A
lonely way
The disciples of Christ, like
their Lord and Master, often feel
themselves alone. The season of sickness, the hour of
bereavement, the period of trial, is often the occasion of
increased depression from the painful consciousness of the
solitude and loneliness in which it is borne.
The heavenly way we travel is more or less
a lonely way. We have at most but few companions. It is a
"little flock," and only here and there we meet a traveler, who,
like ourselves, is journeying towards the Zion of God. As the
way is narrow, trying, and humiliating to flesh, but few, under
the drawings of the Spirit, find it. If, indeed, true religion
consisted in mere profession, then there were many for Christ.
But if the true travelers are men of broken heart, poor in
spirit, who mourn for sin, who know the music of the Shepherd's
voice, who follow the Lamb, who delight in the throne of grace,
and who love the place of the cross, then there are but 'few'
with whom the true saints journey to heaven in fellowship and
communion.
- Octavius Winslow, Solitude Sweetened
