This evening I'm going to read
a sermon. It's entitled A Vision of the
Way to Heaven. It's a rather unusual sermon. It was preached on the Lord's
Day morning, June the 6th, 1897, by Mr. Edward Carr, obviously,
I believe, the pastor at Providence Chapel Bar. The sermon was certainly
preached there at Providence Chapel in Bath. As I usually
endeavour to do when reading a sermon, I shall try to make
it my own. The text is Acts chapter 14 verse
22. Part of that verse, Acts chapter
14 verse 22. We must, through much tribulation,
enter into the kingdom of God. We must, through much tribulation,
enter into the kingdom of God. Our text speaks of the way to
the kingdom of God as being one of much tribulation. Now I received
the message, which I believe the Lord has given me to deliver
you this morning, in a singular manner. It came to me in a dream
on Friday night. Without further preface, I shall
now proceed as simply as possible to narrate my dream. All the
inhabitants of the world appeared before me in an extensive open
plain. As I gazed, I perceived there
were great differences among them of race, locality, refinement,
religion, color, and riches. Great masses were sunk in poverty
and vice. Still, there seemed plenty of
gaiety, animation, and even happiness among considerable sections.
Besides, the vast plain where they dwelt was not at all an
unpleasant place. It was often brilliant with sunshine
and decked with many beauties. Approaching a party of those
who seemed most favoured with health and comfort, I said to
one of them, You seem to be enjoying yourselves, and to live in a
pleasant place. And the person I addressed turned
to me, and his countenance, just before beaming with delight,
suddenly grew pale, and won, as he hissed in my ear, Come
again, when I am alone, and I'll tell you something. I went to
him again, and remarked, Many of you seem to be fairly happy,
and the world on the whole appears a pleasant place." To my surprise,
he buried his face in his hands and groaned out, "'Oh, it is
a hard way! Oh, it is a hard way!' I said,
"'Why?' He replied, "'Look over there.'" Pointing at the same
time in a direction towards which I now noticed the whole multitude
was rapidly, so rapidly drifting. Then I saw, not very far off,
a long black line covered with the most dense, dismal gloom
I have ever beheld. It was impossible to discern
what that awful darkness was, much less what was beyond it.
Approaching, I was terrified to find it overhung an apparently
bottomless abyss, into which the whole mass of human creatures
were being hurled. as they came tumbling over the
edge of that yawning gulf, instantly disappearing in its depths. All
classes, all ages, incessantly were being forced irresistibly
down in crowds as they arrived at that point. Turning to look,
I saw from the direction in which they were coming that all the
living were doomed to apparent destruction. The name of the
abyss was death, and hell lay beneath it. With a shudder, I
now perceived the fatal cause, though unfelt and unthought of
by most of the human race, to be the existence of two mighty
forces, resting as a curse on every person, and a blight upon
every life. They were the powers of sin and
wrath. Then I remembered some words
I had once heard. The way of transgressors is hard
and the wages of sin is death. All by nature are involved in
its ruin because we are all the children of wrath. even as others. Whilst I was considering these
solemn things and viewing the multitude hastening to the pit,
I was presently given to see a hand secretly moving among
the people, and I knew in a moment that the operation of this hand
was directed by an incomprehensible love. Strange it was to observe
a hand of love moving among those wretched sinners, all unconscious
as even those affected by it were of the power leading, preserving,
and directing their steps. While I watched, I saw to my
great astonishment they were being led towards myself, and
as they drew nearer I was able to distinguish the features of
one and another of my dear friends now before me. until at last
there stood gathered around me all the little flock belonging
to the Providence Chapel Bath thus I perceived in my dream
that we all by nature were in darkness equally under the dominion
of sin and wrath and exposed to eternal death but that God
had a purpose of mercy yet to be revealed well with that we
began to move on together until we came to a gate with the name
conspicuously written over it, REGENERATION. Presently it was
opened, and I remember watching very anxiously to see who got
through, and whether I myself should be among them. One by
one passed in, but I saw to my grief not quite all, and among
those who never got through that straight gate were one or two
of you who had stood longest in a profession, but I could
not discern their faces. However, the gate closed, and
when I looked round I saw a great many more of you had entered
in than I had supposed. This cheered me. We stayed a
while and began to talk about the beginning of the way. At
that time we all had burdens on our backs, and we none of
us could quite understand either our position or our prospects.
