Whither Goest Thou?
a Fre “But He knoweth the way that I take: When
He bah tried me, I shall come e forth as gold,”
OF HIS WAY. — FOUR QUESTIONS — I. DO YOU KNOW YOUR WAY?
WHERE IT LEADS? — HOW YOU ARE GOING? — AN INFERENCE FROM SILENCE. — ARE YOU DRIFTING ? — A VAGABOND LUNATIC ARRESTED. — II. ARE YOU GLAD GOD KNOWS YOUR WAY? — CERTAIN THAT HE DOES KNOW. — EVEN WHEN THE MAN ISIN DOUBT. — III. HAVE YOU MET WITH TRIALS IN THE WAY? — TRIALS IN ALL WAYS. — COME FROM GOD. — AS TESTS, — WILL HAVE AN END. — IV. HAVE YOU CONFIDENCE IN GOD? — GOLD UNINJURED BY FIRE.:
Jos could not understand the way of God with
him; he was greatly perplexed. He could not find
the Lord, with whom aforetime he constantly abode.
He cries: ‘Behold, I go forward, but He is not. there; and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; on
the left hand, where He doth work, but I cannot be-
hold Him; He hideth Himself on the right hand, that
I cannot see Him.” But if Job knew not the way of
the Lord, the Lord knew Job’s way. It is a great
comfort that when we cannot see the Lord, He sees us, and perceives the way that we take. It is not so important that we should understand what the Lord
is doing as that the Lord should understand what we are doing, and that we should be impressed by the
great fact that He does understand it. Our case ‘may be quite beyond our own comprehension, but it
345 — 23 nnin eae. Boece God knew his way, Job Girne ‘ron the e unjust judgments of his unfeeling friends, and appealed. he to God Himself. He pleaded Res IN THE SUPREME COURT, a Lb where his case was known, and he refused the ene a dicts of erring men. He that doeth right seeketh the light; and as Job saw that the light was with ) God, he hastened to that light, that his deeds might be made manifest. Like a bird of the day, which begins to signal the return of the morning, he could sing when he stood in the light of God. He was glad that the Lord knew his way, his motive, and his desires; for from that truth he inferred that he would a be helped in his trials, and brought safely through them. ‘When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” a These words afford rich consolation to thee saints; and if I were to use them for that purpose I should expect the Lord’s people greatly to rejoice in the Lord, whose observant.eye and gracious thoughts are always upon them. Our whole condition lies open to Him with whom we have to do. Though never understood by men, we are understood by our God. As the Son of God was known to the Father, Bet, though unknown to all the world, so are we hidden se from the knowledge of men, but well known of the. a nai Most High.
- — * — s«s T quit the design of comforting the people of God for the more se pressing work of arousing the —
Lhe ay is 3 ction, Oh that I couke arouse sane toa se of their condition! To that end I shall ask ony questions. — ‘ 2 Z ie 1 “My hearer, I ask j you, first: aa DO YOU KNOW YOUR OWN way? ers You have a way. There is a way which you have® = taken, chosen, selected for yourself: there is a way which you follow in desire, word and act. So far as Py” your life is left to your own management, thereisa way which you voluntarily take and willingly follow., ‘Do you know what that way is? It is not every one “s who does know as much as that. It is a very simple question to put to you; but yet it is a very needful one to many; for many walk on as in a dream. Do you know where you are going? “Of course,” says one, “everybody knows where he is going.” Do you know where you are going, and do you carefully consider your end? You are steaming across the deep sea of time into the main ocean of eternity: to ee what port are you steering? Whither goest thou, O ae man? The birds in the heaven know their time and place when they fly away in due season; but do you b 5 f know whither you are speeding? Do you keep watch, looking ahead for the shore? What shore are you expecting to see? For what purpose are you living? What is the end and drift of your daily action? I fear that many in this vast congregation are a not prepared to give a deliberate answer which will be pleasant to utter and to think upon. Is not this suspicious? If I were to go out to-morrow by the a ae
sea, I should not walk on board a steamboat and then inquire, “Where are you going?” ‘The captain would think mea crazy fellow if I embarked before I knew where the vessel was going. I first make up my mind where I will go, and then select a vessel which is likely to carry me there in comfort. I know of no ultimate abode of souls except the brightness of the Father’s glory, or the darkness of Jehovah’s wrath. Which of these will be your end? Which way are you intentionally going? What is it you are aiming at? Are you living for God? or are you so living that the result must be eternal banishment from His presence?
