the humble and contrite heart, that thou dost erect thy throne—there thou dost attune our affections to the harmony of heaven—there thou dost light up thy glory by imparting to us thy wisdom, to guide, to instruct, and bless—and there, as from the inmost of our being, thou dost purify our outward life, by consecrating every thought and deed on the hallowed shrine of "Holiness to the Lord."
How true and blessed is the declaration, that "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way." (Psalm xxxvii. 23) How peaceful and tranquil is the heaven within! Every affection is based on the love of God, which puts itself forth in love and charity to man. Every thought is enlightened by truth from above, and every action is holy, proclaiming—"The Lord is there!" O my soul, forget not the distinction between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven, for it concerns thee much. The kingdom of God is the divine truth ruling and directing all things, but the kingdom of heaven is a tranquil state in man, when by him the truth is received, loved, and cherished. O happy, happy state! when love rules and wisdom directs the way. Then is the kingdom of God felt as a reality within, and the man is a heaven in its least form. How transporting is the thought, that when he shall be called out of time into eternity he will mingle with congenial spirits, and become one among those vast multitudes of the blessed, which no one can number, in the kingdom of God above!
