The life of those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High may be called a Hidden Life, because the animating principle, the vital or operative element, is not so much in itself as in another. It is a life grafted into another life. It is the life of the soul, incorporated into the life of Christ; and in such a way, that, while it has a distinct vitality, it has so very much in the sense, in which the branch of a tree may be said to have a distinct vitality from the root.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Enmity of the Heart

If there is sunshine in the face,
And joy upon the brow,
Do not suppose, that there's a trace
Of answering joy below,

And what avails the outward light,
Upon the face the smile,
If all within is dark as night,
If all is dead the while?

Deep in the heart the evil lies,
Which nought on earth can cure,
Aversion to the only Wise,
To God, the only Pure.

Oh Thou, who giv'st the heart renewed,
Withhold it not from me,
That, all my enmity subdued,
I may rejoice in Thee.

American Cottage Life (1850)

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