Return to the Mount of Inspiration

Suddenly, old Brother Circumspect, who had kept his wits through the whole affray, blew a trumpet which he always carried about with him, but had not been using of late for fear of offending certain ones. This called the scattered ones together, as they had in time past been accustomed to the sound of the old brother’s clear-sounding trumpet. Then he addressed them in the following manner: “Faithful brethren, let us not be as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Fear not, little flock, for there shall yet a remnant be saved. However I feel that I must repent before you because that for some time I have refrained from warning you, although God had appointed me as a watchman to warn His flock. But for fear of breaking the unity with many, I have not always been faithful.”

(Now this aforementioned great camp had once been pitched on the top of a mountain, called Inspiration Mount. But of late years it had been gradually moved downward toward a valley called the valley of Morality. This was done not through any bad motive, but a man called Mr. Worldly-Wise had made it his business to inform some of the Shepherds that, if they would pitch the camp in a lower altitude, they would be able to bring in many who were too sickly or lame or lazy to climb the steep mountain, as it was ascended by a steep and narrow pathway which meant a laying aside of all luggage and much weariness to the flesh. So they, without consulting the King, had taken his advice, thinking that when they had got their new converts strengthened to a certain degree, they could get them to move upward.)

“Then,” Mr. Circumspect continued, “I warned them many times, so did my Brother Discernment, but we were put down as old fogies, cranks, etc., so we submitted for the sake of unity. I also found that some whom you would least suspect, were troubled with an affliction of the eyes, and would not use the King’s eye-salve (Revelation 3:18), but preferred moving down into the fogs, as the sun is always bright upon the mountain. I warned them that the Compromise family would come along and capture them sometime, but they said, ‘Impossible! impossible! How could we be so deceived after knowing so much of the truth!’ But now, you see, no one can descend to this valley and be safe. So let us hasten to our rightful place on the mountaintop.”

Now on this mountaintop was a very large Rock in which they could hide safely, as in a fort, and though it appeared as a most common-place mount from the lowlands, still to those on the top it presented a most pleasing spectacle. There was a large lake of crystal waters which was supplied by a river that gushed from underneath the great Rock. Then, there were fruit trees in abundance, which supplied both food and medicine (Revelation 22:1-2), and the landscape was of unearthly beauty.

The little faithful ones were happy to find themselves once more in this place of safety. Still, some of them were perplexed because of the conduct of Brother Discernment. Whereupon they inquired of Brother Circumspect, who oftentimes called upon Brother Spiritual Understanding to help him in explaining difficult problems. (As it was, Brother Understanding, with a few others, had not followed the rest of the camp into the valley.)

“Now as to Brother Discernment”—for although he had received that title, still he had a human nature which is liable to err. Our adversary, knowing this, had prepared to overthrow him at a critical moment, by loading him with some of the honors of the valley, thus hoping to keep him there. And also to confuse those who had depended upon his wisdom.

“However,” continued Brother Circumspect. “Wise men of all ages have said that they always found it safest to act upon their first impression. They say that is God’s voice, and the afterthoughts are the human reasoning. Now we all know that our brother’s first impression was so strong that things were going wrong in the camp, that, disregarding all self-interest, or what others thought, he cried out and spared not. This was his discernment in the ascendency, and because of so many such exploits in the past he had received this title, not from the King, but from the faithful ones, who had also presented him with the castle. Then, when he changed his mind, was when the human began to reason, then that dart came, which turned his head toward the castle. I had warned him several times not to set his heart upon those things, and not to spend too much time digging around that gold mine. But alas! my brother!” Then they all wept to think of those left behind.