The Rocky Island | Page 6

faithful
soldiers and servants unto our lives' end."
F. What is the compass, and the musical instrument, and the bread, and
the water?
C. God's word, and the privilege of prayer and holy sacraments, and the
other gifts of God to His Church.

F. What is the gentle wind which the musical instrument awoke?
C. The grace of God's Holy Spirit, promised to the members of His
Church, to be sought by earnest prayer, and in all the means of grace.
F. What means the boy playing with the berries, and so striking on the
rock?
C. One who having been given up to Christ in baptism follows worldly
pleasures, and so "makes shipwreck of the faith."
F. What are the dark places and calms into which different boats enter?
C. The different temptations and dangers of the Christian life.
F. What are the threatening waves which seemed to be right ahead of
the boat?
C. The dangers and self-denials which they must meet with who will
follow Christ.
F. What is meant by the boat which turned aside, and ran upon the
shoal?
C. That they who will turn aside from following Christ because danger
and self-denials meet them cannot reach heaven.
F. What is shewn in the boat which followed this one?
C. How ready we are to follow a bad example, and go beyond it.
F. What was the little company of boats which kept together?
C. A Christian family earnestly serving God.
F. Why did those who helped others find that they got on the fastest?
C. Because God, who has bid us "bear one another's burdens, and so
fulfil the law of Christ," will greatly help and bless all such.

F. What is the belt of storm and darkness which all must pass through?
C. Death.
F. Why were all separated in it?
C. Because we must die alone.
F. Who are those that generally passed through it most easily?
C. Those whose life had been most holy and obedient. "Keep
innocency, and take heed unto the thing that is right; for that shall bring
a man peace at the last" (Ps. xxxvii. 38).
F. Who were the next?
C. Those who entered on it with much prayer.
F. What was their great support in it?
C. The presence of Jesus Christ our Lord.
F. What declaration have we on this subject in God's word?
C. "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee." "I am
the resurrection and the life; he that believeth on me shall never die."
F. What lies beyond this to the faithful Christian?
C. The blessed rest of paradise and the bright glories of heaven.

The Vision of the Three States.
I saw, in my vision, two glorious creatures walking together through a
beautiful garden. I thought at first they must be angels, so bright and
happy did they seem. The garden, also, in which they were, seemed too
beautiful for earth. Every flower which I had ever seen, and numbers
which my eye had never looked upon, grew in abundance round them.

They walked, as it were, upon a carpet of flowers. The breeze was quite
full of the rich scent which arose from them. The sun shone upon them
with a brightness such as I had never seen before; whilst the air
sparkled with myriads of winged things, which flew here and there, as
if to shew how happy they were.
All through the garden, too, I saw every sort of beast, in all its natural
grace and beauty; and all at peace. Great lions moved about amongst
tender sheep; and striped tigers lay down quietly to sleep amongst the
dappled fawns which sported around them. But, amidst all these
beautiful sights, my eyes followed more than all, the two glorious
forms which were walking together with such a kingly majesty through
the happy garden: they were, truly, I could see, beings of this earth;
they were talking to each other; they were speaking of ONE who had
made them out of the dust of the earth; who had given to them living
souls: who was their Father and their Friend; who had planted for them
this beautiful garden, and made them the rulers of all that was in it.
Now I marked them as they talked, and I could see that their eyes were
often turned from all the beauty round them towards one far end of the
garden; and as I watched them, I saw that they were still passing on
towards it. Then I also fixed my eyes there, and in a while I could see
that, at the end of the garden to which they were moving, there was a
bright light, brighter and purer than the light of the sun; and I