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In Heaven It Is Always Autumn

In Heaven It Is Always Autumn

Too good not to steal.

Mrs. Darwin shares a passage from a sermon of John Donne, Christmas Day 1624:

 

God made Sun and Moon to distinguish seasons, and day, and night, and we cannot have the fruits of the earth but in their seasons: But God hath made no decree to distinguish the seasons of his mercies; In paradise, the fruits were ripe, the first minute, and in heaven it is alwaies Autumne, his mercies are ever in their maturity. We ask panem quotidianum, our daily bread, and God never sayes you should have come yesterday, he never sayes you must againe to morrow, but to day if you will hear heare his voice, to day he will heare you. If some King of the earth have so large an extent of Dominion, in North, and South, as that he hath Winter and Summer together in his Dominions, so large an extent East and West, as that he hath day and night together in his Dominions, much more hath God mercy and judgement together: He brought light out of darknesse, not out of a lesser light; he can bring thy Summer out of Winter, though thou have no Spring; though in the wayes of fortune, or understanding, or conscience, though have been benighted till now, wintred and frozen, clouded and eclypsed, damped and benummed, smothered and stupefied till now, now God comes to thee, not as in the dawning of the day, not as in the bud of the spring, but as the Sun at noon to illustrate all shadowes, as the sheaves in harvest, to fill all penuries, all occasions invite his mercies, and all times are his seasons.

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1 comment
  • Very interesting.

    I was very surprised that my mother-in-law and sister-in-law came to my shower. It was on a Saturday, 75+ miles away from their house, and usually they’re busy with extracurriculars on Saturday and my mother-in-law has mentioned on previous occasions that she already spends way too much time in the car every week. (Sister-in-law is 12, so obviously couldn’t have driven herself.) But no, it was all “We’d be delighted to come.” Meanwhile my sister-in-law…in-law (my husband’s brother’s wife) was apparently extremely disappointed that she couldn’t attend due to having committed a year before to sing at a wedding that day. And I didn’t even invite the other sister-in-law-in-law who lives in Texas. (They’d already said they wouldn’t be able to come to the wedding, so I went for “not looking gift-grabby”. Luckily she doesn’t seem to have been offended.)

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