True pilgrims!
(from "Solitude Sweetened" by Octavius Winslow)
Fellow pilgrims, 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 heaven.
Because the way is narrow, difficult, and
humiliating to the flesh, there are only a few,
under the drawings of the Spirit, who find it.
If true religion consisted in a 'mere profession'
then there are many on the way to heaven.
If the marks of discipleship were merely an
orthodox creed, excited feelings, or denominational
zeal, then there are many who 'find the way.'
But true pilgrims are
those with broken hearts;
those who are poor in spirit;
those who mourn for sin;
those who know the music of the Shepherd's voice;
those who follow the Lamb;
those who delight in the throne of grace; and
those who love the place of the cross.