m, even in the inner thoughts. Yet
these class themselves under the same description,--clear vision without
full obedience to it; personal plans and preferences put above loyalty to
the Master.

A second illustration is that of King Saul. Clear vision, failure to obey,
forcing himself to wrong action to keep his popularity, rebellion,
stubbornness,--these are the simple successive steps in his story. And the
black night falls upon the utter spiritual disaster of his career, as he
lies prone on the earth before the witch.

These two characters become formulas; they need only to be filled in with
other names to make accurate modern biography of some.

There may be _clear vision with make-believe_ or _partial obedience_. It
hurts to speak of such a thing. The word "hypocrisy" is a very hard one to
get out at the lips. It should never be used except to help, and then
very, very sparingly, and only in humblest spirit, and with earnest,
secret prayer. Ananias and Sapphira quickly come to mind here. They wanted
_men_ to think them wholly surrendered, though they knew they were not.
That was all; not so unusual a thing, after all. There are sore
temptations here for many. The swiftness of the punishment that came does
not mean that their wrong was worse than that of others who do the same
thing. That modern religious lying of this sort is not as quickly judged
merely tells the marvellous _patience_ of God.

There may be _clear vision and obedience without love._ This means a hard,
cold, stern righteousness. It is truth without grace. Nothing can be made
to seem more repulsive. One incident in Elijah's career furnishes the
illustration here. Let us say such a thing _very softly_ of such a mighty
man of God, and say it in fewest words, and only to help. He was a man of
marvellous faith, and prayer, and bold daring, in the midst of a very
crooked and perverse generation. Israel was at its very lowest moral ebb
thus far.

Elijah had a clear understanding of what should be done to check the awful
impurity which was sweeping over the nation like a flood-tide. He was true
to his conviction in sending the four hundred priests of horribly
licentious worship to their death. But was he brokenhearted over them? Was
he utterly broken down with grief as he led them to the little running
brook of Kishon for the nation's sake? God touched the sore spot, when,
down at Horeb, the mount of thunder and fire, He spoke to this man of fire
and t