Newport weekly independent., 1902-08-22

 farther on I accosted an elderly man who, much to my dismay, informed me | that 1 was all wrong and that the road | to Gainesville lay back the other way, up hill and over difficult way. Are you sure?' 1 asked, telling him that considerable ways back l had passed q man who told me 1 was going all right. Well" said the old man before me, 1T ought to know. l used to live near Holmesville and have been over | the road hundreds of times" He then proceeded to give me instructions and describe landmarks along the way which I afterwards found were cor rect and made the way perfectly cer- | tain before me. Roads look d good | deal alike sometimes, and it is hard to | strike the right one unless we secure directions from a reliable guide-one who has been over the road we are | travelling and knows to what point it | leads. We have Guide Book furnished us, but we need Leader. The day l got on the wrong road to Holmesville ! had my guide book with me, but l found l needed some one who knew the way to help me use it. So it is with the one travelling the Narrow Way. Not only does he need Guide Book but a | Leader. In order to enter the Nar- row Way one has to seek for the Strait Gate. It is easy to get on one of the many paths of the Broad Way and imagine one is going safely on the Narrow Way. To really get on the Narrow Way one has to pass through the Strait Gate, and to do this one must needs meet the great Leader, Christ, who will assure the heart that it is on the right road and point out the way, every inch of which He has been over.
 Chance never takes one through the Strait Gate into the Narrow Way. When one is about to start upon journey, the road is selected and the time of the starting of the train | learned. It is not niere chance that takes you to the right depot and places you aboard the train going to the point you wish to reach. With definite purpose you lay all your plans and so successfully reach the destination desired. So is it with one who travels the Narrow Way. The | soul believes the declaration of the Guide Book that it is the only road which reaches the desired haven of | eternal life.
 The Bypaths.-God wants to control entirely in the life of the one who has entered the Strait Gate and l started upon the Narrow Way.
 But very few yield perfect obedience to the will of God, and as result the soul gets eff into the many bypaths which are met with in the way. These by paths seem at first to parallel the Mar row Way and appear pleasant to travel. One feels freer and the road smoother sometimes when seeking ones own will and not exactly fol- lowing Christ Jesus, the Leader, over the hard and rougher portions of the Narrow Way. But the smooth and pleasant bypath which seems to skirt the difficult places in the road is but a snare, and before long leads the soul into darkness and Doubling Cas- tle Then it is hard work to get back to the Narrow Way again. But our | Guide Book comes to our relief, and we read: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unright- eousness."
 | Sometimes the Broad Way winds it's way as near to the Narrow Way as it can, and by its worldly attractions tries to lure the soul from the right path. All kinds of assurances are given that the soul can enjoy the fruits of sin for season and get back upon the right road at last. But our 1 Guide Book declares that "he that putteth his hand to the blow and look eth back is not fit for the Kingdom of Heaven" And on the other hand, we hear Jesus say: "Those that Thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost" If we really belong to Him He follows us into the .bypaths of sin, and when we have come to our- selves, as did the prodigal son, He leads us back to the Narrow Way Dear friend, have you wandered from the Narrow Way in which you started months or years ago? Have business cares or domestic trials taken you from your Leaders side? Have self indulgence and love of ease caused you to stop by the wayside while your Saviour went on? Have worldly at fractions and pleasures drawn you into their mad whirl? Have the de- mands of society been placed before