here no continuing city.[1] And besides this, all around is sin and wickedness. We can see the meaning of the passionate words of ancient Saints speaking of the wickedness of the world; as, for instance, where one says, "All the earth is full of darkness and cruel habitations."[2] We may often see wickedness rampant; violent men oppressing the righteous; the world, which God made beautiful, all overgrown with weeds; many sorrows on all sides of us; men, whom we once knew good and happy, fallen a prey to some of the manifold dangers and snares of the great enemy of souls; our own souls often beset with unruly passions, which we try to conquer, but cannot. All this is miserable. What, then, is the remedy? Why this—Look out from this world into Another. Look out with the steady, undoubting eye of faith in God, from the confusions of this world to the glorious eternal order of heaven. Look away from man who perishes, to God who perishes not, and unto Whom, and by Whom, all live. Sing songs that do not relate to this world, but to one greater, nobler, higher. Praise the bulwarks, not of any city or nation, or community, which is of merely human origin, but of that "city which hath foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God."[3] Look forth from all assemblies of earth to a greater assembly, gathered together for ever in heaven, even to the "general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written in heaven, and God the Judge Himself, and the spirits of just men made perfect, and Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant."[4]
All these things, it is true, you may think of in your private prayers; and I trust you do. And I will not ask now how many there are of those who do not come to public prayer often, who really make much use of private devotion. I believe, generally, the two go together. But what I say is, that all these great and blessed truths are represented most fully—are most brought home to our hearts and imaginations—in those assemblies of God's
