'~)~~ov
I Lb,
. I
HEAVENWARD BOUND.
WORDS OF HELP FOR YOUNG CHRISTIANS.
BY
OLIVE A. WADSWORTH,
AUTHOR OF "BILLRIGGs, JR.," T  ETC TC
A PRIZE BOOK.
PIIILADELPITIA:
PRESBYTETRTIAN BOARPD OF PUBLICATION,
1334 CHESTNUT STREET. 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year I87o, by
WM. L. HILDEBURN, TREASURER,
in trust foar the
PRESBYTERIAN PUBLICATION COMMITTEE,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the
Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
..................
WESTCOTT & THOMSON,
Stereotyihers, Philada.
..................... 
"Christian saw a brave picture hang up against
the wall, and this was the fashion of it: It had
eyes lifted iM to heaven, the best of books in his
hand, the lawz  of truth was written upon his lias,
the world was behind his back; it stood as if it
pleaded with men and a crown of gold did hang
over its head."
3 
A  Prize of Two Htndred and  Fifty Dollars,
offered for the best book, of small size, for the
instruction of young  converts,  was  awarded  to
"HEAVENWARD BOUND. "
4 
CONTENTS.
IPAGN
7
PREFATORY.................................... 7
CHAPTER I.
CONVERSION....................................................... 9
CHAPTER II.
GROWTH IN THE S O U L.......................................... 25
CHAPTER III.
THE STANDARD OF ATTAINMENT............................ 4I
CHAPTER IV.
CHRISTIAN LIFE-SPIRITUAL AND PRACTICAL............ 61I
CHAPTER V.
SPIRITUAL LIFE: PRAYER OFFERED....................... 73
5 
6                   Contents.
CHAPTER VI.
PAGE
SPIRITUAL LIFE: PRAYER ANSWERED..................... 87
CHAPTER VII.
SPIRITUAL LIFE: BIBLE STUDY............................. 0IO7
CHAPTER VIII.
SPIRITUAL LIFE: PUBLIC WORSHIP...................... I123
CHAPTER IX.
SPIRITUAL LIFE: FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT......... 1...... I41
CHAPTER X.
PRACTICAL LIFE: THE CHRISTIAN AT HOME.......... 155
CHAPTER XI.
PRACTICAL LIFE: THE CHRISTIAN IN THE WORLD... I75
CHAPTER XII.
PRACTICAL LIFE: THE CHRISTIAN AT WORK.......... I195 
PREFATORY.
I HAVE been asked to write a book of counsel
for young Christians-something that might
serve as a little light in a dark place, a little
staff over a rough road, or a little sign-board
pointing to the true way.
But writing is not like talking. Dear faces,
bright eyes, responsive voices, draw out one's
thoughts like so many magnets, while blank,
emotionless paper seems to still them with its
cold stare. And yet there are outside the reach
of the voice so many more than within it, that
one must even do at last as the apostle John
did, when he desired greatly to see his dear
ones face to face, but yet was compelled with
pen and ink to write unto them.
And I am compelled; for necessity is laid
uipon me-yea, woe is unto me if I speak not
loving words of gospel truth to young disciples.
I love the children of the Lord, the younger
7 
PrefaIory.
brothers and sisters of our great family; they
are the Josephs and Benjainis of our Israel, and
my heart yearns over them, as Jacob's yearned
over Joseph, and as Joseph's melted with tenderness for Benjamin.
Beloved young friends, let me indulge the
fancy that I can see your earnest eyes turned
toward me, and, for yourselves, take my words
as lovingly as they are spoken.
8 
$4
'a
!Z
i= 
': The wind bloweth where it lisleth, and thou hearest the
sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither
itgoeth.- so is every one that is bor, of the Spirit."-JOHN
iii. 8.
10 
HEAVENWARD BOUND.
CHAPTER I.
Conversion of the Soul.
rFO enter upon the discussion of duties
and  employments  belonging to the
Christian life, without first speaking of the
turning of the soul from death to that life,
seems hardly rational: it is like passing
over the first round of the ladder by which
we ascend, and trying to begin with the
second. It is this very turning of the soul
itself, this wonderful change in its nature,
which demands and introduces new habits
of thought, purpose and action, and it is
well to inquire what this change is and how
it comes about.
11 
Heavenwar(d Bound.
The simplest meaning of the word conversion is the "turning or changing from
one state or condition to another, and in its
full application does not refer merely to a
person's speculative belief, but covers the
whole tenor of his feelings and source of
action." This may refer to a person's turning from one political or social condition to
another; but where we apply the word to a
religious process, wAe need a further and
more definite explanation. What is this
alteration that we must undergo? what is it
to come into the kingdom of God? what is
it to be converted? are among, the first
queries that arise in a thoughtful mind.
Many times in different forms has the
question been asked me. Sometimes by
children, whose little hearts longed to be
changed before they even understood the
process. Sometimes by the very ignorant,
fearing in their darkness and humility lest
they should fall into error. Sometimes by
anxious, intelligent minds, sincerely de
1 2 
Conversion of  the Soul.
siring to understand, and yet bewildered
and almost misled by the technical phrases
of theologians. Sometimes by the petulant,
half-interested, half-skeptical reasoner, who
repudiates what he calls " dogmas and formulas," and demands the kernel of the
mnatter in plain English that simple minds
can easily grasp. Laying aside then all
doctrinal phrases and every metaphysical
or theological form of expression, we will
look simply and candidly at the word of
God.   The Scriptures  teach us that the
conversion of the soul is a process in three
parts: first, there must be a sense of want
in ourselves-a conviction of our deep need
of salvation; secondly, there must be an
absolute belief that Jesus the Son of God is
the one true and only Saviour, and holds
the remedy we need; thirdly, there must be
a solemn giving of ourselves to him, and
an accepting of him in return as our Redeemer. We may discuss the matter, vary
it, expatiate upon it as we will, but it all
I3 
Heavenzward Bountd.
returns at last to these three simple propositions.
Let the feeling of our need come in whatever way it may-through sickness, through
bereavement, through the gradual perception of God's mighty love, through the faithful preaching of the gospel, or the winning
voice of the Holy Spirit in our heart-it must
assuredly first come before we can heartily
desire the help, the strength and the cleansing that only Christ can give.  Many go as
far as this point, and stop. They know
they want something beyond themselvessomething  higher, better, more satisfying;
they need something to supply their deficiencies, and lift them up into harmony
with their Maker, and through ignorance or
willful blindness they turn to every source
but the right one. They put themselves in
bondage to forms and ceremonies, and fast
and use long prayers, or they force themselves to a rigid performance of external
duties and occupations, or they seek relief
I4 
Conversion of the Soul.
in intellectual stimulants, in social enjoyments, or perhaps in still lower pursuits.
Like the prodigal of old, they try to fill
themselves with food only fit for inferior
natures, instead of going direct to their
Father's house; they seek to appease their
craving with husks, while all the time He
who alone can satisfy the hunger of the
immortal soul-He who said of himself in
those wonderful, deep-meaning words, "I
am the bread of life"-stands by with patient
tenderness, waiting to give them of that
bread and of the water of life freely.
Others still, who feel their need of salvation and reverence Christ as the Redeemer
of the world, stop short here and go no
further. They neither expect nor hope for
safety outside of him; they probably mean
some day to take the last step that seals
their safety, and accept him personally as
their Saviour: in the mean time, they are
almost Christians, but not quite.  Are there
not many such scattered through the house
I5 
Heavenward Bound.
holds of our land, and worshiping in our
churches on the Sabbath?-lovely, pleasant, honorable men and women, who verily
are notflir from the kingdom of God, and
yet are not in it. When the last day comes,
it will, alas, be found too late, that not to
be with Christ is to be against him; that to
be only almIost in the kingdom of heaven is
to be shut out of it for ever.
When the third and final step is taken,
when the soul is given to God, its powers
consecrated to his service, and his appointed
plan of salvation through Christ personally
accepted, the process is complete, and in
common parlance conversion has taken
place.
The Spirit of God seems to work in almost
as many ways as there are individual Chlristians, and none should doubt the genuineness of the change in themselves, simply
because its record cannot be made to tally
with that of others.  A  great many most
earnest and faithful disciples find it impos
I6 
Conveirsion of tle Soul.
sible to tell even when the change was
going on within themn; while others can
point directly to a certain event, and say,
"That sermon, or that prayer, or that dispensation of Providence, was the apparent
means of bringing me to God." From the
flower of grace, opening in tender baby
hearts, to the palm of victory, won after lifelong conflict by aged, trembling hands,
there is every possible variety and phase of
conversion.
A lovely old lady said once, regarding
one of her daughters, who was a most devotedly pious person, that she could never
remember the time when she was not a
Christian.  " I am  sure," she said, " she
was converted before she could talk. She
was not only a Christian child, but a Christian baby, and her first broken lispings
showted a tender little conscience and a heart
full of love to God and man."
In the other extreme is a confession, listened to a few days ago by the side of a
2
I7 
rleavcnw-rl Bound.
dying bed, where poverty, ignorance, age
and mortal disease combined to oppress the
sufferer.  "It has been a long, dark struggle," she said.  "I have been feeling for
the light so long!  For more than twenty
years I've had little thoughts about God in
my heart; little thoughts about his being
very good and caring even for me; little
thoughts about how I would like to know
him better, and try to love him and please
him.  But there was no one to tell me how,
no one to help, and I've been almost tired
waiting! And now lie himself has made
it all plain.  Jesus has showrn me the way;
he has put me in it; it takes me to him!"
And the wan lips smiled, and the faded face
shone with the peace of God.
If we recall a few of the conversions recorded in Scripture, their wonderful variety
of manner manifests itself at once. Paul
was changed almost instantaneously by a
miraculous appearance-a heavenly vision
of the very Jesus whom he was persecuting.
i8 
Convcr-sioz of the Soul.
Timothy knewv the Scripttlres firom a child,
and wvas a thoroughly wl   ell drilled  little
Bible  scholar, wAithl  mother  Eunice  and
grandmother Lois  always  ready to teach
him and talk with him.  Lydia's heart the
Lord opened, and with a gentle readiness
she attended unto the things spoken by
Paul.  The jailer believed with fear and
trembling, and Cornelius, that devout man,
feared God, gave alms, and prayed always,
for many y ears before the Holy Spirit was
sent to him and his knowledge of the way
of life was made perfect.
So we see there may be many methods
of conversion, but the same spirit working
in all; many ways of receiving the truth,
but the same truth accepted by all; many
divers circumstances surrounding the soul
in its onward journey, but the same faithful
Saviour receiving it at the end of its pil
grimage.
We sometimes hear those who aim to be
liberal rather than spiritual speaking of
T9 
2t0aLve?;',rd 3Boultd.
what they call the narrow views of Christians, " as if," tlhey say, "Ino one could get
to the truth except in just their wav."  In
fact, it is but a few davs since I overheard
two persons sitting behind me in the cars
talking together  upon  that very  subject.
"I believe there are more ways than one
of getting to heaven,"' said one of them.
"I do not believe salvation is shut up in
this Church or that Church or any Church.
No creed that ever was made will take a
man  there.  Bigoted  people mav talk as
they like, but I've no patience with such
narrow-minded prejudice! There are more
ways than one of getting to heaven!"
He spoke not only strongly, but bitterly,
and I pitied him. For if there were so
many ways, and he knew them, why could
he not quietly take the one that suited him
best without feeling bitter toward those who
were inoffensively taking another?  But the
tones of his voice showed that he was fighting against his conscience; he was kicking
20 
Conzversion of Mze Soul.
against the pricks, and it was hard for him
as it was for Saul.  So I listened and pitied
him in silence. We were just then approaching a junction,  where several other
lines of railway crossed our own at different
angles, and as we stood waiting for another
train to pass, I ran my eyes along the narrow
iron ways as far as I could see. Upon one
side they converged more and more closely
as they approached their common termination, the great city we had left behind us.
On  the other they dive-rged rapidly, one
crossing a distant river that was but just
within sig(ht;  another following its course
through level green meadows; a third, far
away from either, stretching on, up between
the hills and old gray rocks.  Mry fancy
wandered on beyond the limits of sight, and
carried me along those level rails, through
cities, villages, farm lands and forests, over
wide prairies, through rocky passes and
along flat, sandy deserts.  Everywhere the
same strong, even, well-laid, narrow way;
2? 
Heavenward Bound.
without it the best-constructed engine could
make no progress, and could only be a panting, struggling, helpless thing, full of unused
power, and utterly failing of its end.  But
give it the narrow track, which alone can
serve its purpose, and its progress is assured.
It passes indifferently through forest solitutdes or the din of cities, throurgh all climates, all soils, all scenes, in summer and
winter, by day and by night, and safely
reaches its destination at last.
It is but a homely illustration-and yet at
that moment it seemed to my mind a for-cible
one  of the progress of the soul toward
heaven.  There is in truth but one wayone narrow way-that leads it thither; its
course may run through widely varied
scenes, through  any nation or clime  or
Church, through joy or sorrow, health or
sickness, wealth or poverty, but the way by
which it journeys is Christ alone, and the end
to which it tends is that blessed home above,
prepared by him for those who love him.
22 
Conversion of the Soul.
So long then as we feel that Christ is
indeed to our souls the way, the truth and
the life, we need be troubled about nothing
in the manner of our conversion, but rather
strive to perfect the work of grace begun in
us by every means that God has given, remembering, his promise, that "he that shall
endure untlzo the end shall be saved."
The story is told of a young man that
soon after his conversion he confided the
account of his spiritual experiences to his
mother, and, having listened with deep interest, she answered in return: "All Christian graces may be counterfeited. Your
love may be only a selfish love; your faith
may be the faith that trembles; your hope
and joy may be without a true foundation;
but do not be discouraged, for there is one
grace you can never counterfeit."  "What
is that, mother?" he asked. "The grace
of perseverance," she replied.
To  continue in well-doing is the thing
that most concerns us.  The past we have
23 
Heaven,ward Bound.
nothing more to do with; it has slipped
completely out of our hands; and for the
future, who shall boast himself of the morrow? But the present, the living present,
the wonderfuil nozv, which God has called
the accepted time, is ours.  Let us use it
with faithful diligence, going on firom hour
to hour as he shall lead iius, forgetting that
whlich is behind, and pressing toward that
which is be~ore, bearing ever in mind the
wsords which Jesus spoke to those whichl believed on him: "If ye coY/intec iil my word,
then are ye my disciples indeed."
24 
v~g-rpi t4   l  lt Soul.
25 
" Like a t- ee planted by the rivers of water, that brin$eth
forthz his fruit inz his season."-Ps.. a.
26 
CHAPTER II.
Growtl in the Soul.
NE  of the most essential elements of
Christian life is growth  or, to speak
more accurately, it is a vital necessity, for
without it there can be no true life, either
physical, mental or spiritual. Wherever we
look in the world of nature, we see expansion, accretion and development; and
when  a living thing  ceases to grow, it
begins to die.
In a plant, the dew, the rain, the sun, the
tiny atoms of varied nutriment which are
incessantly sucked from the ground by its
rootlets, all tend to nourish it; the stalk
pushes up, the leaves unfold, the buds swell,
the flowers expand, the seed-vessel forms,
the seeds mature, and, its full end being
accomplished, the plant stops growing and
27
1                                               { 
Heavenward Bound.
withers slowly away. In a child the ex pansion of bone and muscle, the increase in
height, breadth and weight, goes on often
with astonishing rapidity, and when the
body has attained its full size, the youth
has, in popular language, finished growing.
But does he in reality stop here? No; for
now, as much as ever, does he need constant supplies of wholesome food tQ repair
the continual waste that is going on within
him. Play-days are over, and the work of
life begins. The body toils, and in its daily
action loses just so much actual strength
and substance, which must be reinforced;
the brain spends itself, and must be replenished. The hours of labor grow longer and
longer, the period of rest shorter, and, even
in that time of repose, the same work of
change and growth goes on. The food
which is eaten is divided by the process of
digestion into good and bad, and while one
is discarded as worthless, the other is taken
into the blood and carried with its ceaseless
28 
Growth  in  the  Soul.
current to every minutest portion of the body
to reimburse its constant expenditure.
A  very clever French physiologist, Jean
MIace,* tells us that a man in health eats
three times his own weight in the course of
a 3year, and that the greater part of all this
nutriment goes to supply the daily waste of
flesh and tissue. The fire must have fuel,
or it cannot burn, and when there is nothing
more to feed the flame, it dies out.  HIugh
Miller, in one of his books, speaks of his
writings in a tone of pleasantry as being the
parings or shavings of his brain, and the
expression is almost literally, as well as
figuratively, true.
The immutable law of growth is just as
absolute, though less perceptible, in spiritual
things. Our Saviour compares the growing
of grace in the heart to that of the corn in
the field: first the blade, then the ear, then
the full corn in the ear. In the beginning
* Author of a charming book for young readers, entitled
"A Mouthful of Bread, and its Effect on Man."
29 
-Heave warid Bound.
it is a tender plant, sometimes as tiny as the
grain of mustard-seed, which yet often develops into such size and strength that the
fowls of the air lodge in its branches.
If our souls are to grow in spiritual thingrs,
we must give them all the essential conditions of g,rowthl: first, by setting them fiee
firom  everyNthing that  can check  their development; and secondly, by exposing them
to every favor-ing influence  that can foster
it.