Only we found it was a new way. Old things had passed away. All
things had become new. We had a new cause of grief. The burdens on our backs now
felt. New feelings, new desires, new
longings, and quite a new sense of need. We needed a guide. This made me look forward a little
and I dimly saw, some distance away, a man standing, as if waiting
for us. Was it a man or only a shadow? I scarcely knew. Then he lifted
up his hand and seemed to beckon me, at the same time moving forward. As he turned to go, I told you
I believed it was Jesus leading us and that we must follow him. We did so, although we were all
greatly bowed down by the burdens on our backs and could only move
along very slowly. Presently, as my eyes became
more accustomed to view things in that strange and hitherto
unknown way of life, I began to distinguish the Guide rather
more plainly, and perceived also that He had a burden on His back,
similar to ours. Remembering, it is written, He
bear our sins. I told you of it. Some were greatly
comforted. We began to feel sure it was
Jesus leading us. And some then ventured to look
at Jesus too. And we commenced talking about
him. He then seemed to half look round upon us with a very slight
smile, as if pleased to hear us talking of him. We previously
had been talking a great deal about our burdens. Then actually
some of you began to complain and to say that you wanted him
to quite reveal himself, that you might see his face clearly.
I try to encourage you to hope that you would certainly see
his face one day, but that for the present we must follow on,
treading in his footsteps, and that a guide did not usually
walk backwards so that all who followed might see his face at
every step. I mentioned many promises and
precepts suitable to our then state and tried to encourage
you all I could, though to tell you the truth I felt very discouraged
myself because at times I saw him so indistinctly I could hardly
discern him and was very full of fears as to whether I was
mistaken, whether it was really Jesus at all. then my burden
seemed much heavier than yours, and I had to groan, my sins,
my sins! Yet each one supposed his burden
was the heaviest. I noticed that in this part of
the path we walked along very peaceably together. There was
no quarrelling, each was so occupied with his own sins, he had no
time nor inclination to interfere with his brethren. Now and then
one of them would give a great cry and say, oh my burden, my
burden, it will sink me to hell. And really our burdens all seemed
to get heavier and heavier until we could scarcely bear their
weight or creep along at all. We cried and longed for deliverance,
which, as it seemed further off than ever, made us say to one
another, can this be the way? At last, We seemed unable to
take a step further through weakness and the crushing weight. And
then I noticed our guide suddenly stopped. And I called out to you as loud
as I could. The Lord waiteth to be gracious. And I also tried to encourage
you to press on by telling you you would soon reach him. though
I was wondering all this time how it would be with me however
in a moment more we were at his feet and all pressing close round
him while he looked upon us all with a sweet beautiful smile
saying to one thy sins are forgiven thee to another I have blotted out
as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins indeed
there was a word of comfort, pardon and consolation for each
of us then the burdens all disappeared from our backs and Jesus told
us he had removed them and cast them into the depths of the boundless
ocean of eternal love and some of us thought we almost saw him
do it by the eye of faith next we were well washed in a
glorious fountain and started off singing hymn 160 Oh, what a different scene now
spread around us when we had time to notice it. The sun shone,
the desert blossomed as the rose, the wilderness became as the
garden of the Lord, the time of the singing of birds was come,
the voice of the turtle was heard in our land, and we soon began
to sing again. How high a privilege it is to
know our sins are all forgiven, to bear about this pledge below,
this special grant of heaven. There we sat at his blessed feet,
clothed in his righteousness, cleansed in his blood, rejoicing
in pardoning mercy and feeling quite holy and happy in him. And some of us expecting to remain
in this state until removed home, where we longed to be and which
seemed then so near. But I noticed our leader looking
with much compassion on us, and presently he bade me tell you
that this enjoyment would not last always some looked very
cross and one or two began to grumble about the parsons croaking
again however the word declares we must through much tribulation
enter into the kingdom of God thereupon the guide rose up and
ordered us to arise and follow him he led us straight to a place
where lay a number of crosses He said plainly, a number of
crosses with a name on each. Taking up the heaviest himself,
he said plainly, whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself
and take up his cross and follow me. So each of us had to take
up the cross belonging to him. And thus laden, he led us out
from the pleasant place, from the green pastures where we had
found rest and strength, which I now began to discern was to
prepare us for the journey prepared for our feet, and the cross prepared
for our backs. Whenever I made any discoveries,
I generally communicated them to you, which was a help to some.
Well, the little company of cross-bearers went on with more assurance and
confidence than before. And soon I saw some wanted to
shift their crosses to a more easy and comfortable position.
