The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-08-08
Christian Life Column,
THR M"oUNTAIN.ToP VIEW.
BY JAMES G K MCCLURE, D D

IL one Of narroWest alleys Of q
crowded city. The houses along the
alley almost touched one another at
their top stories. The little fellow had
seen the sky only through this narrow
opening, except when he had gone a
few times into an adjoining park, and
then had had a larger view of the sky.
Even in the park his view Of the sky
was limited, for the park was very like
an Italian plaza, surrounded by build
ings that shut in the vision on every
side.
One day he was taken into the open
country and was carried up a hill. He
was quiet for a while, looking Upward
and around-in every direction. Then,
again lifting his eyes upward, he said,
How much sky there ISL He never
knew until that hour how much blue
and beauty there was ove him. The
knowledge that then came was a reve.
lation and a j ".
There is q narrow way and also a
broad way of seeing God. Our judg-
ments of life and of Him depend large
~ on our perspective. The two great
est views of God given to our world
came from Moses and Christ. Both
were men who often dWelt out in the
open where the range of the sky was
not limited. Noses climbed a noun,
tain above the tents of Israel and ever
the foothills that shut in the horizon,
and on an elevation VIII re the sky was
as broad S his unobstructed vision he
realized that the glory of God is His
goodness.
Never until the hour when God told
him that His greatest joy vas to be
pititul and helpful to the children of
men did Moses know show much sky
there was over him" Christ, too,
climbed the mountains when He was
to speak his largest thoughts concern
ing God and Gods interest in man.
There was sky-yes, very much sky
about Him, and about His hearers,
when He told them to "bahold the
birds of the air, which your Heavenly
Father feedetb," and as they looked
up and around, and saw sky, sky
everywhere, and everywhere beautiful
it was easy for them to receive His
gracious teachings of the fullness and
tenderness of Gods love toward them.
Mountain top visions for valley
work" Such is the title of a sermon l
once wrote. THIS g its thought: that
sometimes in life we are taken far up
above our ordinary experiences lifted
high oboVe the doubts and p~erplexities
and hardships that usually are ours, and
then the sky widens out and we see
the sky, Gods sky, Gods sky in all it's
brilliancY and calmnees, resting low.
ingly over our homes and labor and
graves. Our duties and our cares,
and even our soIrows, look so different
then! Gld seems to be in every one
of them, and they grow light and even
beautiful to US.
That wide expan of Gods i terest
and love, how it rests US and comforts
us-yes, and strengthens US, too! How
much sky there nust have been over
Paul when, net quite able to forget the
thorn in his side, be felt his heart tin
gle so that he scarcely knew whether
he was in the body Of not, as there cane
to him the assurance, My grac3 Is
sufficient for thee"
Sky! It was all sky that hour.
Mountain top visions do not lingeE:
they do not need to linger. TIE boy
went back to his narrow alley, and ali
that be could see of the sky was g line
OF blue up above. The buildings
crowded very close about him. The
world and iCs ~drugeries and it's wrongs
wel!-niEh inclosed him. Oaly that
one blue streak of heaven could be dis.
covered now. But he had seen the great.
wide. Over arChing. ell embracing sky.
had seen it! De knew how large
il was, Gni how beautiful, tO0, He
inow also what thoughts and emotions
end desires came to him when he had
the vision. He could carry that vision
il his heat and carryiDgi there could
see every burden. every limitation in
its cheer.
The view OF the mountain top, not
the view Of the valley, is the true view
OF GODS providence. 1t does us good,
1t does all men good to climb the
heights sometimes and know how much
sky there is over US. PAter once went
up a mount Of tranEi duration. and
saw Christ actually as He was, One of
SURPRISING glory and beauty, and that
vision put a halo about all the routine
duties that after ward came to him in
Christ's servica. 1t YVES where the
sky was large that men heard the
words: Your Heavenly Father know
eth what things ye need. Not a hair
OF your head falleth without HE care"
Aud it was, too, where the sky was