“IT’S only a dream.” Such are the words which frequently escape the lips of nearly all those who hear another person’s dream, and these words have often been uttered by myself, but I thank God that He does use even dreams to bring those who are the objects of His boundless love to have to do personally with Himself, while it is the day of grace. However, God saw fit to bring me into touch with the Prince of Darkness, the Devil, to open my eyes to see my real and true condition.
The outline of my dream is as follows:—It was on the evening of 17th November 1895, that a dear old Christian friend of mine gave me a gospel tract, similar to the one you are now reading, which was composed of many different papers, one being entitled, “The Pale Horse and his Rider, Death.” I was very much struck with this title and real the article. It left an impression on my now awakened conscience, perhaps unobserved to those around, but I was miserable and went early to bed. Perhaps you say, But not to rest. Make no mistake, my friend, I went once more to sleep on a Christless pillow, and slept peacefully, yet knew all the time that my sins were not forgiven. It is indeed a terrible sight to contemplate, yet thousands are doing this very thing on every hand, and if God had stopped the beating of my heart that night, which He could have done righteously, it would have meant for me eternity in reality with that being into whose presence God was about to take me, though only in a dream.
All was calm until about midnight, when, in my dream, I was sitting in the front room of the house, with two of my intimate friends, playing a game on the table. Suddenly the door leading to the hall flew wide open, and immediately our game ceased and all was quiet. One of my silence, after a short period, with the expression, “It’s the Devil,” which of course we all three greeted with roars of laughter. This we neither of us believed, so to enable us to recommence our game, I arose and went to close the door, when, to my awful surprise, my friend’s words proved only too true, for the Devil himself now entered the room.
Pen cannot describe the awful anguish of my soul, for I was face to face with the very being whose existence I not only had doubted, but ridiculed. I tried to get away but found no exit. On he came, not uttering a word at all, his face covered with a most fiendish grill. He was after our precious souls, and he thought that he was now cure of our destruction. He then caught hold of one of my friends by the shoulders, carried him through the door which he had flung open, then opened the front door of the house, and threw him into the pit, for when he had opened the door I heard the terrible shrieks and screams of those that were already in the place where my friend had now been cast, and I could smell the sulfurous smoke from this place, and hear the crackling of fire. He returned, and took my only remaining friend, and did to him as he had done with the first. He again returned, and to my horror, I found that I was now alone in his presence, I shall never forget the feeling I passed through; I pleaded for mercy, but that he does not give, that he cannot show; I fought and screamed, but all to no avail. He was now right over me, and about to put his hands upon my shoulders also, when I awoke.
My dear reader, if I never thanked God before, I did then, that my dream was not a reality, and that He had spoken to me in such a wonderful way. This led to my decision for Christ. You have now heard of this dream, which God in rich mercy sent me for my eternal blessing, but I cannot promise you that He will speak to you in a dream. But I have no doubt God has spoken to you at some time or another; it may be that He has taken you up to the very doors of death, by an illness or an accident, and restored you again. Possibly He has spoken by the death of a dear friend or relative; perhaps father, mother, or child has been taken from you, and yet you must still confess that you have never seen God’s hand in it, or heard His voice. “God speaketh once, yea, twice, but man regardeth it not” (Job 33:1414For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. (Job 33:14)), and if you will not listen to His voice again speaking to you through this little book, you may never have another opportunity of hearing His voice calling in grace, for we read, “My Spirit shall not always strive with men” (Gen. 6:33And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. (Genesis 6:3)).
But you will hear His voice again, for He will call you in judgment before Him, and then how will you answer when questioned as to how you have heeded this call? Then will He say unto you, not “Come unto me,” for He will have to say, “Depart from me” (Matt. 25:4141Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: (Matthew 25:41)). And then you will be compelled to depart, to be forever alone in the awful regions of darkness, where the Lord Jesus says, “Their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:4444Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:44)).
Reader, this need never be your lot. If you only travel back in thought to Calvary, see and believe that Christ there suffered and died for you, eternal life will be your portion instead. Yes, friend, He was alone that you might never be alone. He was forsaken, that you might never be forsaken. He went into death to take away the sting thereof, and He has risen again for your justification.
It was LOVE that caused Jesus to hang there. What a sight! The Creator of the Universe hanging up between the heavens and the earth which His own hands had made, and suffering for the sins which the man He had created had committed. So awful yet wonderful was that sight, that the very sun refused to shine, and the stars gave no light The angels were looking on with strange wonderment, when the dying Victor exclaimed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
My dear reader, this cry was as much for you as for those present at that time. But you say, “How can that be, for I was not in existence then, and how can that include me?” Well, I think it will include you on this vise. If you have not yet accepted Christ as your Saviour, if you cannot say that He died for you, then you are still on the side which cries, “We will not have this man to reign over us,” still of that company which has Satan at the head successfully leading you to that awful place, from which Jesus Christ died to save you. This is perfectly true, and the Devil knows it right well. He knows that he cannot touch Christ, who is now at the right hand of God, so he is bent on the destruction of YOUR precious soul.
My dear friend, you may not be in earnest about these things, to you they may not now appear real, nevertheless it is a solemn and true fact that if you do not care about the eternal welfare of your soul, the Devil does. He is now at this very moment bent on your destruction, not for time only, but also for ETERNITY. But, dear friend, do not let this discourage you, for, on the other hand, we see that God has “devised means whereby his banished be not expelled from him.” God today is standing, as it were, waiting thy return, with outstretched arras of love; He is waiting, longing, and even yearning over you. If you do not love Him, He loves yen, and He wants to tell you of the love which He has for you, that you might enjoy for all eternity, with Christ, the joys of heaven. But remember, God’s attitude will not always be that of grace to the world. There is coming a time when He will rice up and chut to the door that now stands wide open. Then if you have not decided for Christ, God will be righteously compelled to decide for you. This is not what God wants to do, for it is what He terms His “strange work.” God willeth not the death of the sinner, but that all should come to repentance.
God is in earnest over your welfare, the Devil is in earnest, therefore let me implore you at once to wake up, for your position, as an unbeliever, is far more ghastly than any human thought can reach or tongue describe. These things are real and tremendously solemn, and you cannot afford to treat them lightly any longer. You have God to meet about your sins, and an eternity of BLISS or UNUTTERABLE WOE 1S at stake. Let me beseech you not to any longer treat this matter indifferently, but fly to Christ for refuge, for it is Him alone that can give you secure refuge from the coming wrath of a righteous but holy God. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)). “Christ died for the UNGODLY” (Rom. 5:66For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)). “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting LIFE”
Everything is accomplished on God’s side. What is there to hinder you getting the blessing? Nothing Simply believe. “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)).
W. J. PY.