If you answer that question, allow me to put another: Do you know
HOW YOU ARE GOING?
In what strength are you pursuing your journey? If you feel able to say, “I am seeking that which is right and good,” I then press the inquiry, In what strength are you pursuing it?) Are you depending upon your own power, or have you received strength from on high? Do you rely on your own resolves and determinations, or have you received help from the Spirit of God? Remember, there are days in every life-voyage in which the storm-fiend puts all human power to a nonplus. Even in the fairest weather we are all too apt to run on rocks or quicksands; but the voyage of life is seldom altogether a pleasant one, and we must be prepared for tempests. Our own unaided strength will not endure the waves and the winds of the ocean of life; and if you are trusting to are no nse, ic ne thousisd aap of th terious Sevens sa Is God with you? Has bos
r Guide a Promewr? If not, your weed folly will be made clear, before long, to your infoo ruin. You may put on all steam and oa
Pil never reach
THE FAIR HAVENS. Are there any here who decline to answer my question? When a man confesses that he does not know where he is going, or what his business may Fe be; the policeman concludes that he is probably going ms rs where he ought not to go, and has business on hand which is not what it should be. If you are afraid to pe consider your future, your fear is a bad omen. The tradesman who is afraid to look into his accounts will before long have them looked into for him by an officer from the Bankruptcy Court. He that dares not see his own face in the glass must be an ugly fellow; i you that dare not behold your own characters have bad characters. Not know where you are aes Ah me! do you wish to find yourselves in hell ona sudden? Do you prefer to go to a doctor a 1 who is known to say, ‘There is not much the matter: a little change and a dose of physic will soon put you all right”? Do you pay your guineas to be flattered? No: the man who is wise wants to know the truth,
however alarming that truth may be.
Pr ] ee
rr ay Ae
am not distinctly sailing for heaven, neither am I reso-I wish every man here who is serving Sat
But there is this —
to be aware that he is doing it.
stand. The grace of God can come in, and lead you a at once to reverse your course. 7
But, my friend, ave you drifting? Do you say, a
*Y lutely steering in the other direction. I do not quite — sy know what to say of myself”? Are you drifting, then? Surely, you must be
DERELICT, IF NOT WATER-LOGGED;
and you will come to a total wreck before long. 7a
Yours isa dark prospect. Some time ago,I read in a paper of a gentleman being brought up before the magistrate. What was the charge against him? — “Nothing very serious,” you will say. He was found — wandering in the fields. He was asked where he was going, and he said he was not going anywhere. He was asked where he came from, and he said he did not know. They asked him where his home was, and he said he had none. They brought him up for wandering as — what? a dangerous lunatic! The man
who has no aim or object in life, but just wanders — about anywhere or nowhere, acts like a dangerous — lunatic, and assuredly is not morally sane. Do not say that you are drifting; it is a terrible answer, im-Mie may be pe ae accents are “trembles th a holy fear; but, none the less, I am glad to ar you say as much. I rejoice if you say, “Christ — Bae commands me; lam trusting to His guidance; He oy way. my life, my end.” Dear friend, I congratulate you. We will sail together, as God shall help us, under the convoy of our Lord Jesus, who is the Lord High Admiral of the sea of life. We will an keep with His squadron till we cast anchor in the eee glassy sea. But now that you know your way, and; are assured that you are’on the right track, put on all steam. If we really are on the oe way, let us = press forward with all our powers; and may God help us, that we may win the prize! Answer this first question, and know of a surety where you are, and 2. whither you are going.:
Il. Secondly, is it a comfort to you that God knows your way? Solemnly, I believe that one of
THE BEST TESTS OF CHARACTER
is our relation to the great truth of God’s omniscience. If it startles you that God sees you, then you ought to be startled. Allow me to apply the test to you now, by asking what you think of the truth that the Lord knows you altogether. Remember, if your heart condemn you, God is greater than your heart, and knoweth all things; but if your heart
; Dear aid it is quite econ by God Pie. ‘the way that you take. The Hebrew, an be re “He knoweth the way that is in me; from whic gather that the Lord not only knows our outward estions, but our inward feelings. He knows our likes” fi and dislikes, our desires and our designs, our imagin th ations and tendencies. He knows not only what: do, but what we would do if we could. He know which way we should go if the restraints of society and the fear of consequences were removed; and that, perhaps, is a more important proof of character — 4 f than the actions of which we are guilty. God knows — what you think of, what you wish for, what you areca “s pleased with. He knows not only the surface-tint of your character, but the secret heart and core of it, The Lord knows you altogether. Think of that. — Does it give you any joy, this morning, to think that the Lord thus reads all the secrets of your bosom?
