In his eagerness... he let go of the rope by which he had descended—and it swung out of his reach.
There he stood on that narrow ledge of rock; above him was a height he had no hope of scaling, below him the waves of the ocean crashing on the rocks. As the rope swung towards him, in desperation he sprang upwards...
There was once a poor man who earned his living by gathering eggs along the rocky cliffs. One morning he went out on his dangerous errand and, looking down from the summit, he saw a ledge jutting out from the rock below covered with a cluster of birds' nests. He fastened his rope to a tree which stood near the edge, and then gradually let himself down to the edge of the rock. In his eagerness to gather the eggs he let go of the rope by which he had descended—and it swung out of his reach!
There he stood on that narrow ledge of rock; above him was a height he had no hope of scaling, below him the waves of the ocean crashing on the rocks. As the rope swung towards him, in desperation he sprang upwards and by God's mercy he caught hold of the rope in the split second before it escaped his reach forever. Shaken and trembling, he drew himself to the summit and safety.
We can all realize the danger of that man's position; can we realize our own? We stand on the narrow ledge of life; above us is a mountain of guilt we have no power to scale; below us is the fearful abyss of unending death. But there is a rope hanging over us—a rope strong and sure, able to bear us up and land us safely. If we do not grasp it, how shall we escape? If there were some other means by which we could be saved, or some other method by which we could be reconciled to Him in whose hands our destinies are placed, there might be some reason on our part for rejecting the remedy which God's Word reveals. But there is none. Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
This great and glorious salvation is freely offered to you. Will you not come to Christ that you may have life? Now the door of mercy stands open and the voice of the Savior calls. Now, but who can say how long? Not forever. Not even, it may be, for many days more. As the Holy Spirit says, To-day, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts!