A preacher was resting in his room one evening after the gospel meeting, when there came a rap at his door. The visitor ushered in was Mr. Hayes, an acquaintance of his. After a little conversation about eternal and invisible things Mr. Hayes said: "You know, Dobbs, that I have often heard you preach on this subject and I know all that you can tell me. It is all right for you who are a Christian; but what is it to me who believes neither in God, in heaven, nor in hell?”
"Well," replied Dobbs, "I also have heard all that you have had to say as to these things. Now allow me to ask you to do something for me.”
"I will do it with pleasure, my friend.”
"Very well. Go home, and for three consecutive nights, after putting out your light and before lying down on your bed, at the time that others would be addressing God in prayer, say these words: `ETERNITY! ETERNITY! ETERNITY! I shall have to meet you; where? I do not want God; I do not believe in heaven; I deny that there is a hell; WHERE AM I GOING?”
Hayes agreed. That night he put out his light with a resolute air, and standing erect, he pronounced without hesitation the words which his friend had asked him to say.
The second night, he would have liked, although not ready to acknowledge it even to himself, that the light had not been extinguished before he said the words.
The third night he felt that he should let the light burn! It was then that God, in His marvelous grace and love, began to respond to the prayers of his friend and to make the light shine into his soul.
He began: 'ETERNITY! ETERNITY! ETERNITY! I have to meet thee! Where? I do not believe in heaven." He stopped short. He could not say, "I do not want God," for he realized deeply the presence of a holy and a righteous God. "WHERE AM I GOING?" he continued, in a tone of agony and despair; and the reply resounded from the depths of his soul: "To hell, to hell! That is where I am going!”
Pursued by this thought which gave him no rest, in trouble which no words can express, he came back to Dobbs after several days, and told him what he had been passing through. Humbly he added: "What can I do, what can you do for me?”
"Nothing," replied Dobbs calmly, looking down. "NOTHING.”
"What then ought I to do?”
"Nothing," was again the answer, "nothing.”
"What? Do nothing when I am in a state of inexpressible misery!”
"No, nothing," Dobbs again repeated, looking first at his friend then again fixing his gaze upon the ground. He was full of thanksgiving to God at seeing his friend feel so really his misery and his helplessness; because he felt that God was about to interpose.
"How is it," cried Hayes, "that you can remain so calm at seeing me in this fearful perplexity? How is it that you can say so coldly that you can do nothing? You, a Christian! To me, an immortal soul going to hell, can you say you can do nothing? It is you who have led me into this state of despair!”
"No," again Dobbs replied. "I can do nothing for you. I am, like yourself, only a weak and powerless creature. You can do nothing; and as to myself, I can do no more than you—absolutely nothing. But," he continued, raising his eyes and pointing to heaven, "God and He alone can do anything for you, and He has done all that is necessary.”
Divine light shone into this poor man's soul, revealing Him who came to save the sinner, bringing to light life and incorruptibility by the Gospel, the good news of His grace; and to open to this dear soul, who now believed, the door of a joyful eternity in the presence of God. Thenceforth the question, "Where am I going?" could receive the joyful response; "To heaven, to be with Him 'Who loved me and gave Himself for me.'" Gal. 2:2020I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20).
Reader, can you say as much?