As we would pluck away the weeds that
threatened to choke a dainty flower, so must
wve cast away everly hindrance to spiritual
advancement.   If there be an evil passion,
loweveer knit into our characters; a hurtful
companion, however dear; a noxious amusemIent, however  fascinating; a self-indulgence that has become a part of ourselves;
a folly, a vanity, a weakness, anythling, no
matter vlwhat, that bars the soul in its progrcss;-let it be  thrust away  wAithout one
murmur or one regret.  "If thine eye offend
30 
Gi-o:~,i.'it /ltie SI tA l.
tl1ee (t'lh. is, c;ltuCse tlhee  to erl-I), pluck it
out," say3s the divine Word.   "Nearer, my
God, to thee, nearer to thee," is the longing
of every loving heart, and that vlhich brings
it nearer is a willin(r sacrifice. It is only
like throwing, over the surpltus laiding of a
ship, which may  be Nwo-th somethling in
itself, but w-hich becomes valueless when it
wteighs the vessel down  tnd  sta3ys or endangers its onward course.
Secondlv-, let us open our lheatrts wide,
and invite all those influences and exercises
which God  has provided as a means of
progress. These divide themselves naturally into two classes-those which relate to
our inner life, and those which belong more
especially to our external life.
In the former, which  might almost be
called the private life of the soul, we compr-ise faithful daily prayer and Bible-reading, the stated services of the church to
which we belong, religious conversation,
meditation upon lholy things, and the culti
3 1 
tlez-vei-xac;-d Boztzld.
vation of a meek and Christ-like spirit.
For the outer life there must be the steadfast fulfillment of every duty belonging to
the sphere in whichl God has placed us,
helpful, cheerful ways to those around us,
the active exercise of Christian benevolence
according to our opportunity, and the upholding and encouraging of every, good
work going on about us, to the utmost extent
of our ability.
Then, when we have done what we can,
we may rest assured that God will do his
share.  He pours out his spirit in answer to
our prayers; he opens our eyes to behold
wondrous things out of his law. When those
who love the Lord speak often one to another
of him, he hearkens, and a book of remembrance is written before him for them that
think upon his name.* And for help in all
external acts of Christian beneficence or
usefulness, he has given us these blessed
words of encouragement:  "Inasmuch  as
* Malachi iii. I6.
32 
Growth in the Soul.
ye have done it unto the least of these my
brethren, ye have done it unto me."
But while we earnestly desire to grow,
we must be careful that the process is
equable, so that we may finally attain unto
the perfect man, "the stature of the fullness
of Christ."
It is a pitiable thing to be a one-sided,
crotchety Christian, developed morbidly in
some directions, and defective or totally
lacking in others; yet we often see persons
whose religious character has suffered such
a twist, such an ungainly curvature, as almost to merit the name of a spiritual malformation.
The foolish mother among the Flathead
Indians, who lashes a piece of wood to her
baby's soft, little, immature head, cannot
prevent the growth of the bones which compose it; she can only repress it in a certain
direction, and Nature avenges the wrong by
extending it in others, and so producing, by
the period of maturity, a hideously flattened
3
33 
Heavenward Bound.
and imbecile-looking head. And in China,
the babies of respectable rank pay for the
advantage of good birth by having their
compressible, little, high-born feet forced
into the tiniest possible compass by torturing
ligatures. They endure years of suffering
before the end is accomplished. When the
tight bandages are taken off, instead of a
comely, elastic foot, surmounted by a shapely
ankle, there is only a miserable, rudimentary little paw overhung by a monstrous
mass of fat. All that should have gone to
nourish and expand the foot being excluded
from it took refuge naturally in the ankle,
and both are deformed.
We are so much the creatures of sight
and sense that while we pity and regret
deformity of the body, we sometimes come
nigh forgetting the vastly greater import of
the crooks and twists of the moral nature.
But if we open our eyes only to a part of
God's dealings and shut them to others; if
we open our ears to part of his teachings
34 
Growful in t/hec Soul.
and deafen them to others; if we fasten our
faith to any external form, to the opinions
of man or to any earthly standard whatever;
we certainly are binding about our souls a
ligature that will inevitably repress spiritual
growth in one way or another.
Sometimes people dwell upon and brood
over one portion of God's word, for instance, till they can scarcely see any other.
It is not long since I met a conscientious
woman, whose belief in the overruling hand
of God was so great that it had become the
dominant idea of her life; it swallowed up
everything else, and she had come to think
of it almost as the Turks think of their
"kismet"-the fate that comes  inevitably
upon them, do what they will. In circumstances that demanded the utmost vigilance
and labor, the most prompt and energetic
action, she would actually do nothing. "The
Lord's will must be done," she said, "and
we have only to wait."
Now we know there are times in God's
35 
36favenward Bountd.
dealings with us when we can do nothing
but wait-when he himself so ties and fetters
us that our part seems simply to acquiesce
in what he does; and thousands of patient
hearts have throbbed in submissive sympathy with the last line of Milton's sonnet
upon his blindness:
"They also serve who only stand and wait."
But we may be sure, if God meant us always
to "stand and wait," he would never have
said to us, "Strive, watch, work, pray, feed
the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick,
preach the gospel."
There are others-who are surely very
unhappy Christians-who seem to have lost
sight of the wonderful tenderness and love
of the almighty Father through the constant consideration of his attributes as
Creator, Sovereign and Judge. They cherish terrible views of an offended and avenging God, forgetting the pitying kindness
that shines through all his dealings with us,
36 
Growth in the Soul.
and that he is, in fact, a Father reconciled
to us through Christ our Lord. It is a fearful thing so to misjudge God's great heart
of love. "Thou knewest I was an austere
man," are the solemn words of condemnation in the parable, "and out of thine own
mouth will I judge thee."
Many other Christians bind themselves
to some external mode of service or to a
rigid routine of formal duty; but Mr. Legality, in the "Pilgrim's Progress," did not
suffer one-half as much in his bondage as
they in theirs; for he was but a hypocrite,
while they are conscientiously holding fast
to the very impediments which check the
growth they truly desire.
We see, therefore, that many beliefs and
practices, right and scriptural in themselves, may lead us into error when dwelt
upon to the exclusion of others and separated from the whole word of God, which
in its entirety is so admirably adapted to
meet every want of the immortal soul. "All
37 
Heavenward Bound.
Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect,
thoroughly furnished unto all good works."
"These things ought ye to have done,"
said Jesus, "and not to leave the others
undone."
And now, to secure this free development
of a full Christian life, this thorough furnishing unto all good works, what shall we
do and what shall we avoid doing? It is
evident that the less dependence we place
upon outward things-whatever they may
be, whether forms of service, rules of action,
the opinions of men or human models of
excellence-and the nearer we draw to
Christ, the higher and holier, the fuller and
more perfect, our lives will be. The more
directly we stand in the rays of the sun,
the stronger the light and warmth we receive; the nearer we go to the fountainhead, the purer the water we quaff. The
38 
Growh ivn the Soul.
closer we draw to Christ, our great Sun and
Fountain of life, the more fully we receive
of his grace, his purity, his love, his allsufficing righteousness.
He himself has given us the secret of
growth-of free, rapid, healthy, satisfying
growth-in three little words, "Abide in
mne."  " As the branch cannot bear fruit of
itself, except it abide in the vine, no more
can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the
Vine, ye are the branches.  He that abideth
in me, and I in him, the same bringeth
forth much fruit, for without me ye can do
nothing."
To abide in Him now is to abide in him
for ever, for the choice of Christ as our rest
and our abode extends through time into
eternity. If we would be like him upon
earth, and live with him hereafter, let his
solemn, loving, all-embracing words be indelibly engraven upon our willing hearts:
"Abide in nie."
39  
Ett    o~f  t~ 
"As obedient children, not fashionizg yourselves accor(dig
to the former lusts in your ignorance; but as lie which hath
called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy, for I  am holy."I PET. i. I4-1I6.
42 
CHAPTER III.
The Standard of Attainment.
T is necessary for the rational pursuit of
any object to have a definite end in view,
toward which our efforts point and in which
they are finally to culminate. The architect
aims at the substantial and tasteful construction of a building; the farmer concentrates his efforts on securing a certain crop
at a given time; the mariner uses his best
skill to bring a valuable cargo safely to a
destined port; the general bends every energy to achieve victory for his troops. Aimless building, farming, sailing and marching
would ensure such absurd results as to merit
a place of honor in the world of chance that
Hafet dreamed of. As in worldly things a
definite aim is necessary to induce the vigorous, well-directed, patient labor which
43
I 
Heavenward Bound.
alone can secure success, so in spiritual
things it is as much more important as the
worth of the soul outweighs that of the
body.
The remark is often made by religious
writers and speakers of the present day
that the prevailing standard of personal religion among Christians is far below what it
ought to be; and the truth of the observation may be easily proved by looking a little
at our neighbors and still more at ourselves.
As a nation, as congregations, as families,
as individuals, how much less holy, wise
and Christ-like are we than we ought to
be!
Not only do religious writers speak of it
with regret, but those who are pleased to
find cause of reproach in the state of the
Church comment on it without reserve. We
give the enemies of the truth a vantageground that they do not fail to occupy.
Some time ago-in one of the British reviews, I think-there was a satirical remark
44 
The Standard of Attainment.
by a very clever but irreligious writer which
struck me as being not wholly unmerited.
He divides all Christians into three great
classes-the Attitudinarians, the Latitudinarians and the Platitudinarians. We may
evade the first charge by deeming the moral
to be pointed more particularly at those of
our fellow-Christians who belong to churches
where the forms and ceremonies may sometimes devour the substance, as the lean kine
devoured the fat kine; and the external rites
-the outside, the attitude, in short-become
pre-eminent.
And the second charge we may succeed
in shifting upon the accommodating shoulders ofour "liberal" friends upon the other
flank, who love broad views and an un
bounded creed.
But when it comes to the third charge,
how many among us would dare to stand
boldly up and plead "Not guilty!"  For
my own part, I can only hope that God will
forgive us for making our religion and his
45 
H-eavenward Bound.
service such a dull, flat, commonplace thing
as we often do.
God has commanded us to love him not
only with all our heart, but with all our
mind; he united the intellectual faculties
with the moral affections, and what God
joined together men are continually putting
asunder. Although there has been a great
change of sentiment on this subject within
a few years, we need vast improvement still.
We are too apt to think that if a hymn, for
instance, is pious, it need not be poetica!;
if a sermon is scriptural, it may be as dull
as the American Annals; if a book is orthodox, it may be wretched in style and
stupid in substance; when the fact is that
hymn and sermon and book, or whatever
else we do or say for God's glory or the
good of men, should receive all the knowledge, the quickness, the wit the talent and
the time that we can give to it. It is not
enough that a thing is good simply in a
pious sense; the better it is in that way, the
46 
Thze Standard of Attainment.
worse the fault in us to let it be deficient in
other ways.
A very successful young minister once
said to me that there had been a strange
omission in his training as a preacher. "In
all the teaching of my theological course,"
he said; "in all the sermons I have listened
to on that subject; in all the advice I have
had from older ministers,-I have received
almost every imaginable counsel: I have
been entreated to be orthodox, to be scriptural, to be simple, to be practical, to be
personal; but nobody ever enjoined it upon
me to be interesting-and what good can
all the rest do without it? If you cannot
interest your hearers, your words fall to the
ground." He had learned the secret, however, as almost every preacher or teacher
does learn it whose heart is bent on doing
good to the utmost of his power.
God certainly helps those who look to
him not only to be good, but to be wise, to
attract others, to draw hearts and win souls;
47 
Heavenward Bound.
and I believe it lies within our power not
only to preach better sermons and write
better books, but also to infiuse far greater
vitality, warmth and interest into the simple
daily life of the soul. We are told not to
despise the day of small things, but we are
nowhere bidden to be satisfed with it; but
rather to press forward, to shine more and
more, to go from strength to strength, and
to be content only when we are perfect as
He is perfect.
If we look at some of the causes which
have tended to lower the standard of Christian life among us, it may help us the better
to apply the remedies. In our own country
we see very plainly that a species of religious insubordination, if it may be so
called, has arisen as a direct reaction from
the extreme rigor that was exercised in such
matters a century or more ago.
One extreme invariably produces another.
The exiles who sought in the wilderness of
America to secure for themselves and their
48 
The Standard of Attainment.
children a home, where they might establish
a "Church without a bishop and a State
without a king," were themselves in a state
of reaction from the reckless, godless license
of that Church and State from which they
were escaping.
The rebound from lawlessness was into
too much law. The recoil from unprincipled levity was into a rigid austerity; and
men noble, pure and sincere beyond reproach, were led by the overstrained condition of heart and brain into an unwise
severity of dress, speech and manner-into
harshness of private discipline and public
government.
We smile now at the angularity of some
of their rules of action and at the laws
framed in those days, yet we ourselves may
learn a lesson from them-a lesson that the
world has been long in acquiring-namely,
that consciences must be g-uided, not forced;
lcd, and not driven. There are cases where
we are compelled to make such rules,
4
49 
Harenwae rcwd Bomencd.
because children and inferiors has e not
enough judgment or experience to enable
them to live without them; but in all instances the sooner true principles of right
and wrong can be instilled into their hearts,
and a consciousness of individual responsibility to God established, the sooner rules
may be discarded and the happier and better
for all concerned.
Pri'icit3es  are like the ever-ascending
sap in a young tree-an incessantly active,
vital power that penetrates to every tiny leaf
and twig and urges it to healthy growth.
Rules are like the firm-set stake to which
we tie the sapling to keep it upright in its
tender years. If we imagine a rather independent young tree, quite disdaining its
external prop, feeling that the time has come
when it can stand alone, and, in its haste to
be free, bending so far away from the
stake as to acquire a decided curve in the
opposite direction, we shall have a figure
of the way in which it seems to me that
5~ 
The Standard of Attainmnent.
some of the rigidity and sternness of our
forefathers are showing their reactive effects
in the easy, liberal, too careless views of
many Christians of the present day.
There is another reason spoken of by Dr.
Goulburn in his excellent  "Thoughts" on
this subject, which applies to the standard
of religion in all Christian countries.*
" Is it not the case," he says, "that there
is a singular analogy between the present
state of knowledge and of piety; that in
this age literature and religion fare much
alike? In what were called the Dark Ages,
literature was the monopoly of the few;
gross ignorance was the condition of the
many. It is not so any longer. Every one
knows a little; few know much. Is it not
the same with piety? The great saints of
* "Thoughts on Personal Religion," by E. M. Goulburn, D.D. The writer of this admirable book, being a
clergyman of the Church of England, has some views incident to his position (especially as regards Communion and
Confirmation) which, of course, are not in unison with our
own; otherwise his teachings are most excellent.
5I 
]Heaveznward Bound.
primitive times stand out like stars in the
firmament of the Church, all the brighter
for the darkness of heathenism or of superstition which surrounds them. But the tendency of modern times has been to diffuse
among many the piety which was once concentrated in the few. The public are religious as a public; but in individuals the
salt has lost its savor. Everybody can
speak volubly upon controversial subjects;
but where are the men upon whose hearts
the truth, which is at stake in controversies,
is making every day by means of prayer
and meditation a deeper imprint?
"Is there any flaw in our ministry which
may in some measure account for the low
standard of personal religion on which we
have been commenting? We fear there is.
We believe that the Christian ministry having, by God's design and constitution, two
arms wherewith to do its work, one of these
arms has become paralyzed by inactivity.
We believe that its office being twofold-to
52 
The Standard of Attainment.
rouse consciences and to guide them-we
have for a long time past contented ourselves with rousing, while we have done
scarcely anything to guide them. The impression has been that people know everything about Christian duty, and have no
need to be enlightened on that head. And
if by Christian duty be meant simply the
moral law of God in its outward literal
aspect, perhaps the impression is more or
less correct, at least as regards the educated
classes. But if by Christian duty be meant
sanctity of life and character and a growing
conformity to the image of the Lord Jesus,
we must be pardoned for expressing our
conviction that our best and most respectable congregations have very little insight
into the thing itself, and still less into the
method of its attainment."
Dr. Goulburn's remarks recall the words
of a very excellent minister on the subject
of admitting young persons into the Church.
"We  cannot let them enter too early," he
53 
IJeavenward Bound.
said, "if we only continue to guide and
teach them; but the trouble is, we gather
our lambs into the fold and then starve
them. The good Shepherd, who called
himself also the door of the sheep, said
that all who entered in by him should be
saved, and should go in and out and fnd
ptasture. But our poor lambs we leave to
themselves, to feed or famish as they may.
Let us feed the lambs, nourish them, sustain them, lead them, and then it matters
not how young or ignorant they may be at
first."
There is another cause still to be found
for the low standard of personal religion in
the facility of the Christian life in our days,
its smoothness and lack of self-denial.
The way is wide open, persecution has
ceased, restrictions are removed and the
world respects rather than despises a consistently religious man. Wisdom's ways are
ways of pleasantness and all her paths are
peace. HIer warfare is within and not with
54 
Tle Stazndard of Attaiznment.
out, for her external foes are vanquished or
changed to friends.
But it pleases me to think that, if necessity
should arise, men would suffer and die for
the name of Christ as unflinchingly now as
in the days of the martyrs. When our civil
war broke out a few years ago, taking us
unawares, in the midst of peace, we were a
quiet, busy people, given to trade, manufactures, arts and professions-as unwarlike,
apparently as unfit for martial conflict, as a
people could possibly be. But as soon as
there became a necessity for action, for selfsacrifice and endurance of hardship, thousands of hearts awoke and responded to the
call. The love of country and fealty to its
laws kindled and burned at the first breath
of insult; and our home-bred, soft-looking,
easy-going civilians proved themselves capable of the patience, courage and firmness
of veterans. Hardships, sickness, wounds
and death they met without a murmur.
The more immense the demand upon them,
55 
Heavenward'ounid.
the more heroic and unflinching they became.
