living principles derived from the Lord—whether our faith and charity be from a Divine origin; and if we have good ground to conclude our principles of life are such, then shall we do well to consider further the quality and nature of those principles, whether they are strong and vigorous or weak and feeble; and this we may know by the nature and extent of our living desires. If these are low and few, our faith and love are weak and feeble; but if they are ardent and animated, then our faith and love are living, zealous, and vigorous. And let us remember, that according to the state and quality of our spiritual thoughts and desires, so will be our reception from the Lord of the treasures of His truth and love. The hand of the Lord is open to satisfy the desire of every living thing, but no more than we desire can we receive.
November Twenty-ninth.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
"But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the kingdom of God. And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, he took Peter, and John, and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his countenance was white and glistening,"—Luke ix. 27-29.
WE have here the kingdom of God revealed to us in the most literal and exact language. How did the three disciples see Him? Was it not by having their spiritual sight opened, and beholding, in their full spiritual consciousness, the spiritual Divine man, whose glory was veiled from their material eyes by His material form? And thus, without having tasted of death, they did see the kingdom, of God.
