DURING a great revival of God’s work, a servant of the Lord was walking down the aisle of a crowded building.
Observing a young man whose eyes were filled with tears, and whose face betokened profound sadness, he paused to speak to him, when he was instantly and earnestly asked, “Can you tell me the way to Christ?”
“No,” was the reply very deliberately uttered; “I cannot tell you the way to Christ.”
“I beg your pardon,” said the inquirer, “I supposed you were a minister of the gospel.”
“So I am,” was the answer.
“And you cannot tell me the way to Christ?”
“No,” again said God’s servant, “I cannot tell you the way to Christ.”
The look of surprise with which this was heard gave place in a moment to an expression of sorrow, and the young man bowed his head in silence, as if bitterly disappointed.
“My friend,” said the preacher solemnly, “THERE IS NO WAY TO CHRIST,” You think of Him as standing in that distant corner of the room, and you wish to know how you are to get through this vast crowd, and over these seats, in order to reach Him. But your thought is not according to truth. He came down from heaven to the cross, there to put sin away by the sacrifice of Himself, and then He comes on, not merely to yonder corner of the room, but up to the very spot where you now are, and tenderly laying His hand upon you, says, as He said unto the sick of the palsy, “Man, thy sins are forgiven thee” (Luke 5:2020And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. (Luke 5:20)). You think of Christ as a half-finished bridge across a river, and trembling in alarm upon the bank of a broad stream, you wish me to tell you how to reach it, and thus escape the fire rolling so rapidly towards the lost sinner. But your thought is not according to truth. He bridges not only half the river, but He spans the entire mighty chasm between you and God, and you have nothing to do but to trust Him far salvation straightway, right here and now; for “by Him all that believe are justified from all things” (Acts 13:3939And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:39)).
The next day the servant of God had the satisfaction of seeing the young man distributing hymn-books through the building, and singing at his work.