And after a while some began to complain of having more awkward
and heavy crosses to carry than others, almost accusing the Lord
of unfairness. I remember I kept the heaviest
end of mine out of sight as much as possible. We all agreed, however,
that our guide had a far larger and more weighty cross to bear
than any of ours. We also were generally all willing
to confess that we each one needed his own cross. So we made shift
to go on after Jesus. By and by, I thought the path
seemed getting rather rough and uneven. Looking up to see which
way Jesus went, which I often had to do, I found we were lagging
behind too much. I told you so. One or two of
you nudged each other and muttered something about my grumbling
again. But on we went. and soon began to find it was
an altogether different path to that which we had travelled
before we realised, peace and pardon. Jesus led us towards
what appeared a kind of wood, where the trees were not very
thick and therefore we could see our guide before us plainly
enough, even when he was some distance in front. This was a
great mercy because the way became very ill-defined, a good deal
narrower and very much rougher. There were stumps of trees, molehills,
mistaken by some for mountains, briars and thorns, nasty soft
places into which the feet sunk all along that path through the
wood. But with these things at our feet almost every step and
the crosses on our backs, some began to stumble about and even
to knock against one another rather alarmingly, especially
the weak-kneed ones amongst us. and the bandy-legged ones who
had in infant days tried to stand before they could crawl or creep.
I was very glad there was a fair share of light, enough at least
to see the Lord going before us. But as time wore away, we all
grew weary. And some were no little bruised
and shaken by falling over the many obstacles. One began to
say to another, Oh, it is a rough path. Oh, it is a rough path. Then the Lord seemed to turn
and made signs to me that I was to tell you to look more to Him
and less at the path. This at the time was a seasonable
message and helped us on over a few difficulties and trials.
But really I found it very hard work myself to look more to Him
than to the path because it was very rough just then. Spending
so much time in making such slow progress seemed very unsatisfactory.
Though I must confess I got thoroughly weary of it and was no little
impatient. Moreover, I saw in my dream that
at this stage some of you began to ask others to help you to
get your crosses off or shifted so as to give you relief from
their weight and pressure. I called out to you that this
was contrary to the word. I was wondering, however, we
should get along any further when Jesus turned and seemed
to beckon me to him. When I drew near, he said, just
look at my path. I did so and saw what I think
I shall never forget. As I caught a glimpse by the
eye of faith of what the journey as our forerunner and leader
had cost him. So I can only tell you it was
oh so rugged and stony and hard. I marked also how he had torn
and bruised his dear sore bleeding feet for our sakes in pressing
down the worst of the roughness and removing the greatest of
the stumbling blocks. Then I learnt the reason why
our way was not much rougher than it was. Jesus had gone before
us. He bid me tell you that and you
quite believed it. I noticed you generally believed
all I told you about Jesus. This often comforted me. One
weary old pilgrim started off singing, His way was much rougher
and darker than mine, Did Christ my Lord suffer, and shall I repine? This quite cheered us up for
the time, so I tried another hymn, which not all of you know.
It was, "'Tis the right way, though dark and rough, Mysterious
yet is plain enough, If our souls the end could view, we should
approve the pathway too. But someone noticed, if, and
grunted out, if, yes, if, but we can't tell the end. They set
one or two on to try if they could peer over the shoulders
of the guide to see the end of the way. I told them I thought
it would be of no use just then. In such a path as we were then
in, we are not generally permitted to see any farther than the guide,
and so you found you could not see beyond Jesus. We considered, however, it was
a great mercy to feel or even hope that he was really leading
us by the right way and to be enabled to follow in his footsteps
at all. Again we sang, the way we walk
cannot be wrong if Jesus but be there thus we struggled on
with just now and then a word or look from Jesus looking at
times to him and marking his footsteps nothing comforted us
more than when we could walk in his exact footprints the way
then for a few steps seemed almost easy but not only did the path
on the whole get rougher It was also exceedingly lengthened out.
There seemed no end to it. To have to carry the same cross
on such a tedious, trying road exercised our faith and patience
sorely. And we often asked for another
token, another smile, another sweet elim, another sweet elim
rest and foretaste of the heavenly kingdom, such as we had had before,
though many had almost forgotten it. and some even doubted the
reality of it. My chief business was to try
to show you that we should be thankful for the little helps
we received occasionally and I tried to point to Jesus with
the heavier cross and the rougher path. At last I was ready to
doubt whether he would ever appear to us again when I thought a
whisper reached me, I will see you again and your heart shall
rejoice. The vision is for an appointed
time. This came when we almost seemed very weary and faint. Faith failed. Hope scarcely survived. Love grew cold. Patience sighed
heavily. The stumbling blocks were extraordinarily
trying. In the strength of the whisper
we had heard, and of the sort of a half-smile those nearest
the guide fancied he gave when he breathed the words, we struggled
on a few more steps after him, and suddenly found we had stumbled
over the last stones and difficulties in that part of the path, into
a clear and open space. Jesus at once turned and bid
all lay down their crosses and rest a while. It was a place
of green pastures and living streams, How beautifully, smooth
and inviting they looked after the rough path we had travelled
through. The heavens and the earth then
combined to refresh our weary spirits. Grace and Providence
united to prove to us that after all, He had led us by the right
way. Jesus led the thirsty ones to
the still waters and made them drink. He made the weary ones
lay down at His blessed feet. And He taught the needs be. for the rough path and the meaning
of the word afterward in Hebrews 12 verse 11. Then we said, lo,
we heard of it at Ephratah, we found it in the fields of the
wood. Sweet was the rest, welcome the streams, delightful the greenness
of the grass after the ruggedness of our previous experiences.
