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[0:00] As the Lord shall be pleased to help me, I shall call your attention to a subject you will find in Psalm 17 and the fifth verse.

[0:21] Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.

[0:35] Psalm 17 and the fifth verse. I hope quite a few of you gathered together before God can find in your hearts an amen to this petition which welled up in the psalmist's breast long ago.

[1:03] The psalmist was in a very desirable frame of mind when this petition dropped from his lips.

[1:19] Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not. According to the evidence in the psalm itself, the psalmist was still in life's mourning.

[1:39] And he was being pursued by Saul, Israel's king, whose heart seemed to overflow with enmity and jealousy against godly David.

[1:56] Godly David had got something to rest upon in his own soul's experience because he could go back to that time when Samuel poured the anointing oil upon his head, signifying that it was the will of God that he should succeed Saul and reign on Israel's throne in his stead.

[2:28] Oh, but in between whiles, ere that was brought about, Saul pursued David hither and thither. And David had many searchings of heart, many questionings.

[2:43] Although he had such sure evidence that God would bring it about, yet his fear still ran high and he said, I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul.

[2:58] There is but one step betwixt my soul and death. But it was not possible for David to take that step. And it was the will of God that Saul should die and David should live.

[3:16] And now in that in-between whiles, ere David ascended Israel's throne, there were one or two occasions when it was put into David's power to put Saul to death.

[3:32] And those who were with him, his bodyguard, and those who followed him, they desired him to do it.

[3:47] But the psalmist would not do it. And he desired that this case should be dealt with by God.

[4:01] And whatever the will of God was, David would be as clay in the potter's hands and be molded in accordance with it.

[4:13] And so you find in the opening words of the psalm, Hear the right, O Lord, Attend unto my cry, Give ear unto my prayer, That goeth not out of feigned lips, Let my sentence come forth from thy presence.

[4:37] Let thine eyes behold the things that are equal. The psalmist wanted God to make it manifest as he alone could do.

[4:52] And so he says in the immediate context, Concerning the works of men by the word of thy lips, I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.

[5:08] And then comes the petition. And I want, as the Lord should help me, To look at it from just two viewpoints.

[5:24] And it is a very necessary petition For each of us who has the mercy to be born again, To be continually pleading before God with whom we have to do.

[5:41] Hold up my goings in thy paths, That my footsteps slip not. There are just these two viewpoints. One is the appeal.

[5:53] Hold up my goings in thy paths.

[6:06] Ponder that prayerfully. And then, There is also the argument. And now, you will often find when you are helped to pray, And I hope you do get help to do it.

[6:19] Sometimes it is very encouraging When you can feel out of the abundance of the heart, The mouth speaketh. And when you appeal to God Concerning some matter which lies heavy upon you For him to attend to, You will find sometimes You are also enabled to Argue with God regarding it.

[6:45] Like Job, when he said, I would order my course before him, I would fill my mouth with arguments. And now look at this argument.

[6:59] Hold up my goings in thy paths, That my footsteps slip not. And dear friends, There is a word in Job.

[7:11] I wonder if you have ever lighted on it. Snares around about thee. And that is how you and I are journeying on through life.

[7:24] Snares around about thee. Yes. And there is that in us, As we were born, That is ever manifesting a tendency To turn aside and to slip.

[7:42] But if you and I are sinners born again, Our great concern is this. Make me to walk in thy commands, For it is a delightful road.

[7:55] Nor let my head or heart or hands Offend against my God. I have often thought of that word. I have told you, We used to sing it at school, Long, long years ago.

[8:11] And the hymn writer Had the word of the psalmist in mind, Where he says, Make me to go In the way of thy commandments, For therein do I delight.

[8:23] But look at that petition. Make me to go. It would be good if some of you, Whom God has dealt very graciously with, You are in, you are out.

[8:40] And given you many totems for good, And made his goodness to pass before you In life's way. I say, From my viewpoint as the pastor, It would be good If you were made to go In the way of his commandments.

[8:58] And you may yet be made to go. And it might be, If you do not go willingly, God may make you go By something coming into your life, That you will look askance at When it comes.

