The Beginnings of Salvation

‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him that bringeth good tidings! ’’ — Isa. lii. 7.

CHRIST in the soul descends from the

mountain to the valley. Divine knowledge follows the opposite course to human knowledge. Human knowledge rises from earth to heaven; the boy learns geography before he studies astronomy. But Divine knowledge descends from heaven to earth. Its first influence is exerted on the high places — the places nearest the sky. The feet of Christ are first seen on the mountains. The beginning of the Divine life is high aspiration. We often look in a wrong direction for the evidence of its footprints. We see a man on some occasion transgress the law of temperance; we say, “It is clear he is getting no good from religious services.” It is not

clear at all. The feet of the Divine life begin on the mountains, and they may take some time to reach the plains. You have seen the tops of the hills aflame with morning gold while the plain and the valley were in shadow. Even so is it with the life of the soul. If you want to know a man’s spiritual prospects, it is to the halls you must lift up your eyes. You must judge his morning hours not by what he does but by what he thinks. You must measure him by his aspirations. You must seek the feet of the coming Lord, not in the man’s deeds, but in his desires to do. That is why at the beginning we are said to be justified, not by works, but by faith. It is a great kindness in our Father to make the test of us, not what we do, but what we dream of. In the absence of our good actions our Father will impute to us our good dreams. He will accept Christ’s footprints while as yet they are only on the mountains.

And that is my comfort,O my Father. My deeds are far behind. Neither on the plain nor in the valley do I yet reveal Thy footprints. But the mountains are already in a glow. I have dreams of Thy Christ, aspirings after His beauty, longingsfor His love. Though not yet do I follow Him, He stands upon my highest hill. He is the climax of my hopes, the acme of my wishes, the height of my ambitions, the ideal of what I should Ike to be. On the mountain of my heart His feet are already beautiful. Keep Thine eye upon the mountain, O my Father! Behold my dreams of Him, my dreams of Thee! Look not yet on my plain! Gaze not yet on my valley! Expect not yet the footprints of Thy Christ on the beaten path! My walk is still imperfect, but I have learned to soar. Judge me by my soaring! Receive me by the rising of my wing! Accept my cry for Thy Christ! Open Thy gates to my dreams of Thee! Unbar Thy heavens to the mere sigh of my spirit! Meet me on the mountain — on the places paved as yet only with my good intentions! Come to me with the ring and the robe and the welcome while for Thee I have only the resolve, “I will arise and go to my Father”! Behold in that desire the feet of Thy Christ upon the hill!