NOT long since, while looking round the bookcases in a depot for the sale of Bibles, tracts, &c., the door opened and a respectable-looking, well-dressed man came in. He forthwith addressed himself to the young man who had charge of the depot, and put to him the following somewhat startling question, “Have you a book on the existence of Christ?”
Greatly amazed, I looked up to see what answer was forthcoming, feeling at the same time not a little inclined to hand the stranger a Bible, which was lying on the shelf, as being the surest, safest, and most reliable guide on that all-important subject.
However, after a pause of a few minutes, I ventured to inquire for what purpose the book was required, possessed with a grave suspicion that I should find the man tinged by some form of infidelity. Yes, INFIDELITY. Let us call things by their right names; for however much our modern rationalists may dislike the name of "infidel" (and no wonder), yet, most assuredly, that man is an infidel who calls in question what God has said.
If the Bible be the Word of God, the man who dares to question it, be he learned or ignorant, is upon uncommonly dangerous ground.
“Oh!" said he," I am in the habit of meeting for public discussion men of very different opinions— some who do not believe that Christ exists at all; others who hold that He is merely a spirit; while others again believe in His material existence; and I just wanted to read a work which might present your view of the subject.”
“Sir," I replied," with whom, may I ask, do you hold these discussions, for it appears to me that you are putting yourself into a position of extreme danger. A true Christian would have no question whatever upon the point, and to argue about it with an infidel would not only be useless to him, but most pernicious to yourself.”
“Well," said he," I often meet with— (naming a sect) and others, but—”
“Sir," I interrupted," let me advise you at once to desist from any such thing, as these very people, plausible as their efforts may appear to base all their arguments upon the Bible, are nevertheless unsound upon almost all that it teaches. They deny the atoning value of the blood of Christ, the immortality of the soul, the eternal punishment of the wicked, and—”
“Ah! then, perhaps, you will call me unsound?”
“I hope, for your own sake, that I shall not need to," was my answer.
“Well, I do not believe," said the man," that God created man to burn him. Since reading E—'s book on the subject, I have quite given up the orthodox view of the matter.”
“Ali!" said I," you have caricatured the truth, and that is the weakest of all arguments—indeed, it is no argument at all. I do not feel inclined, even if I were able, to discuss the question with you, but I would earnestly warn you of your danger by stating that you will invariably find that all those who imbibe those views begin by a lowered and enfeebled sense of the enormity of Sin in the sight of God, and end by denying the need or the value of the atonement.”
"You are quite mistaken," he replied. “If you read E—'s book, you will see that he holds both.”
“No, sir, he does not " (for it so happened that only a few days before that very book came into my hands, and the perusal of a few pages convinced me of the truth of my remark). " The writer bases one argument upon this, that eternal punishment is altogether too severe for mere ordinary offenders!
Who are they, I should like to know? By what 'standard was the writer measuring sin when he penned those terrible words? A human one or a divine? God cannot look at sin, be that sin in man's reckoning great or small. And, again, speaking of the death of Christ, while admitting that He died for sinners, we are not long left in the dark as to the abominable infidelity that underlies this, at first sight, plausible but deceptive statement.
He goes on to say that the 'sentence on Adam was, Thou shalt surely die;' that further, the New Testament confirms this by saying that the wages of sin is death;’ and that Christ bore the penalty, and paid the wages, when He died on the cross.
In other words, ' physical death' is all that the author sees in that wondrous cross on which the Lord of glory died.' Do you see nothing more in the death of Christ than that?”
Reader, do not you? What means that agonizing cry, wrung from the deepest depths of the Savior's heart, “My God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me?”
Scorned and cast out by the world, betrayed and denied and forsaken by all, even His disciples-all this was terrible; but to be forsaken of God! Who could conceive, far less declare, what that was to Him who had all His life long lived in the sunshine of His very presence I Again, I ask, was it mere physical death that pressed those words from His heart? If such were the case, the death of Christ would be reduced infinitely below the level even of a Christian's. How many a child of God has died triumphantly! How many a one has left this world, and entered the haven of eternal rest, with a shout of victory and praise, and that amidst the most excruciating sufferings of the body'
But Christ, in that supreme moment, was forsaken of God. Reader, can you, tell me why?
May the eternal heaven of His blessed presence be your answer to that question! He spotless and holy, sinless without and within, was "made sin” that we guilty, lost, and rebel sinners “might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Cor. 5:2121For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)). But, reader, mark, when "made sin" at the cross, He was treated as sin, and He endured at that terrible moment all that God was in His holiness, righteousness, and hatred against sin. But, blessed be His name, the work which He willingly undertook He has perfectly accomplished.
“'The storm that bowed Thy blessed head
Is hushed forever now;
And rest divine is ours instead,
Whilst glory crowns Thy brow.
Within the Father's house on high,
We soon shall sing Thy praise,
But here, where Thou didst bleed and die,
We learn that song to raise.”
Away with the base ingratitude that would rob the Savior of His glory! Away with the blind infidelity that would thus, too, rob the sinner of his Savior! A. H. B.