I have exactly what I need to fulfill my destiny. What an infinite pleasure must it needs be, thus, as it were, to lose ourselves in God, and, being swallowed up in the overcoming sense of his goodness, to offer ourselves a living dedication, always ascending unto God in flames of love! Never does a soul know what solid joy and substantial pleasure is, till once, being weary of itself, it renounces all propriety, give itself up unto the Author of its being, and feel itself become a hallowed and devoted thing, and can say, from an inward sense and feeling, “My beloved is mine,” (I account all his interest in mine own,) “and I am his:” I am content to be any thing for him, and care not for myself, but that I may serve him. A person, moulds into this temper, would find pleasure in all the dispensations of Providence: temporal enjoyments would have another relish, when one should taste the divine goodness in them, and consider them as tokens of love, sent by one’s dearest Lord and Maker: and chastisements, though they be not joyous, but grievous, would hereby lose their sting, the rod as well as the staff would comfort one: one would snatch a kiss from the hand that was smiting one, and gather sweetness from that severity.  #RandolphHarris 1 of 8

One would rejoice, that though God did not the will of such a humble and innocent creature as oneself, yet he did his own will, and accomplished his own designs, which are infinitely more holy and wise. The experiences we have in seeing such movements can be described by saying that visual sensations linger and very rapidly fade. (This fact rarely obtrudes on us because we follow a moving object in which we are interested by head or eye movements and do not attend to the resultant blurring of background objects.) However, we are obliged to describe the facts by saying that a moving object can be simultaneously seen (sensed) in a series of different positions? We are obliged to do this if we adopt a realist theory of perception. Consider the case of the moving watch, and as we conceive such a physical object, it cannot occupy different regions of space at the same time; thus, the realist must describe this experience by saying that, for a very short time, a person still senses (very indistinctly) the watch at place 1 when it has visibly reached place 2. The exercises of religion, which to others are insipid and tedious, do yield the highest pleasures and delight to souls possessed with divine love. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8

People who God rejoice when they are called to go up to the house of the Lord, that they may see his power and his glory, as they have formerly seen it in the sanctuary. They never think themselves so happy, as when, having retired from the World, and gotten free from the noise and hurry of affairs, and silenced all their clamorous passions (those troublesome guests within,) they have placed and communion with God: they delight to adore his perfections, and recount his favors,–and to protest their affection to him, and tell him a thousand times that they love him; to lay their troubles or want before him, and disburden their hearts is his heart. Repentance itself is a delightful exercise, when it flows from the principle of love. There is a secret sweetness which accompanies those tears of remorse, those meltings and relentings of a soul returning unto God, and lamenting its former unkindness. God is conceived as the God of reason, and because human nature is inalterable, human’s reason has known God being and attributes from the beginning of time. Rational people, then, reason downward from the divine perfections to morality and religion. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8

All people, whether of the highest intellect of the meanest capacity are equally capable of knowing the immutable law of nature or reason and the religion of nature. There are things which show, by their inner nature, that they are the will of an infinitely wise and good God (for example, the relations between God and human beings, the immutability of morality). Also, there are things that have no worth in themselves, which are to be considered solely as means (forms of worship, beneficial regulations and precepts); these are to be used as humans see fit in their quest for happiness. Furthermore, there are things (the vested interest of priestcraft, miracles, enthusiasm) so indifferent that they cannot be considered as either means or ends, and if emphasis is placed on them in religious matters, the worst sort of superstition ensures—and superstition is the enemy of true religion. And keep in mind, many people are totally incapable of right reason. We need not desire a better evidence that any human is in the wrong, than to hear one declare against reason, and thereby acknowledge that reason is against him or her. #RandolphHarris 4 of 8

The severities of a holy life, and that constant watch which we are obliged to keep over our hearts and ways, are very troublesome to those who are ruled and acted by an external law, and have no law in their minds inclining them to the performance of their duty: but where divine love possesses the soul, it stands as sentinel to keep out everything that may offend the beloved, and does disdainfully repulse those temptations which assault it: it complies cheerfully, not only with explicit commands, but with the most secret notices of the beloved’s pleasure, and is ingenious in discovering what will be most grateful and acceptable unto one: it makes modification and self-denial change their harsh and dreadful names, and become easy, sweet, and delightful things. The spirit of God in the form of love begins to dissolve hardened extremes, and humanism and situational ethics which take context into account emerge to bring about greater balance and a sense of ethics to counteract extremism. The heart is the bridge the opens the doors for benevolence, mercy, and forgiveness through understanding and acceptance. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8

The next branch of the Divine Life, is a universal charity and love. The excellency of this grace will be easily acknowledged; for what can more noble and generous than a heart enlarged to embrace the whole World, whose wishes and designs are leveled at the good and welfare of the Universe, which considers every human’s interest as its own? One who loves one’s neighbor as oneself, can never entertain any base or injurious thought, or be wanting in expression of bounty. One had rather suffer a thousand wrongs, than be guilty of one; and never accounts oneself happy, but when someone or other has been benefitted by one: the malice or ingratitude of humans is not able to resist one’s love: one overlooks their injuries, and pities their folly, and overcomes their evil with good: and never designs any other revenge against one’s most bitter and malicious enemies, than to put all objections one can upon them, whether they will or not. Is it any wonder that such a person be reverenced and admired, and accounted the darling of humankind? #RandolphHarris 6 of 8

This inward goodness and benignity of spirit reflects a certain sweetness and serenity upon the very countenance, and makes it amiable and lovely: it inspires the soul with a holy resolution and courage, and makes it capable of enterprising and effecting the highest things. Those heroic actions which we are wont to read with admiration, have, for the most part been the effects of the love of one’s country, or of particular friendships: and, certainly, a more extensive and universal affection must be much more powerful and efficacious. Again, as charity flows from a noble and excellent temper, so it is accompanied with the greatest satisfaction and pleasure: it delights the soul to feel itself thus enlarged, and to be delivered from those disquieting, as well as deformed passions, malice, hatred and envy; and become gentle, sweet, benign. Had I my choice of all things that might tend to my present felicity, I would pitch upon this, to have my heart possessed with the greatest kindness and affection towards all people and things in the World. I am sure this would make e partake in all the happiness of others: their inward endowments and outward prosperity; everything that did benefit and advantage them would afford me comfort and pleasure. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8

I would rather be what God chose to make me than the most glorious creature that I could think of; for to have been thought about, born in God’s thought, and then made by God, is the dearest, grandest, and most precious thing in all thinking. And though I should frequently meet with occasions of grief and compassion, yet there is a sweetness in commiseration, which makes it infinitely more desirable to be kind than a stupid insensibility: and the consideration of that infinite goodness and wisdom which governs the World, might repress any excessive trouble for particular calamities that happen in it: and the hopes or possibility of human’s after happiness, might moderate their sorrow for their present misfortunes. Certainly, next to the love and enjoyment of God, that ardent charity and affection wherewith blessed souls do embrace one another, is justly to be reckoned as the greatest felicity of those regions above; and did it universally prevail in the World, it would anticipate that blessedness, and make us taste of the joys of Heaven upon Earth. For all we know, we may never meet again. Before you go, make this moment sweet again. I will hold out my hand and my heart will be in it.  #RandolphHarris 8 of 8