At the Gate of the Will

“Oh, keep my soul, and deliver me!” — Ps. xxv. 20.

There was a castle once, the key to a system of national defense. It was often beleaguered by its foes, who invested it on all sides, allowing no chance of attack to pass without pressing for an advantage over the defenders. It had not, however, so much to fear around its walls, since it was strongly fortified — nature and art having combined to render it a stronghold; but its weakness lay in the great entrance-gate, through which was ingress and egress between the castle and the surrounding country. Through this gate the enemy had often poured, carrying it by storm, to be driven out with great difficulty after wreaking their vindictive malice on the fabric. When times were troublous and an attack was expected, elaborate care was taken to strengthen this gateway and, above all, to strictly scrutinize all who passed in and out. But often it happened that the traitors flocked 43 into the old keep amid the crowds that passed to and fro, hiding themselves in the precincts until a signal was given from without, when they betrayed the castle to its foes. Stricter and ever stricter watch was instituted by the garrison, but the traitors were so wily that, like the Gibeonites of old, they disguised themselves. They assumed the garb of loyal subjects, and seemed engaged in innocent and natural pursuits, and so eluded scrutiny. It was only after repeated failure that finally the garrison intrusted the keeping of that gate to one of the most experienced officers of the royal court, who was well accustomed to detect the presence of the enemy under every disguise. He from that day forward kept the closest watch, and often arrested an apparently harmless individual who, on being searched, turned out to be a spy or an incendiary. Under his watchful care the castle was kept from fear of surprise and he was able also to repel many an assault.

This is a thinly veiled parable of the heart, young reader. It is a stronghold which God has intrusted to our care; but Satan beleaguers it and is ever seeking to win it for himself. The one point, however, which is most vulnerable is the great gate of the will. If only that were always kept closely shut against the foe, whether in disguised or open attack, we might safely defy all the power of the enemy, so strict is the partition between our human nature and diabolic hate. But it is just there that we are weakest. The keeper of that gate has often been bribed by the imagination, after it has been over-persuaded and induced, in spite of the remonstrances of the judgment, to admit certain thoughts which sought for admission, but which have perpetrated nameless outrages. We have weakly yielded in the suggestion. The gates have been thrown open, to our awful hurt.

If we could only stop bad thoughts from entering the precincts of the soul, how safe and happy we should be! We could easily enough ward off assaults from without if we were not betrayed from within. But we should not be betrayed there if only we were more careful and resolute in examining, searching, and turning back the subtle and evil suggestions which knock for admittance.

Think of the zealous care with which the Czar of all the Russias is surrounded. No stranger could enter his palace. The highestborn have to pass through a strict cordon of scrutiny ere they are admitted to the imperial presence. And this is necessary if he is to be preserved from the plots of the nihilists, from dynamite or cold steel. If his palace were left as unwatched as we leave our hearts, — if it were as easy for traitors to enter as it is for thoughts or evil imaginations to intrude within our souls, — his life would be instantly forfeited. But if we exercised the same unsleepin g vigilance over every thought, suggestion, fancy, or ambition, the soul might be left as pure and safe as the Kremlin during the late celebrations.

Do you not know this? All temptation begins with the first flitting thought, which shows itself like the air of a fugue — merely a suggestion, a fancy, a desire. It seems innocent enough. You are disposed to admit it. Why shouldn’t you? It is surely needless to make too much ado about what seems so innocent, or at least so trifling. And that thought may lie in your heart, like a spore of contagion in the system, for days or even months without revealing its malign intention. Then, some day when you least expect it, it will suddenly leap out, full-armed, upon you, like the warriors from the wooden horse which the Trojans, in an evil hour, drew within their gates. Every temptation begins in the first faint suggestion. Deal with that and no power of the adversary can prevail against you. Yield to that and sooner or later you will rue your weakness and find that the innocent-looking egg contained a viper, and that the tiny, trickling streamlet has become a raging torrent which carries all before it in its ungovernable passion.

If only each young soul that reads this page would realize this! Keep your thoughts and you keep your hearts. Indulge suspicious or evil thoughts and you cannot hope to prevail in the conflict against sin.

But of course the difficulty arises at the gate of the soul. We are so weak. Frequent yielding in the past has robbed us of much of the power of resistance. We are so easily deceived; we do not detect the traitor; we admit the crowd of visitants so easily. The stream is always pouring in and out, and we cannot or will not use all our powers in discriminating and winnowing the bad from the good.

For this reason there is nothing for it but to intrust the keeping of our souls to our Saviour, who will gladly undertake the charge. Ask Him to place a strong warder at the gate of the will, — one beyond suspicion and incapable of being bribed, — who shall detect in a moment and beneath every disguise the unhallowed and treacherous impulse, and shall have strength enough to repel. There is no doubt who that warder will be. The Holy Spirit alone is equal to so difficult and important a work. But when the soul is intrusted to Him there is no fear of failure. Live in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.

Would that I had words to bum this thought into every heart! Thoughts are always trooping up to the gate of the soul — happy and sad, of home and love and business, which recall the past and anticipate the future, some dressed in fustian, others in gold and silver tissue. Now in that crowd, under a harmless exterior, evil and traitorous thoughts often mingle and pass in without much notice or resistance on our part. If only we would yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit! He would not prohibit anything that was natural and innocent, but would detect, expose, and put back all that was not pure, holy, lovely, and of good report. Then peace and blessedness and salvation would reign through the whole fortress of man-soul.