his for? Why torment and pain me so? Why is all this action a
profanity to me? And even holiness, what is it?

"Oh! I am dumb; my soul is inarticulate. There is that in me which I
would pour out. Oh! why is it that the noblest actions of humanity
speak not to my soul? All life is inadequate--but not in the sense of
the world. I would joyfully be silent, obscure, dead to all the
world, if this alone which is in me had life. I ask not for name,
riches, external conditions of delight or splendor. No; the meanest
of all would be heaven to me, if this inward impulse had action,
lived itself out. But no; I am imprisoned in spirit. What imprisons?
What is imprisoned? Who can tell?

"You say, good adviser, 'You must accept things as they are--be
content to be; have faith in God; do that work which your hands find
to do.' Good; but it is taken for granted we know what things
are--which is the question. 'Be content to be.' Be what? 'Have faith
in God.' Yes. 'Work?' Yes; but how? Like others. But this is not work
to me; it is death; nay, worse--it is sin; hence, damnation--and I am
not ready to go to hell yet. Your work gives me no activity; and to
starve, if I must, is better than to do the profane, the sacrilegious
labor you place before me. I want God's living work to do. My labor
must be a sermon, every motion of my body a word, every act a
sentence. My work must be devotional. I must feel that I am
worshipping. It must be music, love, prayer. My field must be the
kingdom of God. Christ must reign in all. It must be Christ doing in
me, and not me. My life must be poetical, divine. Head, heart, and
hands must be a trinity in unity; they must tone in one accord. My
work must be work of inspiration and aspiration. My heart cannot be
in heaven when my head and hands are in hell. I must feel that I am
building up Christ's kingdom in all that I do. To give Christ room
for action in my heart, soul, and body is my desire, my aim, purpose,
being. . . .

"It is not he who goes to church, says his prayers, sings psalms,
says 'Lord, Lord,' who is in God and establishing His kingdom. No; it
is he who is doing it. The earth is to be His kingdom, and your
prayers must be deeds, your actions music ascending to heaven. The
Church must be the kingdom of God in its fulness. . . .

"Are we Christians if we act not in the spirit in which Christ acted?
Shall we say: 'What shall we do?' Follow the spirit of Christ which
is in you. 'Unless ye ar