I DARE say, my reader, you have more than once pulled straws, or drawn bits of paper with a companion or two, or more? for some trifle―perhaps made a bet upon who would draw the longest piece and so win. But have you ever drawn lots whether you should go to be forever with Christ in glory or with Satan in the lake of fire?
Perhaps, you say, I have often tossed up who should stand treat—or drawn lots out of a hat, or rattled the dice in the box and pitched them upon the table; but I never did, or heard of such a thing as drawing lots whether a person should go to Heaven or Hell. What would be the use? It would not decide the question.
Just so; but has the question ever been raised in your soul, which of the two places you will spend eternity in? Nay let us bring it closer to the present time than that: had you been cut off last night, either through an accident or some sudden snapping of the little brittle thread of life, where would you be? Yes, YOU, “body and soul”―not your conscience, or your soul only―but “body and soul,” for it will be and that forever and ever. You say perhaps, what are you driving at?
Well—I am driving at this, that, if this paper should fall into the hands of a careless person, God may be pleased to arouse him to the danger he is in; as he was pleased to convince of sin the person I am going to tell you about.
I was asked to visit an aged man, who had been looked after and read to by a dear Christian young lady. She, without a moment’s warning, was called out of time into eternity; but she knew Whom she believed and was persuaded He would keep that which she had entrusted to Him.
I went to see our old friend, Old 94 as I call him, for such is his age, and found him grieving much at the departure of the one who used to read God’s Word to him―he not being able to do so for himself. I often think how that verse in 5th chapter of St. John’s Gospel, vs. 24, comes in with power in such cases, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that HEARETH my word and believeth on Him that sent me hath everlasting life.”―No use pleading, as some often do, “I am no scholar.” Scholar, no! God’s Word was not written for scholars―it was for the simple―the poor―the “whosoevers.” So it was for Old 94.
I asked him how God had begun to deal with him, and when? He said fifty or sixty years ago―he spoke of such periods of years as I should have done of five or six months!
But, on questioning him more closely, instead of fifty or sixty years since, it was over eighty!
As he said, when he was a bit of a boy of ten or twelve, he and a mate of his used to keep―that is care for—cows; and they knew this much that people who did what was wrong went to the bad place, and those that did right to the good place. There were no Sunday Schools in those days―at least not in that part of the country where these lads lived.
They knew they did wrong and so were bound for the “bad place.” They used to roam about the fields on Sundays―scamp their work and all that sort of thing. At length the thought of where they must go when they died so weighed upon these simple country boys, that they did not know what to do―Aye! you should have seen the agony of the remembrance of that time, though looked at over a distance of four score years and more, marked in R.’s face. One seemed to make the other the more miserable; till at last they hit upon the expedient that they should draw straws to determine which it should be―HEAVEN or HELL―my old friend said his mate plucked two bits of grass out of the hedge and held them for him to draw first―longest HEAVEN―shortest HELL. “Oh! how I trembled,” said our friend, “as I went to draw one out of his hand.” He paused―and in sheer agony of a sin-convinced soul he made a snatch at one― Oh! the relief-the sigh of relief with which, it’ was told to me!
“I drew the longest!”
Then he had to hold them for the other lad; and he too pulled the longer of two bits of grass.
“How long did this feeling of relief last?”
“Oh! not long―it soon went; but we left off knocking about the fields on the Lord’s-days and went to chapel where we heard of God’s love and of Jesus’ blood, and were much helped by the foreman on the farm who was a believer and used to preach at the little chapel.” And thus did God work―allowing these boys to try and find rest by a plan of their own—as curious and novel as one ever heard of; showing them that their straw-drawing did not settle matters, but leading them to where they heard of God’s love as well as His judgment. His love leading Him to give His only begotten Son―His judgment compelling Him to hide His face from that Holy One when He was bearing sin―for all God’s wrath must burn against it. And there is my old friend just waiting―almost impatiently I may say―for the summons to take him home.
His mate, for whom he held the blades of grass pulled from the hedge side, has preceded him by many years and got home before him.
And now, dear reader, have you yet learned, with all your superior education and multiplied privileges, that it is no question of drawing lots? It is no toss up of a penny where you will spend eternity, but just as sure as God’s word can make it. If you have learned yourself to be in God’s sight vile as to what you are—like Job in ch. 40:4 of that book, “Behold I am vile” and what the prodigal owned in the presence of his father “I have sinned” what you are and what you have done, hear what He says―not draw straws nor throw dice, but― “Through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins” and “The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin.” “FORGIVEN and CLEANSED.” You can put to your seal that God is true, and you may know on the warrant of His Word what it is to be a “Blessed man,” even he “whose transgression is forgiven―whose sin is covered.” And then if the present is settled, the glorious future is secure―not hanging on a chance― “Glory with Christ above.”―On the other hand, if you go on hardening your heart―deadening your conscience, that awfully solemn verse, the first of 29th of Proverbs, will prove true of you, He that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”
Do then bow at once; don’t delay. You know you may put it off too long. This very moment take God at His word, and learn the blessedness of the man described in the 32nd Psalm, and not the suddenly destroyed of the 29th of Proverbs.
S. V. H.