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fellow travellers, and see how variously we have been led! One has come up through a world of tribulation, amid temptations and anguish enough to have almost sunk him in despair; another, through scenes of turmoil and difficulty, and bodily discomforts all his life long; another, through spiritual trials which have almost broken his nature, nay, quite broken the perverted nature of his own unregenerate heart; another, through more prosperous circumstances, so far as the earth-life is concerned, but has not, perhaps, attained so high a place in the celestial kingdom; another, by the very means of his wealth, by the good he has done with it, has come to inherit those riches which are imperishable and ever-increasing; and all-all conducted through paths of mystery and ways unknown to them, till the blindness has clearly gone from their eyes, and the light of eternity shines over all the past, and covers them with glory, and assures them for eternal ages to Well-pray God that it may be so. And what, now, are all the sufferings of time? What are all our repinings and murmurings by the way? The Lord has numbered all our sorrows, and counted every tear, and precious, far more precious than the heaps of gold which others have been suffered to accumulate, He has enriched our spiritual nature with every necessary good, and there, in the land of eternity, spread a heaven of glory and magnificence around us. We shall there look back upon this whole track of time, and see that there was no other path through which we could have been so safely led. And through that-winding and circuitous, and dark and uncertain and painful as it was, the poor blind man was led, and saved from a thousand pitfalls by Him only who could see. At last the Lord, that I may receive my sight: prayer and lo! He makes darkness light before us, and crooked things straight. Now we may progress forever and ever, with an assured and enlightened footstep. For we have but begun the journey here. We have passed through the wilderness. We have entered the heavenly Canaan; and there still, but not in

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conflict, not in darkness, the Lord is ever with us to conduct us through the heavenly mansions, and abroad through the vast stretching fields and glories of eternity, forever perfecting, forever increasing in love, and purity, and happiness,- pursuing still those paths of immortality which lead forever upward, to holier visions and diviner joys.

CHAPTER X.

VIEW FROM MOUNT PISGAH.

"On Pisgah's height the aged prophet stood,
And viewed the extended scene. Fair Canaan's land,
Judah and Gilead, to the utmost sea,
Outstretching unto Zoar, in richness and

In beauty filled the eye, but not to him

Was promise of the blessing. He should see,
But not inherit. So to man, proud man,
Perched high upon an eminence of faith,
Gleaming afar in visioned intellect,

Ray out the unspoken glories; rapt he stands,
Admires, exults, and spies the heaven beyond,
Then sinks into himself, and weaves his shroud
For blindness and for death."- Landerf.

THERE is one elevation of so peculiar a character in our regenerate experience, as to demand particular attention. It is an elevation of a purely mental nature, and so entrancing and glorious, and withal so deceptive, that we must not fail to comprehend it thoroughly. And this too is graphically described in the Divine Word. It is found in the experience of Moses. It is familiar knowledge with every student of the Bible, that this distinguished lawgiver and leader of Israel, who was at the head of all their hosts, who led them forth from Egypt amid many wonders and miracles, and was with them in the wilderness, leading, guiding, instructing, was not himself permitted to enter into Canaan. But the interior, spiritual lesson intended to be conveyed by this, has not yet fully dawned upon the understandings of many. So particular, indeed, is the Divine Providence in the lesson conveyed by this

great piece of history, that it was specially ordered that none but Caleb and Joshua, of all the men of war that came out of Egypt, should find their way to the promised land. But yet unto Moses, and to him alone, was granted the privilege of seeing the land, in its whole broad extent, from the top of Mount Nebo, the highest summit of Pisgah. Others saw it as they approached its borders, the spies, for instance, who were sent forth to explore it; but no one but Moses was permitted to have this broad and entire view of it. And for this he was expressly brought to this high elevation, being commanded to go there for the purpose. The meaning is to be found in the representative character of Moses, and in that stage of the regenerate life which is here signified. Moses was the inspired Lawgiver of the Israelites; and as such, represents the Divine Truth instructing and guiding, but not in action or in combat; and before truths can be of any effect in securing heaven for us, there must be this combat against evils. There was indeed some warfare against evils, in the journeyings through the wilderness, but it related chiefly to a more external state, ― to a state of reformation rather than regeneration; or to regeneration of the understanding rather than the will: regeneration more fully and properly commences after the passage over Jordan hence it was that Moses, the Jewish lawgiver, was full of instruction for the understanding, gave all laws and regulations for the people, instituted all the particulars in the multitudinous ceremonial service, but could not himself lead them into Canaan. For this purpose a Joshua was necessary, who represents Truth combating, and routing the enemies of the land. Hence, as soon as he arrived within the country, there appeared an angel unto him with a drawn sword in his hand. (Josh. 5: 13.) His mission was to expel the Canaanites. After all outward enemies are conquered, and reformation has done its work in the wilderness, then there are internal foes to combat, signified by "the inhabitants of the land." Mere truth in the intellect cannot do this; but it is of wondrous

service in sharpening the vision, and preparing the way, and leading right up to the very work to be engaged in: thence it was that Moses, so pre-eminent in wisdom, was elevated to a very high mountain went up even from the plains of Moab, which represents a low state of mere natural good, to the top of Pisgah which was over against Jericho, a city on the borders of the promised land. All this signified the near approach to the heavenly Canaan. But he did not abide there. He merely went up to see the country, as it lay outstretched before him in all its grandeur, and to die there. Alas! how strikingly it prefigures the power of truth to elevate the understanding and quicken the intellect, and to see, on many and many a time, the glories which burst upon the spiritual vision, when the will, not being in the love of that truth, cannot abide there, and too frequently dies there! It is expressly stated in the Divine Word, that neither Moses nor Aaron should enter the promised land, because of a strife at the waters of Kadesh, and because they sanctified not the Lord in the midst of the children of Israel. That is, because of a contention about truths, and because of an omission to make that truth holy by an indwelling principle of good. This cannot be done by any mere temporal elevations, ever so high and exciting, of the powers of the spiritual man; and hence it was that of all the men of war that came out of Egypt, none save Caleb and Joshua finally found admission into Canaan. They represent the truly spiritual principles that remain, after the whole of the evil natural has been thrown off in the wilderness.

But Moses saw the land- saw it in all its extent and glory, for one at that distance from it. It is said that "the Lord showed it to him." The principal of Divine Good can so quicken the understanding as to cause some temporary elevations; it is in fact only this that ever enables us to see the truth and to acknowledge it as such; but until it is acted, and made enduringly spiritual, it does not abide by us, although the vision may be full, and the prospect most extensive. Thus the

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