I believe it is the same thing with many
Christians of the present day; they appear
indifferent, apathetic and slothful, because
there is no external opposition to rouse themn
into action; but if such a shock should ever
come, they would prove themselves true
soldiers of the cross. But, after all, what
a strange apology is this to make for lukewarmness and inactivity!  It is the same as
saying that because God has made the way
easy, we will love him less; because he has
removed barriers, we will serve him slothfully; because his mercy has been so great,
our devotion shall be diminished. Shall we
thus actually tempt God to chasten us by
our lethargy in time of prosperity? Rather
let us endeavor to reach the highest standard
of Christian holiness that God has set before
us, and thank him daily that the path has
been made so plain and so peaceful.
It is of vital importance to us to deter
56 
The Standard of A4/ainment.
mine what that standard is toward which
we are to climb. The Scriptures present to
us many examples of goodness worthy of
imitation: Moses was meek; Job was patient; Solomon was wise; David was prayerful; Peter was zealous; John was loving.
No better human models can probably be
found, and yet, alas! the very virtue for
which each was pre-eminently renowned
failed to maintain itself consistently in times
of trial. Moses beat the rock with his rod,
brokle  the tables  of stone and slew an
Egyptian in anger. Job was long-enduring, but under severe and repeated trial his
patience failed, and he cursed the day he
was born.  Solomon was wise, but what a
pitiful lack of understanding he displayed
in cleaving to the strange wives and strange
gods that beguiled him from the truth!
David prayed with true fervor, but that he did
not always watch as well as pray is evident
from his life. Peter's zeal was warm and
sincere, yet he denied the very Master he
57 
Heavenward Bound.
loved so deeply. John was gentle, tender
and loving, but, had not Jesus forbidden
him, he would have commanded fire from
heaven to destroy the Samaritan village that
would not receive the Saviour.
Among men there is none righteous-no,
not one. If there had been-if but one individual of our race could have fulfilled the
law and satisfied the requirements of Godwe should never have needed the vast sacrifice of the Son of God, who was offered
to bear the sins of many and to fulfill all
righteousness for us. There is no earthly
model for us to imitate-no perfect example
anywhere among the sons of men: he alone
who bore pre-eminently the title of the Son
of man, as well as that of the Son of God,
can serve as our standard of true holiness.
No matter how far above us he may
stand, we need not be discouraged by that,
for he himself has promised to aid us.
What succor, what refuge, could we find,
were our Rock not higher than we? We
58 
The Standard of Attainment.
can be like him in character, if not truly to
the same degree; the same mind may be in
us that is in him, though ours be feeble with
mortal littleness, while his is great and bright
with divine glory. A low aim gives but lowxv
results; let us therefore aspire to the highest
and best; let the Christian watchword be
Excelsior! climbing higher and higher,
reaching upward and onward, leaving earthly things behind, and seeing for the pattern
of our daily life no man, but Jesus only.
His mortal life spreads itself out before us
as the one faultless, heaven-imprinted life
on earth. His early days were full of obedience and gentleness, submission to the
authority of home, a daily increase in wisdom and such lovely graces of mind and
heart as won the favor of God and man.
His maturity possessed an infinite patience,
unfailing tenderness for the sick and sad,
pity and beseeching words for the erring,
free forgiveness for bitter enemies, ceaseless
charity, loving deeds, vast self-denial, per
59 
]Heavenward Bound.
fect beneficence, fervent prayer and radiant
peace. But how can we speak of the character of Jesus in a sentence, in a chapter,
or in a volume even?* Let us daily seek
the record of his words and deeds in the
Scriptures he has given us; and praying for
full comprehension of their wondrous grace
and fullness, by the help of the Spirit draw
nearer and nearer to him, our perfect Example, knowing that if here on earth we can
never reach the height for which we strive,
he will at last lift us up unto himself, and we
shall "be satisfied when we awake in his
likeness."
* The beautiful chapter on this subject in Dr. Bushnell's
"Nature and the Supernatural," is now published in a small
volume by itself, called "The Character of Jesus."
6o 
04istiaA Ifift-5piritua  an~ vrattial.
61 
*'"If ye love me, keep my commandments."-JOHN xiv. 15.
62 
I ----!
CHAPTER IV.
C/zristian zLe —Spiritual and Practical.
HE fully-developed life of a Christian
is a twofold existence, whose diverse
aspects are indicated in the words of our
Saviour used above. There must be the
emotions of the heart, beating with love to
God, and the external action required in the
keeping of his commandments. One is
the inner, the other the outer life; one is the
spiritual, the other the practical existence;
one has its exponent in faith, the other in
works; but however satisfactorily we may
be able to divide the two in discussion, in
reality they should always be united.
The receptive and meditative faculties are
most used in all that pertains to the inner
life, while that which concerns the outer
63
4 
_Heavenward Bounzd.
employs the active and energetic qualities
of the mind. The soul must first receive
before it can give forth again; and in proportion as the spiritual life is deep, holy and
fervent, the practical life will be faithful,
fruitful and Christ-like.
There are, without doubt, some exceptions to this rule, as in the case of timid
persons, whose faith is sincere, but weak,
and who shrink from all outward assertion
of allegiance to their Master; or, in that of
less worthy individuals, whose love of activity, natural benevolence or desire to produce an impression of some kind induces
them to engage in works of beneficence,
without a trace of pure and holy prompting
in the heart.  Still, in the vast majority of
cases the beauty and usefulness of the outer
life maintain a direct relation to the progress
of the life within. That soul which opens
itself most willingly to God's teachings,
which draws the closest to him and receives
of his abundance, will surely give forth
64 
ClIristian z Lie-Siritual and Praclical.  65
again its gifts in a lovely, faithful daily life
and conversation.
Faith and works can never be disunited;
they are like the figure eight, which, severed
through the centre, makes only two worthless naughts, quite valueless by themselves.
Faith without works is but a feeling, not a
faith;  and  works  without faith are only
husks without the kernel, leaves without
fruit. Abraham was faithful; he believed
God, and it waas imputed unto him for rightcousness, but it wvas that true and living faith
that proves itself by works. If he had said
quite zealously, " Lord, I believe, but I
cannot quite make up my mind to leave my
own land and kindred; I believe, but it
seenms a little too hard to follow your call, I
know  not where;  I believe, but I would
rather keep Isaac,"-would this belief have
been accounted to him for righteousness,
and would he havlie won the honored name
of "Faithful Abraham?"  No;  his works
followved immediately upon his faith; they
5 
6leavenward Botund.
sprang with it, rather, from a heart consecrated to God.
In a number of cases Christ commended
the faith of different persons who came to
him for help, but when we examine them,
we find in every instance, without exception,
that the faith was accompanied with works;
earnest efbfort, importunate pleading or offerings of devotion. The centurion, whose
servant was sick, came out to meet Jesus
beyond the city as he was approaching,
and besought him to speak the word only,
without coming under his unworthy roof.
Blind Bartimeus cried after him for mercy,
and when many bade him hold his peace,
he called out the more vehemently, "Jesus,
thou son of David, have mercy on me!"
The  woman who  was a sinner followed
him into Simon's house, a most unwelcome
guest, stood by him as he sat at meat reclining in Eastern fashion, and bathed his
feet with her tears, wiped them with her
long hair and anointed them with costly
66 
Christlian Life- Spirilual and Praclical. 67
ointment. The woman of Canaan followed
him long, despite every obstacle; Jesus
would not notice her, the disciples wanted
to send her away, and when, at last, the
Saviour spoke, it was to discourage her.
Still she followed him, pleaded with him
and worshiped him, till, at last, she received the boon she wanted and the blessed
commendation, "0 woman, great is thy
faith"
There are some verses in the second
chapter of the Epistle of James which combine, perhaps better than any others in the
Bible, the full relation between faith and
works, and condense whole treatises into a
few sentences: "What doth it profit, my
brethren, though a man say he have faith,
and have not works? Thou believest that
there is one God; thou doest well; the
devils also believe and tremble. But wilt
thou know, 0 vain man, that faith without
works is dead? Was not Abraham, our
father, justified by works when he had of 
Iecavcz,ward Poulz(l.
fered Isaac, his son, upon the altar? Seest
thou how faith wrought with his works, and
by works was faith made perfect?  Ye see,
then, how that by works a man is justified,
and not by faith only; for as the body without breath is dead, so faith without works is
dead also."
Putting beside this the declaration of St.
Paul to the Ephesians, that by grace we
are C' saved thlrough faith, not of works,
lest any man should boast," we come necessarily to the conclusion that in God's sight
neither  is  complete  without  the  other.
Through the grace of God sinful men are
provided  with  an  all-suflicient  Saviour;
throtugh faith they accept him for their own,
and rest in his salvation;  through works
they prove the soundness and vitality of
their faith, and honor him they call Master.
What link can we spare from this very
short, but strong, chain that binds us to
Christ and his service?
Faith, without works, is indeed dead, the
68 
C/hristian Lzife-Spirfiual and Practical. 69
Apostle James says, and works without faith
are but a ghastly semblance of life. They
are like the mechanical action of an automaton, or the galvanic movements of a dead
body, simulating the motions of vitality, but
impelled solely by external force and not by
the promptings of the burning, breathing,
informing spirit.
Mr. Spencer has used a forcible illustrationl in speaking of the relation which faith
holds to the other Christian graces.  "The
root of a tree," he says, "is a ragged and
jagged thing in shape, no proportion, no
comeliness in it, and therefore keeps itself
in the earth, as unwilling to be seen; yet all
the beauty that is in the tree, the straightness of the bulk and body, the spreading
fairness of the branches, the glory of the
leaves and flowers, the commodity of the
fruits, proceed from the root; by that the
whole subsisteth. So faith may seem but a
sorry grace, a virtue of no regard. Devotion
is acceptable, for it honors God; charity is 
]-['zvenwzard B'ouizd.
noble, for it does good to man; holiness is
the image of heaven, therefore beauteous;
thankfulness is the tune of angels, therefore
melodious. But what is faith good for?
Yes, it is good for every good purpose, the
foundation and root of all graces. All the
prayers made by devotion, all the good
works done by charity, all the actual expressions of holiness, all the praises sounded
forth by thankfulness, come from the root
of faith, that is the life of them all. Faith
doth animate works, as the body lives by
the soul. Doubtless, faith hath saved some
without works, but it was never read that
works saved any without faith."
For the sake of simplicity, we have hitherto taken "faith" to stand for all the inner
experiences of the Christian life, and
"works" to represent its varied external
manifestations.  In  pursuing  the  subject
further, we must necessarily examine these
two phases of religious life more in detail,
and for that purpose must divide them, as
70 
CIhristian fLiCe-Spirituaczl an( Practical. 7t
they never should be divided in a true
Christian experience, and consider them
quite separately.
As the outer life depends upon the inner,
lives by it, grows in proportion to its growth
and decays with its decay, we will speak
first of the things which belong to the spiritual life, its nourishment, its development,
and subsequently of its final expression in
those external acts which belong to the
Christian's practical life. 
I 
siftl  i:  V' -~rO)f~t.7' 
" O Lord  God of Israel, there is nzo God like thee ilz the
heazen nor in Ile eal-k z,' azhich keepest coveant az   nd shewcst
mier-c unzto tlzy servants, that walk before thee witl  all their
hearts; thenz what  Ira)yer or zvhat sizplicanoiz soever shall
be miao(e of an;y mant or of all tIy peojple Israel-hear tIoto
f3om  hezavenz, thy dwellin-pblazce, anzd forgive, anzd render
unto evei, man acco(dingi I to alltis ways, for thtou only knowest
the hearts of tIe children of ment."-2 CIIRON. vi. 14, 29, 30.
T4 
CHAPTER V.
S'iriltual Life: Prayer Offered.
HERE are many words and phrases
belonging to religious things, which
have become so current among us, such frequent, every-day utterances, that our accustomed ears hear them almost mechanically,
and their sound rarely rouses us to a consideration of the full meaning conveyed by
them.
Of all such, the word prayer is one of the
most remarkable, both for the frequency
with which it is used and for the wonderful
power, beauty and mystery which are comprehended in it, for it has been well said
that "prayer moves the Arm that moves the
world."
In considering its triie nature, we choose
76
Lo l 
7Heavecniwar( Btouiid.
from its many aspects and phases three
dominant ones, Awhichl may be made to comprehend all, or nearly all, the others.
First, prayer as an act of homage, adoration and worship toward the almighty Maker
of heaven and earth, the Creator, Preserver
and Ruler of all. Seconzdly, prayer as a
means of making known our wants and
supplying our necessities, comprising all
petitions for body and soul, confessions of
sin and thanlksgiving for blessings received.
Thzirdly, prayer as a medium of communion
between the trusting, loving soul and the still
more loving(r Saviour-a method of interclange, as it were, of deep, heartfelt devotion on the one side, anrd deeper peace and
rest on the other.
True reverence and homage God has a
right to demand from every creature upon
earth.   However  proud, however  great,
however careless of their souls' eternal welfare, they may be, they owe allegiance to
the great Author of all, as to the King who
76 
S,i;-itual  ift?: Pircir- Offeed.    77
reigns, the Judge who arbitrates, the vast
Power whose matchless intelligence controls, pervades, impels and perfects all.
Natural religion, aside from all that is revealed, proclaims such wonders, from the
vast systems of worlds maintained in absolute order and motion through the whole
creation, down to the indescribably minute
and perfect life revealed by the microscope, that it compels the deepest wonder,
reverence and praise from every rational
mind for the great Head and Source of
all.
But in coming to God  with our petitions,
we need  not so much  to remember  the
grander attributes of his omnipotence as the
more tender qualities of his fatherhood-his
loving-kindness, his gentleness, his willing,ness to pardon, his readiness to use the vast
resources of his eternal nature to help and
bless and save his children.
"Iis love is as large as his power,
And(l neither lknows measure nor en(d." 
Heavenwvard Bound.
And both are for us, strange as it may
seem. Human assertions could never make
us believe it; the fact is so wonderful, so
vast, our finite minds can scarcely grasp it;
but we have God's own word for it, and so
we must take it simply and fully, with
grateful hearts, believing, as he says, that
the feeblest prayer, the faintest, poorest
cry for help, come up before the throne
of his Majesty on high, and are heard and
answered.
The third aspect of prayer which we have
mentioned is perhaps the highest and holiest of all. It is not an act of homage, it is
not an appeal for help. It is more a yearning for the presence of God, a happy hlungering and thirsting of the soul after righteousness-happy because it knows it shall
be filled; it is an opening of the whole
heart to its Saviour in deep self-consecration,
iii absolute trust, in blessed consciousness
of his unchanging  love.  It is an intense
but peaceful longing to be like the beloved
78 
Spiritual Life: Prayer Offered.   79
Redeemer, to be with him, to abide in him,
to be one with him. Most often it may be
an inarticulate, wordless prayer, for with the
heavenly Friend, as with an earthly, silence
is often as sweet as converse; but the soul
gives itself up to God's will, and is borne
along on eagle's wings; it stays itself on
Christ, and is kept in perfect peace.
A pagan, a worldling, or even a deist,
may honor God as the Maker of the world,
compelled by the wonder of his works in
nature to reverence him as a higher Power.
But his children approach him as a loving
Father, and confidently ask for those things
which he delights to bestow. And those
who have experienced his deeper providences, and have received a further teaching
of the Holy Spirit, have been brought to
feel their own utter nothingness and the
grace and fullness of Christ to such a degree
as words can scarcely tell of. They have
been shown the wonderful love which envelops them, leads them, succors them, 
lIeavenwzard'ozn$d.
gladdens them; which never leaves them
nor forsakes them; which was set apart for
them before the creation of the world, and
is theirs for time and eternity. Then their
highest joy on earth is to open their willing
souls to the sunshine of that love and bask
in it and be glad, as a little child in its
mother's smiles.
IFhcn  shall  we  pray?   David  says,
"Evening, morning and at noon will I
pray." Daniel went to his chamber and
"kneeled upon his knees three times a day,
and prayed anrid gave thanks to God."
Whatever times we fix upon for our private
devotions, and though they may vary in
some cases through force of outer circumstances, the period most naturally accorded
to such exercises will be morning and evening; whatever times we fix upon should be
regular and stated times, as near the same
hour every day and as nearly in the same
place as possible. As regards our physical
nature, we know that the food we eat daily,
So 
S1iriutal Life: Prayer Offered.    8i
taken at certain regular hours, nourishes
and sustains the body, while it becomes a
bane almost more than a benefit, if eaten at
odd times, with no regard to punctuality;
the body not only misses its stated supply,
but suffers from the irregular demands made
upon it, and so derives comparatively little
good firom even wholesome food.
In spiritual matters it is very much the
same. Irregular, almost haphazard prayer,
offered one day at one time and another at
another, can do little for us, compared with
the good which follows the faithful use of a
stated hour. We learn to put other things
aside at that time, and those about us soon
understand that they must leave us to ourselves; the same hour and the same place
become associated in our minds with thoughts
that are not of the world, and so help to
bring us into a quiet frame.
But the prayer which is easily deferred
for one thing or another-the prayer which
waits for a leisure hour or a chance minute
6 
Heavenward Bound.
often waits all day and has lost the dew of
the morning at last. Tile manna God gives
us is both like and unlike that of the Israelites; like it, because we cannot accumulate
it, but must gather it fresh day by day; unlike it and better, because theirs, "angels'
food" though it was, lay scattered upon the
ground and we gather ours directly out of
God's own hand.
But shall we limit our prayers to one,
two or three stated times a day? By so
doing we shall often cut off our supplies
when most needed. Ejaculatory prayer is
as natural and involuntary to the child
of God as the drawing of the breath.
