To be alone is not always to be lonely:far otherwise. Often the lonely soul is to be found in a crowd, while the one who is forced to be apart from his fellow-man is contented and rejoicing in spirit. As real companionship consists of the full trust, understanding and sympathy of those whom we love, and in whom we confide, so loneliness is realized in the lack of these things. Apart from the things already mentioned, there is another thing which causes intense pain of loneliness, viz , separation, either by death or distance, from those who were the objects of our love. They were real companions, true friends in the darkest hour; we knew we could rely on their love and their judgment, but God's voice called them above, or He removed us or them to another place; we felt that this would is full of "goodbyes," and began to long for that home where partings shall be unknown.

The Christian's life is one which must be lived like His Master's, more or less alone. With the world he has nothing in common. Nothing could be more opposite than light and darkness, righteousness and sin; and such is the Christian to the world. He is an enigma which the world cannot solve. Ah, if only all Christians would thoroughly believe this, we should not hear, as we so often do, of promising Christians blighting their lives by giving their hand in marriage to some unconverted man or woman. They persuade themselves that they can make light and darkness agree, and the result is one of the worst forms of loneliness it is possible for the human soul to know. It is impossible for two to walk together except they be agreed, and the friendship of the world is always enmity with God. The path of the Christian down here is just his training-ground, where he has to walk by faith and not by sight, and where God would teach him to turn from the human to the divine, and, instead of leaning on the arm of flesh, to live by faith in the living God. He is taught to know Him by faith whom we shall one day know by sight, so that at the end of his pilgrimage it will be no stranger-God that will greet the pilgrim, but One whom, having not seen, he has learned to love, and already rejoices in Him with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Nothing else than walking alone with Him will suffice for this. The natural inclination of the human heart is to rely on that which is seen. The first impulse, whether in sorrow or joy, is to fly to the nearest relative or friend, and tell them. I do not condemn friends or friendship:far from it. A true friend, one who is honest, loving and sincere, who will stand by one at all times, is one of the most precious of all God-given gifts; and if we were, as the apostle says, '' rooted and grounded in love," and knew "the love of Christ which passeth knowledge," there would be many more of these true friends, with their valuable friendship, than there are at present. But what is meant is this:There come times in the life of every one who is truly learning of God, when the best of earthly friends is not sufficient:they cannot enter into the depth of our heart; or perhaps we fail to express ourselves as plainly as we might do, and so we are misunderstood. At any rate, we feel the truth of those little verses of Frances Havergal, which say:

" I could not do without Thee;
No other friend can read
The spirit's strange deep longings,
Interpreting its need.
No human heart could enter
Each dim recess of mine,
And soothe and hush and calm it,
O blessed Lord, but Thine."
Such experience is not a light and easy one, but necessary to turn us to the Friend who sticketh closer than a brother, who is wondrous in His love and tenderness, and infinite in His understanding and sympathy. The lonely path teaches us to know Him:shall we not then welcome it ? It weans our souls away from all that is unstable, limited, failing and changing, to that which is stable, unchanging, eternal. In every life there are times of solemn import which have to be faced alone with God. Friends may give counsel and advice, but, after all, we have to take the responsibility of decision; and is it not worth all the exercises to find at such a time Him who is "wonderful in counsel and excellent in working," and who never will fail us? Ah, the sweetness of learning to know Him I Slowly we learn; many, many mistakes we make; but surely some little progress is made when we have learned the sweetness of fleeing to Himself; when with utter abandonment we can throw ourselves down in His presence and know we are loved with an everlasting love, and that He will do and give the very best for us because He loves us so.

But the question will be raised:Is it according to God's mind that human beings, born with natural social instincts, should live much of their life alone with God ? As far as the world is concerned, we have answered it at the beginning of this chapter; but when we, Christians, are concerned we all have to own, with shame, that if we spent time enough with our Master to catch more of His spirit of intense love and devotion to God and man, it would go very far toward alleviating the loneliness of His children. Some people are naturally gifted with tact and understanding more than others, but the school for love and sympathy is at the feet of Jesus, in learning of Him. Are we not all guilty here ? Do not our hearts accuse us of being so taken up with our own sorrows and trials, or, perhaps, our own hurt feelings, that the lonely brother or sister at our side, bearing a far greater load, has been heedlessly passed by? Is it true that the "alone" times are essential in God's school, and that He teaches many precious lessons by these means, but in this, as in other things, He would have His children in sympathy and co-workers with Him. It is however a work demanding the closest walk with the Lord, and can only be done by those who have learnt in secret with Himself. God recognized the need of companionship when He created man, and then made the woman, saying, " It is not good that man should be alone;" it was as a help-meet He gave the woman, and it is as helpers the one to the other He would have us live today.

But there is a form of loneliness which we most surely can say is not of God, and of which we must beware. I refer to that which is caused by crotchety tempers, disagreeable ways, backbiting, etc. We need to examine ourselves to see whether our "alone-ness" is in any way our own fault, and if it is so, to seek humbly and prayerfully grace from God in self-judgment to set matters right. If our conscience is clear in this matter, we may well accept the lonely path from the Friend who never leaves us nor forsakes. We then can look up and say

" My times are in Thy hand;
Father, I wish them there-
My life, my soul, my all, I leave
Entirely to Thy care."

Have we ever thought that all the greatest events of our life have to be met, or entered into alone ? Birth, whether natural or spiritual, is an individual thing. At our conversion, when conscience was awakened, and our hearts quailed with the thought of our sin, how well we were aware that alone with God the matter was to be settled. We were reminded that sin was put away by the sacrifice of Jesus. In receiving Him by faith, His sweet peace stole into our hearts while we were alone with Him. And all along the Christian pathway when conscious of marred communion on account of disobedience or neglect, it is with Him alone matters are righted and communion restored as we go to Him in humble confession and prayer. And at the end of the journey when the Master calls us away, alone we have to leave this world. Friends may be around our bed to the last moment, every loving service maybe performed by them, but when the spirit takes its flight they can go not another step with us, and alone we go to meet our God. That day is soon coming; life at the longest is but a brief span. Are we so using the alone-ness in our lives that day will be a joyous one ? Will it be a going home to our best-loved Friend whom we have known for a long time? If so, there can be no anxious fear at such a time. Although it is a solemn time, we shall realize more than ever the preciousness of being washed in the blood of Jesus, of having Christ for our Righteousness, our Sanctification and our Redemption; and with it all will be the deep joy that the lonely road is ended, and the Lord Himself has come to take us home. M. M. S.

The next paper of this series is to be Alone-ness Compensated.