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Christian Recreation
519
to devote our attention to ourselves merely, and fritter away precious
time in amusements which will encourage a disrelish for sacred
things. We have not come here to indulge in jesting and joking, in
foolish talk and senseless laughter. We here behold the beauties of
nature. And what then? Shall we fall down and worship them? No,
indeed. But as we behold these works of nature we should let the
mind be carried up higher, to nature’s God; let it be elevated to the
Creator of the universe, and then adore the Creator who has made
all these beautiful things for our benefit and happiness.
Many delight in lovely paintings and are ready to worship the
talent which can produce a beautiful drawing, but where do those
who devote their lives to this work obtain their designs? where
do the artists get their ideas of things to put upon canvass? From
nature’s beautiful scenery—from nature, only from nature. Individ-
uals devote the entire strength of their being, and bestow all their
affections, upon their tastes in this direction. Many withdraw their
minds from the beauties and glories of nature that our Creator has
prepared for them to enjoy, and devote all the powers of their being
to perfection of art; yet all these things are only imperfect copies
from nature. Art can never attain the perfection seen in nature.
The Maker of all the beautiful things of nature is forgotten. I
have seen many who would go into ecstasies over a picture of a
sunset, while at the same time they could have the privilege of
seeing an actual and glorious sunset almost every evening in the
year. They can see the beautiful tints in which nature’s invisible
Master Artist has with divine skill painted glorious scenes on the
shifting canvass of the heavens, and yet they carelessly turn from
the Heaven-wrought picture to paintings of art, traced by imperfect
fingers, and almost fall down and worship them. What is the reason
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of this? It is because the enemy is almost constantly seeking to
divert the mind from God. When we present God and the religion of
Christ, will they receive them? No, indeed. They cannot accept of
Christ. What! they make the sacrifice they would have to make to
receive Him? Not at all! But what is required? Simply the heart’s
best and holiest affections for Him who left the glory of the Father
and came down to die for a race of rebels. He left His riches, His
majesty, and His high command, and took upon Himself our nature,
that He might make a way of escape—to do what? to humiliate you?