Sudden temptations take us, disappointment meets us, unkindness pains us, weariness overcomes us, and almost unconsciously our cry goes up to heaven for the
escape, the solace, the repose that God
stands ever ready to give. The more we
accustom ourselves to the use of ejaculatory
prayer the more help, strength and happi
82 
Sihirilual Life: Prayer Offered.    83
ness shall we receive. To compare great
things with small, it sometimes seems to me
that our regular prayers are like the long
letters we send to absent friends-minute,
full and complete as epistles-while these
little thoughts that fly to heaven and back
with such rapidity are like the brief telegraphic messages we send them to ask a
single question or state a single fact.
We must not, then, lose the great privilege which has been bestowed upon us, but
avail ourselves of it, and in the words of the
little mission-school card, "When tempted,
when troubled, when sick, when afflicted,
when oppressed, when forsaken, look to
Jesus."   But to me  that little card has
never been quite satisfactory. I should like
to add to it, "When happy, when peaceful,
when prosperous, when blessed, look up in
joyous thanksgiving to Him who has given
all."
How shall we pray? Not with highsounding phrases and many words, which 
]Hcvcnzward Bound.
our Saviour calls "vain repetitions."  "God
is in heaven and thou on earth, therefore let
thy words be few." Our reverence for God
will naturally exclude careless and undignifled expressions from our prayers, but let
us be sure that it is the heart alone that God
looks at. Beautifully written prayers undoubtedly please the writer and perhaps
edify those who read them; and eloquent
petitions, well delivered, probably satisfy the
declaimer and suit the ears of the hearer;
but the lisp of a trusting child or the heavenward sigh of an oppressed slave is as truly
a prayer to God and more sure of an answer, for there is nothing in it but heartfelt
need.
Let us remember and obey the Saviour's
injunction to enter into our closets and shut
our doors, for I am persuaded that much of
the benefit of prayer is lost by trying to
pray in the presence of others, or under any
distracting circumstances, or in places where
we are stibject to interruption.  Let there
84 
Shiriual ZLife: Prayer Offered.
be some place, however small, where we
can literally enter in and shut the door, beseeching God to enable us in shutting that
to shut out the world also with it.
Let us recollect to whom we pray; his
holiness, his power, his tenderness, his willingness to hear, his invitations to us to
speak. Let us recall our own weakness
and dependence, the wants of our bodies,
the greater reed of divine things for our
souls; and then, with the implicrt love and
faith of little children, let us speak to him
the very thoughts of our hearts.
For what shall we pray? Literally and
definitely, for everything we want. Whatever we desire or need for ourselves, for
our friends in the church or the world or
the family, things material, things social,
things spiritual, for the present or the future, for time or for eternity, let us ask for
them in faith. As there is nothing so high
or good that we may not ask for it, so there
is nothing so lowly or small that God will
85 
H eavenward( Bound.
despise it. Let us make known to him, our
loving Father, all our wants. God has in
no wise limited our petitions or his answers;
it is we ourselves who limit them by waver
ing and want of belief.
"Thou art coming to a King;
Large petitions with thee bring,
For his grace and power are such
Thou canst never ask too much."
86 
11
00
,a
m
K
4 — 
"Receive, ISray Ilee, the lazz vf-om his mzouztz, aizd lay it
his wzords it thine heart.   or there shall thou have thy deli-hlt in the At hzighy, and shal t Zl it lhy face unto God;
there shalt thou make thzy praj,er untzo hint, and he shall hear
thee."-JOB xxii. 22, 26, 27.
88 
CHAPTER VI.
Siritzual Life: Priayer Answered.
T has already been asserted, regarding
the things for which we shall pray, that
we may ask, literally and confidently, for
just what we want. God's covenant with
those who pray in faith extends over the
whole range of possibilities, as regards human wants and desires. It promises abundant food for the support of life.  "Behold
the fowls of the air, they sow not, neither
do they reap, yet your heavenly Father
feedeth them. Are ye not much better than
they?" It promises appropriate raiment for
the body.  "Consider the lilies, how they
grow. They toil not, they spin not, yet
Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these. If, then, God so clothe
89 
tHeavenward Bound.
the gi ass, how much more will he clothe
you." It promises the healing of diseases,*
protection from pestilence,t strength to meet
every demand,: wisdom for each event of
life,~ escape from every temptation,! comfort for every sorrow,~f peace in the shadow
of death,** and a glad welcome at the gates
of heaven. t t All these are included in
God's covenant with us, and if at any time
the promise fails of fulfillment, we may be
sure that it is because some of the conditions
which belong to our share of the covenant
are not performed.
The first requisite for success in prayer is
faith.  " Whatsoever ye ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." "But ask in
faith, nothing wavering," and the answer
will assuredly come. Sometimes, undoubtedly, it is long deferred, but we must remember that God in his great plans for us
* James v. 15.       t PS. xci. 5, 6.      $ Deut. xxxiii. 25.
James i. 6.  1I i Cor. x. 13.       2 Cor. i. 4; Isa. lxvi. 13.
** Ps. xxiii. 4.                        t  Matt. xxv. 34.
90 
Siiriziual Life: Prayer Answered.  91
and ours is not bounded by the feeble scope
of a human mind. He sees beyond and
above our farthest power of vision. He
leads us in that way which will bring us
most surely to a happy end and will produce
in us the highest development of our moral
nature. In material things we can often
understand that God may withhold certain
gifts from us lest they should prevent a
spiritual blessing, which is just so much
more important to us as the soul is greater
than the body. Thus, we often pray for
humility of mind, for forgetfulness of self,
for more entire consecration to God, and in
the same petition ask for certain earthly
blessings which, if granted, might make us
proud, selfish and worldly.
If God, then, loving his children and desiring their highest good, grants their better
prayer, and by so doing is forced to deny
their poorer one, shall we call him unfaithful? No; rather let us bless him for withholding evil from us and rest upon him with 
Heacven-lat,d.ozllzd.
the heartfelt confidence that he not only
hears, but also grants every faithful prayer
that does not interfere with our true heavenward progress.
In spiritual things we are less able to understand God's long delays. Perhaps we
are praying, year after year, for the conversion of a dear friend, and yet the answer
is withheld till our hearts sink withlin us
with anxiety and fear.  But such prayers,
we may implicitly believe, are never lost.
God's time is not always our time; sometimes when we are ready "Jesus' hour is
not yet come;" and while we are wondering
at the long delay his plans are ripening
hour by hour.  Perhaps he is moulding the
beloved soul we pray for into a more excellent frame for its true conversion to him at
last, and is developing in us those graces of
faith, perseverance and  sole dependence
on him which he delights to see in his
children.
"The effectual, fervent prayer of a right
92 
Slirilual Life: Prayer Answered.  93
eous man availeth much," but how much,
eternity only can unfold, and it is not essential for us to know. God's command is,
that we shall pray in earnest, child-like
faith; his promise is, that he will hear and
answer.
But let us watch with ceaseless vigilance
against careless, heartless or formal praying.
It is only a mockery to the most high God,
and an idle repetition of words as concerns
ourselves. Again and again we must say,
as did the early disciples, " Lord, teach us
to pray," and with the words of our souls,
not the words of our lips, we must speak,
for only that which comes out of our hearts
can find its way into the great heart of the
loving Father and turn it toward us.
Dr. Thomas Fuller, one of the wittiest
and quaintest of old divines, has left a little
meditation upon careless prayer, and the way
in which such a habit increases upon us
when once indulged, which is so widely applicable in the matter of its teaching and so 
leavenward Bound.
clever in the style of its setting-forth that I
quote it without alteration.
*" Pope Boniface the ninth, at the end of
each hundred years, appointed a jubilee at
Rome wherein people, bringing themselves
and money thither, had pardon for their
sins.
"But centenary years returned but seldom; popes were old before and covetous
when they came to their place. Few had
the happiness to fill their coffers with jubilee
coin. Hereupon Clement the Sixth reduced
it to every three and thirtieth, Paul the
Second and Sixtus the Fourth to every
twenty-fifth year.
"Yea,  an agitation is reported in the
conclave to bring down jubilees to fifteen,
twelve or ten years, had not some cardinals
(whose policy was above their covetousness)
opposed it.
"I serve my prayers as they their jubilees. Perchance they may extend to a
* Fuller's "Good Thoughts in Bad Times."
94 
Shiritual Life: Prayer Answered. 95
quarter of an hour, when poured out at
large. But some days I grudge this time
as too much, and omit the preface of my
prayer with some passages conceived less
material, and run two or three petitions into
one, so concentrating them to half a quarter
of an hour.
"Not long after, this seems also too long.
I decontract and abridge the abridgment
of my prayers; yea (be it confessed to my
shame and sorrow, that hereafter I may
amend it), too often I shrink my prayers to
a minute-to a moment-to a Lord have
mercy upon me!"
There are many of us, I am afraid, who
must plead guilty to an occasional haste and
carelessness, almost if not quite as great as
this; but surely there are none of us so irrational or presuming as to suppose that
such praying deserves or receives an answer. The promise, as we have already
said, is made to the faithful, fervent out 
9Ieavenward Bound.
pouring of the heart, and to all such petitions the response is sure and unfailing.
In fact, the actual answer to prayer is
often so immediate and so minute that it is
almost startling to the petitioner. Such instances are so frequent that it would take
volumes upon volumes to contain them. In
Muller's "Life of Faith" we have the history of a whole institution supported and
carried on, day by day, throughl the earnest
prayers of faithful men and God's immediate
answers to them; and the experience of
every Christian supplies more or less evidence of his wonderful replies to special
petitions.
De Liefde's beautiful story of little Dirk,
the widow's sonl, who  prayed  that God
would send the ravens to them with bread,
as he had once sent it to Elijah, and of the
answer he received, is not more beautiful
nor striking than thousands of similar events
taking place about us every day.  The narrIlti\ve has often been repeated, and yet can
96 
Spiritual Life: PIrayr Answered.   97
never be recalled too often, of the poor old
colored woman, sick and crippled, who
could do little but suffer and pray. She selected one after another among her acquaintances, rich or poor, young or old, white or
black, and prayed for them day by day, till
God changed their hearts; finally twenty
persons, the subjects of her fervent petitions
for years, had been thus brought into the
kingdom of God.
The evidences that come within our own
experience, however, or that of our friends,
seem more conclusive than the accounts of
that which has happened to others-more
satisfactory, nearer home, closer to our own
hearts; and whenrl we know a thing to be
true, its teachings are far more forcible than
w-hen wNe only suppose it to be so.
A lady of great piety and almost saintly
life lost a precious and only son during the
war. He entered the army very young,
and, although he was religious in principle,
dutiful, faithful and lovely in chlaracter, he
7 
Heavenward BPound.
was not professedly a Christian. The latest
letters received from him, before his death,
however, breathed so truly the spirit of a
child of God that she had full reason to believe that her Saviour was also the Saviour
of her son. Under circumstances that made
his death doubly distressing she was upheld
most wonderfully; her mind was stayed on
God, and he kept her in perfect peace.
After a while her health failed; her husband was away from home, and in her loneliness and sickness a terrible anxiety took
possession of her with regard to the safety
of her son's soul. For several days it beset
her with agonizing force, till, at last, one
dreary night it seemed almost to overwhelm
her. She knelt and prayed with intense
supplication that God would send peace to
her heart in some way, in any way, and
give her rest in thinking of her darling, so
that she might lay aside this sickening terror. Then she lay down to sleep, but it
seemed as if she had scarcely closed her
98 
Slpirilual LZft: Prayer Ans-wered.  99
eyes, when, upon suddenly opening them
again, she saw her son standing by her bedside. He was dressed in his bright uniform,
as when she saw him last, and was looking
down at her with his old pleasant smile and
a face beaming with love, and yet full cf
peace.
"Oh, Charley!" she exclaimed, "is this
you?"
"Yes  dear mother," he answered very
gently; " I have been permitted to come to
you for your comfort, to show you how well
all things are with me."
" And won't you stay a little while?" she
said; "I have so much to say to you."
" No, dear mother," he replied, even
more tenderly than before; "I am under
orders and may not delay. I have fulfilled
my charge and I must go."
In an instant she awoke, so filled with
joy and gratitude that she arose and kneeled
again in thankful prayer.
"What if it was but a moment's dream?"
. 
tleaveznward Bound.
she said afterward; "God knows it was just
what I needed, for my heart seemed breaking. From that day to this I have never
had a doubt of my child's safety, nor should
have had then, probably, had I not been
sick and desolate, and unable to use my
faith or reason.  For that very cause my
heavenly Father sent me a' vision of peace'
to soothe my sick heart; he gave me an immediate and satisfying answer to an agonized
and almost despairing prayer."
But it is not solely in the answers to great
and sorrow-laden prayers that God's faithfulness in responding fills the heart with
surprise and gratitude.  His goodness in
hearing our less-important petitions is almost
more striking; and in the incident that follows, though we may smile at the facts set
forth, we cannot but thank our heavenly
Father for taking such pains to teach a
humble child:
A few years ago a friend had in her Sunday-school class a brig(ht, affectionate boy
! —.':,:-::!.
IO0 
Sj5iritual Life: Prayer Answered. IoI
whose early life had been entirely without
religious influence. All such subjects were
new to him; they seemed to open another
world to his eyes, and his interest in them
was very deep. He often came to see her
on a week-day that they might be able to
talk more freely and unreservedly than in
the class. One afternoon they had been
talking of prayer and God's sure answers to
it, and she had been trying to inspire him
with the same firm belief which she felt
herself. But he was rather puzzlerJ with it;
it seemed to him too much to believe that the
great God in heaven should trouble himself
to hear and answer our little, insignificant
prayers. Our great petitions, he thought,
might claim more notice, but the Little ones
he "wouldn't bother about."
"But he has promised," she urged; "try
it for yourself and see."
"I will," he answered with a bright look
in his eyes; "I will try him and see."
"You would not, of course, mock God 
]ieavenwzvard Bouzd.
with foolish prayers," she said; "that would
not be right."
"But, teacher," he rejoined, "you say he
likes to give us all the little things we
want."
"I fully believe he does," she replied,
"and that he gives them always unless it is
against our truest good to do so."
"I'll try him," he said; but there was
something about his look that puzzled and
troubled her, and after he was gone she
questioned with herself whether she had
done wisely. But while earthly wisdom
often fails God's wisdom never does.
A few days after came her boy again with
a face as bright as the sun. He held something in his hands behind his back, and
when she asked him what it was he replied,
softly, "It is an answer to prayer."  There
never was a face that looked at the same
time so perfectly radiant, so happy and yet
so solemn. She almost trembled for a moment lest her teaching had been misunder
IOZ 
Sspiritual Life: Prayer Answcred. 103
stood or misapplied; then she said, "Tell
me about it."
"Yes, it's an answer to prayer," he repeated, and taking his hands from behind
him he laid in her lap a beautiful dead partridge, flecked and speckled with white and
ashen tints on the soft brown with such
heavenly art as only one hand has skill to
use.
"You see, teacher, you looked so white
and sick the other day when I was here, it
seemed to me a nice broiled quail or partridge would taste nice to you and do you a
lot of good, too; besides that, I wanted the
fun of catching one. So I went home and
prayed to God to send one into my snare.
I could hardly expect it yet, you know, it's
so early; the buckwheat's only just gone
out of the field, and there's lots of wild berries and seeds left yet; but, thinks I, that
don't make much difference if he has a
mind to send it. So I prayed for it, and I
prayed hard, too, for I thought if God 
Jleavenward Bound.
should take the trouble to do this little thing
I'd never mistrust him again. Well, in the
morning when I went to the snare there had
been one in and a fox or something had
eaten it out.  Its little soft feathers were
scattered all about, and the snare and all
were bitten right out.  I felt pretty queer
then, and I had to sit down on a stone under
the cedar tree and think about it. It seemed
like a big lesson. I was almost scared to
think God had sent it there, and yet I felt
awfully to have it gone. It made me think
of what you said the other day of people
who asked for things that did them no good
and got them; you said the verse over twice
about them, how God gave them the desire
of their heart, and sent leanness into their
soul. That was me, exactly. God had
sent me that thing I wanted so much to
show me he could do it, but now it was
gone I felt worse than if it hadn't been there.
So I kneeled down and told him I was sorry
I had made such a foolish prayer, but I
I04 
Spiritzeal Life: P-rayecr Answered. Io05
would stick to what I had said, anyhow, and
never doubt him again; for though I was
silly, I told him he'd taught me a big lessoin;
' for,' said I,' Lord, I do believe there was
a partridge, or else a quail, in that snare;
and, what's more, I do believe you could
send another into it and keep the foxes from
eating it up, too, if you had a mind to.'
But I didn't ask him to. I wouldn't have
asked him again for anything! And when
I got there, this morning, there was this
plump fellow, just dead, warmn yet! This
time I kneeled down and thanked him for
sending such a fat bird for you, all out of
his own goodness, when I didn't deserve it
at all; and I'll never, never doubt him
again!"
And, apparently, he never did. This had
been a test of his own choosing, and the
answer was a divine guarantee of faithfulness
to his boyish mind.
And how can we, how dare we, mistrust
God? We know he has the power to do 
tIeavenward Bound.
what he will, and he tells us he has the will
to use that power for us.  Let us take him
at his word, and rest in him. " I will set
him on high, because he hath known my
name. He shall call upon me, and I will
answer him; I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him. With
long life will I satisfy him, and show him
my salvation."
io6 
Z
(A
-T 
o  
1>
o
PO a
IoN
X lI
I 
CHAPTER VII.
Spiri'ual Life: Bible Study.
HERE is a story in the Arabian Nights
of a mysterious and powerful geni who
by sone magical means was imprisoned in
a tiny vase; as soon as the cover was lifted
he expanded with indescribable rapidity
until he became an immense mass of cloud
which no possible efforts could compress
into the little vase again.
