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the dim visions of earth, filled your gas
and shut out the glories of heaven -
the word of God was dull book, and the
story of redemption, which charms the ears
of angels, moved you no more, than a fable
or a romance -

The natural man is shut out from
communion with spiritual things, God
expresses to him a thousand thougths of beauty
They awaken no response! God offers him
visions of love, and truth, and goodness
but he chills the heart of God, by turning
away from them.

The evils of spiritual darkness do not stop
with this life, for in these words, "depart into
outer darkness" there is a meaning greater
than we can know -

The second excellence of spiritual vision
is the enjoy ment it affords the possesor
the possesion of knowledge always affords
a rational delight, but spiritual knowledge
gives the highest joy of all it is a source of
the most refined enjoyment of which the
soul is capable -

there is a happiness in the contemplation
of purely intellectual objects which is worthy

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