The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-05-30

&AAN3 cy-the souls up
ward reach after God.
This upward reach or Godward ten
dency develops holiness of character.
It is the souls quest for God. 1t finds
expression in the four distinct lines
marked out in the twentieth and TWEEN
ty-frst verses; namely, establishment
or building up ones self on Gods most
Holy Word; laying the foundation OF
growth by desiring the sincere milk
Of the word; having the tendrils OF
faith entwine themselves about the
promises of God, embedding hem
selves in His Word as the rootlets of
the tree the soil, drawing from 1t the
nourishment needed to sustain life.
We also have the idea of exercise
praying In the Holy Ghost" The
praying here Is not the ordinary say
Ing of prayers, vain repetition. 1t I'M
piles a burden or strong desire, in
tense longing. It also implies pray
ing in the will of God with submls-
sion and self-renunciation. 1t is the
kind of praying that usually gets
through to the Throne of Grace ana
receives an answer.
Another element of this upward
reach is that of environment, keeping
ones self in the love of God, that is,
maintaining a consciousness of Gods
approval as Jesus did when He had
the continual witness from heaven
that He was well pleasing. This IA
also be expressed as practtcing the
presence of God. or as the Psalmist
puts it, Following hard after Cod
hungerlng and thirsting after right
eousness-loving God supremacy and
ENJOYING in return the continual smile
of His c-ountenance.
The other element of this Godward
tendency is that of outlook. Look
ing for the mercy of u Lore Jesus
Christ unto eternal life" Here the
horizon is bright with promise, the
vista is ever broadening. The true
child Of God does not run into a peck
ct. Christianity is no blind alley with
convtrging vall, but it is to the man
herein described as going from me
mountain peak of vision and privilege
to another still higher and grander.
This Godward tendency was strongly
manifested in Christ and the apostles
and has been true of every godly man
or woman who , life has Influenced
deeply the hist y of tn" church.
In the second couplet, verses 22-23,
representing a strong MAYNARD ten
dency. On the outward reach Of the
soul for others. we get a true balance.
Here we have holiness of character
harnessed to some practical scheme
of service. This saves both the in
dividual and the church from rank
fanaticism. Had it not been for this
strong MAYNARD tendency in the Lord
Jesus Christ He would have been a
rabid fanatic. 1t would have marked
Paul as a misguided zealot and John
as a pure mystic.
As we view the life of Christ we
are impressed with the remarkable
symmetry of His character. In the
gospel records we find fourteen pas
sages referring TO His prayer habit;
getting up a long while before day;
going out into a desert place, or spend
ing a night alone with God. Counter
balancing this we also have fourteen
passages referring to His compassion.
He had compassion on the people, for
they We're as sheep without a shep-
herd. He had compassion upon the
leper and touched him. He had COM
passion upon the widow of Main re-
turning to the bosom of her love, per
haps an only son
The last couplet Of verses shows us
the tender solicitude Of God for the
one occupied as indicated in the pre-
cedlng verses. Here God ~reinforces.
u~ndergirds. supports and lays His
divine omnipotence as a resource at
the feet of the one who Is reaching
out after God on the one hand and
seeking to promote the spiritual vel
fare Of his fellOwmen on the other.
God will see that such a one will not
stumble or fall. The scheme outlined
here makes no provision for backslid-
ing. God pledges Himself to support
that soul in all its e|ndeaYors and
finally present it f%aultless before the
presence of His glory.
It is noteworthy that In the early
life of u Lord Jesus Christ he urged
His disciples when asked, "Where
dwellest Thou7' to come and see.
When Nathaniel raised the question.
"Can any good thing come out Of
N~azareth? ?" Philip simply replied.
Come and see" So in the great in
vitation in Matthew II he Injunction
is "Come unto me-" which indicates
the first movement Of the soul In its
upward aspirations. At the close of
His ministry we hear the same Master
bidding us go. teach, baptize and Civ
ing assurance, 10, 1 am with you al
ways even unto the end Of the world"