[9:18] And it might be, By a terrible thing in righteousness. For sometimes the good shepherd Would take a lamb, That the sheep might be made Obedient, And go in the way of his commandments.

[9:34] Yes. But I must not turn aside, I had no thought of Bringing that into the sermon. But there it is, You think about it. Make me to go In the way of thy commandments, For therein do I delight.

[9:55] And now, Looking at this subject, There is a word here, Which I view as very striking. Then, The psalmist says, Hold up my goings, In thy path.

[10:12] This word, Goings. You see, Dear friends, Young and old, You and I are going, On, In life's journey, All the while.

[10:25] Going on, And going on to the end of it. And where are you and I going? What is our bent of mind?

[10:37] Is it to heaven? And that our great concern, To be going there? Or, Are you going on in life as you were born?

[10:50] With no concern whatever, As to where you are going? The psalmist speaks about, My goings.

[11:01] And you have got your goings. I have got my goings. Each of us, In our spheres in life, Where God has ordained, That we should be.

[11:14] Hold up my goings. My everyday life, As I go forward, In its duties, And difficulties, And dangers, Hold up my goings, In thy paths.

[11:31] As though the psalmist said, Lord, As I go on, I want ever to go on, Inside the covers, Of the word of, Thy grace.

[11:44] And thy word to be a lamp, Unto my feet, A light unto, My path. And oh, There is a word, Which I like to, Look at, Where you find, In the early dealings, Of God, With David, The word of God, Tells us, And David went on, And, Grew, Great, And the Lord, God of hosts, Was with him.

[12:16] And now, It says in the margin, And David went on, Going, And, Growing, Growing, Oh, My dear friends, You with the names, On the church roll, And others who ought, To have their names there, And you dear young people, Who want to follow on, To know the Lord, This is the kind of going, That the Selmist, Desired, As he journeyed on through life, In his going, To be growing, And that is, But grow in grace, And in the knowledge of our Lord, And Savior, Jesus Christ, Then shall we know, If we follow on, To know the Lord.

[13:14] Do think about that couplet, Dear friends, See what you can, Find out, As you look back, Over life's journey, In the dealings of God with you, As to whether, In your goings, There has been also, A going, And growing, Hold up my goings, In thy paths, That my footsteps, Slip not.

[13:45] And now, I want to look at some of these paths, As grace is given, I shall only be able to give you a hint or two, And that I hope you will be helped to, Ponder in your heart, And, Be like the hymn writer, When he said, Hord up the sacred wood, And feed thereon, And grow, Go on to seek, To know the Lord, And practice, What you know, Thy paths, The psalmist says, My goings, My footsteps, But I would have them, To be, In thy paths, It is not in man that walketh, To direct his, Own way, No, The steps of a good man, Are ordered by the Lord, And he delighteth in his way, And now,

[14:47] Thy paths, And now there is one path, You and I, Desire to be going in, When in a right mind, A right spirit, And that is very desirable, A right mind, A right spirit, And that is, To be going in the path, Of liveliness, In the things of God, Do you sometimes, Ponder that subject, Do you sometimes, Look within, And think about, What the hymn writer says, Dear Lord, And shall we, Ever live at this, Poor dying rate, Our love, So cold, So faint, To thee, And thine to us, So great, Do you not, Find within, A longing, Rising up, Oh, That I could be more lively, In the things of God,

[15:48] And sometimes, It may be, You venture to plead, Before the throne of grace, That God, Will bring it about, And yet, It may be, If you will help, To do that, You have some, Searchings of heart, As to how God, May bring it about, What do you sing, Trials make the promise sweet, Trials give new life, To prayer, Trials bring us to Christ's feet, Lay us low, And keep us, There, And while you do, Desire to be lively, In the things of God, In your soul's experience, Yet you have a trembling, As to how God, May, Grant you an answer, To such a, Petition,

[16:50] Have you ever been able to pray, Like one in writer does, I thought about, Him, Quite a few, Times, And he must have been, In a wonderful frame of mind, When he sent up, This petition, Smile me, Into fruit, Or, Chide, If no milder means, Would do, Lord, At whatever cost it is, I want to be lively, In the things of God, In my soul's experience, I want to enter into, I want to enter into, This sweet reality, Of the things of God, I want them to be, As meat, And drink, The element, In which I live, And move, I would be after the spirit, The things of, The spirit,

