will lead on to aspiration and loving, longing effort to get nearer
and nearer to Him. 'My soul followeth hard after Thee,' said the
Psalmist, 'Thy right hand upholdeth me.' That element of yearning
aspiration, of eager desire to be closer and closer, and liker and
liker, to God must be in all true religion. And unless we have it in
some measure, it is useless to talk about being Christian people. To
press onwards, not as though we had already attained, but following
after, if that we may apprehend that for which also we are
apprehended, is the attitude of every true follower of Christ. The
very crown of the excellence of the Christian life is that it never
can reach its goal, and therefore an immortal youth of aspiration
and growth is guaranteed to it. Christian people, are you following
after God? Are you any nearer to Him than you were ten years ago?
'Walk with Me, walk before Me, walk after Me.'

I need not do more than remind you of another meaning involved in
this same expression. If I walk after God, then I let Him go before
me and show me my road. Do you remember how, when the ark was to
cross Jordan, the commandment was given to the Israelites to let it
go well on in front, so that there should be no mistake about the
course, 'for ye have not passed this way heretofore.' Do not be in
too great a hurry to press upon the heels of God, if I may so say.
Do not let your decisions outrun His providence. Keep back the
impatience that would hurry on, and wait for His ripening purposes
to ripen and His counsels to develop themselves. Walk after God, and
be sure you do not go in front of your Guide, or you will lose both
your way and your Guide.

I need not say more than a word about the highest aspect which this
third of our commandments takes, 'His sheep follow Him'--'leaving us