s blamed
themselves so bitterly now because they had misspent so much of their
time and strength in the ways below, and so had not come sooner to see
and to taste this blessed land. But, at the same time, as it was, they
all rejoiced with a great joy because that, after all their delays and
all their wanderings, their way still led them through the borders of
Beulah. Now, my dear fellow-communicants, how shall we find our way at
once, and without any more wanderings, into that so desirable land? How
shall we attain to walk its streets all the rest of our days with our
staff in our hand? How shall we hope to see our boys and our girls
playing in the streets of Beulah, and eating all their days of its sweet
and its healing fruits? How shall we and our children with us henceforth
escape the Slough of Despond, and Giant Despair's dungeon, and the Valley
of the Shadow of Death? The word, my brethren, the answer to all that,
is nigh unto us, even in our mouth and in our heart. For faith, simple
faith, will do all that both for us and for our children beside us. A
heart-feeding faith in God, in the word of God, and in the Son of God,
will do it. Faith, and then obedience. For obedience, my brethren, is
Beulah. All obedience is already Beulah. Holy obedience will bring the
whole of Beulah into your heart and into mine at any moment. It is
disobedience that makes so many of those who otherwise are true pilgrims
to miss so much of the land of Beulah. Ask any affable old man with his
staff in his hand for very age, and he will tell you that it was his
disobedience that kept him so long out of the land of Beulah. While, let
any man, and above all, let any young man, begin early to live a life of
believing obedience, and he will grow up and grow old and see his
children's children playing around his staff in the streets of Beulah.
Let any young man make the experiment for himself upon obedience and upon
Beulah. Let him not too easily believe any dreamer or even any seer
about obedience and about the land of Beulah. It is his own matter and
not theirs; and let him make experiment upon it all for his own
satisfaction and assurance. Let any young man, then, try prayer as his
first step into obedience, and especially secret prayer. Let him shut
his door to-night, and let him see if he is not already inside one of the
gates of Beulah. Let him deny himself every day also, if it is only in a
very little thing. Let him sa