Every one who has ever been compelled
by circumstances to condense a great subject into a small space knows just how difficult a task it must have been to imprison
the  geni in that  little vase.   We  take
a little word, a phrase, a text, for our subject, quite unconscious of all that lies within
it; but suddenly, when we begin to break
the seals and open its depths, it expands into
109
I                   -                     l 
Heavenward Bound.
a great theme which wise men have written
volumes about and not exhausted. Such
topics as we have been considering, and especially that which forms the subject of the
present chapter, are such fruitful themes,
and such important ones, that it is almost
disheartening to try to limit them to such a
tiny space only as can be allowed in a little
volume like this. We must either necessarily leave out a great deal that might well be
said or we must condense matters into a
mere series of statistical utterances.
The Apostle Paul, it seems to me, was
under just such a pressure of much to say
and short time to say it in when he wrote
the twelfth chapter of Romans. There, a
whole Epistle, or rather, series of them, is
condensed into a few verses: "He  that
giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that
ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth
mercy, with cheerfulness; let love be without dissimulation.   Abhor that which  is
evil; cleave to that which is good; not
iio 
Spirilual Life: Bible Sludy.
slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;" and so on through many
verses.
But the Apostle Paul's power of condensation has not extended itself to every one,
neither is it just the style best adapted for
keeping the mind in thoughtful consideration of a single subject; we must therefore
decide to select the principal points which
occur to us in connection with it, while we
leave many others to be thought out by the
reader.
It is our duty and our pleasure to read the
Bible, because it contains the revealed will
of God; because we believe it to have been
written by chosen men, under his direct
guidance, to be the only revelation so made
from God to man, and to contain all knowledge necessary to inform us of the plan of
salvation, the requirements of God and the
obligations of man.
The Scriptures should be read with faithful prayer, for only by the help of God's
I I I 
Heavenward Bound.
Spirit can we hope rightly to understand his
word. The heart of man is full of blindness and prejudice, and, left to itself, may
distort the purest teachings. The Apostle
Peter, even, speaks of the epistles of his
beloved brother Paul as containing things
which are hard to be understood and which
the unlearned and the unstable wrest, as
they do also the other Scriptures, to their
own destruction.
In fact, when we consider the subject
closely, we find there is hardly a schism, a
heresy or a religious extravagance of any
kind, of the many which have grown up
during all the centuries of the Christian era,
which has not had its rise in some Scripture
precept or doctrine separated from its whole
m',aning and thereby losing its proper balance, and thus carried to an unreasonable
extreme.
The Bible is a book of vast resources; its
contents embrace almost every known form
of writing; its histories, biographies, narra
II2 
Ssiritual Life: Bible Study.
tives, poems, prophecies, proverbs; its
travels, its wars, its allegories, its precepts
and its books of laws, aside from its more
absolute spiritual teaching, render it a vast
storehouse of information. Even the infidel
cannot afford to lose the treasures of knowledge it contains, and accepts as truth the
more material part, which he wants to make
use of, while he scoffs at that which condemns his rebellious and unbelieving life.
Satan himself used perverted words of
Scripture for argument in the temptation of
our Saviour, and was foiled by the undistorted truths of the Bible from Christ's own
lips. But, aside from the intentional perversion of Scripture, our own limited capacity and proneness to error render it
necessary that we should have the aid of
God's Spirit in order first to understand and
then practice it rightly. This he gives us
gladly and freely.   "If ye, being evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly
8
113 
Ieavenwzard Bound.
Father give the Iloly Spirit to them that ask
him?"
There is a great deal of help which we
may get from easy and open sources for intelligently reading the Bible, which yet is
frequently quite overlooked. No one that
has not tried it can ever imagine the difference between habitually reading a Bible
with references and marginal readings and
one that has neither. The Bible admirably
explains itself; it makes the most striking
commentary on itself; and to read it daily
in this way gives a knowledge of its contents tenfold greater and more thorough than
can be a,cquired by the simple, casual reading of a chapter. It certainly takes much
more time, but it is surely better to read a
few verses studiously and faithfully than a
much larger portion without study. We
learn to associate together verses and facts
that belong together; to explain this by that
and to balance one by another. So important does this manner of reading appear to
I I4 
Spiritual Life: Bible Study.
us that it seems almost a waste of time and
money to print and publish so many small
Bibles without either references or marginal
readings where a little more expended of
both would give to the reader not only the
word of God, but such admirable helps for
comprehending it fully.
Valuable helps to Bible study are published'so cheaply now by different religious
societies that almost every one, even with
limited means, is able to purchase the most
essential of them.   A  good Bible atlas,
Bible dictionary and concordance give a
wonderful amount of help in properly understanding what we read; and, after these,
come various well-known writers and commentators, whose works on different parts
of the Scriptures have been of incalculable
value to the world.
The faithful, daily reading of the Scriptures is essential for the spiritual progress
of every Christian, but especially is it valuable in early life. If young people could
II5 
f eavenward Bound.
only once understand how much less time for
study they will have as they grow older, and
how many more distractions, cares and hindrances; and how the weary mind, burdened
with many thoughts, can but half take in
the precious truths which the fresh young
brain absorbs so eagerly, they would surely
spare no effort to make themselves thoroughly conversant with the word of God
in the days of their youth.
There is something wonderful in the effect
which much Bible study has upon the character; it gives a strength, depth and clearness of judgment that no other study or pursuit ever can give.  It imparts a steadfastness to weak minds and a balance to frivolous ones; it softens hard natures and
purifies coarse ones, so that the intellectual
part of man, as well as the spiritual, is
vastly elevated and improved by it. And
for our moral nature it is absolutely essential. We need its constant teachings to recall to us the words of our Saviour, to hold
II6 
Spiritual Life: Bible Sludy.
up before us repeatedly the loveliness of his
life, to reimpress upon us the precepts, the
injunctions, the instructions for our daily
thinking, speaking and acting. We need
it to be ever before our eyes as a standard
of righteousness in an evil world, as a
measure and a balance by which to weigh
all things, as a criterion by which to test
them.
In the "Paradise Lost" we are told that
the angel Ithuriel found Satan in the form
of a toad squatting close by Eve's ear that
he might whisper evil into it as she slept,
and that with one touch of his spear he restored him to his own proper shape again;
For no falsehood can endure
Touch of celestial temper, but returns
Of force to its own likeness.
And in the Scriptures we have a surer
agent for unveiling evil than even the
heavenly spear of the angel; a more certain
touchstone, which, applied to all that we can
II7 
Heavenward Bound.
bring to it, strips off disguise, falsehood and
pretence and displays the naked truth.
Let us bring to this ordeal, then, all that
concerns us in this life-the requirements
of our business, the customs of society, the
amusements of the day; all questions of
morals or of doctrines, new dogmas, strange
teachings, the speeches of orators, the
preaching of the pulpit, the assertions of
books. Let us set them side by side with
the revelation which God has given to man
as the guide of his way, and, with that
heavenly light shining upon them, conscientiously inquire into their true bearings and
influence.
We must not, however, be misunderstood
as implying that the Bible should be used
as a test of the truth of works of science,
art or history; it was given to teach us the
plan of salvation, and not as a handbook of
science. Its object is to present, for man's
inspection and obedience, a standard of holy
living, a code of laws of heavenly wisdom,
IIS 
Spiritual Life: Bible Study.
and in all questions relating to right and
wrong, to man's duty to God and his neighbor, to God's love and care toward man, to
every shade of moral discussion, the Bible
will be found an infallible guide, unerring,
explicit and easily understood.  "For  if
our gospel be hid, it is hid to them which are
lost."
It would certainly be very remarkable to
expect to find anything in the Scriptures
discussed in a strictly scientific or technical
way; its casual indefinite remarks upon all
such topics should be looked upon as not intended to be either contradictory to or confirmatory of scientific truths, but simply as
incidental to the grand object of its existence. Of one thing, however, we may be very
sure-God's word will never and can never
really contradict his works. They both
spring from the same source, the eternal
Fountain of might, knowledge and truth.
We are often blind to the real meaning of
God's words; we are yet deplorably ignorant
II9 
-leavenward Bound.
of the least of his works; but when we come
fully to understand both, we shall find a perfect harmony and fitness between them.
To repeat, then, concisely, what we have
already dwelt upon, let our reading of the
Scriptures be a daily act, let it be reverent,
let it be prayerful, let it be studious, let it be
wise, and let us learn to apply its teachings
to every event of life, whether great or
small. The more we study it the more we
shall love it; the better we know it the plainer
we shall see how little we still know; the
deeper we search into its mines of treasure
the vaster will its farther avenues and deeper
depths appear to us. It is an inexhaustible
source of study; and the oldest, wisest and
most diligent of Bible students will tell you
that he has but begun to know all its wonders. As John Jewell, bishop of Salisbury,
wrote of the fullness of Holy Writ more
than three hundred years ago, so those who
know it best have found it ever since: "The
word of God is the water of life-the more
t20 
Spiritual Life: Bible Study.
ye lave it forth the fresher it runneth; it is
the fire of God's glory-the more ye blow it
the clearer it burneth; it is the corn of the
Lord's field-the better you grind it the more
it yieldeth; it is the bread of heaven-the
more it is broken and given forth the more
it remaineth; it is the sword of the Spiritthe more it is scoured the brighter it shineth.
The voice of God cannot be unpleasant to
their ears who are the children of God-the
oftener they hear it the more they receive;
they can never have overmuch who never
have enough."
I21
ir-.  
'a 
"Nlotforsaking the assermbing of ourselves togelher, as the
mannzer of some is."-HEB. x. 25.
"In all places Szhere I recor-I mry name I ill come unto
thee, ani I will bless thee."-Ex. xx. 24.
124 
-I
CHAPTER VIII.
Siritual Lzie: Putblic IVors/hih.
T is hardly a possible thing for the mind
of man, at the present time, to make
any approximate estimate of the benefit
which has accrued to the world through the
assembling together of Christians for the
public worship of God. Could we picture
ourselves in a state of society exempt from
all influences of the public ordinances of the
Church, either present or past, we should
look upon a scene so strange as to be beyond
recognition.
If devotion to God had been enjoined
upon man as a private, secret exercise, to be
entered upon exclusively within the closet or
behind closed doors, our whole social existence would be changed.   The  grandest
125 
1eaveznward Bound.
achievements of olden times in statuary and
painting would be blotted out of being; they
were not executed for the contemplation of
solitary worshipers, but for the vast masses
who met in great churches and praised God
in choral anthems. The rarest music that
we have, the hymns of the ages, whose
strains have lost neither sweetness nor
power by long and frequent use, would
never have been composed. Our noblest
works of architecture, cathedrals, minsters
and churches, would have no existence.
The hushed meetings of the early martyrs
at dead of night with all their impending
consequences for this world and the next,
the bands of hunted Huguenots praying
among the mountains, the covenanters singing their hymns among the rocks and
heather of Scotland, half the pathos and
pith of history, half its wars and its perils,
half its deeds of prowess and its names of
renown, would be lost to us for ever.
A silent, secret allegiance to God, ac
126 
Siiritual Life: Public  Worshiti.   127
knowledged only in the heart of the family
or quietly practiced in private life, would
never have aroused the opposition, fury and
bloodshed which have so often followed the
open assembling of Christians and the public
avowal of religious belief. If Nero and
Diocletian, if Charles the Ninth and Philip
the Second, if cruel Queen Mary of England and reckless King Charles, could have
put an absolute stop to the gatherings of
Christians their persecutions would probably
have been suspended.
But God, who knows so well the heart of
man, never showed his love and care for his
children and his Church on earth more indisputably than when he enjoined and encouraged their public assembling together.
As private devotion, meditation and study
are essential to the growth of the individual
Christian, so is public worship necessary to
the growth of the Church. To look for a
great increase of Christianity and spread of
the gospel with each man worshiping God 
Heavenward Bound.
in his own house only, would be like expecting to conquer a country by sending
isolated soldiers in upon it, and directing
each to win his own rood of soil. There
must be unity of purpose, there must be the
consolidation of forces and there must be
the sympathy, strength and enthusiasm
which human beings communicate to each
other when gathered into bands for a solemn
purpose.
Without public worship the Sabbath would
be an entirely different day from what it is
at present; it might, indeed, remain a day
of rest, but its chief occupation would be
gone.  No pleasant chimes would call willing hearts to the place of worship or ring
reproachful tones into the ears of reckless
men; no crowds of earnest Christians would
tread the quiet streets, making an endless
procession of witnesses to the world that
God has many worshipers on earth and
winning it to adore him with them by the
force of silent example. The voice of the
I28 
S]5iritual LAe: Public  Worsiip.    i29
preacher, which now calls from week to
week to the impenitent, would be silent, and
one great means of the conversion of the
world would be obliterated. The happy relationship between pastor and people, the
gentle charities between rich and poor in the
same congregation, the brotherhood of fellow-worshipers, arising from the affection
and sympathy developed by the mere fact
of praying side by side under one roof for
years together, would be entirely done away
with.
The great enterprises which have long
been evangelizing the world, lighting up its
dark places of cruelty, preaching the gospel
to the ignorant at home and abroad, and in
many ways lifting up the human race toward a purer and more spiritual life, could
never have been organized by men singlehanded. Christians help each other, inspire
each other, encourage, cheer and urge each
other on to good deeds and great efforts, and
their influence is nowhere brought to bear so
9 
Heavenward Bound.
powerfully on each other as in social and
public gatherings for worship.
But it is not Christians alone who should
maintain the service of the Church; every
creature on earth owes praise and homage
to the Almighty, and should unite with the
people of God in giving it. It is impossible,
however, to ignore the fact, that multitudes
who ought to go habitually to church, stay
away, and that some of their reasons for so
doing have a specious look of truth about
them.
Church-going, they say, does not save
souls; many a man goes through mere
hypocrisy, and if God had meant us to keep
the Sabbath in that way, he would have
given more definite commands about it.
Sometimes they even go so far as to say that
such ceremonies belonged to the Mosaic
law, and that law is done away with.
We may freely admit to them that churchgoing does not of necessity save souls, although we claim that a great many souls
I30 
SPirilual Life: Public  Worship.   I 31I
are saved by just that agency. And they
will have to admit to us that if hypocrites
and worldly people do go, they cannot hurt
the church and may receive some benefit;
while the fact of their going testifies to their
conviction that there is at least an eminent
respectability, solidity and excellence about
ordinary church-goers, the aroma of which
they would fain share with them. And as
for the divine injunctions to keep the Sabbath holy and frequent the house of God for
worship, they are as plain, repeated and incontrovertible as any other command whatever; and those who speak of Mosaic law
must study their Bibles better and go far
back of Moses, even to the first man Adam
and his home in Paradise, to find the appointment of the Sabbath as a day of rest
unto God.
The finger of the Almighty himself prepared the tables of stone and wrote upon
them the ten commandments which Moses
received on Mount Sinai; and the very 
IHeavenward oouzzd.
wording of the fourth commandment, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,"
points back to a thing long ago established
and known among men.
One of the most oft-repeated injunctions
in the Old Testament is that concerning the
keeping of the Sabbath holy, and in immediate connection with that is the firequenting
of the sanctuary. "Keep my Sabbaths and
reverence my sanctuaries; keep thy foot
when thou goest to the house of God;
praise God in the sanctuary; in the temple
doth every one speak of his glory."
God rested on the seventh day and sanctified it; how soon men began to keep it
holy by special offerings and worship we
cannot tell. Probably very soon after the
fall of man, for we find both Abel and Cain
offering homage to God, one in accordance
with and one against the appointed way, as
if already such sacrifice and worship were
an accustomed thing; and shortly after, in
the days of Enos, Adam's grandson, we are
I32 
Spiritual Lzife: Public  TVorshiz.   I33
told that men began to call themselves the
children of God. Noah assembled his
family for openly worshiping God when the
flood was over, and Melchisedec, king of
Salem, was also a "priest of the most high
God." If a priest, we reason inferentially
that there must have been devotions to lead,
sacrifices to offer and an assembly to minis
ter unto; and, as in numerous instances we
find allusions to the seventh day as a day
distinguished from others, we have reason
to suppose that it was early set apart as a
time for especial worship. Among the
Israelites there were particular sacrifices and
observances for that day, so that the Sabbath, as a period of rest, has been associated
with the public worship of God and a "holy
convocation" of the people from the earliest
times.
God himself seems always to have made
especial provision for the gathering together
of congregations for united worship. As
soon as the Israelites encamped in the wil 
Heavenward Bound.
derness, he ordered the fashioning and setting up of the tabernacle; when Canaan
was possessed and the kingdom of Israel
well established, he chose Mount Moriah in
Jerusalem as the place where his house
should be built, and instructed David in all
that was necessary with regard to it. After
the Jewish captivity and the destruction of
Solomon's temple, he softened the heart of
King Cyrus, who permitted the people under
Ezra and Nehemiah to return and rebuild
the temple. Among the Jews in later times,
whenever in a small community there were
even ten full-grown men, they were enjoined
to build a place of worship.
Our Saviour upheld the keeping of the
Sabbath, declaring that it was made for
man; he bade the people search the Scriptures, which they could only do in those
days of ignorance by frequenting the synagogues on the Sabbath day, where the
Scriptures were read and expounded. He
upheld public worship by going himself into
134 
Sliritual ZLife: Public  Worshiip.   I35
the temple or the synagogues on the Sabbath and teaching the people. "As his custom was," St. Luke says, "he went into the
synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood
up for to read." St. Paul is several times
spoken of as going into the synagogues on
the Sabbath day to preach to the people; so
that we have commands, injunctions, examples, besides all that we gather inferentially,
going to prove that public worship is pleasing to God and forms a large part of the
keeping of the Sabbath according to his
will.
