I WAS lately traveling through Wiltshire by Rail, and in due course we came to an important junction. The train slackened speed, and in a few moments came to a stand; and the porters, rushing to and fro the whole length of the carriages, shouted at the top of their voices, "ALL CHANGE HERE!" And now a scene of bustle ensued. All were personally interested in the announcement, and showed their interest by busy movements in various ways. Some rushing in great excitement from the carriages, others stepping out quietly and calmly; some were going upward, some downward; a few, perhaps, were traveling together to the end of the journey; whilst others were parted with, probably never to be met again. Many an interesting subject was brought abruptly to a close, and many a face looked upon for the last time.
We had evidently arrived at a point in our journey when every one was desirous to know his whereabouts; and many were the anxious inquiries as to the junction itself, and the different places it led to.
There was the usual variety of character in the various carriages; the moral man, and the scoffer; the possessor of thousands, and the poor artisan. However, the word of the officials was a general message, and an individual message; it was a summons to all, without distinction of character or standing among men. It was three words, describing persons, condition, and place: "ALL CHANGE HERE!" and was for the ear of the nobleman in the elegant first-class; for the respectable tradesman in the second; and for the hardworking man in the third. With some the words were no sooner uttered than the change was made; others lingered, scarcely believing any one, however credibly informed on the subject; whilst in one corner sat a passenger sleeping: he must be waked, or he may be overlooked, and passed off to a siding, only to wake up in dismay and disappointment at midnight. He sleeps soundly, but, if we care for him, we shall not mind shaking him a little roughly; better do that, than let the poor man be left behind, although he may not like it at first. "Wake up, friend, we must all change here." A little patience, for he knows not where he is; he will have his eyes wide open directly, then there will be no difficulty-he will see for himself how to act.
There was another traveler, (a similar one is to be found at every junction.) See the look of anxiety, as the poor simple soul asks, "Must I change here?" Again the porters cry, "ALL change here.”
The cry of the porters—the busy scene around me—the variety of character met with—and the place itself, as a point where man was brought, and from whence he was carried, by a power independent of himself, were rich with illustrative teaching; and brought before my mind God's great center, the cross of Christ, to which every man's attention is called, and, which indeed, affects every man for life or death (2 Cor. 2:14-1614Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. 15For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 16To the one we are the savor of death unto death; and to the other the savor of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? (2 Corinthians 2:14‑16)). The journey may have been a long one, or otherwise—the man full of days, or the hopeful youth. The necessity of a change is pressed on each: for by the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ the condition of the whole world is revealed; and the condition, too, of each individual comprising the world. The Old Testament declares, "there is not a just man upon the earth who doeth good, and sinneth not" (Eccl. 7:2020For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. (Ecclesiastes 7:20)); and the New Testament goes even further, and says, “dead in trespasses and sins.” “The whole world lieth in the wicked one."What a sentence! and yet a true and righteous one" Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me," said Jesus, signifying what death he should die (John 12:31-3331Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 32And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 33This he said, signifying what death he should die. (John 12:31‑33)). Happy is the poor weary sinner who hears the gospel, bows to it, and accepts the refuge which is provided for him by the God of all grace; taking his seat in that place of rest, and allowing another to carry him unto the "desired haven." Through believing the gospel, what a mighty change is effected—the gospel that tells of God's thoughts about the world, and also of His love to the world. A marvelous change indeed! Nothing less than deliverance from death to life, darkness to light, from being a child of wrath and becoming a child of God. Sometimes this change is effected in a moment, just as it were stepping out of one carriage into another-a carriage that had long waited the arrival, in perfect completeness in every part, ready for the traveler, who had but to step in, and even have the door shut for him by another, and there he was in safety. His feelings, whether happy or miserable, would not affect the strength of the engine at all; but if he had confidence in the management, he would rest in peace. And may not this be said of thousands in reference to the peace to within—the place of weakness and imperfection, and are wretched, instead of by faith resting on Christ and the work He finished for them. He made peace by the blood of His cross, and He Himself is the believer's peace. Besides, the change had been wrought by the mighty energy of the Holy Ghost; and by His constraining power we have "received Christ;" and we have, as it were, left the dark, crowded carriages of condemnation—we have emerged from the tunnel of gloom and death into the presence of Christ, and have been brought into the light, and all around and the distant future have a brightness we could not have imagined in our former condition. Oh! what happiness flows from the knowledge of what Christ has done for us, and what He is to us.
