The Broad Way of God

“Thine eyes shall behold a far-stretching land.” — Isa. xxxiii. 17 (R.V.).

The promise contained in these words is a promise that the later religious life shall have an expanded view. This is not our common opinion of the religious life. The popular notion is that the outlook should be widest at the beginning, and should contract with advancing years. The vision of religious breadth ii supposed to belong to the young. But it is a great mistake. Youth is the time for emphasizing differences. It admits of no compromise. Whatever cause it takes up, it takes up sharply and antithetically. When it takes up Christ it puts Him on an island — with a sea between Him and all things. It delights to think how narrow its land is, how separate from all other lands. It finds its glory in the dividing-line between Christ and the world. It says: “The dance is incompatible with devotion, the evening party incongruous with earnest piety.” It bids the seeker

of Canaan abstain from the feast of Cana, the worshipper at Bethlehem recoil from the supper at Bethany; when it hears music in the Father’s house it will not go in. But the advanced Christian feels very differently. He says, with the Seer of Patmos, “There shall be no more sea.” The waters that encompass the island are dried up, and he beholds everywhere a far-stretching land. The Christian road has become an all-embracing road; it claims for Christ the spots it once repudiated. It plants the cross in the middle of the highway. We no longer say, Six days for the world and one for God.” The Sabbath has ceased to be an island. It has become connected with the mainland; it has given its character to the mainland. Instead of one day of rest, we would have rest in all the days. We would work by the Sabbath rest — the spirit of peace within. Between the Church and the market-place there is no more sea. There is an altar possible at the receipt of custom, an opportunity for sacrifice at the exchange, a chance for self-surrender at the counting-house, a sphere for Divine service in the haunts of commerce. In the completed life of Christ Heaven and earth are one far-stretching land.

Lord, hasten that happy time when between my duties on Sunday and my duties on Monday there shall be no more sea! Give me an expanded view of what it is to be religious! Show me how far-stretching it is, how many things are included in it! Teach me that the road to Emmaus is broad enough to hold many travellers! The fu.ther I journey on that road, let me learn more how vast it is! Make my afternoon more charitable than my morning! Let me see how those can stand on Thy road that dared not stand on mine! Let me see into what unlikely quarter stretches Thy street of gold! Let me see there the leper that I loathed, the demoniac that I despised, the sceptic that I scorned, the fallen that I flouted! Let me see the child in spirituality whom I deemed unfit for my arena taken into Thine arms, the man who would not take Thy name accepted for Thy nature, the woman who had no creed chosen for a cry! The midday shall be more glorious than the morning, if only it reveals how far-stretching is Thy land.