We have already referred in the early
part of this chapter to the excellent effect
of habitual public worship upon the individual Christian in developing many phases of
character that might otherwise lie dormant,
and to its silent but powerful influence upon
the world, and there are one or two thoughts
in connection with this that seem worthy of
a place in its close. Older Christians know,
but younger ones find it hard to believe, that 
Hleavenward Bound.
it makes comparatively little difference in
our spiritual growth whether the preaching
under which we sit is eloquent or homely;
whether the preacher to whom we listen is
very congenial to our tastes and character
or the reverse. Probably among persons
of more than average refinement and culture, in many cases, the preaching which falls
to their lot is not especially to their liking.
How can it be otherwise? While they may
respect and honor every good man, and especially every faithful minister of the gospel,
there may be an entire want of congeniality
in some respects between them. They may
approve heartily of all he says, and yet his
manner of saying it may jar a little upon
some sensitive point. So they seek for some
preacher a little more eloquent or a little
more congenial in some neighboring church,
and the result is that there has come to be
in these days a great amount of wandering
away from old influences, a severing of old
ties, in the search for something more orig
I36 
S.piritual Lifc: Public 1JorshAP.   I37
inal or more interesting than could be found
at home.
Such a habit as this is very unprofitable
spiritually, however  popular.   We   have
fallen into a way of looking entirely too
much to the preacher as the central point in
public worship and too little to the people.
The main object of assembling ourselves in
congregations is not to hear the eloquence
of man or be pleased and startled with his
originality. If Providence has so happily
ordered our lot that in the way of simple
duty and customn we may listen to the words
of one of the mighty men of the Church, we
have reason to be greatly thankful. If not,
let us remember that the chief obligations
and benefits of public worship remain
unchanged.
We meet together to express openly our
homage to God, to unite with fellow Christians in hymns of praise to his name, to cooperate with them in plans of active benevolence, to join them in thanksgiving for his 
I38' Heavenward Bound.
mercies, in pleadings for pardon, in supplication for his continued love and care, and
to think upon some fact connected with
eternal things presented to us by him who
ministers to us. However the subject may
be put before us, whether richly or poorly,
God's word remains the same, and we must
take it into our hearts and ponder it.
Thoroughly to enjoy and profit by public
worship it is not needful that the preaching
be brilliant, the prayers eloquent or the
music scientific. Little is wanted in those
external things, but much in ourselves. A
willing mind, a peaceful frame, a childlike
heart, full of love toward God and man,
will render all God's service a blessing and
a delight, and every Sabbath as peaceful as
the eternal one above.
Wherever, then, it has pleased God to
appoint our lot let us remain until his voice
calls us to a different sphere. Let us devoutly join in the public worship of God's
house, in the companionship of kindred and 
Sipiritual Life: Public Worship. 139
friends; let us sustain the influence of our
pastor by every means in our power, responding to every call, ready for every good
work, and willingly ministering unto him in
both spiritual and temporal things as we
have opportunity. Every church-member
weakens or strengthens the church to which
he belongs by withholding or giving his influence. A church divided against itself
cannot stand, its worship will be cold, its
works few; but let all the great evangelizing enterprises testify to what can be done
by a united church, where pastor and people stand together, and work as one man
for a good  cause.   It gathers  missionschools, it sends out Bible-readers, it establishes prayer-meetings, it founds charities,
it plants churches, it provides work for all
its members, and the public worship of God
is best carried out and followed up with
earnest works of practical Christianity.  
2piitual gift:  Srits  of t~t 2pirit.
141 
",ow the works of the flesh are manife st,....  of the
which r tell you before, as I have also told you in time past,
that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom
of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance."
-GAL. V. I9-23.
142 
[[3$%:3 #5 55 j: [S S; SS I
CHAPTER IX.
Fruzits of the Spirit.
A GREAT deal of time has been wasted,
a vast amount of imagination expended
and innumerable far-fetched theories put
forth in speculations as to the different conditions of heaven and hell, and the elements
which combine to make the one a place of
joy, the other a place of horror. It has often
seemed to me that St. Paul has suggested
to us a vivid picture of each in his Epistle to
the Galatians, where he says: "Now the
works of the flesh are manifest, which are
these, Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings and such like: of the
143 
Heavenward Bound.
which I tell you before, as I have also told
you in time past, that they which do such
things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance." Gal. v. I9-23.
Imagine a place where the works of the
flesh-that is, the works of the unregenerate
heart, for our poor flesh and blood would be
innocent enough were it not for the sintainted soul that rules within,-imagine a
place where such works were allowed full
sway, indulged without check or hindrance,
unmitigated by occasional gleams of good
or by the hopes of ultimate relief. Imagine
another where every heart glows with the
pure warmth and clear light of a sanctified
nature; where every noble aspiration, every
intellectual taste, every unselfish purpose,
every true affection is developed and exalted-where not one fear shakes the security
and not one sin mars the perfection. Add
to these, in one place, the vast displeasure
I44 
Fruits of the Spirit.
of the eternal God resting with terrible
might upon each rebellious soul; in the
other, his fatherly love and blessed presence shining upon his children; and what
can imagination produce that equals these
two scenes in the height and depth of their
happiness and their woe?
It is sometimes very remarkable to hear
persons express the hope of finally reaching
heaven, whose lives on earth prove that they
could not be happy were they to go there;
they possess none of the heavenly characteristics which would make it a congenial
abode for them. If our blessed Lord were
to take bodily to the rest of the saints a rebellious, blasphemous, evil-hearted man, he
would be of all souls most miserable. Violence, impurity and greed were his ruling
passions on earth, and God's pure heaven
has nothing to gratify them.
As the tree falls, there it must lie. The
mere fact of death overtaking the body has
no moral effect upon the soul; it lives on its
10
I45 
.heavenwvard Boztnd.
own life beyond the grave as it lived it here;
he that is unjust and he that is filthy remain
unjust and filthy still; he that is righteous
and he that is holy, let them be righteous
and holy still-the same, but intensified:
the righteous soul, freed from temptation,
secure for ever, alive in Christ; the rebellious soul, shut out from all hope at last,
more desperate, more dead in sin.
To be happy in heaven, that great, wonderful home of God's children, toward which
our eyes look, our hopes aspire and our
hearts ascend-to be fitted for it, we must
needs be heavenly-minded here; we must
nourish those graces, those attributes, those
affections, which will flourish in the pure
atmosphere of heaven. By nature we cannot have them, by God's grace we may; the
natural stock is poor and unworthy, but God
has made it capable of receiving the engrafted word which is able to save our
souls.
The nurseryman, with faith and patience
I46 
Fruits of the Spirit.
that can look through long years (!f toil and
not be discouraged, plants the seeds of certain fruit trees. When his seedlings have
grown to a foot or more in height he sees
that of themselves they will never make fine
trees nor produce good fruit. In fact, he
knew it before, and only expected to secure
good stock for grafting superior fruit upon.
When the time arrives, therefore, he cuts
off the whole top of his little trees and engrafts choice varieties upon them. Then he
digs about them, enriches the soil, supplies
them with moisture, frees them from insects,
prunes them year after year, trains, trims
and watches with indefatigable care till the
trees reward him by bringing forth abundantly the beautiful fruit for which he has so
long been waiting.
It is thus, in a measure, that the divine
Husbandman deals with the plants in his
vineyard. We have been considering in
successive chapters the conversion of the
soul  or its reception of the "engrafted
I47 
Hreavenward Bouznd.
word," its manner of growth, the standard
to which it should attain, the different phases
of its outer and its inner life and the divers
means of development and perfection which
God has given.
We come now, therefore, to the results
which the husbandman may well expect to
find as the effect of his patient training, the
fruits of the plants he has so watched and
nourished. What shall the Lord of the
vineyard say if he find them not at his
coming?
They are called the fruits of the Spirit,
the results of the operation of the Holy
Ghost in our hearts, and they are essentially
spiritual graces as shown in the life.
It is easier to every one of us human beings to exert ourselves for the accomplishment of a great feat than to labor on in
silence with petty obstacles and little contests. It is grander, more fame-giving, to
take a city than to rule one's spirit, but to
rule one's spirit, God's word says, is the
I48 
Fruits of the Spirit.
better of the two. It is easier to comply
with all demands for the external fulfillment
of religious exercises than patiently to war
and struggle with the secret sins of our
hearts. We cannot all win renown as did
David in his youth by slaying a lion and a
bear, but it is a duty that falls to each one
of us to take the little foxes, the sly little
foxes that spoil the vines and eat the tender
grapes.
"To obey is better than sacrifice and to
hearken than the fat of rams;" for it is the
mind only which renders the outer works
of any avail. Let us see, then, what that
mind is which the Spirit can give, what
those frames and affections are which the
Master requires of us. 
As the first fruit of the Spirit we are bidden to have love-thank God for inspiring
the Apostle Paul to put that first on the list!love toward God and man; that love which
forgets itself, which freely gives itself, and
which above all other things is more blessed
149 
Heavenward Bound.
in giving than in receiving; that faithful,
fervent, pure affection which is called greater
than faith or hope.
We are bidden to have joy, and I wish
that every dreary, despondent Christian in
the world would dwell on that thought until
it dwells in him. Who can be, who should
be, so joyful as God's children?-for they
have such a sure rest, such a firm foundation
of happiness, such promise of the life that
now is and that which is to come.
We are bidden to have peace. What! in
this turbulent, sorrowful, changing world?
Yes, all restless, storm-tossed souls may
find quietness in simply leaning upon the
words of Christ. He has promised to give
his peace unto us, not as the world giveth,
not grudgingly, not scantily, not to be returned again, but abundantly of that peace
of God which passes all understanding.
Long-suffering for every trying thing that
meets us; for the fretting, chafing tempers
of those about us, for the coldness or ingrat
150 
Fruits of the Spirit.
itude of friends, for the malice of foes, for
the tedious pains of sickness, for the wearying cares of life.
Gentleness-oh beautiful, wonderful word!
-almost more a flower than a fruit of Christian life, in its grace and beauty adorning
the rough places of the road, leading little
children, lifting sad hearts, wiping away
tears and winning wayward souls. St.
Paul, with all his great and eloquent words,
never melts the heart so truly as when he
says, with an irresistible appeal, " I, Paul,
beseech you by the gentleness of Christ."
Goodness, the staunch upholding of the
right against the wrong at all hazards, the
steadfast clinging to principle in the face of
sharp temptation, the deliberate choosing of
that which is hard and belongs to the soldier
of the cross rather than that which is easy
and of the world-a very bread-fruit among
the other fruits of the Spirit.
Faith, the unshaken trust of the child in
its Father, the confident assurance that He
151 
H-eavez-vard Bound.
whose hand he holds and who holds his in
return will lead him straight on through all
that may await him, and bring him safely
home  at last; the unfaltering heart that
leaves all to God; the unswerving eye that
looks only unto him; the willing feet that
follow unquestioningly where he calls and
walk with the assurance of a victor in the
strife through all. Faith is the golden apple
among the fruits.
Meekness, a grace to be well thought of
by disputatious Christians who love their
racy theological arguments, and find a spicy
pleasure in opposing themselves to others; a
word for the every-day business of life
abroad; a word for the household intercourse
at home; a word for those in authority, that
they may "in meekness instruct those that
oppose themselves;" a word for those who
are subordinate, that they may "receive the
word with meekness;" a word for all, that
they may show "all meekness to all men."
Temperance, the moderation of the wise
152 
Fruits of the Spirit.
heart in all things; of the sanctified heart
that knows how many things are lawful
which yet are not expedient; of the strong,
well-stayed heart, capable of self-denial and
self-restraint, that refuses for itself a surfeit
of any earthly thing whatever, knowing that
the wants of the body are best supplied with
temperate wisdom, and that the wants of the
soul can be fully satisfied in God alone.
Wonderful and varied fruits of the Spirit!
Well may the apostle say of those who possess them, " Against such there is no law."
They enable us to do good to men, to glorify
God, and to have peace in our own hearts;
they make us meet for heaven; they please
the Saviour who redeemed us, for he loves
the souls of his children. St. John declared
that he had "no greater joy than to hear that
his children walked in truth." How much
deeper and tenderer then the interest of our
Lord in the progress of the children of his
kingdom! How much stronger his desire
to behold these fruits of the Spirit in their
153 
-Ieavenwardcl Bound.
redeemed souls! How can we best gain
them, keep them, develop them and show
them forth as he would have us?
The way is simple, the way is old, longdiscovered, prized by few, neglected by the
many, but never changing, never closed.
The old, old way to heaven is the way to
sanctification; the way to glory is also the
way to these heavenly graces, and all is
found in Christ our Lord.
Looking to him, resting in him, abiding
with himn is the part of the soul; his tender
grace and mercy do all the rest. "I am the
true vine and my Father is the husbandman.
I am the true vine, ye are the branches.
He that abideth in me and I in him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit; for without me
ye can do nothing. Herein is my Father
glorified, that ye bear much fruit."
I54 
155 
" Le  them learn first to show tiety at home and requite
their parents; for that is good and acceptable before God."I TI,i. V. 4.
156 
CHAPTER X.
TAze CIzristian at ffonze.
HERE is no place on earth so like to
heaven in its rest, its peace and its
happiness  as a lovely Christian  family,
where every member exhibits unselfish affection, sympathy  and helpfulness.   But,
alas! how easy it is to disturb its quiet and
mar its beauty! One person who indulges
an irritable temper or an unruly tongue can
take away  all its serenity.   Piety, like
charity, should begin at home; like charity,
too, it should not end there; yet we often
find that persons who are most zealous
abroad for the advancement of Christ's kingdom and the progress of every good work
are most careless at home in maintaining a
lovely and Christ-like demeanor.
157 
Heavenward Bound.
It has often seemed to me that there are not
many greater obstacles to the rapid growth
of Christ's kingdom than the irritable and
repelling conduct of some Christians in their
private life. The household is the nursery
of the Lord; children and servants there
receive their first and deepest impressions
of the power of the gospel over the daily
life, and are attracted or repulsed according
to the manifestations of Christian character
which they see in the intimate relations of
the family. It is amazing to find that good
and thoughtful people can so overlook their
responsibilitytoward those immediately about
them; and yet it is a fact that many sincere
Christians, whose piety is above suspicion,
whose principles are steadfast and whose
works of benevolence much to be commended, have not enough of the more gentle
graces of the Spirit to keep them pleasant
at home.
Abroad, the fact of being among comparative strangers induces reserve and self
1 58 
The Christian at H'ome.
restraint, and prompts the desire to please
and conciliate. Besides this, the constant
chafing of family cares, anxieties and fatigues is withdrawn and the mind is more
at rest. But at home the yoke galls and
they fret under it; duties are wearisome,
and they fulfill them impatiently; something
goes wrong, and they give way to petulance
and fault-finding; they omit small self-restraints; they fail to check that "little member," the tongue, which St. James says is a
fire, an unruly evil, full of deadly poison;
and that little member unmastered soon becomes master himself, so that it often happens that the very one of the household
whose example might most surely win and
soften and bless all the rest comes at last to
be like the dreaded Hymeneus, whose words
eat as doth a canker.
The higher up in the household the unhappy influence is the more powerful is its
effect on the whole family; but it is not possible for any member of any family to be so
159 
oHeavenward Bound.
small or so insignificant as not to possess a
vast power for good or for evil in the fireside
circle to which he belongs.  "Even a child
is known by his doings, whether his work
be pure and whether it be right." Gideon
tried once to excuse himself from the mission
of vengeance upon the Midianites, to which
God called him, by pleading that his family
was poor in the tribe of Manasseh and he
"the least of his father's house;" but he was
sent, while greater ones were passed by,
and he was found well worthy of the name
the angel gave him of "mighty man of
valor." Jeremiah was afraid when God told
him that he had ordained him a prophet unto
the nations, and he cried, "0 Lord God,
behold I cannot speak; for I am a child!"
But God sent him and helped him, and he
spoke his words with great power.
We are almost forced to believe that there
is nothing really small in all of God's plans,
in all the events of our lives, in all the endless workings of the mind of man. We
16o 
Tlze CIzristian at rHome.
call some sins little sins, we estimate some
victories over ourselves as little victories,
but who, save God, can tell the unending
influence they have upon our souls?
There is no human being insignificant in
God's sight; we may think ourselves small,
or mean, or useless, but let us remember
that God respects no persons, but watches
all hearts. The training and development of
the immortal soul, and its ultimate perfection
and salvation, are always of vast import in his
sight; no less so in the tiniest child or poorest slave than in the conquerors and heroes
of the world. That alone which gives any
worth to the highest, gives equal worth to
the lowest-the deathless s1pirit within. Let
us not dare, then, to call ourselves powerless while we possess that which our Saviour
said outweighed the gain of the whole world,
but rather remember that our responsibility
is great, our sphere great, our mission great,
our influence great. Though we may be
least in our Father's house, like Gideon;
11
i6I 
ea vennward Bound.
though we be children in feeling, like Jeremiah; though we be weak in bodily presence, like Paul,-we have each a work to do,
"a charge to keep," given us by God, and
in his strength we shall be able to do it.
The household circle is especially the
place where young Christians may exhibit
a consistent bearing and conversation. Later
years bring more demands upon them from
the world and open to them other spheres
of duty and usefulness; until that time
comes, "Let them show piety at home," as
our motto says, and "requite their parents."
The virtues and graces which require to
be practiced in our quiet daily life are of a
very simple, straightforward and, sometimes, almost  of a homely  kind.   The
family is a little community by itself, and
one member has no right to do that which
trespasses upon the time or the convenience
of the others.
"' Cleanliness is next to godliness,"' said a
friend lately, "is a proverb that was so
i62 
Tze ChrAstizan at Home.
faithfully rung in my ears when they were
growing, that they have never lost the last
echo of it. As it came from the lips of a
very pious woman, I naturally concluded it
was a scriptural assertion, and made a long
search for it one day, with Bible and concordance, and finding no trace of it, told
her of my disappointment.' Write it on the
cover then, child,' was the undaunted reply,
'for surely cleanliness is next to godliness."'
