THE PATH OF JOY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 988, 6 May 1911, Page 4

THE PATH OF JOY.

[We publish here a devotional work “The Path of Joy,” specially written for the Herald. It consists of five short addresses which will appear serially in our Saturday’s issue.] (I.) THE HIDDEN PATH IN THE WORLD. “There Is a path hidden in the world that “no bird of prey kuowetb, neither hath the falcon’s eye seen it, the proud beasts have not trodden it, nor hath the fierce lion passed thereby,” it is the path of righteousness that leads to the Throne of the Eternal. When once this path is found, it becomes one of spiritual joy, a joy that is ever unfolding a greater joy, “and in the pathway thereof there is no death.’ ’ Down its narrow confines Enoch walked with God amid the delicate flowers of virtues, and recognised it as the Way of Holiness, he was one of those “who listen, mid the din of voices, for the voice within.” Isaiah tells us “that the unclean shall not pass over it, but the redeemed shall walk there ; and they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” The devout soul asks “Where is the way to the dwelling of light?”, and God answers “Seek ycjMe and ye shall live.” Seek ! that is the first and necessary qualification, for in seeking we shall find. The promice of God is this, “And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your beau, and I will be found of you.” Here at once we see that an opportunity is given to us as well as a promise —the opportunity is that we are placed in the world with an intelligence and a faculty to find out God —the promise is that we shall find Him. This promise is always being realised, for the more we seek Him so much the more shall we find Him, and the more we find Him so much the more shall we love and enjoy Him. There is a joy in seeking and finding out God, and there is a greater joy which is always future, and that is, the more we seek Him the more we shall find Him, it is the walking on the path of joy, treading as it were from light to light, from glory to glory. Once we have entered this path of joy we have God for our Sun, and no clouds, however dark, can hide Him from us. The storm of life may be severe, the winds of adversity may sweep and lash against us, and the struggle at times seems almost too much ; but out of it we shall always catch those dazzling rays of Divine glory, and with them will come the ever widening consciousness that God is revealing Himself more and more to us. The psalmist struck the right note, “Who going through the vale of misery use it for a well and the pools are filled with water; they will go from strength to strength.” Faith and hope in God turn the most wretched circumstances of life into a place of springs, springs of joy; God bestowing showers of blessing from above causing the seeds of taith and hope to grow, bearing the fruit of increasing joy. Instead of fainting and being depressed through adversity the pilgrim gains fresh strength as he advances nearer and nearer to God —“they will go from strength to strength.” The vale of weeping is changed into a vale of blessing, and this comes about, partly by the inward spring of joy the pilgrim has in himself as day by day he seeks and finds out God, and partly by the showers of blessing he receives from above as he knows and learns more of God’s goodness and love. There is an undercurrent of joy that runs in the words of Cowper : “The path of sorrow, and that path alone, leads to the land where sorrow is unknown.” The eyes of God are always upon this Elysian path, the Eternal watcher ever guards and protects those who are seeking Him, for “He withdraweth not His eyes from the righteous.” The peace and confidence of those who

walk down its sunny avenues is the knowledge that “the eyes of the Lord are upon them that love Him,” and that every conquest, every step taken, is noted by Him who is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent. To those who cling to the world and have set their minds on material things, this is a hidden path, it can only be traversed by those who are spiritual, for we walk by faith, not sight. “The falcon’s eye hath not seen it,” for covetousness and greed are the weeds that hide it; “no proud beast or fierce lion hath trodden it” for violence and cunning are not to be found in it. Nothing shall enter that way of holiness that has the power to hurt or destroy ; lor the eyes of the Lord are always upon it and His eyes are too pure to look upou iniquity. God and sin cannot walk side by side, “ihouart about my path” is the inward joy of the devout soul. “Thou art a God that seest” is the confidence and trust of the pilgrim. “Lead me in a plain path” is the prayer of the seeker after God, “for the path of the just is as the strong light.” Only by the eyes of faith do we discover this path, and then tor ever we walk beneath the untiring Eye of Him who is unimaginable loveliness and purity. Thus the first step is the first joy—the intending to gel to God, and each step realises that there is a greater joy, the daily unfolding of the Beatific Vision, the daily approach to the Throne of the Eternal, where the King shall be seen in all His beauty, where the eyes of faith shall feast in an uninterrupted and unsullied joy. “Then fainting soul, arise and sing, Mount, but be sober on the wing; Mount up, for Heaven is won by prayer, Be sober, for thou art not there ; Till death the weary spirit frees, Thy God hath said, ’Tis good for thee To walk by faith, and not by sight. Take it on trust a little while, Soon shalt tftou read the mystery right; In the full sunshine of His smile.