[17:51] It is good, To have such a petition, That doest well, To have it in thy heart, To be, Lively, In your soul's experience, And not always, To be journeying on, Faint, Yet, Pursuing, But sometimes, To come inside, This word, I will run, In the way, Of thy commandments, When thou shalt, Enlarge, My heart, Hold up my goings, In thy paths, The path of liveliness, In the things of God, And then there is, The path of prayer, And now, How do you go along, In the path of prayer, In your everyday life, Let your consciences, Tell you what is the truth, About it, It might be, What one in writer says,

[18:54] And that is what, I sung at school, Also, I often say, My prayers, But do I ever pray, Do the feelings, Of my heart, Go with the words, I say, Oh, You want out of the abundance, Of the heart, For the mouth, To speak, Hold up my goings, In thy paths, The path of prayer, It may be, To cause you, To go in that path, More urgently, And earnestly, God will load your back, Well, Oh, He may bring you, Into one place, As you read, In Psalm 107, He brought down, Their heart, With labor, They fell down, And there was, None to help, Then they cried, Unto the Lord, In their trouble, And He saved them,

[19:55] Out of their, Distresses, Oh, But, If you are indeed, A sinner born again, You do desire, To go, In the path, Of prayer, And to go, With willing feet, Yes, And do remember, As you go, In the path, Of prayer, It may not always, Be in words, Put together, No, Have you ever, Noticed in reading, The word of God, That there is no, Specific attitude, For prayer, I mean, Bodily attitude, You find, The apostle Paul says, We kneeled down, On the seashore, And prayed, And you read, And Solomon stood, And you will find, All kinds of attitudes, And in all places, Where, People taught of God, Have been enabled,

[20:56] To go in the path, Of prayer, So, There is no, Specific attitude, But it is, What goes on, Between you, And God, As you read, In Psalm, 42, Where the psalmist says, I pour out, My soul, In me, As you go about, Your everyday life, Although, You are taken up, With the duties, There are, There is a deep, That couches, Beneath, And you can understand, What the word of God says, And Mary pondered, All these things, In her heart, And whilst you are engaged, In the lawful avocations, Of everyday life, You may still be going along, The path of prayer, Does thy heart for Jesus pine, Make it secret moan, He understands the side divine,

[21:59] He marks the hidden groan, I think the hymn writer, Lighted on a good word, When he said, Pine, It is very, Suggestive, And significant, And it says, He satisfieth, The longing soul, So pray, If thou canst, To canst not speak, But pray with faith, On Jesus name, And thus, The Lord help you to go, In the path of prayer, To purpose, That you may be helped to say, In going along it, Blessed be God, For he hath heard my prayer, That turned away, His mercy, From me, And be like Hannah, Dear godly, Well taught woman, One of the most wonderful women, In the age, In which she lived, And she said, For this child I prayed,

[23:02] And his name is Samuel, Asked of God, The Lord hath given me the petition, Which I asked of him, And who can tell but what God, Will be gracious unto you, Hold up, My goings in thy path, Mark that opening wording, Hold up, You need divine aid, You cannot hold up yourself, In going along, In these paths, The thing is impossible, You need divine aid, And that divine aid, Is obtainable, Remember that, If ye be an evil, Know how to give good things, Unto your children, How much more, Shall your father in heaven, Give the holy spirit, To them, That ask him, Another path to go along,

[24:04] Oh that you and I, Could go along it, More often than we seem to do, The path of praise, Praise ye the Lord, It is good to raise your hearts, Your voices, In his praise, And the Selmist, When he was going along, That path, As he was inspired, To pen, One Selm, What does he say, It is a good thing, To give thanks, Unto the Lord, And to sing praises, Unto thy name, Oh most high, To show forth, Thy loving kindness, In the morning, And thy faithfulness, Every night, And you know, I wonder if you do, I was going to say, Do you know, If at the end of every day, When you were lodged, On your bed at length, You began to count,

