believe the words of the Master: "Ask, and ye shall receive." 'Pray for my soul. More things are wrought by prayer If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer Both for themselves and those who call them friend? For so the whole round earth is every way Bound by gold chains about the feet of God." 1 1 Tennyson's The Passing of Arthur. 66 "AS FAR AS" "As far as."—S. Luke xxiv. 50. JUST so far and no farther-not even into Bethany. It was 'as far as "He went. Well then what happened? Well, that which always happens: Separation. "He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Acts i. 9). And what did they do? There they stood rooted, gazing up after Him, till they saw the little thin cloud, that hid Him from their sight, vanish. And then two angels came and said to them: "Why do you stand gazing up into Heaven? This same Jesus "-mark the expressionthis same Jesus-(it means so much. I cannot preach about that—it means a sermon in itself) — “this same Jesus "-the same you have known all through the history of the Incarnation-this same Jesus-not another-the same—" shall so come again, as ye have seen Him go up into Heaven” " (see Acts i. 12). It was all so quick-so sudden! "It came to pass." So many curious things come to pass like thatsuddenly: "It came to pass as He was blessing them. The words were hardly finished. There was no full stop. His hands were still up; and while He was blessing them came the separation. He was parted from them" and was gone! Gone! wonder they stood looking up into Heaven, is it? It is no And so ever since people have stood looking up into Heaven. We may do this. Our Blessed Lord Himself looked up to Heaven when He was on earth. As He took bread, He looked up into Heaven. When the Priest consecrates at the Altar, He looks up to Heaven. But the looking up to Heaven belongs to all time, and to all. It is God's medicine for wounded and broken spirits, is it not? We dig a hole, and we put those we love into the grave. Then we look down very wistfully. And then, having looked down, we look up to Heaven, and say: "They are with Christ, and that is far, far better." Where did He go from? Well, S. Mark does not tell us. S. Luke says, Olivet. But there are four summits on Olivet; from which did He go, do you think? I don't know. We know so little about the places. Where was He transfigured? Some say one place, some another. Where was He crucified? Some say one place—some another place. The place does not matter. The place is nothing. The fact is everything. Never mind the place-let it alone. He took them so far-just so far, and no farther. And then comes the fact that He went up into Heaven. Well, where did He go? He went up into Heaven. Well, what do you mean by that? No, I can't tell. I can go so far with you, but no farther. It is above me and beyond you. He went up above all principalities and powers. Well, what does that mean? I am afraid I cannot tell you. He went above all principalities and powers "that He might fill all things" (Eph. iv. 10). There now! That is better. That He might fill all things." And so, you see, in all our speculations, He takes 66 us so far and no farther. I cannot tell you any more. I can lead you so far to-day : He went up into Heaven." "Will you tell us any more?" No, I cannot. He leads us so far, and no farther, and then He has gone. But it is the same Jesus. And the same Jesus will come again, I can tell you that. That is the message. The same Jesus will come back, and in His hands and feet the wound prints-yes, and in His side. Yes, I can take you so far, but no farther. Now this is so true about those we love. We can go so far with them, but no farther. They say: "You know, my dearest fellow, I can go so far with you, but I cannot go any farther." That is quite true. It always comes: the separation. The saints of God can go together so far on the road, but no farther on the road home. There always must be the separation. The father can go with his boy, so far-then comes the separation. No farther! "My lad, I cannot go with you all the way." The mother can go with her daughter so far. But, "Somehow or other," she says, "you know she has got beyond me now altogether." Our Blessed Lady felt that: "Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing " (S. Luke ii. 48). And He said, Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business? He had escaped beyond! The friend goes with a friend-so far; but not all the way. He says: "My dear fellow, I cannot follow you all the way you are going." Whether it be in thought or action, it is always the same. And then comes, of course, the separation. And so too, when it comes towards the end, we say to those who love us most: "When I am dying, you will hold my hand, as I get towards the end? And you will be with me to the very end, won't you? You won't leave me?" And those we love can only say: "Yes, I will-I can go with you so far-but no farther." Then comes the separation. It is so true of life, isn't it? You You And it is so true about the doctrines we love. Revelation takes us just so far, leads us so far, and then we seem to be lost. We cannot go farther. And men come to us, and say: What we want is formulated religious truth. You know we are business men and business women, and we have not time to think these things out for ourselves. What we want of you who stand in the pulpit is to give us formulated religious truth." You might just as well talk about formulated light-atmosphere-inspiration! cannot formulate that which is immeasurable. cannot formulate that which is infinite! And when they say, "We want everything cut and dry"; after all, it would be a poor theology if it was cut and then dried! For instance, take the great doctrine of our Faith: Atonement-just as an instance-for I have not time for more than one instance-well, there are three theories of the Atonement, are there not? There is the Catholic theory, and there is the Protestant theory, and the Theologian theory, and the Theologian theory nearly takes out of it all redemptive power, as you know. Well, now, you have these three theories. Most of us don't understand anything about theories, whether they are scholastic or modern. Well, what does it matter? We are not saved by theories, but by fact. And what is the fact? For whom did Christ die? Christ died for sinners. Well, |