Oliver Prescott Hiller

“ Is it possible that Milton's strain has ceased?—that his lofty soul utters no more those thoughts of truth in forms of beauty, which here on earth we call by the name of poesy but which in the heavens may have another name more perfectly expressive of the purer thoughts and words that "breathe and burn" in that celestial atmosphere? can he have lost these powers? If so, then Milton has ceased to be Milton: the mind is the man;—the mind changed, the man is changed: the mind destroyed, the man no longer exists. ”

“ Understanding now, the precise meaning of the term "kingdom," we may perceive what is the proper object of our petition, when we utter the words "Thy kingdom come." We are to pray, that truth, Divine truth, may come to the world and to the minds of men; that it may be spread abroad more widely; that it may be seen and understood more clearly and more fully. And who that has any love for his fellow-men, any desire for the welfare and happiness of mankind, but will utter with fervor this prayer! ”

“ The sparkle of quaint conceits they mistake for the brilliancy of genuine truth; and the gaudy dress of pompous words, they look upon as the expression of lofty thoughts. Such persons are self-worshipers: they are truly gods to themselves; or they are worshipers of the graven images which their own hands have made—that is, they love and admire above all things the ideas which, as they suppose, emanate from their own minds. ”

“ Indeed, a soul in such a state may be termed itself a little heaven; for heaven is wherever the Lord dwells; and He dwells in the heart where there is peace, for He is the "Prince of Peace." The peace of old age is as the settled serenity of autumn, when summer storms are gone, when the ripe fruit hangs from the boughs, and the landscape is decked with golden harvests, and the pleasant song of the reaper is heard afar in the fields. It is like the sweet stillness of evening, when the bustle of the day is over, and friendly faces are gathering in to the social circle ”

“ Each one of those little shining points is a great Sun, like our own Sun, giving light and warmth, doubtless, to numerous unseen worlds revolving round it; each, the centre of a solar system, filled with myriads of millions of inhabitants, human beings like ourselves, with thoughts, and feelings, and hopes, and joys,—husbands, wives, children, old grey-haired grandsires just stepping into their graves, and little nurslings but newly born into existence. ”

“ The body, with its wants and cares, is able to bring down the loftiest spirit. But when loosed from the body, not only will the spirit's flight be higher, but more sustained. With nothing of outward pressure or force to weigh and draw it down, how will the lofty mind hold on it's course rejoicing! how will the winged genius, now re-plumed, soar and mount from height to height, as the morning lark rising from the meadow's bosom mounts up and up, and pours forth its sweetest melody, when invisible in the heavens! ”

“ Thus it is, that evil in the will ever blinds and darkens the understanding; the fire of bad passions, burning in the heart, sends up a thick smoke which clouds the mind, till at length it is covered over with a veil of darkness. A mental night rests upon the soul: objects of thought, if discerned at all, are seen in false forms and colours: fallacies appear as truths, truths as fallacies; beauty is mistaken for ugliness, and ugliness for beauty: virtue is shunned, and vice embraced. In such a condition, man is a lost being. ”

“ But, as the sun of nature shines ever calmly and ever the same, though as beheld through the mists and clouds that arise from the earth, he appears of all hues and aspects—sometimes dim and obscure, sometimes red and fiery, and sometimes as blotted out altogether:—so, the Heavenly Sun, the Lord, appears to men variously in their various states of mind,—sometimes bright and smiling, sometimes cold and hard, sometimes flaming with anger—and even, at times, "the fool saith in his heart, There is no God." ”

“ Had mankind never sinned, they would, in all probability, have never known suffering or sorrow. The stream of life would have flowed gently on, as it does in heaven, winding through a perpetual paradise, with flowers adorning and fruit-trees enriching its banks—the flowers of beautiful thoughts,—the fruits, good deeds; with sportive lambs (sweet and innocent affections) frisking in joy by the side of its sparkling waters; healthful breezes would have fanned the landscape, bringing with them pleasantness, freshness, and vigor,—and disease and pain would have been things unknown. ”

“ Here, He has no existence apart from the universe; and there, He is the antithesis of the material creation. But, in none of these formulas, does the Deity present a point of attachment for the soul of man,—anchorage for his doubts, fears, or aspirations,—holding-ground for his faith or trust. He is a shoreless ocean, an impenetrable mist, an impalpable ether, an omnipresent nothing, a no-where present One-and-all, or an incomprehensible Not-me: but never an all-embracing Providence, an Omnipotent helper, the Hearer of prayer, the Father of all spirits, the "Rock of Ages." ”

“ How often is the spirit weighed down by the cares and troubles incident to this earthly pilgrimage—by the pressure of circumstances, derived solely from our relation to material things! How often is "the spirit willing," when "the flesh is weak!" But, at death, we throw off these incumbrances, we drop our heavy armour, we leave behind us the day covering we wore; and, as we ascend into the pure spiritual sphere, we mount at the same time into loftier regions of thought and feeling,—as the balloon, relieved of its ballast, mounts above the clouds, into the blue serene of the heavens. ”

