TIME rolls on and waits for no man. We cannot put a drag on that wheel. It turns in spite of us, shortening the history of writer and reader here on earth, and bringing us nearer to that moment when we must, willing or unwilling, ready or unready, leave the whirl and din and bustle of this exciting and changing scene, and pass away into eternity.
How humiliating! Man, with all his boasted attainments with all his ingenuity and skill with the aid of all the sciences, has to succumb to that relentless and merciless foe, Death, in spite of all, and find a narrow bed under the sod; thus adding to the countless proofs of the truth of God's word, "The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:2222But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (Romans 6:22)).
“Man dieth, and wasteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?” (Job 12:1010In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. (Job 12:10).) Ah, where? The last moment does come. Unsaved reader, it will come for you! What then? Others will take your place, and transact your business; the wheel of time will still turn, and the busy world will go on as though you had never lived.
You will be buried, and forgotten; but, where will your soul be? In HEAVEN, or in HELL—WHICH?
We are sometimes shocked as we read the accounts of "Terrible Railway Accidents," "Fearful Colliery Explosions," and such like awful occurrences. And as we read the graphic accounts of the terrible crash of the meeting trains, or the ghastly scenes at the coal-pit as the charred and shapeless remains of the dead are brought to bank, we shudder with horror, — while expressions of deep sympathy and pity escape our lips, not only for the victims, but for the deep distress and unrestrained grief of the broken-hearted and bereaved mourners.
But let us look for a moment at another calamity, greater even than these; a calamity that may be daily witnessed, but of which comparatively little notice is taken. Not the crash of the meeting trains, and the cries and groans of the injured and dying; not the rush of the deadly fire-damp through the coal-pit, and the agonizing wail of those whose friends and loved ones were entombed in its depth. But multitudes of men and women, stricken through and through with every conceivable form of disease and misery, blighted and woebegone, gradually withering away from God's earth under the fatal consequences of that direful pestilence—SIN. And thus they are passing on, as rapidly as time can carry them,— without God and without Christ, without having repented of their sins, and believed the gospel,— maddened or infatuated by those sins, onward to the gaping tomb and the bar of a holy and righteous God; onward to "the devouring fire and the everlasting burnings;” onward to " the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth "; onward to the deathless worm and the quenchless firer What a dreadful and alarming fact!
O, what scene can equal this scene? Multitudes hurrying to eternal ruin I Not only the depraved masses sunk in the depths of shameless immorality, but the respectable and the educated likewise, — carried on by the incessant whirl of business or pleasure, at break-neck speed, without one solitary moment to think where the journey will end, and where their never dying souls will find an eternal home.
I repeat, what scene can equal this scene? And surely no more dreadful sound can fall on the opened ear this side of hell's fixed gulf, than the giddy and hollow laugh of the careless sinners, — the dupes of Satan, —on their way to eternity, deliberately refusing to believe their danger, and “flee from the wrath to come.”
My reader, are you one of this crowd? If so, may God graciously let the light of eternity flash into your soul as you read these lines, and light up your sinful and wasted life, and lead you to repent and believe the gospel, ere it be too late, and you have to spell out the meaning of your terrible crime in the awful light of the lake of fire!
Remember, "God is not mocked." Your sins are not forgotten, and soon the giddy and hollow laugh will be turned into the deep wail of everlasting sorrow. Soon the pleasures will be gone, and the pains begin; soon the earthly joys and human friendships will cease, and the despairing wail in the company of the lost commence. My own heart sickens at the very thought; and I can only say from its very depths, " O my God, save the unsaved readers of these lines before it is too late, and their guilty souls pass into eternity to reap the eternal consequences of their folly and sin.”
But let us look at it for one moment from another point of view. Not only are you in danger of coming judgment, if unsaved; but think of what you miss here on earth. You are a stranger to the love and sympathy of Jesus; you possess not eternal life; nor do you know the forgiveness of your sins. Peace and blessing are far from you, while you pass along life's rugged pathway, uncheered by the love of God which is shed abroad in our hearts, or the joy of God which fills our souls. And when sorrow throws its gloomy mantle around you, you know not "the friend that sticketh closer than a brother." And thus you pass on in the dark, without the light of heaven to shine on your path on earth, gilding everything with its brightness and luster, and making your very sorrows and trials yield sweetness and joy; and you pass on with an empty heart, and an empty hand. O may God save and bless you, dear reader.
Blessed be God, He has thought of all your deep, deep need, and provided for it too. He has asked the question, "What shall I do?" and answered it Himself. Listen to His answer, “I will send my beloved Son” (Luke 21:2323But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. (Luke 21:23)).
Think of what it cost God to make a way whereby He could righteously save you! Think of what it cost Jesus to meet the question of your guilt, in order that you might be saved. It cost God his Son; and it cost Jesus His life. Yes, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)). And, “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:33For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (1 Corinthians 15:3)).
Now if you say, "What must I do to be saved?” I reply, NOTHING! Nothing of any kind whatever. It is all done for you; done by Jesus. His last words on the cross were, "IT IS FINISHED” (John 19:3030When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (John 19:30)). Now, does your heart trust the One who has done all? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)). That moment you believe, that moment you ARE SAVED. HE SAYS SO. Thus you have divine security, and you know it on divine authority, apart from all your feelings and experiences, as it rests on Christ's work.
W. E.