The Christian Pilgrim

"These  all  died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them a far off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on  the  earth." Heb. xi.  13.

Farewell, my native country! Thy bright star,
Thy sky, green woods, clear waters, no more greet
Mine eye delighted. But with pilgrim feet,
In waste and horrid lands, I wander far.
I wander far, unknown, but not dismayed;
I leave my native country; but my soul,
Unmoved, unshaken, in its purpose whole,
On higher power, than aught of earth, is stayed.
My God shall be my country! I will call,
And he will hear me in the desert place.
When troubles come, before his feet I fall,
And then he sheds the sunshine of his grace.
On Afric's arid sands, on Asia's plain,
On Greenland's ice-bound coast, no prayer to Him is vain.

— American Cottage Life (1850) XXXII.

The Grave of the Beautiful

"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power."  1 Cor. xv. 42, 43.

Where, near yon river's brink, the willows wave,
And summer's flowers to golden life have sprung;
Is dimly seen the village maiden's grave,
Forever gone, the beautiful and young.
The boatman turns to that sad spot his eye,
When o'er the wave his lingering sail is spread,
And see, when sunset gilds the pictured sky,
Her sister maids draw near with silent tread.
Alas, how oft the gems of earth grow pale,
And stars, that blessed us, dim their rising ray!
But not in vain their beauty do they veil,
And see their earthly glory pass away.
For beauty here, they snatch immortal bloom,
And light, eternal light, doth blossom on the tomb.

— American Cottage Life (1850). XXXI.

Afflictions

Afflictions are from the same benevolent source from which mercies originate. They equally indicate God's goodness, and in their result will show that they are equally beneficial, and perhaps more so, to those who, in being the subjects of them, receive them in a proper temper of mind.

— Religious Maxims (1846) CLXXIV.

Injury From a Neighbor

If our neighbor injures us by improper words or in any other way, it is as much an event in divine providence, considered in its relation to ourselves, as any event could be, by which we might be afflicted. God's hand is really in it, although it may require a higher faith to see it. Happy is the man who has the requisite faith, and who has those patient and acquiescent dispositions, which such a faith is calculated to produce.

— Religious Maxims (1846) CLXXIII.

Human Dispositions in the Providence of God

The providence of God includes not only events but dispositions. In other words, there are moral providences as well as natural providences. God knows the tempers of men; the feelings whether good or evil, which predominate in their hearts. And whether they shall exhibit those tempers at one time rather than another, on one occasion rather than another, is a matter, which is left hidden in the divine providences alone.

— Religious Maxims (1846) CLXXII.

Love Without Truth

That love, which is not according to the truth, when the truth is capable of being known, in other words, that love, which is not precisely conformed to its object, will always be found to be vitiated by some human imperfection; by unwarrantable indolence, or by interested fear, or by selfish complaisance.

— Religious Maxims (1846) CLXXI.

Holiness, Love and Truth

Holiness is but another name for love.  But that love, which constitutes the essence of holiness, is a love, which by its very nature conforms itself to the truth. It loves only that which ought to be loved; and it loves, not in defect or excess, not periodically and violently, but precisely according to the truth.

— Religious Maxims (1846) CLXX.