"Can you tell me where I can go to get out of the way of these Christians?" Such was the question asked one day by a godless commercial traveler. He was traveling by train and found in the car with him some believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. They were speaking and singing of their Savior, and it was more than our friend could stand. Had they been speaking about politics or the weather, or had they been singing worldly songs, he might have reconciled himself to their company, and joined in with them. But they spoke of a Savior whom he did not know. They sang of His precious blood, whose cleansing power he had not proved, and it was a distasteful subject to him.
By and by the train stopped at a station and he got out, taking his baggage with him, and took his seat in another coach. The train started, and he began to feel more at home. Before very long, however, the sound of singing fell on his ears. He looked up from his newspaper and listened:
"How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear." Such were the words that he heard.
"These troublesome Christians again," he thought; "Why can't they leave a man in peace?" But the singing and conversation continued, and he was compelled to listen to what was to him the most distasteful of all subjects.
Soon the train came to the standstill once more, and he got out, thinking he was now at the end of his annoyance. He had now to go by steamboat for a short distance, so he went on board, hoping that it would be more cheerful there than in the train. But hark! What are those young men talking about? Christ was their theme. He rose up in despair, and left the saloon. The first man he met on deck was the engineer.
"Is there no place where I can go to get out of the way of these Christians?" he asked.
"Yes, in hell," replied the engineer. "You won't find any Christians there."
The engineer was a worldly man, and spoke without thinking of the seriousness of what he said. But these words, uttered in jest, continued to ring in our friend's ears. It was an arrow directed by the Spirit of God, and He used it to awaken and convert this godless man.
My unsaved reader, is not this your position? You are, perhaps, fond of the dance and the play, and can take part in all that this world calls amusement, but how is it that you cannot endure hearing about God or His Son Jesus Christ? The truth is, you are not at home in God's company, and you think it is out of place when any one speaks to you about Him, or about eternity. You want to be left in peace with an undisturbed conscience. But the man who warns me of my danger is my true friend; and these lines are written to warn you of your danger. Love can do no less. What would you say to us in the other world if, having known the danger you were in, we had said nothing to you?
You must stand before God and you are fast approaching that solemn hour. Your bark floats down the stream of time, and before you lies that vast shoreless sea of eternity. Pause and think for a moment before it is too late. Today the voice of a Savior calls you: