HERE is a religion of the imagination, as there is a religion of the intellect or of the heart; for God may be an object of fancy, as well as of reason or of love. Alas! how many are the gifted souls who dream away the trial-time of life in vain illusions, unawakened to the realities of true devotion. And how earnestly they seek to prolong those visions of ideal beauty, and dwell within those palaces of enchantment which have arisen at their pleasure!

      To them this universe is but as a fairy mansion, whose cerulean dome is studded with sparkling gems, and sustained by mountain columns whose capitals are brilliant glaciers of magnificent [35] proportions, and carved with more than Corinthian elegance. To them the sun shines forth through the stained windows of the east, only to sparkle in the dew-drops, or to paint the flowers, or to relieve with light and shade the imagery of earth and heaven; and he sinks into the golden aërial seas of the west amidst clustered islands, glowing with the tints of the ruby and the amethyst, the fancied residence of perpetual delight. The orbs of the firmament are, to them, the lamps which night suspends to the lofty vault to cast a silvery radiance over field, and stream, and forest, and increase enjoyment by the charms of variety and the mysterious wonders of her still and shadowy hours. The whole earth, indeed, to them, is but a magnificent suite of apartments carpeted with verdure, or paved with marble, and embellished with living pictures. In the vast halls and spacious courts of their abode the ear is soothed with the melody of birds, and the senses lulled by the murmur of gushing fountains and the sweet odor of flowers, borne on the wings of gentle zephyrs. In its secret cabinets are treasures inexhaustible of gold, and silver, and [36] precious stones. Its pleasure grounds, its gardens, its groves, its rivers, and lakes, and oceans, filled with the various tribes of animated nature, are created to be admired, and are but varied orders and forms of beauty. In a word, the world, with all that it contains, is, to them, but an exhibition of glory and beauty--an emanation from the Beautiful, which is their deity and their IDOL. To this alone they offer the incense of their hearts; to this alone they build their altars, not only in the fair fields of Nature, but in the temples of Art. The sculptor, the painter, the musician, the architect, the poet, and the orator are the true priests of their religion; praise is their only oblation, and pleasure their sole pursuit.

      How generally are these the dreams of youth! How often, too, are they the only realities of manhood! How many there are who live merely to cull earth's fading flowers! How many there are who worship at no other shrine than that of an ideal perfection of beauty--a sensual image--a worldly sanctuary--an earthly Zion, out of which the true Jehovah has never shone! With [37] them a refined taste is the true standard of piety, and an admiration of the works of the Creator, true devotion. Nor is their discernment of moral beauty less acute or accurate than their perception of the charms of Nature. They contemplate with delight its noble examples; they honor and admire magnanimity and courage, patience and fortitude, benevolence and mercy, and all the moral virtues; but, unfortunately, as they commit the error of thinking piety to consist in a proper reverence for the beautiful in the works of God, so they imagine that, in morals, to honor virtue is to possess it, and that to admire morality is to practice it.

      A thousand charms, however, cluster around this religion of the fancy, as compared with the barren and undecorated religion of the intellect. Here, calm Philosophy seeks to analyze the organisms of the spiritual system, or prying Curiosity would dissect those outward forms from which all life and beauty have departed. Here, minute distinctions, remote discoveries, ingenious speculations, are the grand essentials of both piety and morals. And, while the religion of the fancy [38] would revel in the sunlight which imparts its splendors to earth, and delight to range amidst the charms of a terrestrial home, the religion of the intellect would soar aloft to seek the source of day, and, in the vain attempt to gain superior knowledge, become lost beyond earth's limits in outer darkness and perpetual winter. It is this religion which inspires that spiritual pride which dogmatizes in matters of opinion, and that intolerant bigotry which persecutes in matters of faith. It is this religion which infuses into men the lust of power, and coolly calculates the profits of oppression. Before its tribunal the rights of conscience are invalid and the pleadings of the heart are disregarded, for its laws are the speculations of opinionism, and the decisions of its judges are the cold abstractions of a perverted reason. In a word, under its domination to think right is to do right, and to worship reason is to worship GOD.

      But, oh! that "Lamb as it had been slain"--that form that was "marred"--that loving heart that was "pierced"--these sacred memorials of that divine love now spread before us! Surely, it is not here that such religions as these can [39] triumph. It is not in the sanctuary of God that we shall either bow in the chambers of imagery or yield to the idolatry of reason. How poor, and weak, and valueless do they appear when the heart feels the love of God, and the soul rejoices in the Beloved! How evanescent now the glories with which Fancy may deck her day-dreams! How visionary and false here are Reason's partial revelations of the Infinite! "It is Christ that died; yea, rather that hath risen again!" "It is God that justifieth; who is he that condemneth?" "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing." Before the cross of Jesus the magnificence of earth is vanity, and the power of intellect but pride. And oh! how much have they to unlearn, who have been taught in these schools of error, before they can realize that God's grace is glory, that his foolishness is wiser than men, and his weakness, superior strength!

      But oh! my soul, rejoice thou in the Lord and be joyful in the God of thy salvation! The Lord is "a sun and a shield," a strong tower of defense to them that trust him. He crowneth thee "with mercy and loving kindness," and satisfieth thee [40] "with good things." He leadeth thee by the "still waters" in the "green pastures" where he feeds his flock. "He guideth thee in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." How happy they who are permitted to dwell in the courts of the Lord, and to behold his beauty as he appeareth in the sanctuary! Here shines forever the true lamp of wisdom; here is continually provided the bread of life; here ascends the most acceptable incense; and, behind the veil of outward symbols, we are admitted to bow before the spiritual mercy-seat, overshadowed by the wings of cherubim and the radiant glory of the divine presence. For this is the house of God, the "greater and more perfect tabernacle" which the Lord himself has erected for his own abode. It is here he would receive the grateful homage of the heart. It is here that he will meet with those who love him and hope in his mercy.

      And it is here that the deceitful visions of Fancy must be exchanged for the sacred promises of Christian Hope, and that Reason must be subjected to the mysteries of Revelation. And oh! how gainful is that exchange! how blissful [41] that subjection! For Christian Hope admits to scenes more glorious than unaided Fancy ever sketched, and the mysteries of Faith are more sublime than those of Reason. And it is in the unsearchable riches of Christ; in the infinitude of the Divine perfections, the depths of his wisdom, the greatness of his power, the wonders of his redeeming love, that all the faculties of our nature may find their noblest exercise and most illimitable freedom. Here Fancy may range in fields of delight or rest in bowers of Eden, for Hope and Joy shall lead her to the realms of eternal glory, and where the perfection of beauty shall be enjoyed forever. Here Reason may be borne on wings of Faith to know and to admire the mysteries of the universe, while unfailing Love, enthroning the Deity in the heart, consecrates every pursuit, sanctifies every emotion, refines every enjoyment, and brings the whole man, in all the departments of his nature, under the blissful influences of true religion. [42]

[CITS 35-42]