he Whether you rejoice therein or not, so it is, and ever i. -will be.: 3 i; God knows your way, however falsely you may be Ghee represented by others. Those three men who had — Bee looked so askance upon Job accused him of hypocrisy, and of having practiced some secret evil; but Job could answer, “The Lord knoweth the way that I take.” Are you the victim of slander? the Lord knows the truth. Though you have been sadly mis- understood, if not wilfully misrepresented by ungenerous persons, yet God knows all about you; and His
: Another great mercy is, na ore God Has, a, way we take when we hardly know it ourselves. There re times with the true children of God when they ot see their way, nor even take their bearings. a It is not every saint that knows his longitude and titude; nay, it is not every saint that is sure that he is a saint. We have to ask: “Is my repentance real? Is my faith true? Have I really passed from death to life? Am I the Lord’s own?” Ido not wish you to be in such a state: it is a pity that such a question should be possible; but I know full well that many sincere saints are often put to the question, and not.) altogether without reason. - Herein is comfort: the ta Lord knows His children, and He knows the truth xf their graces, the preciousness of their faith, the heavenliness of their life; for He is the Former, the - Author of them all. He knows His own work, and cannot be deceived. III. Thirdly, do you meet with
TRIALS IN THE WAY? l anticipate your answer. Out of the many here present, not one has been quite free from sorrow. I think I hear one saying, “Sir, I have had more trouble since I have been a Christian than I ever had before.” I met with such a case the other day: a ee man said to me, “I never went to a place of worship for many years, and I always seemed to prosper. At — dast I began to think of divine things, and I attended the house of God; but since then I have had nothing eg 2 fe wrong way. Job was in rhe right way, ia ite knew it; and yet He suffered Job to be very fierc tried, 4 Consider that there are trials in all ways. Bean the road to destruction, broad as it is, has not a path in it which avoids trial. Some sinners go over hedge and ditch to hell. Ifaman resolves to be a world- — ling, he will not find that the paths of sin are paths of 25 peace. The wicked may well be ill at ease; for Gods 4 I walks contrary to them because they walk contrary to Him. No man, be he on the throne, or on ie: woolsack, or up ina mill, or down in a coal-pit, can = live without affliction. In a cottage near a wood there are troubles, as well as in the palace by the sea. We are born to trouble; if you look for a world with- — out thorns and thistles, you will not find it here.. Trials are no evidence of being without God,: TRIALS COME FROM GOD. ae. Job says, “When He hath tried me.” He sees God in his afflictions. The devil actually wrought the trouble; but the Lord not only permitted it, but He sine had a design in it. Without the divine concurrence, none of his afflictions could have happened. It was: God that tried Job, and it is God that tries us. No trouble comes to us without divine permission, All — the dogs of affliction are muzzled until God sets them free. ince every trial comes from God, afflictions. are no evidence that you are out of God’s way.
ch was real and sincere. Did not the enemy say:
Neg and about all that he Sa on every side?
hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse Thee to Thy face.” The devil will have it that as dogs follow men for bones, so do we follow God for what we can get out of Him. The Lord lets the “devil see that our love is not bought by temporal - goods, that we are not mercenary followers, but lov- 5 - ing children of the Lord, so that under dire suffering: we exclaim, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in
Him.” By the endurance of grief our sincerity is made manifest, and it is proven that we are not mere pretenders, but true heirs of God.
