The Tupelo journal., 1903-07-31

OF God, all things worked together for
her good, even though she could not
understand 1t all. Eliza dwelt in the
Land of Uprightness. 1t wat where
God was. 1t was where human expert
ences were lost In His eternal pur-
poses. 1t is the only land where true
JOY and peace and contentment are
known. Do you not want to 60 into
that land?
+ 1T is such q desirable summer land
l Of the soul. 1t must be worth the
journey to reach 1t. You do not hest
tate to undertake the trip to the summer
resort, where you expect to spend your
vacation. You do not ask to know all the
experiences and delights of the place be-
fore you have reached 1t. You know
you must take the journey first before
you can prove all the attractions and adj
vantages which have been ascribed to
the place. Knowing this, why should
you De so unreasonable as to demand
that you experience the joy, and peace,
and contentment of the Land Of Upright
ness, before you have taken the journey
thereto? You cannot enter the land,
you may not prove it's charms, until O
have Travelled from the Land of Natural
Self over the route which God has
laid out. The first step in the journey
is looking into the mirror of Gods per-
feet righteousness, and realizing that
you are a sinner in His sight. For all
have sinned and come short of the glory
OF God" The next step is realization
OF the lost condition of the soul. For
h soul that sinneth, 1t shall die" The
next step in the journey to the Land of
Uprightness is true repentance for sin.
Repent! Bring forth, therefore. fruits
meet for repentance" The next step
brings one to the cross, where the de-
spairing look of the soul is turned to one
OF Joy as 1t beholds the Christ bearing
its sin in His body upon the tree. AS
with Bunyan's Christian, the vision
loosens the bands which have bound
the terrible load of sin to the soul, and
it drops out of sight, forever. Then,
with the lighter step of faith in the
only begotten Son of God, Christ Jesus
our Lord, the journey to the Land of
Uprightness is quickly completed, and
then, and not until then, is the soul pre-
pared to understand OF enjoy the bless
edness of that wonderful land. Then
it Is that the sun shines brighter, the
birds carol more sweetly, the flowers are
arrayed in more gorgeous hues, and all
the appearance of the world and the
aspect of life are changed.
COME wonderful things take place as
" one gets over into the Land OF Up
rightness. There was that person whom
you never could like while you dwelt
in the Land of Natural Self. You even
hated him for some unkindness or
wrong, but when your feet rest within
the Land of Uprightness, and your
prayer is: Teach me to do Thy WILL"
then your bitterness is changed to love,
and you hear Jesus whisper in your ear:
Love your enemies, do good unto them
which despitefully use you" In the
town of M. were two merchants
in the same line of business. Their
stores were within a stones throw Of
each other. These two merchants dwelt
In the Land of the Natural Self, and
great bitterness had sprung up between
them. as their rivalry in business gave
rise to real or imaginary wrongs be-
ing suffered on the part OF each from
the other. Each would have been glad
to have seen the other swept to bank
ruptcy and ruin, and each would have
done what he could, that was short of
the really criminal, to bring this to
pass. Thus matters stood, when, by the
mercy and Providence of God, m Of
these merchants travelled the road which
led to the Land of Uprightness. And
there, after a struggle with his old ma
ture, and the bitterness which had ruled
his conduct toward his rival, he found
the hatred changed to love, his desire
to see his rival ruined changed to a
longing to have him saved, too. The
story is too long to tell in detail, but
the result Of It wal that from the Land
Of Uprightness this man dealt with his
rival, and won him over at last to the
same blessed relationship to God and
Jesus Christ. And this Is only one Of
the manifold changes which take place
when the soul enters the Land of Up |
rightness.
A ND do those who enter the Land Of
n, Uprightness never stray? Yes,
sad to say! they do. There are those who
leave the paths of uprightness to walk
in the ways of darkness" Faiths vi
sion becomes dimmed, the eyes are
taken from the onward, upward look
towards God and the Eternal City,
whose spires may always be seen from
the Land Of Uprightness, and, like the
backward gaze of Lots wife, the soul
turns toward the things Of the world.
The Lust Of the eye, the pride of life"
are allowed to rule the life, and lead the
feet into the ways of darkness. And
those who have wandered from the Land
of Uprightness, are they left to perish?
No. The Lord never forsakes them that
are His. He goes out after the wander
ing sheep, wen as the shepherd on the
mountain side searches for the sheep
or lamb missing from the fold. He
searches until He finds the wandering |
one. He brings it back with him. Dear
soul, are you wandering from the Land
Of Uprightness, which you entered with
such joy weeks OF months OF years ago?
Jesus is looking for you this very minute,
while you read these words. He is ready
to forgive. He will receive you back
again. Oh, the Land of Uprightness is
the only safe and beautiful and satisfy,