Pearls

Excerpt from Pearls: Consisting Principally of Originally Religious Articles There are apartments to the Soul which have a glorious outlook from whose windows you can see across the River of Death into the shining city beyond; but how often are these neglected for the lower ones, which have earthward-looking windows. There is the apartment of Veneration; its ceilings are frescoed with angels, and all exquisite carvings adorn its walls; but spider webs cover the angel ceiling, and dust has settled on the delicate mouldings. The man does not abide there. The door of Conscience'has rusted so it cannot be opened. H'ope has but one downward looking window, and faith and worship are cold and cheerless; all these are shut up in most soul houses. In lower apartments you shall hear in some riot and wassail; for the passions never keep Lent, but are always holding carnival; and in others, sighs and lamen tations of wounded souls and in others the moanings of disappoint ed ambition, and in others, bickerings and strifes'; while in others there are sleep and stupidity. Ah! Most men live in these wretched apartments and never mount to those airy ones where they can hold commerce with God and angels. Now Christ comes to light up the houseofrom foundation to' roof-tree with the glory of God. He knocks at the door, and when it is Opened to him he enters and gives to every room order and beauty, and the voice of song and wondrous fragrance from his robes, which have borrowed perfume from every żower that grows in the Celestial Gardens. Who will open the door. If a bell were hung in heaven which the angels swing whenever a man was lost, how incessantly would it toll in days of prosperity for men gone down, for honor lost, for integrity lost, and for manhood lost beyond recall But in times of disaster the sounds would inter mit and the angels looking down would say He that findethhis life shall lose it but he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.