INFIDELITY increases; man grows bold in wickedness, and rejection of the Word of God. The Christian constantly finds himself confronted with the open denial of the very foundations of Christianity. Many run to and fro, and knowledge is increased (Dan. 12:4), but with it man gets puffed up (1 Cor. 8:1), and thinks he knows better than God.
A servant of the Lord found himself in a railway carriage with a single fellow traveler, when the latter, with an open book of accounts in his hand, began making some remarks about bankruptcy; his avocation in life apparently being in connection chiefly with the settlement of bankrupt cases. The following is the substance of the conversation which then ensued.
“Suppose that a man was bankrupt," replied the other,” and I was to pay down as much as he owed, would he not be very foolish to refuse the discharge of his debt? Did you ever meet such an one?
“Yes," said he, "I met with one the other day. His brother-in-law offered to pay it all, but he refused; but it paid him better, I expect, to remain in the business and go on. He was a deep customer.”
“But suppose that, in addition to paying the amount, I was to put a large sum of money to his account in the bank, how then?
“Ah! I never met one that would reject that.”
“Well, that is the manner in which I have been treated.”
“Indeed, sir," he replied, looking surprised.
“Yes. But I do not mean in a monetary way, but by the Lord. I owed to God for my sin, and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, died upon the cross and paid it all in His own precious blood. And now God has put all the unsearchable riches of Christ to my account.
I was a poor bankrupt sinner, and you are in a similar case. But have you accepted the payment?
“I don't believe in it.”
“Don't believe in it, then you will have to take the consequences, and the Word of God is very plain. The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23); after death the judgment, and from thence to the lake of fire” (Heb. 9:27); (Rev. 20:15).
“I don't believe in that either.”
“Indeed, you may profess not to believe it, but in your own conscience you know it is true.”
“I believe God is loving and merciful. You don't mean to tell me that He has prepared the lake of fire to torment us forever.”
“No, certainly not; He Himself tells us that it is prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41). But God is light, as well as love (1 John 1:5), and therefore as you are not fit for His presence, if you will not have Christ, He says He will cast you there, too.”
“Prepared for the devil! I don't believe in the devil.”
“I can easily prove that there is one.”
“How?”
“The Word of God tells us that the great dragon, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, deceiveth the whole world (Rev. 12:9).
And he is so clever in his deceit, that he has deceived you as to his very existence. Further “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them (2 Cor. 4:4).
What would you think of a man, who had been found guilty by the jury, sentenced by the judge, in prison and in chains, awaiting the day of execution, rejecting a free pardon, and seeking to persuade himself that he was not guilty, and that the chains, bolts, bars, and prison walls, and judge did not exist? And what must I think of you, a guilty sinner, under judgment, led captive by Satan, refusing and rejecting God's salvation, and trying to persuade yourself that it is all a myth. God is love, and has given His only begotten Son to die for sinners, that we might not receive the consequences of our sins (John 3: 16); but if you will not accept God's salvation, you will surely be cast into hell, and never get out.”
“I'm a Unitarian.”
“Are you," replied the other, taking out his Bible from his pocket, then here is a text that will upset all your Unitarianism at once. And opening it at Rom. 9:3-5, he read the words of the apostle by the Holy Ghost, in relation to the Israelites, “Of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever, Amen." And here is another," Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh, &c." (1 Tim. 3:16).
And 'here is a third, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, &c."(John 1:1).
“Very likely that's a mistranslation. I don't believe Christ is God.”
“Mistranslation! That's a very convenient way of shirking the truth. The moment the Word does not suit you, convicting you against yourself, you are forced to cry, mistranslation.'
It so happens I have another, and I believe, more exact translation of the original with me, and you shall hear it from that. And taking it from his bag, he read the blessed truth to him again.
"The fact is," he continued,” you are infidel; and bold and daring enough to tell God He is a liar to His face. You, the creature, denying the Word of the Creator. He says, Christ is God,' and. you say, He is not.' You will not answer Him thus at the great white throne.
Why, if you knew that this train was about to go off the line, you would tremble like an aspen leaf at the thought of meeting God,”
“No, I shouldn't.”
“I believe you would. And mark you, too, there is a moment coming, when, if you continue to set at naught God's counsel and reproof, He also will laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cornea (Prov. 1:25-26). Mind, I warn you; you will not be enabled to say that nobody ever told you. I tell you plainly, that unless you are washed from your sins in the precious blood of Christ, you will never meet me in glory. All you say only proves to me the truth of God's Word, for He declares therein that " the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Cor. 2:14). And again, that " the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be," &c. (Rom. 8:7)". You have never been born again, and therefore know not God, nor understand His Word. You remind me of a man born blind trying to make another who can see, believe that there are no fields, nor trees, &c. I pity you, and warn you again, that without Christ you are lost, and if you leave this world as you are, in your sins, you will be lost forever.”
The train now drew up to the platform, and the travelers parted, perhaps never to meet again in this world, certainly never in the next, unless this poor deluded one should exchange his infidelity for the blessed Christ of God.
And now, dear reader, a word with you.
What think ye of Christ? Your eternal destiny depends upon the answer. The Christian can take up the language of the epistle of John, and say, “We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true; and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life." (1 John 5:20). Can you say it? Have you eternal life? He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him (John 3:36). The devils believe in God and tremble; this poor blinded one professed to believe in God, denied His Son, disbelieved His Word, yet trembled not. But the moment will come, when, except he repent, he will tremble before Him as his Judge, in his sins. Awful moment!
Sinner, if you live a Christless life, you will die a Christless death; come forth from the grave to a Christless resurrection, stand before God Christless in your sins, and be cast Christless into hell, to spend a Christless eternity without a single ray of hope.
Dear reader, what will your lot be?
E. H. C.