THESE were the words which fell upon my ear, uttered by a passenger leaving a railway carriage into which I was getting in the North of Ireland some time ago. As I watched him going away, I thought how true they were. Death does indeed spoil all, as far as this world is concerned.
How often have we seen a man just reach the summit of his ambition, obtain at last the object he had set his heart upon, and then, suddenly, Death enters his house and bids him come! There is no putting off this unwelcome guest, go you must; riches must be left behind, worldly position and place must be relinquished, the happy family circle must be broken up, for “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:2727And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)).
Will my reader turn to the account of one who prospered exceedingly (Luke 12:1616And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: (Luke 12:16)), who had all this world could give him, and who anticipated many years of enjoyment, ease, and luxury, but in making these calculations, left God out? Suddenly the summons came to him — not even a full day’s notice: “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.” Reader, are you leaving God out of your thoughts? Of the wicked we read (Psa. 10:44The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. (Psalm 10:4)), “God is not in all his thoughts”; but how blessed is it to know that you have been in God’s thoughts; that when you cared not for Him He cared for you and sent His Son to die on the cross for sinners, for the ungodly, for those who had come short, “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:2828Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. (Romans 3:28)). If you take this place of being a sinner, of having come short, forgiveness of sins is yours, eternal life is yours. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
God loved, and He gave; you believe, and you have: this is the gospel of the grace of God. If you value your soul’s eternal welfare, oh, believe it; then, should death come you need not fear it, for it will only be passing into the presence of One who loved you and gave Himself for you; it will be “absent from the body, present with the Lord.”
But perhaps you will not die at all; the Christian is not supposed to be looking for death, but for the Lord Jesus to summon him into the air to meet Him, “and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:1717Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)).
Once more I would say to you ere you put down this book, Have the question settled, come to Jesus as you are, for He says, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37)).
“Death and judgment are behind me,
Grace and glory are before:
All the billows rolled o’er Jesus,
There exhausted all their power.”
J. N. H.