James Martineau
James Martineau
James Martineau was an English religious philosopher influential in the history of Unitarianism...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth21 April 1805
memories grief bereavement
Grief is only the memory of widowed affections.
strong light secret-places
A mighty wind of resolution sets in strong upon him and freshens the whole atmosphere of his soul, sweeping down before it the light flakes of difficulty, till they vanish like snow upon the sea. He is imprisoned no more in a small compartment of time, but belongs to an eternity which is now and here. The isolation of his separate spirit passes away; and with the countless multitude of souls akin to God, he is but a wave of his unbounded deep. He is at one with Heaven, and hath found the secret place of the Almighty.
children bishops priests
The pinafore of the child will be more than a match for the frock of the bishop and the surplice of the priest.
heart pride rooms
There is no room in the universe for the least contempt or pride; but only for a gentle and a reverent heart.
prayer atmosphere language
Religion is no more possible without prayer than poetry without language, or music without atmosphere.
time spirit moments
God has so arranged the chronometry of our spirits, that there shall be thousands of silent moments between the striking hours.
nature agency law
God is infinite; and the laws of nature, like nature itself, are finite. These methods of working, therefore, which correspond to the physical element in us, do not exhaust His agency. There is a boundless residue of disengaged energy beyond.
christian power baptized-in
There is no surer mark of a low and unregenerate nature than this tendency of power to loudness and wantonness instead of quietness and reverence. To souls baptized in Christian nobleness the largest sphere of command is but a wider empire of obedience, calling them, not to escape from holy rule, but to its full impersonation.
time heart should
We should count time by heart-throbs.
prayer heaven bereavement
Heaven and God are best discerned through tears; scarcely perhaps are discerned at all without them. The constant association of prayer with the hour of bereavement and the scenes of death suffice to show this.
running forever soul
When speech is given to a soul holy and true, time, and its dome of ages, becomes as a mighty whispering-gallery, round which the imprisoned utterance runs, and reverberates forever.
prayer heaven looks
The heavens, with their everlasting faithfulness, look down on no sadder contradiction than the sluggard and the slattern in their prayers.
community morality moral
The health of a community is an almost unfailing index of its morals.
dream heart long
High hearts are never long without hearing some new call, some distant clarion of God, even in their dreams; and soon they are observed to break up the camp of ease, and start on some fresh march of faithful service.