and glorious, as though some
angels wing passed over our brow, and
some dear one sat by our pillow and com
muned with our hearts, TO raise cur affec-
tion towards the other and better world.


The invisible is not dark; it is glorious.
Sometimes the veil becomes so thin, it
seems to me that | can almost see the
bright forms through it, and my bending
ear can almost hear the voices of those
who are singing their melodiOus strain be-
fore the throne Of God. Oh, there is
music all around us, though the ear of
man hear it not there are glorious forms
all about us, though in the busy scenes of
life we recognize them not The veil of
the future will soon be lifted, and the in
visible shall appear And when you and
| shall just step beyond the veil-oh, how
glorious We shall look back to life and
wonder why it was that it did not fame
with light, even while we were treading
the pathway here below. Oh, that look
into eternity We see the invisible, and
it gives us JOY. Our friends are there,
our beloved ones are there, and they are
not far from us, Whether through con-
nection with the coming of Winter
whether my mind has been inclined to
look more into the grave of late, and be-
yond it, | cannot just say; but as | grow
older, IT seems to me that the invisible has
greater attractions for me from year to
year. Never did l ponder so much on
those beautiful scenes where the life of
the future is brought to light, and where
Immortality seems to glow all around me,
as have done in recent times.