SOME five years ago, two or three children of God were traveling together in the same carriage of a railway train.
At the commencement of the journey, one of them began to offer tracts to the other occupants of the carriage, and amongst the rest, he handed one to a young man. He readily received it, but, after glancing down the page, very politely returned it, saying, “I am not allowed to read such things; the holy Catholic Church forbids my doing so.”
After a few remarks being made upon the contents of the little paper he had just refused, the question was asked, “You admit Scripture, I suppose?”
“Most certainly,” was the reply. Another little tract containing Scripture only was then offered him, with the remark that it was simply the word of God. This he received, and it was evident, as he read it carefully through, that its contents were of interest to him. Observing this, a pamphlet, written to show the authority of God’s blessed word, apart from all human intervention, and to show how grievous a sin it was for any to seek to hinder its immediate action upon the conscience, was passed to him, with the earnest request that he would promise to read it.
“I will,” he answered, and at once put it into his breast pocket, then addressing himself to the one who had given him the book, he said, “What do you think of the Pope?”
“Why, that he is but a sinful man, who needs the blood of Christ as much as you of I do,” was the reply.
To this, the young man objected, saying that he was Christ’s vicar upon earth Further conversation ensued till the journey was ended, and the travelers went their respective ways.
A short time after, a servant of the Lord, who had been in the carriage, and who had witnessed what had taken place, was traveling elsewhere, and, on taking his seat in a train, was much surprised to meet the same young man again. Addressing him, he said “I remember your face; we traveled together the other day.”
Fixing his eyes intently upon the speaker, with an expression of sorrow upon his face, he said, with deep feeling, “Would that we had never met, for I have been under the curse of the church ever since. My spiritual adviser discovered what I had read, and as a punishment, he has given me that to perform which nearly drives me mad.”
“Indeed, what is that?” was asked.
He replied, “Every night, when the clock strikes twelve, I have to arise and count my beads, besides which, I have to pay money before I can get free from this terrible curse,” and then with a look of deepest agony, he added, “and, oh, if I should die under the curse of the church, I shall sink into the flames of hell forever!”
“But,” rejoined the servant of Christ, “there is no such thing in Scripture as ‘the curse of the church;’ listen, I am a poor sinner, but have found out my need of Christ, and have come to Him, and simply trusting my soul to Him, I now know that His precious blood has made me clean, and, as a consequence, I am free from all that slavish fear of which you speak, and my heart is filled with joy.”
Earnestly gazing upon the speaker, the young man said, “I would give anything to know that of which you are speaking, but at this moment I am under the awful curse of the church.”
In answer to this, the Christian pointed out the willingness of Christ to receive any poor sinner who would come, showing that He was the One who had been made a curse upon Calvary’s tree for wretched sinners, and that now, because all was finished, He was raised and glorified at the right hand of God.
With a look of intense agony depicted upon his countenance, and with clenched hands, the young man exclaimed in tones of solemn earnestness, “Oh, that I could grasp the blessed Person of the Son of God! But that holy man, the Pope, is standing between me and the Son of God.” The journey was ended, but no relief seemed to have come to the soul of this poor distressed one.
A few days later, while walking along tin platform of a railway station, this same servant of Christ was surprised again to nee the young man. Addressing him, he kindly asked after the welfare of his soul, but to his sorrow, was met by the reply, “Thank you not another word about these things; I dare not stop to speak of them,” and he passed on.
The next day, at a social meeting of a few of God’s children, the foregoing interesting circumstances were told, and prayer was earnestly offered to God for blessing on the soul of the young man. The result await! its manifestation at another day.
And now, dear reader, let none rob you of the precious word of God. Superstition and infidelity are increasing with terrible rapidity, and however much they may differ in many respects, they most assuredly agree in depriving of the word of God everyone entangled in their meshes. Infidelity sneers at it, and impiously seeks to prove it untrue. Superstition vaunts itself as the keeper of it but takes care, by every effort, to hinder its direct action upon the conscience. Many perhaps, may pity the young man, and wonder how he could be so deceived; but we are persuaded that numbers at this present moment are unwittingly treading a path waif which, unless the delivering mercy of God arrest them in their course, will lead them to the same soul-destroying errors.
God, in his great mercy, has vouchsafed abundant light these many years, but it must be patent to any Christian of ordinary observation, that Christendom is fast giving of the truth of God to embrace that which, while it pretends to offer a resting place for unquiet consciences, in reality deceives the soul. On the other hand, thousands are being driven into the rejection of all truth through the religious unreality that is around them.
Christians, awake! Would you be used of God in any little measure to give a testimony against all this? If so, it must be in deed and truth, and not by word only. Truth is freely discussed, controversy abounds; but where is the life testimony that answers both superstition and infidelity as nothing else can? Oh, ye Christians! who in dress, and speech, and ways approach too closely to those who are lovers of pleasure rather than of God, and yet retain a form of godliness; in what way, think you, does your testimony affect the consciences of such? Oh, turn your backs on the world and its religion, take God’s word as your only guide, feed on it, and value it as you never have done before! The day is hastening with terrible rapidity when those who have been so long blest with light and knowledge, shall, in the righteous judgment of God, be given over to strong delusion, because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved.
In conclusion, are we addressing one in spiritual distress? To such we say, the blessed Person and work of the Son of God are all you need. Amidst the unmeasured sorrow of Calvary’s tree the work was gloriously finished, and now, high up above all principality and power, at the right hand of God, sits the mighty Victor—His blessed heart unchanged—still ready, as when He trod earth’s sad scenes, to minister divine goodness to every soul in need. “Come unto Me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” He still says. Hesitate not to trust Him; mark, He invites to Himself; how awful, then, the guilt, of any mortal who dares to step in between the Saviour and the sinner. Have you come to Him? Then hear these blessed words which came from His lips:— “I am the Light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Careless one, listen— “He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath One that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” (John 12:4848He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. (John 12:48)).
T. T. E.