If people only knew the trouble, the vexation to servants, the extra work, the confusion in the whole family, caused by such
little commonplace faults as a want of
cleanliness, order and promptness, surely
they would cultivate those convenient virtues with hearty readiness. A few days
since, a lucky or unlucky draught blew open
the door of a room in which a dear young
man of lovely temper and blameless life had
been dressing for a little pleasure excursion.
A coat, a vest, pantaloons, undergarments
and a pair of boots lay in five separate lumps
I63 
Heavenwzard Bound.
on the floor; two chairs were occupied with
clothing he had taken out and concluded not
to wear; a soiled collar and discarded cravat adorned the toilet-table; the four small
drawers and three large ones of the bureau
all stood agape at different stages of protrusion; the closet door was flung wide open;
the water facet was running, and the whole
appearance of the room seemed to indicate
that a general chaos was impending.
"Order was heaven's first law," we  are
told, but it is the last in the code of many
Christians, and omitted altogether in that of
others. Confusion never rights itself; tired
hands and weary feet must patiently restore
order by extra effort, and faults tiny in
themselves become giants when they oppress or distress other people.
Even our religious duties should be so arranged as not to interfere with the comfort
of those about us. An eccentric old gentleman among our friends has a habit of taking
very irregular hours for the practice of his
I64 
The Christian at Home.
private devotions.  HIe enters into his closet
and shuts the door; but that being done, in
order effectually to drown any small noises
that might creep through the key-hole, he
proceeds to read and pray in such stentorian
tones that conversation in the adjoining
rooms has to cease: babies can't go to sleep,
and visitors have to be sent away from the
door, till the somewhat obtrusive exercise is
over.  He claims that far greater benefit is
thus derived to his soul than by less audible
exercises, but even were this so, can he be
sure it outweighs the discomfort given to
others?  That is the truest love to God
which blends with love to man; that is the
sincerest goodness which forgets itself and
ministers to the wants of others; and selfishness in religious things is no less blamable
than in worldly matters.
A  young lady, who had been brought
up in a church whose forms were few and
whose service was simple, became a very
zealous Episcopalian. When Lent drew
i65 
Heavenward Bound.
near and she found that early prayers were
to be held in a church more than a mile
away from home, nothing could deter her
from going. Her father had an especial
liking for having his children all about him
at breakfast and family prayers, but that
could not stop her. Her health had been
delicate, and her physician forbade her taking
such a long walk and sitting in a cold church
before  breakfast.  Still she went.   The
family was large; the father had to go to
his business, the children to school, the
mother to her manifold occupations, the
servants to their work; yet, morning after
morning, for weeks, this zealous young woman had to have a late breakfast, served
hot, to warm her after her exposure and fatigue; several times she fainted away in the
hall from over-exertion before she could get
to her room, and when Lent was over her
father had the expense and trouble of sending her away on a little jaunt to recruit her
wasted strength.
I66 
Thze Christian at [Dome.
The services of every evangelical church
are to be respected and approved, and undoubtedly early prayers are of great benefit
to those whose time, health and family arrangements permit to attend them, but no
one can deny that this mistaken girl was both
doing and receiving harm. She thwarted
her father, annoyed her mother, imposed
extra work on the servants, trifled with her
own health and set a miserable example to
her younger brothers and sisters, in the most
obstinate and selfish way, and all under the
plea of fulfilling a religious duty.  "Let
them learn first to show piety at home and
to requite their parents."
The household is not the place for ostentatious deeds; its life is made up of little
things; its opportunities for self-denial and
usefulness are constant but inconspicuous;
its work as incessant and silent as the shining of the sun. In our home life, toward
superiors there should be manifested reverence and obedience; toward equals, sym
I67 
Heaveciward Bound.
pathy and ready help; toward inferiors,
the gentle consideration which every noble
heart delights to show to those in a position of dependence.   Toward  all, patience, love, cheerfulness and forgetfulness
of self. Faith, hope and charity are three
of the grandest attributes that belong to
the Church on earth; but gentleness, patience and self-sacrifice are three household
angels that whisper and sing and smile their
way into all hearts, and win them to love
what is right. All the sermons that have
ever been preached have not brought as
many souls into the kingdom of God as the
sweet and patient daily life of his faithful
children. We sometimes complain that our
words are almost unheeded by those whom
we are trying to influence; but, leaving that
to Him who has promised to bless every
earnest effort, let us concentrate more thought
upon showing in our own lives how lovely,
pure and true the religion of Jesus can make
his followers, for in that way we shall print
x68 
The Clr-istian at  omc.e.
an indelible lesson upon their hear-ts, whether
they will or no.
A little girl said to her teacher not
long ago, "Our Lizzie has got to be a
Christian."
"How glad I am I" was the reply.
But I'm not," she rejoined; "I'm sorry.
She isn't half as nice as she was before. I
suppose she's pious and good, but she's so
ugly-good! She reads big, solemn books,
and hushes me up when I talk, and won't do
a thing to amuse me; she tells me of my
faults all the time, and isn't half as pleasant
as she used to be. She isn't bad, you know,
only just ugly-good!"
Ugly-good! Have we not had reason to
apply the child's quaint epithet many times,
both to ourselves and to others? That severe sort of virtue which cuts its- straight
path directly through the wishes, comfort
and feelings of other people may be like the
march of a conqueror, but, like that too, it
leaves desolation behind it.
I69 
H0eavenzward aBound.
"The wisdom that is from above is first
pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without wrangling (marginal) and without hypocrisy." The commands of Jesus go far
beyond a loving behavior to those who love
us.  His words are, "Love your enemies,
do good to them which hate you, bless them
that curse you and pray for them which
despitefully use you; and your reward shall
be great, and ye shall be the children of the
highest; for he is kind unto the unthankful
and the evil."
The influences of home go with us all,
both old and young, to the day of our death,
and on, beyond, for ever. As our eyes take
in unconsciously the sight of familiar objects,
and our ears the hearing of well-known
sounds, so our hearts are receiving, day by
day and hour by hour, the incessant, though
unnoticed, influences of home for good or
for evil. There is no escape from them for
large or small; the tiniest child feels them,
17o 
The Christian at Home.
though not knowing how or what it feels,
and is drinking in constant draughts of that
which shall purify him and make him good
and happy, or which shall sadden and
harden him.
A young boy of very amiable character
was taken away from an unhappy home and
a wicked mother, whose cruelty and violence had embittered all his early childhood,
and was placed in a religious family. The
mistress of the house, whose sympathy had
been much touched by his previous wretchedness, took great pains to show affection
and kindness to him, and to teach him frequently about good  things.   His  loving
heart and quick mind, so long cramped and
chilled, seemed to expand and develop, like
long-waiting blossoms in the warmth of
spring.
They were in the habit of often reading
the Bible together in the evening, and one
night, after the lady's return from a short
journey, when the chapter was finished,
I7I 
Heavenward Pound.
the child looked up in her face and said
gratefully, "What a happy home this is,
and how dreadful that one was! I have
been thinking it must be only the difference
between you and her. While you were
away the whole house was sad; when she
used to go away everybody was only afraid
she would come back too soon. I sometimes think she was like the pillar of cloud
before the Israelites, that was dark even in
the sunlight; and you are like the beautiful
pillar of fire, that made everything bright
even at night."
Shall we be pillars of cloud or of fire in
our homes? Shall we darken its brightness or brighten its darkness? There can
be but one answer, one desire on that
point, in every Christian heart. To accomplish it let us give up our wills, relinquish our own plans, bridle our tongues,
subdue our tempers; let us show unfailing
sympathy, affection, patience and cheerfulness; let us bear one anothler's burdens,
I72 
Tlze Christian at Home.
and forgive one another's faults, and then
we shall know  and feel "how good  and
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity."
I73
I 
I 
:4 — 
"H e that walmeth righteously  and speahelth uiri,itly, he
that despiseth the gain of deceits, that shakeLhl his hands from
holding of bribes, that sto,ppeth his ears fi-omz hearing of
blood and shutteth his eyes fromi seeizg evil, he shall dwell on
hi,gh; bread shall be given him,'  his water shall be sure.
Thine eyes shall see the Aing in his beauty; thz, shall behold the land that is ver far o."-ISA. xxxiii. 15, I6, I7.
l7e 
m\
CHAPTER XI.
Thze Christian in the  World.
A LADY was one day passing a garden  plot belonging to the mother of one
of her Sunday-school scholars, and, chancing to look over the fence, she saw that it
looked very like the field of the slothful,
for, lo! it was all grown over with thorns,
and nettles had covered the face thereof.
Knee-deep in the wild, rank growth stood
the scholar himself, thrashing away at it
with a great stick.
" What are you doing, Jack?" said his
teacher.  "Are you playing or working?"
"Fighting weeds!" he exclaimed, breathlessly, lashing away with redoubled vigor fighting weeds!"
It's rather late for that," she answered;
12                               177
I 
Ileavenward Bound.
"they are half as tall as you are; you ought
to have begun six weeks ago."
"That's true," he said, "but I didn't, and
now all I can do is to take their old heads
off before the seeds get ripe.   They've
choked out one crop already, and they've
got to go!"
" You must begin earlier the next time,"
she replied; "and, meanwhile, Jack, don't
be discouraged, for half the world is at the
same work."
"What work, ma'am?" asked Jack.
"Why, fighting weeds, of course.  Everybody is fighting them, except those who are
letting them grow."
" Ah," said Jack, "I guess you don't
mean black-weed and clover, that choke
out cabbages. I guess you mean some of
those things we had in our lesson last Sunday that choke out the good seed. I never
thought of it in that way before!" And he
looked around rather ruefully at the wild
growth about him, while the lady passed on,
I78 
Thze Clzristian i  tIhe  forlo'd.
leaving him to think of the double combat
that awaited him.
Many Christians seem quite to overlook
the fact that our whole course through this
world must be, in a measure, a'long conflict.
Not a hopeless one, for we have the assur
ance of victory at the end; not a sad one,
for we fight in a good cause; not a solitary
one, for beloved comrades march with us,
help us and receive our aid in return. Still,
it is a conflict. Our mortal nature keeps its
little germs of evil, its tiny seeds of sinful
inclinations; and as soon as we sit down at
ease they sprout and spread. The earlier
we crush them, the easier and the more economical the process.  "The beginning of
strife," says Solomon, "is as when one letteth out water," and the same is more momentously true of all evil.
In those great levees that line the lower
Mississippi, if a mole  does  but  burrow
through, so that the tiniest stream of water
can find a direct passage, however small,;it
I79 
Heavenward Bound.
works and washes a way for itself with such
wonderful rapidity that, if not quickly discovered and checked, an enormous crevice,
a deluge of water and the flooding of miles
and miles of low land are certain to ensue.
So it is with all sin; it is a greedy and an
aggressive foe; if we allow it but a little
vantage ground, it takes more and more, till
it possesses all.
It is like the camel who piteously entreated leave just to put his head under the
flap of the tent where his master was sleeping with his little children, to shelter it from
the storm, and when that permission was
kindly given he went on to thrust in his neck
and shoulders and fore-legs and ugly hump,
and, finally, his whole body, taking possession of tent, robes, skins and all, and pushing out master and children into the tempest.
Or it is like an enormous wedge, slender,
smooth and subtile at one end, monstrous
and unwieldy at the other; but grant the
ISo 
The Christian in the World.
thin, fine edge one little opening and the
rest is sure to follow.
We cannot, then, too carefully watch the
beginnings of evil, the first stirring of the
small temptations that assail us; the result,
both to the Church and the world, would
be inestimably blessed if young Christians
would only early form the habit of watching
for and resisting them. Little deviations
from the absolute truth; little swervings from
the straightforward way of dealing; little
yieldings to the worldly advice or example
of others, are all, apparently, very little in
themselves, are all, truly, only the narrow
edge of the wedge.
At home the Christian is prone to a class
of minor faults, such as fretfulness, impatience and selfishness. Abroad the temptations are deeper and far more momentous.
In almost every respectable household there
are strong sheltering protections that shut
out the coarser and more decided tempta
tions to sin with which we meet in the world,
I8I 
Heavenward Bound.
and an atmosphere of far greater refinement
than men find in the resorts of business or
amusement. But in the world there is no
such artificial protection. A man's shield
must be the shield of faith, and his breastplate that of righteousness, if he would be
proof against the assaults that shall be made
upon him.
There is not a calling of any kind, however honorable in name, that does not admit of unfair dealing and ungodly action, if
the man who follows it has the inclination to
practice them. There is none so humble or
low that it cannot be made honorable and estimable by the integrity and perfect uprightness of those who engage in it. There is
no business, either high or low, that can demand anything wrong for its legitimate pursuit; or, if that comes within range of its
necessities, it is no business for a Christian
to follow. Our standard of right should be
simply the standard of the Bible. Custom,
or the example of others, can never make
i8z 
Thze Christiani iii thIe World.
that right which is essentially wrong, and
yet custom and the example of others are
two of the most insidious, irresistible and
bewildering foes that ever meet us in the
world.
It is the same with public amusements as
with business. Because certain places of recreation are frequented by hundreds of people whom we like or respect, it seems
reason enough, on the outside, why we
should go too; here again we must bring
the matter under consideration to the test of
the Scriptures alone.   As  perfect honor,
truth and integrity are the first attributes demanded of the Christian in his business, so
perfect purity, sobriety and great moderation should be the chief characteristics of his
amusements.
The standard of right and wrong has already been established by a divine Lawgiver; his decrees are pronounced with unmistakable precision in his own moral code;
and no approbation of the world, no example
183 
Heavenward Bound.
of the majority, no authority of custom, can
make good that which he calls evil. "Ye
shall do no unrighteousness in judgment,
in mete-yard, in weight or in measure.
Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely,
neither lie one to another."  And he "that
walketh uprightly and worketh righteousness, that backbiteth not with his tongue,
that doeth no evil to his neighbor, that honoreth them that fear the Lord, that sweareth
to his own hurt and changeth not, that putteth not out his money to usury nor taketh
reward against the innocent, he that doeth
these things shall never be moved."
The word of God does not condemn, but
rather commends, the industrious exercise
of some daily pursuit. It bids us provide
what is honest in the sight of all men, to
owe no man anything, to be not slothful in
business. It tells us that the hand of the
diligent maketh rich and the diligent in business shall stand before kings. In the very
Decalogue itself the injunction to rest on the
IS4 
Thze Christian in the  World.
Sabbath day is no more explicit than the
other half of the command, "Six days shalt
thou labor."
We have reason to believe that God is
pleased to have us exercise the numerous
wonderful attributes of mind and body which
he himself has bestowed upon us; the prudence, caution, intelligence and judgment,
the powers of invention, of construction and
of imitation; the skill of hand or quickness
of eye or correctness of ear. They are all
his gifts, not to be laid in a napkin and
buried away out of sight, but to be used to
the very best of our ability.
It is a very trite old saying that "what is
worth doing at all is worth doing well;"
many people have written it in their copybooks at school; more people still have
heard it said dozens of times; everybody
assents to it as a matter of course, yet not
one person in twenty puts it in practice. It
should be written in letters of gold in every
house, in every school, in every shop, office
185 
Heavenward Bound.
and factory. To slight our work is to despise the task God has given us to do and
to refuse the use of those powers he has
given us to work with. If we have nothing
but rag-picking or paper-sorting to do, it
should be done as carefully and conscientiously as if it were the most important work
in the world. He that is faithful in that
which is least is faithful also in that which is
greatest; he naturally grows to be so from
his fidelity in small things.
Neglect of our present work unfits us for
future work. There was once a certain
clergyman who had charge of a small parish of very poor and plain people. Unlike
most of the members of his profession,
whose devotion and unselfish labor are unmistakable, he was rather anxious for a
prominent position in the ministry, and his
grand aim seemed to be to prepare himself
for such a place. His people were simple
and ignorant; he was studious and ambitious; he wrote the most scholarly dis
I86 
The Christian in the World.
courses he was capable of, and delivered
them with oratorical precision. The people
yawned in his face Sunday after Sunday,
and finally stayed away. The emptier the
benches grew the more vehement became
the preacher's gesticulations, and the louder
his denunciations of those modern transgressors who, like the "diluvian sinners,"
would not listen to the "preacher of righteousness;" or else they seemed louder on
account of the reverberation through the
vacant space. He was kindly remonstrated
with by an elder of his church, and reminded of the simplicity and ignorance of
his people.  "In fact, my  dear sir," said
the elder, courteously, "you are aiming too
high to hit such a lowly mark; your sermons are beyond their understanding, they
fly over their heads."
"I have thought of all that," returned the
minister, "and I cannot believe it is my duty
to lower my standard of preaching for a set
of poor, uneducated people. whom. I.shall
i87 
H-eavenward Bound.
not be with long. I must be thinking of
my future career, of future usefulness, and
cannot afford to waste all this timne in
writing simple sermons that will be of no
further use to me, besides injuring the
style I am acquiring for more cultivated
hearers."
The elder represented to him that it could
scarcely injure any man's style of writing to
be obliged to put his thoughts into the simplest English, but rather an improving exercise; and that whether the style was improved or no, the souls of the people were
suffering for want of nourishment; the fruit
was hung too high, and they could not
reach it.
"Let them lift themselves up to it, then,"
said the other. "We cannot raise them by
lowering ourselves; let them lift themselves
up to it."