Our guide became our entertainer and fed us with many sweet fruits
as well as the finest of the wheat and the freshest milk and
most enlightening honey imaginable. Promises and doctrines richly
enjoyed made precepts easy to obey all the while we stayed
in this place. The Lord was our shepherd. and
led and fed us. Our wounds were healed and sorrows
of the past seemed wonderfully soon forgotten. Nothing now was
wrong, all was right. The voice of praise and blessing
resounded throughout our little camp. Passage after passage from
the sacred oracles was unfolded and applied, and now at last
we understood in some degree that we must, through much tribulation,
enter into the kingdom of God's grace and love and mercy, in
the sweet experience of the same, as well as in a larger sense
into the kingdom of God's glory. Joys abounded, especially where
the green pastures of covenant love thrown wide open in faith's
blessed realisation of our oneness with Jesus. We were made to understand
that it was because we were chosen in Him that every cross, every
trial, as well as these sweet moments of enjoyment were all
appointed for us in covenant love and that each dispensation
was a sure earnest and evidence of our participation in the inheritance
of the saints in light." Some of you, I think, caught some
tolerably clear glimpses of the gates and walls of the New Jerusalem. But it was, as yet, very far
off. After most comfortable meditations
in this spot a thought occurred to me which rather filled me
with consternation. It was this, that in these places of enjoyment
we did not seem to make so much real progress toward the end
of the journey as in times of trial and sorrow. I puzzled over
it a long time, but the more I thought about it the more I
saw it was even so. Very anxiously I looked at our
leader. Assured he knew every secret thought of my heart, he
only smiled and said again to us all, follow me. Once more we took up our crosses,
but we found on resuming them this time They seemed very much
lighter than before, partly because we were greatly strengthened
by the good rest we had enjoyed, and indeed by the previous exercise
through the wood, and partly because the pathway, now for
a considerable distance, lay along a pleasant valley on soft
grass, with a sweet brook meandering along, and various gardens filled
with flowers and fruits on either side. One belonged to Solomon,
and was called the Garden of Nuts, or the Song of Songs, because
it was a poem of loveliness. Another charming spot belonged
to Ruth the Moabitess on her union with Boaz, as another palatial
mansion we passed belonged to Queen Esther, where some tragical
events had taken place, with many others about all of which
I told you at intervals as we passed by. Presently, The valley
grew narrower and the path less easy until we left the fields
and the valley behind and reached a different kind of country altogether. I noticed that these changes
of scene at first had rather a bad effect on some of us. We
seemed more occupied in looking at our surroundings than in watching
our guide. But a word to the wise was sufficient
and on fixing our eyes more intently on him, on whom hung all our
hope of being led right. For none of us knew in the least
what lay before us. We found he was leading us along
a fairly level path towards what in the distance appeared like
a dense, dark, very high wall. As we drew nearer, I saw it was
the thickest, darkest forest I had ever beheld in my life. I had heard of the black forest
and supposed this must be it. It certainly, at a little distance,
seemed absolutely impenetrable. No opening was visible. Yet Jesus
was leading us straight up to it. As the gloom and shadow of
that dark forest fell upon us, it awed us into a silent and
trembling fear as to what we might have to go through. However,
our guide went on. So we supposed He could see a
way where we could see none. At length, on getting close up,
a very narrow opening between the trees came into view, looking
like the entrance to a long black tunnel. The guide went on into
it and seemed swirled up in those depths of darkness. We thought
for the moment we had lost him. It was the first time we had
quite lost sight of him for a long time. Just at that moment I observed
quite a number of persons, whether spirits, devils, or human beings,
I could not discern, standing and moving in the thick shade.
