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MR. ALCOTT. Now I wish you all to think. What have we been talking about to-day? CHARLES. Spiritual Worship.

MR. ALCOTT.
CHARLES.

And what have we concluded it to be? The Worship of Conscience in our Spirit.

I was enabled to preserve the words better than usual, because Josiah had so much of the conversation, whose impediment of speech makes his enunciation slow, and whose fine choice of language and steadiness of mind, makes him easy to follow and remember. REC.

CONVERSATION XXXIV.

SPIRITUAL SUBSISTENCE,

DUTY.

Conversation of Jesus with his Disciples, from the Sacred Text. - Emblem of Spiritual Excellence.

Piety.

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Philanthropy.

Spirituality.

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Spiritual Obedience.

Diffusion of Good.

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MR. ALCOTT.

Where did we leave Jesus.

SEVERAL. In Samaria; at Jacob's well; near Sychar; close by Mount Gerasim, talking with a woman. Mr. Alcott then read the

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33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him aught to eat?

34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

35 Say ye not, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and

* Matt. ix. 37. look on the fields; * for they are white already to harvest

36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.

38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no laother men labored, and ye are entered into their

bor

labors.

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39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told

me all that ever I did.

40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.

41 And many more believed because of his own word;

42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

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MR. ALCOTT. The fields are white when they are ripe. When is the Spirit ripe?

to

ANDREW. When all its evil is out.

MR. ALCOTT. An old man is compared in the Bible a shock of corn fully ripe." What ripens Spirit? ANDREW. Truth, Love.

OTHERS. Patience, Faith.

LEMUEL. Repentance after we have done wrong.
SAMUEL R. Self-sacrifice.

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EDWARD. I thought when Jesus said the fields were all at once ready for the harvest, he did a miracle on the grain.

CHARLES.

thought he meant the Spiritual harvest was ready, though it was four months to the other. MR. ALCOTT. What persons is he thinking of? CHARLES and JOHN B. The disciples. Their faith was ripe.

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LEMUEL. No; Jesus' own spirit was ripe, and he did miracles.

JOSIAH. I think the field means God, the wheat is men the ears that are not ripe are men who have not done his will the ripened ears are men perfect.

Piety.

GEORGE K. I was

interested in Jesus' saying "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me." I think it means that the spirit should live by doing good · on faith and love.

MR. ALCOTT. To what actions do those principles lead?

EMMA. To teach people in conversations, as he was doing then.

GEORGE K.

And to do miracles, cleanse

Philanthropy. people, carrying off their devils, which

means their passions.

MR. ALCOTT. What are unclean spirits?

MR. ALCOTT. What are demons?

LEMUEL. Appetites.

SEVERAL (at once.)

Anger. Lying. Impatience.

Passions. Fretfulness. Swearing.

MR. ALCOTT. And it was the meat of Jesus, to cast these demons and unclean spirits out of Human Na

ture.

MARTHA. It was his meat to preach

JOHN B. And to teach men to believe in their spirits more than their bodies.

MR. ALCÓTT. Jesus had been hungry this Spirituality. day, and sent his disciples to buy food.

What did he mean when he said he had "meat they knew not of"?

JOHN B. He wanted to teach them to feed their spirits.

MR. ALCOTT. What is spiritual meat?

JOHN B. Doing good.

MR. ALCOTT. What spiritual food do you live on ?

JOHN B. Sometimes I want to do something, and iny conscience tells me not, and I do not do it.

MR. ALCOTT. But if you obey appetite instead?
JOHN B. Then I do not God's will or work.
MR. ALCOTT. Who among you has a work?
(All held up hands.)

What is your work?

Spiritual
Obedience.

SEVERAL. Obedience. Love. Faith. MR. ALCOTT. What is the work which God has sent us to do in the body? Here is a Spirit in the midst of the Body. You know the body's food. What is the Spirit's food? What is the work we are to do?

CHARLES. To conquer the body, and not injure it by excessive eating or passions.

MR. ALCOTT. Is it then part of the work to save the body, and how?

CHARLES. By making it obey conscience.

MR. ALCOTT.

Who among you tease your mothers sometimes for good things to eat, or for any pleasures

of the body?

(Several.)

JOSIAH.

If you

'The work is love to God and man. love any person you will do the things they wish, and if you love God, you will do his will.

EDWARD J. Our work is to do good ourselves and to set an example to others.

MR. ALCOTT. Did any of you ever set an example to others, that ought to be imitated?

(Several.)

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works."

What is the great end of life?

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