[25:05] Your blessings, If God helped you to do it, You would not get any sleep, At all, You would still be doing it, In the morning light, And even then, You might think, What a good night, You would have, Because, How great they are, Some, How high they rise, Can ne'er be known, Beneath the skies, Oh it is good, When you find, Something living, And moving within, To take down, Your heart, From the willow branch, Not to be just, Settling down, Underneath the willow, In the shade of it, With your heart, Hung up, Silent, Neglected, And unstrung, But to take it down, And loud to the praise, Of Christ our God, Bid every string, Away, The path of praise, And you reckon up, If you can, Of course you cannot do it,

[26:05] But you must try, Your deep indebtedness, To God, In him we live, And move, And have our being, And you can, Just begin, To count your blessings, By standing, Alongside, Jeremiah, Where he began, To do it, It is of the Lord's mercy, That we are not, Consumed, And because, His compassions, Fail not, Hold up, My goings, In thy paths, Oh, In everything, By prayer, And supplication, With thanksgiving, Let your request, Be made known unto God, And now then, There is another path, That is of great importance, And that is, The path of love, When all is said and done, The religion of Jesus Christ, Is a religion of love, God is love, He that loveth,

[27:08] Is born of God, And the apostle John, Is very, Very emphatic about it, Beloved, Let us love God, He that loveth, Is born of God, And knoweth God, And I am very much afraid, That because the weeds, Have grown over this path, Too often in our denominational life, It has brought us to where, Where we are nowadays, In such a low place, Before God and man, But when all is said and done, You and I must begin a tome, In regard to it, Hold up my goings in thy paths, The path of love, And when the love of God, Is shed abroad in our hearts, How sweet, How blessed it is,

[28:09] How good, It is to be the subject of it, And then you find, It is quite, Easy before God, At that time, To, Say, Forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them, That trespass, Against us, You entertain, No suspicions, No wrong spirit, No prejudices, Then, But love, In every action, Glows, Super abounds, In your spirit, Yes, And you go along, The path of love, And you walk with God, Yes, Can two walk together, Except they be agreed, God is love, And when he sheds his love abroad, You can say, I love the Lord, Because he hath heard the voice, Of my supplications, Therefore will I call upon him,

[29:11] As long as I live, And when you are going, In the path of love, You find, That love radiates, Not only to those, With whom you have to do, And love for the truth's sake, But you love the word of God, With a deeper intensity, And you love the house of prayer, And desire its good, And do all you can, For its good, And do it, Because you can say, I would rather be a doorkeeper, In the house of my God, Than to dwell, In the tents of wickedness, And how sweet is that evidence, Never to be underestimated, Some preachers, Alas, Have sometimes rather, Belittled it, From the pulpit, But it must never be done,

[30:13] Because God, Does not do it, We know, That we have passed, From death unto life, Because we love the brethren, And what do you love in the brethren, It is that which you can see, They are by the grace of God, Like Barnabas, When he came to Antioch, And saw the grace of God, He was glad, Yes, And you and I are glad too, Many of us, To see the grace of God, Wherever it is to be seen, And to see the spirit of Christ, The image of Jesus Christ, Manifest, In a brother, A sister, How good, It is, To see such going, Along, The path of, Love, And your heart goes out, To them, As you read in, Colossians, Being knit together,

[31:15] In love, It is the unity, Of the spirit, In the bond of peace, Yes, Hold up my goings, In thy paths, Then there is another path, And now I do just wonder, How much you know, About this path, And I know, I have many searchings of heart, As to what I know about it, The path of contentment, Oh dear friends, Where have we got to, In the church of Christ, Professing nowadays, When the word of God, Tells us this, And be content, With such things, As ye have, And you know, How you have reacted, To that sometimes, You have not always, Behaved well, Regarding that scripture, Have you, I am not fitting, Any caps on, I am bound, To bring these things, Before you,