Once more upon this point: if you have met with es troubles, remember they wzll come to an end. The holy man in our text says, “When He hath tried me.” As much as to say, He will not always be doing it;
ing me. Beloved, put a stout heart to a steep hill, and you will climb it before long. Put the ship in good trim for a storm; and though the winds may howl for a while, they will at length sob themselves asleep. There is a sea of glass for us after the sea of storms. Only have patience, and the end will come. Let your trials be evidence to you rather that you are
at cording i the” ‘text, these ieee Ke When He hath fied me” The trials that to Job were made to be proofs that the patri- Oe
last not Thou made an hedge about him, and about.:
ae is increased in the land. But ae forth Thine -
there will come a time when He will have done try-
ay So cin: HAVE YOU CONFIDENCE IN GOD 1 oe as to these storms? Can you say, in the. languag at; Rot the text, “When He hath tried me, I shall come — forth as gold’? If you are really trusting in Je if He is everything to you, you may say this co fidently; for you will find it true to the letter. If you have really given yourself up to be saved by grace, do not hesitate to believe that you will be found safe
oe them for a day or two, bat could not preserve them all their lives. Trust Christ for everlasting BS rb) - vation: mark “everlasting” / Sa This confidence must be sustained by sincerity.
Ifa man is not sure that he is sincere, he cannot have confidence in God. If you are a bit of gold and - know it, the fire and you are friends. You will come forth out of it; for no fire will burn up gold. But if —
gis.8 you suspect that you are some imitation metal, some mixture which glitters but is not gold, you will hoe oe hate fire and ee no good word for it. You will 2 Sees proudly murmur at the divine dispensations. Why s
should you be put into the fire? Why should you be tried? You will kick against God’s providence if you: are a hypocrite, but if you are really sincere you will submit to the divine hand, and will not lie down in
Make it your operat confidence Bae a
Soi is! SN THE DAV.OW- TROUBLE..
E: But how does that come forth? It comes forth ( ved. It has been assayed, and is now warranted
that He has helped me, and I am sure that I am His.” How does gold come forth? It comes forth purified.
to the fire, but it is quite as precious. ‘There is quite has gone? Nothing but that which is best gone.
“child of God, you may decrease in bulk, but not in: ‘bullion!
By furnace? It comes forth ready for use. Now the i, goldsmith may take it, and make what he pleases of ae it. It has been through the fire, and the dross has hice got away from it, and it is fit for his use. So, beloved, if you are on the way to heaven, and you meet with difficulties, they will bring you preparation for higher service; you will be a better and more useful man; you will be a woman whom God can more
heavenly promotions. You are re os GOING A RANK HIGHER, God is putting another stripe upon your arm, You
nce more: He says, “I shall come forth as ee ce
. So shall you be. After the trial you will a to say, “Now I know that I fear God; now I now that God is with me, sustaining me; now I see
A lump of ore may not be so big as when it went inas much gold in it now as there was at first. What
Elie dross has gone, but all the gold is there. O
P Once more: how does gold come forth from the
fully use to comfort others. Spiritual afflictions are
ee Te
mg De A oe te a
eas a
were only a corporal, but now He is making a sergeant of you. Be not discouraged. You that have set out for heaven this morning, do not go back because you geta rainy day when you start. Do not be like Pliable. When he got to the Slough of Despond, and tumbled in, all he did was to struggle to get out on the side nearest home. He said, “If I may only once get out of this bog, you may have that grand city for yourself for me.” Come, be like Christian, who, though he did sink, always kept his face in the right way, and always turned his back to the City of Destruction. ‘No,” he said, “if I sink in deep mire where there is no standing, I will go down with my eyes toward the hills whence cometh my help.” May the Lord so bless you, for He knows the way you take! and when He hath tried you, He will bring you forth as gold. Amen.