Poor people and poor preacher! The
congregation starved until famine made
them.bold, and.then they parted with their
!" "' "":
I88 
Tle Chrisian ijZ tChe  tJllorld. l
pastor. He found another charge of simple
people too, and pursued the same course
with them; and, at the last accounts, he
was still wandering about at cross-purposes
with the world, full of a bitter sense of injury at his want of success, and, probably,
still looking for that cultivated congregation
whose ultimate appreciation he has been all
these years preparing for. It is strange
that it never occurred to him, when comparing himself to Noah, that if he had gone a
step farther back he would have found in
the ark a much closer similitude to his case,
for the ark was a hundred and twenty years
"ca preparing," and finally saved only eight
souls.
To-day is all that we can call our own;
nobler work or wider spheres may never be
ours, but to-day, with its appointed task,
belongs to us, and the conscientious fulfillment of its duties brings a heart of peace
and the Master's commendation, "W Well
done, thou good and faithful servant; thou
I89 
Heavenward Bound.
hast been faithful over a few things, I will
make thee ruler over many things."
Aside from those more marked qualities
which we have said should characterize the
recreations and the business engagements of
the Christian, there are certain minor attributes also to be carefully cultivated. Our
sterling Christian virtues will lose half their
influence if they be not courteously exercised; our reasons for concurring in or opposing the customs of the world will fail of
half their power if they be not gently urged;
and this courtesy, this gentleness, this politeness, should  belong especially to the
Christian. We often find people who have
apparently very faultless manners, the result
of outside culture and constant friction with
the world, and as we have no occasion to go
beneath the surface in the casual intercourse
of life, it suffices for its purpose. But when
startling events come upon people and shake
them out of their conventionality, no man
of the world can ever be found so truly and
I9o 
The Christian in the World.
thoroughly courteous as the man of God.
His calmness, self-control and quiet care
for others come from a source beyond himself; and, while the same outside opportunities for culture are open to him as to the
other, the supplies of divine grace are always flowing into his soul. A rude, uncourteous Christian is a disgrace to the
Church, a stumbling-block to the world and
a sorrow to his Master. He may be sincere
in trying to copy the inner nature of Christ,
but he can have no authority for neglecting
to imitate the blameless outer life which is
spread out for our example. The matchless gentleness, unceasing consideration
and unostentatious well-doing of our divine
Master, his caressing ways to little children,
his patience with ignorance, his instant forgiveness of every offence, make him a perfect model for our imperfect imitation. Can
we ever forget the tender pity which made
him refrain from even looking at the poor,
guilty woman who was set before him, but
i9I 
leavenzward Bound.
prompted him to stoop and write upon the
ground with his finger as though he saw
her not, nor heard the words of her ac
cusers?
Be assured that true Christian courtesy is
a wonderful and beautiful gift; and while
the sterling attributes of honor, truth and
integrity prove a man's principles and piety
to the world, his courtesy, gentleness and
thoughltful consideration for others throw a
halo around the stronger virtues which enables them to win'the love as well as the
respect of those about him, to conquer their
hearts as well as to convince their reason.
It is the mollifying oil which secures the
smooth working of the wheels and cylinders of vast machinery; it is the feathered
tip which carries the arrow straight to its
mark.
Let our uprightness, then, be as the
" iron hand" for firmness and strength; our
manners as the "velvet glove" that clothes
it with softness and makes its hold on others
I92 
The Christian in the World.
as gentle as it is strong; and our motto of
action in the world the staunch old Latin
maxim, used in a Christian way: "Suaviter
int modo, fortiler in re."
13
193  
a
4='a
0
-Z
-a
A
m
4 
"Whatsoever thy handfindeth to do, do it with thy might;
for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom
in the grave whither thou goest."-ECCLES. iX. IO.
"I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it
is day; the night cometh when no man can uork."-JOHN
ix. 4.
196 
I-__-t
CHAPTER XII.
The Chdrisian at Work.
E can never be grateful enough to our
Maker for the beneficent love he has
shown in not only allowing, but in exhorting
us to work for him. Prayer and praise are
as sweet and refi-eshing to the soul as dew
and sunlight; but to every active, energetic
mind there is an intense delight in earnest
work.
There is no portion of Christian duty
which presents so many attractions at once.
As a great first motive, it pleases God; it
copies the example of Christ; it accomplishes good for the bodies and souls of
those about us;  it gratifies the naturally benevolent impulses of our heart; it gives
scope to those powers within us which re                                197
I! 
198    "   /leaven ward Bound.
joice in action; and last, but not least important among its attributes, it reacts upon
the Christian's own  soul, and strengthens,
develops and beautifies it in direct proportion to the efforts put forth or the sacrifices
made.
It is simply impossible to do much good
to others without receiving back great good
to ourselves; it is like throwing a ball that
rebounds, or holding up a light that shines
backward as well as forward.  Charity is,
indeed, "twice blessed; it blesseth him that
gives and him that takes;" and he that bestows  good things, whether gifts of the
heart, of the head, of the hands or the
purse, is one of those who "scattereth, and
yet increaseth;" while those who give not
may withhold more than is meet, but it
"tendeth to poverty."
There is, moreover, accompanying God's
injunction to us to work for him a promise
of success for our labors and an assurance
of reward in the world to come. "He that 
Thle Cir-istial-z a   T,Vork.
goethl forth and weepeth, bearing precious
seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him;"
and he has declared, for the encouragement
of all faithful teachers and preachers, that
his word, which seems so often to fall upon
stony minds and into thorn-choked hearts,
shall not return unto him void, but shall
prosper in the thing whereto it was sent.
Ultimate success is pledged to us in this
world and a full reward in the world above,
but God is often better than his word, and
firequently blesses us here with such an immediate and gracious return for our labors
that we are repaid ten-fold, even in this life,
for all that we may do in his service.
We hear a great deal about the ingratitude of the world, its grasping at favors and
clamoring for more, and some clever writer
has called its hollow thankfulness " a lively
sense of favors to come." But every person
who has been much engaged in truly useful
Christian work will be able, undoubtedly, to
199 
Heicavenward Bounizd.
affirm  that their experience contradicts the
cynical assertion.  The truth is, that many
people quite over-estimate the value of what
they do, and require a great deal of gratitude for very minute benefits. They dwell
strongly on the " cup of cold water," which
our Saviour speaks of to teach us that our
least labors of love are not unnoticed by him,
and, having bestowed a charity as cold, as
thin and as little worth to themselves, directly look for a rich return, profuse thanks
and a heavenly reward.
In many cases which come to our knowledge we  may  rather be amazed  at the
amount of gratitude shown for trifling benefits, and be touched and humbled in beholding it; feeling that the poor souls must
have few friends, indeed, and scanty aid for
all their needs when they can afford to be so
thankful for such insignificant favors.
Gratitude cannot fail to please nor ingratitude to pain us; but tQ let the hope of the
one or the fear of the other influence our
200 
-T//e Cli-is/lan at  Ifoi-k.
work in any \bay is a dishonor to the work
itself.  So, also, to see the immediate result
of our labor is pleasing and heart-cheering;
but results long delayed are no excuse for
discouragement, for we know that we shall
find them after many days.  Higher motives
and higher rewards can always be ours,
and we never find the great philanthropists
of the world stopping to complain of unthankfulness or of failure. If they encounter it, as they often must, it seems to produce no effect on them; they walk their
lofty paths in serene patience, quite undisturbed by the praise or the censure of mortals-quite undismayed by the long-deferred
fruition of their desires.
Howard, Wilberforce and Mrs. Fry worked
on indefatigably because they loved their
work, and we cannot imagine them giving it
up in discontent for want of immediate success or for lack of human applause.
Dr. Judson, who labored so many years
so faithfully in India, against untold disap
201 
Heavenwa;-d Wound.
pointments and obstacles, has left no such
feeling on record. His words upon a dying
bed were, " Heaven is sweet, but I shall
have all eternity to enjoy it, and I should
love to work a few years longer in the vineyard of the Lord."
Eliot toiled forty years among his wellloved Indian tribes, giving time, money,
study and great personal effort, with unflagging zeal and the most undaunted cheerfulness.
Brainerd, whose brief but excessive labors as a missionary at different stations
resulted in sickness and early death, is said
to have declared himself willing to work on
for twenty years more without beholding any
fruits whatever, if thereby he could encourage somebody else to occupy the field,
whose more efficient labors God might bless.
We may be assured that there is a blessing not only following, but accompanying,
every good work; and we may be equally
certain that there is such a work for every
202 
The Christian at Work.
one of us to do. God has bestowed on us a
diversity of gifts, he has appointed us different lots; but in every sphere, for every
soul, there is work waiting to be done. Not
one of his children, however feeble or young
or ignorant, may dare to say there is no
work for him to accomplish.
Not long ago, in a neighboring city, there
lived a woman who had once been a proficient in her trade of dress and cloak-making,
but a severe illness had shattered her mind
and quite unfitted her for pursuing it again.
She could not endure to be idle and useless,
and so would go about from house to house
among the poor, to cut and fit their simple
garments, always refusing to take any pay
for her labors.  "It is a great pleasure to
me to do it," she would say in her childlike
way.   "God has taken away a great deal
of my health and a portion of my mind; I
can't go about among grand folks as I used
to; I should get all confused with their rich
trimmings, and make mistakes with their
203 
Heavenward Bound.
new patterns. I can't be trusted with so
much responsibility; it bewilders me.  But
I love to go from family to family among the
poor, especially among God's poor. When
I see the mothers worn out with over-work
I like to step in and say,' I've come to sew
for you a few days.'  When I know they
stop going to church because their old Sunday gown isn't fit to be seen, I like just to
take it and sponge it and turn it and set
them going again.  When  I see the children staying away firom Sunday-school because the weather has got cold and their
shawls are thin or their cloaks worn out, it
makes me happy to wad up the old cloaks
again, and to fix up warm jackets to wear
under the thin shawls.  It's true," she would
add, "God doesn't expect much of me, because he knows that my health is weakly
and my mind unsettled; but when the end
comes I would like to have him say,' She
hathi done what she could."'
Poor broken creature! What a living
204 
T2Ie Christian at Work.
rebuke is she to the many professing Christians who seem hardly conscious of their
personal responsibility for the influence they
have, or fail to have, on those about them;
who  seem to forget that each one of us
should feel it our individual charge to leave
the world, when we die, the happier and the
better for our having lived in it.
The old saying, that where there is a will
there is a way, was never so true of anything as of the will to serve God and benefit
mankind.
A lady who was a great invalid felt much
saddened at one time because it seemed as
if all channels of active benevolence were
closed to her. She knew her faith and love
to God could find exercise in the patient endurance of the many burdens his hand had
laid upon her, but she longed to do something for the bodies or souls of her fellowmen. She resolved to watch for every opportunity of well-doing, and prayed God to
open her eyes to see whatever such he
205 
Heavenward Bound.
might send, for she determined if it were
possible that even she, invalid as she was,
would do at least one kind or useful thing
for others each day.
She kept a little calendar to satisfy her
own mind and to test the possibility of carrying out her plan, and its record was really
surprising.
For weeks and months together there
were but a few days without the "golden
deed" to crown them, and those were times
of great sickness. Often it was nothing
more than sending a bowl of broth or a
plate of fruit to a sick person; sometimes it
was only enclosing a little tract or hymn to
some one at a distance with a few kind
words; once it was interceding for a penitent boy who had lost a good place through
misconduct.
With great care she selected a small library of the best and most interesting religious books she could find, and loaned them
to servants and poor people; and then, too
2o6 
Tze Clirislian a!  Work.
sick to teach in Sunday-school, she gathered
in a class of ignorant children who worked
all day in the factory and came to her in the
evening to be taught. Through the.children she was enabled to reach the parents,
and sometimes to render them material assistance, so that the usefulness which she
feared was denied her spread and spread
till it embraced a sphere almost too large
for one heart and one pair of hands to minister to.
It is stid tlhat Dr. Arnold's sister, who was
an invalid for twenty years, was the very
sunshine of the household. Her sick room
was the haven where every one came for
rest, for sympathy and for cheerful encouragement.
If those whom God afflicts with bodily
pain and weakness can accomplish so much
for his service and the happiness of others,
how much more may well be expected of
those who have health and youth and every
faculty of mind and body!
207 
Heavenward Bounzd.
The field is wide, the work is great, the
harvest ripe and, the laborers  few.   No
Christian, bearing as he does the name of
Christ, should be satisfied with himself unless he is engaged in some good work for
the Master. If one kind is not at hand, another is; if one sort is not fitted to his powers, another will exactly suit him. It is only
absurd to say we cannot do this or that, until we have tried, and tried faithfully.  We
can never tell the riches of a mine till we
work it, neither can wve tell what powers
may be developed in our minds and characters when they come face to face with the
work before us. If we cannot do it as well
as somebody else might, let us, at least,
do the best we can, and until that better
one arrives seek, in all the service that we
offer our Master, to merit the all-sufficient
commendation, "She hath done what she
could."
We are all of us doing an unconscious
work, whether we will or not-a work that
208 
The Christian at Work.
we cannot cease from if we would-the
work of silent, involuntary influence. As
noiseless as the falling dew, as the rising of
the sun, as the setting of the tides, but as
uninterrupted as they in its constant action,
its constant influence upon others.  It is the
result of being good more than of doing
good, it is the effect of righteousness at rest
instead of in motion.
Two ladies met in a friend's house not
long ago; twenty-five years before the' had
passed a few weeks together, and had never
met since.
"I have often wanted to se- you,' said
one of them to the other, "for I owe you a
great deal. I consider that you were the
means of my becoming a Christian.  You
changed the whole course of my life, under
God, in those few weeks we spent together
long ago."
" I can hardly believe it possible," the
other replied in astonishment; " 1 was
scarcely more than a girl, and I do not re    14
2o9 
Heavenwtard Bound.
member ever talking with you on religious
subjects."
"You never did, directly," returned her
friend; "but your whole life was a lovely,
pure, faithful, Christian life. It won me,
and impressed me irresistibly. You were,
indeed, scarcely more than a girl, but you
proved to me how doubly winning even
fresh, bright youth can be, when sanctified
by God's spirit; you showed me the beauty
of holiness, and I owne to you the influences
that brought me to Christ."
Thus we see that simply by being good
we are producing a powerful, though involuntary effect upon others; but the conscientious Christian will not be satisfied to rest
there. In fact, it is almost invariably found
that those persons who are the most consistent in the more passive phases of Christian life are also most faithful in its active
duties.
But how many are there among professing Christians who are actually doing all
210 
Tihe Cziristian at  WVork.
or a half or even a stall portion of what
they might do? Alas! only a handful, a
feeble band, a scattered few, compared with
the thousands who call themselves members
of the Church of Christ and are pledged to
do its work and to fight its battles.
If these multitudes of dormant Christians
only knew the happiness, the blessedness, of
the Master's work, they would engage in it
for their own sakes. If they only considered the awful, pressing needs of their fellow-creatures, they would pursue it for the
world's sake. If they would but remember
the words of the Saviour and his  moving
example, they would consecrate themselves
to it for Christ's sake.
There has been an estimate made with
regard to individual Christian work in the
conversion of the world which gives a startling result.  "If each one," says a recent
religious writer, "by  proper effort, with
God's blessing, should secure the conversion
of one soul within the year, then there would
211 
Heavenward Bound.
be an army of twenty millions of workmen
instead of the ten only now in the vineyard;
and if we could go forward another year in
the same manner, then there would be forty
millions of Christlans instead of twenty; the
next year eighty millions; the next one
hundred and sixty; and at that rate the
whole world would be converted to Christ
in seven years."
Upon whom rests this immense responsibility?  Who  is to blame if these possible
conversions do not take place? Clearly,
each and every Christian who is failing to
fulfill his part in active effort for the salvation of souls.
By their fruits, it is said, ye shall know
them; and if, in despite of the mighty motives which combine to impel us irresistibly
to the most earnest and unceasing endeavor,
we remain cold, indifferent or idle, the inference is almost inevitable that our religion
is but an outside form, that our hearts have
never been breathed upon by the Holy
21I 
Thze Christian at Work.
Spirit, nor warmed by the fervent love of
Christ-that we have, in fact, like the
Church at Sardis, a name that we live, and
are dead.
"Behold,  these three years," said  the
master of the vineyard, "I  come seeking
fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it
down; why cumbereth it the ground?"  Like
Israel, we are but an empty vine; like the
fruitless fig tree, we offer for the husbandman's inspection nothing but leaves.
" And shall we meet the Master so,
Bearing our withered leaves?
The Saviour is looking for perfect frut.
Stand we before him, sad and mute,
Waiting the word he breathes,
' Nothing but leaves!'"
May God in his mercy forbid such a fate
to any who bear the name of Christ! The
power that turned us from death unto life
can enable us to make that life a heartfelt
offering to the Redeemer of the world. By
the capacity for growthl that he has implanted
213 
Heavenward Bound.
in our souls; by the standard of attainment
he has placed before us; by the spiritual
influences to be found in prayer and praise,
in open worship or in secret study of his
word; by the winning beauty of those firuits
he has bidden us bring forth; at home,
abroad, in sickness or health, in grief or
gladness,-may we be inspired, impelled, to
go forward from grace to grace, from strength
to. strength, doing his whole will.
Let us work the works of IIim that has
sent us while it is day, for the night cometh
when no man can work; the night of death
to mortal bodies-the night of eternal gloom
to immortal souls unreconciled to God.
What mighty deeas could we not accomplish in our united strength if every one
who is called by the name of Christ were
but a faithful, working  Christian!  We
should go forth as an invincible host, an irresistible phalanx of conquerors; we should
speedily possess the whole world, and the
Church would become what Solomon said
2I4 
TDie Clrisian at  Work.
of her as the Bride of the Lamb, "Fair as
the mnoon, clear as the sun and terrible as an
army with banners." The prince of this
world would be dethroned, the King of
saints established for ever, his peaceful
sceptre have perfect sway, and the Church
Militant give place to the Church Triumphant.
THE END.
215