The message which falls upon the ear of man is clear and unmistakeable. "God commandeth all men everywhere to repent; because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained: whereof he hath given assurance unto ALL MEN, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:30, 3130And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:30‑31)). It is a message of patient love to the poor world! for God not only commands man to bow, but beseeches him to be reconciled to Himself: "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them" (2 Cor. 5:1919To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:19)). The message is of a worldwide character: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:1515And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)). So that man is without excuse, and has but himself to blame, if he be lost; and all that could be done, and all that was required to be done for his salvation was put into the hands of One who was both able and willing to do it, and who did it effectually, thereby bringing glory to God.
By some means or other, man is at some stage of his life brought to this junction. He hears of the cross, and accepts deliverance, and is saved; or wise in his own wisdom passes on, despising God's only but sure way of salvation, and perishes in his sin. Many travelers had for the first time come to this junction, perhaps had not heard of it before, but there it was. Just as I may say of the cross, a man suddenly stands face to face with it, and learns its import to himself; learns there what sin has done—the ruin he is in, but also what love has done for him in providing the sacrifice and finding the ransom; and that the One who hangs there is no less a person than the Son of God—the Lord of life and glory. Yes, sees in Him a sin-bearer and a Savior. He learns, too, the costliness of the sacrifice, in that he reads, Christ laid down His life.
There was one passenger different from the others in this particular. He had not a ticket, but he had "A PASS." Every time our tickets were examined, he showed his "pass." Now this brought to my mind that he was an object of grace. Our tickets had been purchased, but his "pass" had not cost him a farthing, because he was conveyed by the grace of another. By the grace of the manager he was entitled to a place there; and the more closely his "pass" was examined, the more satisfied were the examiners. It stood the test of the closest scrutiny. And so he was borne along by the grace of one who had all the engines, carriages, stations, and men at his command. And mark, he appeared as happy and was as much at ease as the manager himself would have been. And why shouldn't he be? He was there on the authority and by the grace of the manager; and his "pass" bore the signature of the controller of the railway on which he was traveling. How forcibly this brought to my mind my position as a sinner saved by grace, and kept by grace also; and consequently as happy as God could make me, and in order that I might be so, and perfectly secure in Christ, and be one with Him forever, God gave up His Son to the death of the cross. Can my happiness be touched, or my security broken in upon? Then the work of Christ must be made of none effect, and Himself overthrown from the right hand of the majesty on high, where He was seated after having purged our sins by the sacrifice of Himself (Heb. 1:33Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Hebrews 1:3)). Yes, "He loved me, and gave Himself for me." It is said of believers, "As he is, so are we in this world;" and where He is, there, too, shall His servant be. We have not reached the terminus yet, but we have confidence in the love and power of Him who has begun the good work, and who will carry it on even to the end. We, therefore, wait in peace and confidence the crowning act of sovereign grace, when the Lord will descend from heaven to take us to Himself, "and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Even here, in circumstances of weakness and failure, this is our happy boast: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but WE KNOW that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3:1-31Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:1‑3)). Thus, God has made all secure for us in and through Christ; and all things are at His command, and all power in heaven and in earth is given unto Him; and we are His by the purchase of His blood, and He has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.
The believer is called to walk in communion with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, in the fellowship of the Holy Ghost.
