Only a few, comparatively, could be persuaded to turn their steps toward the King’s Highway.
Mr. World and Miss Church-Member stood for a long time watching the ever-changing panorama of the surging crowds. He was desirous of visiting the groves, but Miss Church-Member was too piously inclined. So they were halting between these two desires when a saintly looking person approached them.
“To what place are you journeying?” the beautiful stranger asked.
“We are journeying to a place called Heaven,” promptly answered Miss Church-Member.
“Congratulations, indeed,” spoke the stranger as he smiled. “You belong to the better class of travelers. Some, I fear, who go this way will miss Heaven. They are too much attracted by the frivolities of life and never have a desire to go to church.”
“But we love the church,” spoke up Mr. World. “However we have had little time and no opportunity to enter one for some time.”
“You are welcome to the services in one of yonder buildings,” said the stranger as he pointed toward the group of the Devil’s churches. “There you can listen with pleasure and profit to the latest style of preaching, and the special music will prove entertaining. You should, without fail, attend church, or you will never increase in spiritual knowledge.”
Without further hesitation the two pushed their way through the crowd and entered one of the churches where they were greeted warmly and ushered to a prominent seat.
The minister had already begun to speak and was growing eloquent as he warmed to his theme. They listened with absorbing interest to every word that fell from his lips.
“Into this church,” the minister said, “come the wearied of heart, troubled perchance with inward fears resulting from the weird occurrences along the pathway through the Valley of Conviction. We bid you cast aside your thoughts of trouble and be at peace. There is a calmness you should covet untouched by such conviction.