Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 233, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 September 1916 — Preparation for Spiritual influence. [ARTICLE]

Preparation for Spiritual influence.

A man may prepare 'himself for friendship, and may prepare himself for society, according to the nature of the relations into which he is going. If It be for pleasure that he is to prepare himself, he throws off care and burden, and, as it were, raises into activity that part of his mind by which he enjoys. If it is a company of artists into which he is going, he prepares himself to be influenced by their peculiar tendencies. If he is going among friends where his social faculties are to be brought into play, ho as it were, rouses up those faculties in him so that they shall begin the highest state of activity. If he is going where there is _to be music, it is for tills that he prepares himselt We are conscious that we receive influences from each other by preparing the mind to be susceptible to those influences. So it is in the power of a man to prepare his soul to be acted upon by the Divine Spirit. Not that he is not acted upon at all times; but he may prepare himself So that ha* shall be tetra open the-most favor* ably.—H. W. Beecher. ’