Another illustration-for these things help to clear away difficulties and simplify matters. What difficulties exist in the mind of the inexperienced traveler as to which is the right way amongst such a net-work of lines, running in all directions, in apparently hopeless confusion! A poor simple soul is lost amid the hurry and bustle of things around; just as one might say of a soul newly-awakened, anxious to go right, but not knowing the way. Doubtless most lines run to a great center, but what a round-about way some people take to get there; while they are wearied by the constant changes and the length of the way, and hence it is most desirable to take the direct line. Hearken! "The up-train starts from the right-hand platform, the down-train from the left." Well, that's plain enough, surely, to the most inexperienced traveler. But is it more so than the "living way"-the way of salvation, which may be learned in these few words: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved?" There's the whole thing in a nut-shell. Does not a man know his right hand from his left? Does he not know the plain meaning of words? Perhaps he is so ignorant that he does not understand; then what's to be done? See, there is the station-master himself. If he be a gracious man, he will not only tell you, but will cheerfully take you to the very spot, and put you in the right place, answer every question, and remove every difficulty, so that you may be at ease. And what shall a poor soul just awakened from the sleep of death do, or how shall he act amid such confusion and such differences of opinions on this most important question? Jesus, the blessed Master Himself, says to the poor distracted one, "Come unto me ... . Learn of me." Go, poor troubled one, to Him, and all will be clear as noon-day. Only let the eye of the needy one be lifted up to the Lord, and he will not go astray. "I will instruct thee, and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye" (Psalm 32:88I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. (Psalm 32:8)). He who undertook the work of redemption undertakes to provide for the whole journey.
On one occasion I saw a poor cripple waiting by a carriage, and though the door was open he was obliged to be lifted in. The grace and strength of another were required as the effectual answer to his need. There was the way, indeed; but he was so weak and crippled that he could not raise a foot on to the carriage step. A strong arm and a willing heart, however, came to the poor man's assistance, and these were at his command, and he had simply to surrender himself, which he did, and all was done. And so is the sinner called upon to surrender himself to One who is mighty to save: "even Christ, who is able to save to the uttermost all those that come unto God by him." You see it is "saved by grace." The poor cripple had no claim, only that his helpless condition drew forth the compassion of one who was near him. It is through faith, too; he believed in the proffered kindness, and gave himself up, crutches and all; the help was the "gift" of another, and he was right glad of it, whilst he was perfectly welcome to it. What precious lessons those were to my soul, as I read in them the feeble illustrations of that love, and grace, and power, in which God is dealing with the lost and guilty. Happy is the man who gets a good start, and learns God's thoughts about his condition, and the full and perfect remedy that has been provided for him in God's abundant mercy. Yea, happy is he, if he has learned the meaning of those words: "thy sins are forgiven thee," at the outset; for thousands are traveling all their lives the most round-about way possible in weariness and uncertainty, and at last come to the same junction; or, in other words, just as they are about to pass away from earth, they learn what the Lord did for them on the cross, which they ought to have known, and lived in the enjoyment of years before.
The true condition of believers is shown thus: “The PEACE OF GOD, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” while this is their company, "the GOD OF PEACE shall be with you." This is perfect peace, and perfect security, and in such condition of heart and mind, with the consciousness of such company, there is no room for self, in its many forms of working.
Has my reader been awakened to a sense of his condition as a sinner before God, and of the perilous position in which he stands? If you die in your unchanged, unconverted state, hell will be your portion. You don't like that statement! but it is not the less true for all that. I desire to startle you, to arouse you up fully, even if it be by the sharp tones of judgment, if so be you may be thus brought to Christ. Perhaps you are sleeping in the comfortable corner of morality, or even forgetfulness, and have no thoughts in particular about yourself or God; nor any conscience-work about sin and death and judgment, or the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. If so, let me lay a friendly hand upon your shoulder. Awake! thou that sleepest; it is high time to awake out of sleep. Be assured, the forgetful man, as well as the active blasphemer, will come into judgment. Scripture says, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all them that forget God. Because they both alike have not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God; and to believe in Him is to have ETERNAL LIFE.