“ From the humble daisy to the splendid dahlia, from the modest lily of our own fields to the curious and gorgeous fiowers of the tropics,—we may range through unending varieties of shape, scent, and colour, till we wonder at the exhaustless riches of nature, and begin to perceive and to feel that, in truth, nought but infinite skill, prompted by infinite goodness and love, could have produced such a world of beauty. ”

“ What would societies, what would nations be, unless the members and citizens composing them had homes,—had each his dear and private home,—where are garnered up and cherished all the good affections, pure thoughts, and innocent delights, out of which, as from his storehouse, he brings his contribution of friendly regard, benevolent feeling, and true principle, to increase the common stock? As the private home is, such will be the public society, such will be the character of the nation itself. And what is the basis and the soul of home, but the pure conjugal bond and union? ”

“ Shall we not, then, express to Him our thanks for His goodness in bringing us into being, in bestowing upon us the great boon of life and consciousness, in endowing us with various faculties and capacities for enjoyment, and in making this beautiful world for our abode, carpeted with green, and lighted by His sun, and productive of all things needful for our support and delight? Shall we live on, like the brute beasts, enjoying all these things, and yet making no return of thanksgiving to the bountiful Hand that has formed and continues to sustain them? ”

“ Here, then, what a sublime view opens upon us! we will speak no more of the spiritual world—we will speak henceforth of the spiritual universe—composed of as many spiritual worlds, as there are stars and planets in the material universe. And who knows but those spiritual orbs may shine to the eyes of spirits, in distant beauty, just as the innumerable stars that spangle the sky, glitter and twinkle with their sparkling light before the sight of the rapt astronomer at his midnight vigils? ”

“ The Sacred Volume was intended, not as a book of philosophy, but of practice,—the All-wise Creator knowing well, that if the life was but made right, philosophy would follow, in good time—if not in this world, in the next. Wisdom ever follows in the train of goodness: secure the latter, and the former will come of itself: from the flame of love in the heart, a bright and heavenly light irradiates the understanding. ”

“ What quantities, in particular, of gold—that precious metal so much coveted, as being essential wealth, though in fact it is but the representative of wealth,—are now daily brought forth from the earth! How profusely has a kind Providence spread it, far and wide, just beneath the surface of the ground, so that man has but to put in his hand and gather the golden harvest, almost as easily as he reaps the crops of grain! Can it be said, then, that the Divine Creator has not supplied wealth in abundance, of every kind?
Why is it, then, that there is so much poverty in the world? ”

“ When, then, the happy youthful pair are rejoicing in their mutual affection,—when, taking their summer evening walk, locked closely arm in arm, and conversing together in the low soft tones of love, they lift their eyes to the peaceful heavens, and behold the "dewy star of eve" glittering in the West, or the silent moon, the lovers' lamp, pouring down her soft light upon the earth,—then, let them think, for a moment, of that unseen One who is the Author of all their blessings, and let them lift up their hearts together in gratitude for His Divine goodness. ”

“ The mind of Newton is to that vast Mind as a drop to the ocean; as, truly, he himself, in his beautiful yet just modesty, said of himself, "I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself with now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all unexplored before me." ”

“ What a sublime conception and creation! What magnificent means and ends! What must be the vastness and loftiness and goodness of that Mind, which could conceive and execute this stupenduous work: which has brought into existence, and holds in existence,—which created and sustains,—all this complicated machinery of worlds, and which at the same time rules and guides by Its wisdom the affairs of the inhabitants of each and all of them, even to the minutest concern of the humblest individual! For this must be so: He who creates must also sustain and guide, or creation would be in vain ”

“ As the pretty butterfly, bursting from its dull chrysalis state, rises into summer sunshine, and wings its way from flower to flower, rejoicing in its new life,—so must the freed spirit rejoice in the warmth and light and glory of its new existence. No more death, nor disease, nor weakness, is before it or possible to it. Being of a purer nature and substance, more perfect, nearer to the Divine—it is superior to those imperfections of matter. ”

“ The blessing of work is like that of fresh air or of physical health; not ostentatious, exciting little attention or thought, its value hardly felt till we are deprived of it; yet in truth, acting ceaselessly and powerfully for good, and giving zest to all our other enjoyments. Without occupation, pleasures, commonly so called, pall upon the taste; they soon become tiresome and even loathsome, for they want that which is their life. We all know what cheerfulness and hilarity any work faithfully done supplies to the mind; its influence remains long after the work itself is over ”

“ When ten thousand years have passed away, it will be still shining on, like the star Sirius in the heavens. It is written, "they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and those that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever." And so will it be. The good and great of various ages, clustered together, will form, as it were, constellations in the spiritual firmament, giving light to that inner sphere, and sending down, perchance, many rays to illumine the mental darkness of this world, also. ”

“ How is it, then, that every body stares at you, as they go by,—ay, and stop and draw forth their purses, and offer nameless sums to possess you, while they do not even cast upon us so much as a glance?"—"It is the difference in our order," reply the diamond molecules; "'order is Heaven's first law:' the difference in arrangement is what constitutes the great distinction between us: you are huddled there together in none-can-tell what a chaotic mass,—there is no seeing through you at all; but we stand here arranged in an elegant and lucid order: it is no wonder that they look at us!" ”