Now it is quite true, that a person of beautiful mind, dwelling on
whatever appears to them most desirable and lovely in a possible
future, will not only pass their time pleasantly, but will even
acquire, at last, a vague and wildly gentle charm of manner and
feature, which will give them an air of peculiar sanctity in the
eyes of others. Whatever real or apparent good there may be in
this result, I want you to observe, children, that we have no real
authority for the reveries to which it is owing. We are told
nothing distinctly of the heavenly world; except that it will be
free from sorrow, and pure from sin. What is said of pearl gates,
golden floors, and the like, is accepted as merely figurative by
religious enthusiasts themselves; and whatever they pass their
time in conceiving, whether of the happiness of risen souls, of
their intercourse, or of the appearance and employment of the
heavenly powers, is entirely the product of their own imagination;
and as completely and distinctly a work of fiction, or romantic
invention, as any novel of Sir Walter Scott's. That the romance is
founded on religious theory or doctrine;--that no disagreeable or
wicked persons are admitted into the story;--and that the inventor
fervently hopes that some portion of it may hereafter come true,
does not in the least alter the real nature of the effort or
enjoyment.
Pages:
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139