Chapter 8 of 87

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We do not know the answer to that question now. But we have sidelights upon it, such as the vision in Revelation: They overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony (victory through apparent defeat). And that other which shows the beast ascending out of the bottomless pit, and making war, and being victorious—but only for a little while. And as we rest our hearts upon what we know (the certainty of the ultimate triumph of good), leaving what we do not know to the Love that has led us all our life long, the peace of God enters into us and abides.

And then we see our light. And in that light we shall see light. We shall see Him who is the Light of the world, and so of all the woods in the world.

The entrance to the wood is dark. But we quickly pass through into light. The long, pure rays of that conquering light are interwoven with the tall stems of the trees, even as warp and woof, threads bright and dark, are interwoven in the web of our lives. But it is the bright threads that we shall see most clearly when we look upon the finished web. We are called to light, not to darkness.

So the forest in sunrise is a figure of the true. There is always light above us. Our roof is like the roof of the forest, transparent. So, verily, there is no roof; we live under open heavens. Look above the treetops, O my soul; from thence flow the fountains of light. See how that blessed light streams through the wood. See how it fills and floods and overflows the air with its splendor. Hear the word of the Lord thy Light: “Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay himself upon his God.” We have far too poor a conception of the intimacy with our God which He desires should be habitual. We are satisfied with too little and so we know too little of the light in the woods of life—that light which is always there.

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