[32:16] Because, It is what, Seth, The scriptures, And it does say, Let your conversation, And that is, Your everyday life, Be without covetousness, And be content, With such things, As ye have, For he hath said, I will never leave thee, Nor forsake thee, So that we may, Boldly say, The Lord is my helper, And I will not fear, What man should do, Unto me, But now, Let us get down, To bedrock, And face up, To facts, And you know, There have been times, When you have thought, You would like, This and that, And the other, That you have seen, In the shop windows, And you have looked, Round your home life, And studied, Your furniture, And other things, Within, And wished, You could have this, And that, Renewed, And something, To freshen things up,

[33:16] A little, And yet, Here is the word, Of the Lord, Hold up my goings, In thy paths, The path of contentment, Think of what, Paul said, I have learned, In whatsoever state, I am therewith, To be content, And when, You think of that scripture, Which I have read to you, When it says, Be content, With such things, As ye have, It not only means, Just what God, Has already provided, For you, Say in your home life, But it means this, You have got God, For your God, For he hath said, I will never leave thee, Nor forsake thee, And now, That is what you are, To be content with, He who has made, My heaven secure, Will hear, All good provide,

[34:18] While Christ is rich, I can't be poor, What can I want, Beside? Oh, This path of contentment, You do not see, Alas, It is crowded, With people going along it, Saying, Bless the Lord, Oh my soul, And forget not all, Is benefits, And the biggest benefit, To be outside, Hell itself, And with a hope in God, That you will never be, In that dread abode, Hold up my goings, In thy paths, And then there is another path, The path of humility, Thou humble Jesus, Give us all humility, To know, What did Jesus say?

[35:14] Take my yoke, Upon you, For I am meek, And lowly, Of heart, And he who said that, Verily man, As verily God, In the beginning, Created the heavens, And earth, In which, You and I are living, But on earth, As verily man, He was meek, Lowly, Foxes have holes, Birds of the air have nests, The son of man, Hath not where to lay, His head, And you know, Dear friends, If you view this aright, The Lord help you to do it, You and I, Journey about, On the ground, Under which, All that is mortal of us, Sooner or later, Sooner for some of us, Will be laid, Earth to earth, Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust, And that consideration,

[36:18] Should help us to, Plead, Hold up my goings in thy paths, The path of humility, Yes, Thou hast not dealt with us, After our sins, Neither hast thou rewarded us, According to our iniquities, And now, Another path I must touch on, And that you will indeed, Need to be held up in, Hold up my goings in thy paths, And now there is the path of suffering, And God, In his infinite wisdom, Allot to his people, Suffering, You look at one and another, Whom you love for the truth's sake, And esteem them as a brother, Or sister, And you see that they have, Suffering, Not all have got the same,

[37:20] Kind of suffering, Some have it, Bodily, Some mentally, And some, It is relative, And some suffer in their, Circumstances, But, It is the path that God, Has ordained, We must through much tribulation, Enter into, The kingdom, Of God, Hold up my goings in thy paths, The path of suffering, And remember, Beloved, Think it not strange, Concerning the fiery trial, That is to try you, As though some strange thing, Happened unto you, But rejoice, Inasmuch as ye are partakers, Of Christ's sufferings, Which is to say, In going along the path of suffering, You are treading the same path, That the Savior trod, On your behalf, Christ also, Suffered for us, Leaving us an example, That ye should follow,

[38:21] In his steps, Therefore, Whatever your suffering is, Do accept it, And ask God, To help you, In going on in life's way, To carry your cross, Whatever its nature, For Jesus' sake, As well as your own, And that leads me, To this thought, Hold up my goings in thy paths, And now, There is the part of obedience, Peter speaks about, As obedient children, And you must not conclude, Because I take up the subject, Of obedience, That I am just going to say, Something about being baptized, Although it does include that, The Savior said to, His disciples, Follow me, And now,

[39:23] Whatever comes into your life, That God ordains, There is a word in Micah, Rather strangely worded, I say that with great reverence, But there is wondrous wisdom in it, Hear ye the rod, And him who hath appointed it, And now, When some unlooked for event, Comes into your life, It may be a loss, A cross, A sorrow, A bereavement, Some affliction, Some adversity, Something that threatens, To crush you, God is saying to you, If you have got an ear to hear it, Follow me, If any man take not up his cross, And follow me, He cannot be my disciple, Mark that word in, And now the great thing is,

