Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1902-08-20
THE TWO HIGHWAYS
One Leads to Life, the Other Ends
in Destruction.
The nibie Ii the Guide Book and
Christ the Lcadcr->c by
the "uighway and B,vny"
Preacher.
ICopyrisht. lsO2 by y y. Eenogg News
nnn.r Col

there be MulCn 10 III AiStSAl. bS-
cause strait Is the gate. and narrow Is
the way. which leudeth unto life. and
few there be th1J hrd it.--Matt 1913, H.
The Figure. -Iu this text Christ has
given us u figure which easily ana
clearly illustrates the thought that
the soul ia this life is moving on to-
wards u destiny which reaches beyond
time into eternity Two gateways
and two roads are mentioned, each
with its destination definitely fixed;
one ending ian the blackncsS OF the bot
tomloss pit aud the other reaching the
eternal glorics Of Heaven, where the
soul is clothed upon with immortal
ity. One road is crowded with the many
who press through the Wide Gate; the
other echoes with the footsteps OF the
few who have sought and found the
Strait Gate and entered in thercat. y
command sounds forth i'm the hearing
OF all travellers entering these two
ways which ~ authoritative and posi-
tive. God meets every soul and cries:
Enter We in at the Strait Gate!' The
many are so engrosSed in chasing the
butterfly of worldly gain and pleasure
which ilits just before them that they
fail To hear and heed. The few stop
10 listen and then begin TO seek; aud
in fulhllmcnt OF the Divine prom
Use, 'hc that ScCketh hudcth.' the int
tie wicket gate of BunNau'S Pilgrim is
seen to lie Just ahead. and II knock at
the door admits to the Narrow Way
as il did to that earnest traveller whose
journcyngs we have followed with
such absorbed interest.
BROAD is the road that leads to death,
And thousands walk together there.
But Wisdom shows marrow path,
with here ana there traveller.
% Deny thysclf and take thy cross
Is the RcdCemeT's great command.
All men must count their gold but dross
II they would gain the Heavenly land"
The Two Ways. la the day in which
the words of our text were spoken the
roads or highways were the main ar
teries OF communication and trade he
tween cities and there was generally
but one road leading from point to
point, so that our Lord used an ilustra-
ton which would appeal forcibly to
Ills hearers. In this day, when the
country is covered with its network
Of railroads, and many excellent road
ways lead from city to city. the figure
has lost much of it meaning. 1t i
hard TO find the city Of any consider
able size which is not reached 10y two
or more roads or railroads. but i'm the
days Of our Lord there was the one
road between cities over which the
travel and commerce passed. Further
more, the cities of those days were
walled and gatcwuNs opened out upon
the highway, and through these gate
ways all must pass who sought to
travel by that road.
Rome had built her highways broad
and long from the large cities of the
then known world back to the hon.
Of the Caesars and the center of the
-%0rld's power. While the commercial
life Of the world was flowing overthese
splendid highways and the many were
passing to and fro bent on the world
~ ambitions and aims. with Rome as
the center the devout Jews thought
and hope were centcrcd in Jerusalem
and the narrow. rugged pathways of
Palestine were Travelled by the piI.
Erims as they iourncyed toward il to
keep the feast days and Worship the
true God. May il not have been that
Tie thought of the two ways first came
10 Jesus rs He journcycd towards Jc-
rusalcm when lie was - years OF age.
and probably for the first time saw and
crossed the great roadway built by
Rome from Damascus TO the soufh
through Palestine? Here was Rome
and her great highways on the one
hand and Jerusalem and the narrow
rugged road which led over The brow of
Mount Oliyet and ou into The civ to
The temple gate on the other Therci.
forcihle contrast here which would
have readily suggested ITSELF 10 those
who listened To- our Lord as lie .pol,,.
these words which would not at first
occur 10 us.
Wide Gate and 20 Broad WAY char.
actcrile the road which leads 10 dc.
b. structiOn. and Strait Gatcaud q Mar.
row Way the road which leads TO Iifo
Why is IL that mans way SbouId Inc o,,
such grand scale and apprar So at.
traciire. and Gods way so limited and
the Strait Gate thereto -o hard tofp,,.
The Broad Way spreads out intoaIltbe
world and takes iu everything and ends
in destruction. The Narrow Wav lead.
through the world TO "a definite poipt
where the soul drinks in life eternal
md finds full scope for its powers. Tho
, Broad Road yields % present reward
ST the sacrifice Of the eternal ,yeIfar.
of the soul. The Narrow Road load.
from The allWemcuts Of The world
past Che pitfalls and euarc- ng the
Devil. TO the sure reward Of the Ia.
theirs house The Broad Road has
Wide Gate and expanding roadbcd. be.
cause the Devil is the architect and ne
builds for time and not eternity. and
seeks TO give the souls of his followers
all that they will ever get. The Mar
row Way has a Strait Gate and con.
tracted roadway, because this life !,