Their object was soon manifest. By lies, by threatenings, by
flattery, and even by blows, they tried to hinder us from
following Jesus, but it was useless. We were all determined to follow
Him, let the consequence be what it might. However, we got some
nasty knocks. One or two particularly received
ugly wounds in the head from one I well knew named Agnostic,
from which they did not recover for years. When that wound smarted,
as it did periodically, one poor man used to rub his head and
complain of infidelity. At those times he seemed quite
dazed and thought his heart was fatally affected, but it was
only his poor brain muddled by the blow. and he got over it
in time. After we had all plunged thus
strangely and suddenly out of the open country with this light
and sunshine into the forest, and our eyes became a little
accustomed to the obscurity and gloom of the place, all the elder
ones felt satisfied that Jesus was going before us, although
even we could only distinguish the form of our guide very dimly.
But some of the little ones began to cry through fear of the dark
because they could not see their evidences and had lost their
enjoyments. It was hard work to comfort them
then. Besides, I myself found it was much easier to tell you
to walk by faith and not by sight than to do it myself. And as
I got fidgety and anxious, not knowing what to do, in my dream
it seemed to me my cross kept catching in the trees. But again,
Jesus said, follow me. We knew his voice and pressed
on together in this, the very darkest path we had ever known.
Fear kept us pretty close to the heels of our guide, although
the way became so narrow that there was often only room for
one to pass at a time. This made me quote those lines
to you rather frequently, for it is decreed that most must
pass the darkest paths alone. However, it was not such bad
walking, though we could not see the path. Only now and then
it felt a little slippery. Whilst we were being taught by
experience how to walk by faith and not by sight, to my surprise,
it presently grew even darker than before. Looking up to the
narrow opening between the tops of the trees, I saw the few stars,
which had often cheered me with their feeble light, were now
obscured by thick clouds, which so increased the gloom beneath
that we learnt what it was to walk in darkness and have no
light. However, there was no other way. Presently, strange sounds were
heard, like the roaring of a lion, the hooting of owls and the screeching
of dragons, which startled some and made it more dismal. Meanwhile
the intense darkness became very oppressive. Every gleam of light
from above faded away as the clouds gathered thicker and thicker.
Were it not for such words as the following spoken at intervals
by the guide, whom we really could not see at all then, some
of us would have sunk to the ground through fear and dismay.
Namely, I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not. I will make darkness light. Light is sown for the righteous. I noticed also that the voice
of Jesus seems remarkably distinct in the dark and that directly
he spoke, all other sounds ceased. Therefore, with a firm persuasion
wrought in our souls that Jesus was leading us, we groped along
after him. But ere long, to our great distress,
Jesus became silent to us. When the comfort of hearing his
blessed voice failed, our faith failed too. To the trouble of
the darkness was added the greater trouble of his silence. Then
one and another of you began to groan out, oh, it is a dark
path, oh, it is a dark path. Those groans went to my heart.
And feeling I could not endure this dreadful silence, I, as
it were, forced myself forward to speak to him and begged him
to tell me where we were. He said, Gethsemane. I knew then. Next, he told us
to stop a while, at the same time bidding me tell you about
the place called Gethsemane. I did so. Don't you remember?
While I was telling you, Jesus moved a little farther off. After
that, I hardly know what happened for a time until he returned
and seemed to rouse us up. And the heavy clouds, having
in some measure rolled away, I saw what looked like drops
of blood upon his vesture, and in the dim light observed that
his visage was marred more than any man's. Once more, he bid us follow him.
The thick darkness closed round us all again, until it was indeed
a horror of great darkness. We could see nothing, understand
nothing. At length I could just see the
great black cross he carried standing upright, and looking
again I felt rather than saw that he was hanging upon it.
Oh, the horrors of that moment! I trembled with the fear, lest
after all I dare not say what I felt in my dream as I thought
the Saviour was vanquished, especially when a doleful voice reached
our ears, crying in the Hebrew tongue, Hilo I, Hilo I, lama
sabachthan I. We all understood that. We experienced
it. When Jesus, the light of lights,
was enveloped in that darkness, when he, the life, died. Where could hope find anchorage?
All things seemed, with the dying Saviour, to be hastening to destruction. The moment came. He bowed his
sacred head and died. That moment the darkness suddenly
dissolved into the brightest, most dazzling radiancy of heavenly
light. The cross unlocked the gates
of paradise. The veil of the temple was rent.
The holiest of all, the innermost sanctuary, stood wide open to
access, and I saw the whole church in Christ enter into the glory
of the kingdom of God. One glimpse was vouchsafed of
the blessedness of the saints in heaven with Christ their Head,
who having borne His cross, followed His steps, and being made partakers
of His sufferings here below, were now glorified with Him.
And as I woke from my sleep, the words came with power and
understanding as never before. We must, through much tribulation,
enter into the Kingdom of God. The Lord grant his blessing.
Amen.