[40:26] When such a pathway is before you, The path of obedience, And God says to you, And it is a suffering path, And a path, Which the flesh dislikes, In every jot and tittle of it, This is the way, Walk ye in it, You say, Hold up my goings, In thy paths, That my footsteps, Slip not, Lord, I would indeed submit, Gladly yield my all to thee, What thy wisdom sees most fit, Must be surely best, For me, Hold up my goings, And there there is another path, The path of faith, Maybe I ought to have named that one earlier on, But, It will fit in here also, The just shall live by faith,

[41:26] And to be held up, After your goings, In the path of faith, Means, That, Every day, You desire to be a believer, Remember what I have told you, Good Mr. Coble used to say, In his public prayer, Lord help us to believe, What we do believe, And now sometimes, You are held up in your goings, In the path of faith, When you say, Lord, I believe, Oh, Help my unbelief, And the word of God does warn you, Take heed therefore, Brethren, Lest there be in any of you, An evil heart of unbelief, In departing from, The living God, Oh, It is good, To go along, The path of, Faith, Though it be but as a grain of,

[42:27] Mustard seed, And remember, Sometimes in going along that path, You will be brought into straits, And now, I give you two witnesses, One is Jonah, Though I am cast out of thy sight, I will look again, Toward thy holy temple, He was still going along, The path of faith, When in the belly of hell, According to his feelings, In his soul's experience, The other witness, Is Joel, And he said, Though he slay me, Yet I will trust in him, And dear friends, That is good going, In the path, Of faith, And I might name, Just another witness, And that is, Jacob, When he said, I will not let thee go, Except thou bless me, Yes,

[43:29] Hold up my goings, In thy paths, The path of faith, And then there is the path of hope, And sometimes you go along, The path of hope, Hoping against hope, Some of you, Can look back, To when your hope of heaven, Was much brighter, In your soul's experience, Than it may be, Nowadays, Many days have passed, Since you felt, Your hope, To be, A good hope, Through grace, A sure hope, And you did indeed, Behold the Lamb of God, Which taketh away, The sin of the world, And felt you had got, A living interest, In that which he had done, On Calvary's cross, Yea, That it was done, For you, When he died, For poor sinners,

[44:30] Like you, And me, Hold up my goings, In thy path, All through the wilderness, Below, Good hope, Expects more good to know, And thus is kept alive, The soul, And that is how you go along, The path of hope, And now there is also, The path of, Worship, Which you are going along, This Sabbath afternoon, And you do need, Not to be here, Just in the attitude, Of worship, It is good, That you should be here, You're very welcome, The Lord bless you, But you must, Do some business, In heaven's marketplace, While you are here, And get, Some good, For your soul, As grace is given, To obtain it, Hold up my goings, In thy path, The path of worship, And that can be summed up,

[45:32] Like this, As I must soon come, To the amen, What is the house, To me, Unless the master, I can see, As you go along, The path of worship, You go right through, The service, In the order of it, If to be there, May be, Something, For your soul's profit, And peace, Yes, Hold up my goings, In thy path, The path of worship, You want to be inside, That off-quoted scripture, God is a spirit, And they that worship him, Must worship him, In spirit, And in truth, For the father, Seeketh such, To worship him, There is yet another path, I must touch on, And that is, The will of God, Wonderful it is, To think, It is given to poor sinners, Such as we are,

[46:35] Sinners born again, To do what is the will of God, For us to be, And to do, For ye have need of patience, That after ye have done the will of God, Ye might receive, The promise, And now the great thing is, To have in our hearts, A solemn concern, To do the will of God, Let but my fainting heart, Be blessed with thy sweet spirit, For it's guest, O God, To thee I leave the rest, Thy will be done, Hold up my goings, In thy paths, Yea, The path of the will of God, What a wonderful consideration it is, When you do get a little light, On the dealings of God with you, And find that you, Are just as it were,

