Some months ago, while traveling on a steamboat up one of our large rivers, and looking to the Lord for an opportunity to say a word for Him, I paused at the door of the fireman's room. He was, at the time, busy shoveling coals into the huge furnace, whose glowing flame, shooting out its intense heat into his face, suggested to me the thought of the Lake of Fire spoken of in Rev. 20 He must have had something of this in his mind, and a conscience not at rest about it; for when he had finished his work, and a few words had passed between us, coming closer to me he asked this question, " Do you think that we have to go to such a place as that?"
" Why no, my friend, I do not expect to go at all," I answered, " and there is no necessity for you to go."
" How is that?" said he. " Do you really think so?" "I know so," said I. "I have the word of God Himself on the matter, who tells me of One, who, when that was our doom, came forward and said, 'Deliver them from. going down to the pit, for I have found a ransom.' I have just been talking with Him who so loved you and me as to give His Son to die for us, and now sends us word that believing on Him, believing what He says about it, we are saved, delivered from the wrath to come, and are at once Sons of God, looking for glory with Him. Now, I believe Him, and so know that the wrath is past; I can have no fear, because He cannot lie. And you have the same offered to you; and hearing and receiving what He says, you may look into that fire or the fire of hell, without alarm."
" That sounds good," said the poor man, with his whole face brightening.
" Good! indeed it is," said I. "And there is a great deal more to tell that is as good, for it comes from Him who is happy Himself, and wants to make us as happy as He is. We have His heart towards us, and for us. Is not that enough to make us rejoice?"
"Yes indeed, tell me more about it," said he, " how is it?"
" Thus," said I, " we have all sinned against God, and the wages of sin is death,-the second death,-the lake of fire. But Christ was delivered for our offenses. Christ died for sinners, that He might deliver us who through fear of death, were all our lifetime subject to bondage.
Now, if you were going to prison for a heavy debt, and I were to come on purpose to pay it, would not that be at once your sufficient reason for not going to punishment? Even so, when God tells you that Christ Jesus came into the world on purpose to save sinners, is not that reason enough for you to be saved?.Just take Him, His own way of saying it, and rest. He tells us that Christ has made peace through the blood of His cross, and that the blood of Jesus Christ, His son, cleanses us from all sin. How perfect all this is, and how simple. Now tell me, does it not meet all your need?"
But this man had been all his life under religious teachers who had told him that he must do a great many things as penances for his sins, and look to the mediation of a great series of intercessors, and he was naturally suspicious of anything that left out the old delusions. Satan, having bound him for so many years, was not willing to let him go, and now turned his mind to these things in opposition to the grace that was taught to him, so he answered," But you have not said anything about His mother. I must trust to her, too. Why do you leave her out?"
" Oh," I answered, " Mary, the mother of Jesus, was doubtless a very blessed woman. But it is riot said of her that she died for our sins, but Christ did. We are not told that the Lord laid upon her the iniquity of us all, but upon Christ. Mary was never made a curse for us, but Christ was, because He hung upon the tree, and that curse belonged •to us, because of our disobedience. There is none other Name given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved, but His, and by Him all who believe are justified from all things. What need you more?"
" But, it seems to me," he answered, " very hard if not wicked, to turn aside from her. Do you not see what an influence she would have with her Son? Now, suppose I want a favor from you, and I go to your wife or mother and tell her of it, and she comes to you and says, Here is such an one, a good, clever fellow, trying to do the best he can, who wants this,' would you not give me for her sake, what you might be very far from giving for my own?"
Let me," I said, " state the matter in another way, more like the truth. Suppose that instead of being a good kind of a fellow, doing your best, you were altogether the worst, and had shown the greatest enmity to me, seeking my life, and this you were now active in,-that there was nothing but what was disgusting and vile and hopeless in you. And suppose that I had from very kindness been as heartily engaged in doing you good all your life, in ten thousand ways that you had not recognized, and at the risk of my life had procured for you the greatest blessing, a rich inheritance, and were to come to you, offering to you everything, treating as though it had never been, all your hatred, and not imputing your evil deeds, because I loved you and meant to make you my companion and take you into partnership in all that I did. Offering, did I say?—nay, beseeching you to receive it for nothing. This does not tell the matter.
God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' The answer of man to all God's goodness, was the death of His Son. But the answer of God to man's slaying His Son, is the exceeding riches of His grace,' abundantly, pardoning all your ways and thoughts, and fully offering all that Christ has and is instead of our asking. It is He pressing upon us everything -righteousness, peace, glory. This is His way of stating it. The only question is, will you receive a gift-the gift of eternal life?"
Here he had to turn away to his work, and I left him to meditate upon the wide difference between God’s thoughts and man's, and to rejoice, if he would, in the precious things of Christ, and the fullness of the offer of God.
Dear reader, if you are not saved, He makes the same offer to you. Is it not wonderful? Think, while man is doing his utmost against God, He is taking occasion to show out the infinite depths of His mercy. Is this the manner of men? And if you are saved, dear reader, you know that all this is true, and yet the half has not been told. May you drink more deeply the fullness of this love. T. P.