THERE is an act of the mind, natural to the earnest and the wise, impossible only to the sensual and to the fool, healthful to all who are sincere, which has small place in modern usage and which few can distinguish from vacuity. Those who knew what it was called it MEDITATION. It is not READING, in which we apprehend the thoughts of others. It is not STUDY, in which we strive to master the known and prevail over it till it lies in order beneath our feet. It is not REASONING, in which we seek to push forward the empire of our positive conception. It is not DELIBERATION, which reckons up the forces which surround our individual lot and projects accordingly the expedient on the right. It is not SELF-SCRUTINY, which by itself is only shrewdness. Its view is not personal and particular, but universal and immense. It brings not an intense self-consciousness and spiritual egotism, but almost a renunciation of individuality. It gives us no matter for criticism and doubt, but everything for wonder and love. It furnishes immediate perception of things divine, eye to eye with the saints, spirit to spirit with God, peace to peace with heaven.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 11:27:17 +0000
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