— edited from The Interior or Hidden Life (2nd Edition, 1844) Part 3, Chapter 7.
A blog drawn from the writings of Thomas Cogswell Upham (1799-1872).
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.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Inward Recollection: Diminishes Occasions of Temptation
The state of inward recollection tends to diminish greatly the occasions of temptation. It is very obvious, that he, who knows nothing but his present duty in itself and in its relations, which is all that it is necessary for him to know, cannot be so much exposed in this respect, as other persons. Unspeakable dangers must, of necessity, beset the mind, which is full of worldly activity, and which is continually discursive: running upon errands where it is not called; curiously and unnecessarily speculative; prying oftentimes with microscopic minuteness, into the concerns of others, not only without reason but against reason. What a flood of tempting thoughts must flow out upon these various occasions, and throng around the mind! What suggestions, which Satan knows well when and where to apply, to envy, distrust, anger, pride, worldly pleasure, ambition; none of which probably would. have approached the mind that remained recollected in God.
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