[47:35] A cog in the wheel, Of eternal purposes, And that God, Has singled you out, And set you, In a sphere, Where you shall serve him, The Lord Christ, Where you shall go along, The path of service, That he has ordained, For you, Much might be said, Along that line of thought, Hold up my goings, In thy paths, Let us just look at this argument, That my footsteps, Slip not, And now, There are, Dangers of every, Shape and name, That attend the followers, Of the Lamb, The hymn writer says, And if you should be left, To what you are by nature, You will slip into one or the other,

[48:36] Of these dangers, Bringing guilt upon your conscience, Yes, And, Belittling, The hope, God has given you, In your soul's experience, Yes, Hold up my goings, In thy paths, That my footsteps, Slip not, And now, One of the greatest dangers, As I view it, Is to slip into formality, And the devil will help you, In that business, So that, You can get at times, Quite complacent, In your profession, And be settled down, In your, Chapel going, And not be, So much concerned, About entering into, The sweet, Blessed reality, Of God, In your soul's, Experience, You do need to watch,

[49:36] Against, Formality, In your profession, And in your, Religion, In your, Everyday life, Hold up my goings, In thy paths, That my footsteps, Slip not, You do not want, Either to slip, Into just, Having a name to live, And be dead, In having a, Well polished, Shell, That folks look on, And judge you, Accordingly, But the essence, Of the thing, Is, What is inside it, Is there a kernel, It is the kernel, Alone, Which your soul, Your immortal soul, Can feed upon, As grace is given, Oh, You need to be kept, From just, Outside show, Having a form, Of godliness, And no power, Hold up my goings,

[50:39] In thy paths, That my footsteps, Slip not, Slip not, Into coldness, Indifference, And into, Into a worldly, Spirit, Oh, You need, To keep this, Prayer uppermost, In your thoughts, Especially, Nowadays, In these, Tremendous times, In which we are living, When so many things, Are happening, That you, Read about, You think about them, And they make you, In thinking about them, To be of the earth, Earthy, Hold up my goings, In thy paths, That my footsteps, Slip not, And especially, That you, And I, Slip not, Into a, Wrong spirit, Or the, Mischief, That a wrong spirit, Has wrought, In the church of Christ,

[51:41] And not just, The church of Christ, Professing, The church of Christ, Possessing, People, Who are really, Taught of God, Going to dwell, In heaven together, And yet, Through prejudice, Suspicion, And what the devil, Has done, They exhibit, A wrong spirit, I'm not, Fitting any caps on, I'm not making, Any reflections, On you, I'm taking, A broad view, Of their, Denominational life, And I say, A wrong spirit, The spirit of, Going to extremes, And setting up, A standard, That all other, Should attain, To it, A wrong spirit, Yes, If any man, Have not, The spirit of Christ, He is none, Of, His, That my footsteps, Slip not,

[52:41] Slip not, Into self pity, And the devil, Will assist you, With that business, If once you get going, And he will show you, This, That and the other, Until you, Find ifs, Buts and hows, Are hurled, To sink you, In the gloom, Of all that's dismal, In this world, Or in the world, To come, That my footsteps, Slip not, And slip not, Into error, In doctrine, I like that petition, Of the psalmist, Let my heart, Be sound, In thy statutes, That I be not, Ashamed, Error, Is so specious, You may take up, A pamphlet, A leaflet, Or it may be a book, Well printed, And you open it, And what you read, Seems quite readable,

[53:44] And you, Appreciate it, But you, Turn it over, Page after page, And find, There is the dead fly, In the ointment, And when all is said, And done, You do not want, Your footsteps, To slip, Therein, When all is said, And done, You and I, Must come back, To the starting point, Thy word, Is a lamp, Unto my feet, And a light, Unto, My path, And as you and I, Have helped, To go in the path, Set forth, In the sacred pages, The pattern, That the Holy Spirit, Has lined out, For us, To journey on, Through life, Our footsteps, Will not slip, Into the evils, Of the evil times, In which you and I,

[54:45]  Are living, But we shall, Be helped, To journey on, With a sweet, Feeling, Cry out, And shout, Thou inhabitant, Of Zion, For great is, The Holy One, Of Israel, In the midst of thee, And your comfort, Will be, That the Lord, Reigneth, All my times, Are in, Thy hand, All events, At, Thy, Command, Amen,