It was about one o’clock in the morning when I boarded the express train and found the coaches full of sleeping travelers. Finding a seat, I noticed a stout, old man behind me. His seat was reclined and his head leaning against the side of the car. He was obviously sound asleep. I followed his example and was soon unconscious of all around.
How long I had been asleep I cannot tell, but suddenly I was awakened by a loud conversation going on behind me. My ears were shocked by the cursing which passed between the old man and two younger men. The old man was demanding money of them, which they refused to give. He declared that they had robbed him. They denied it. At last the young men slipped out to the smoking car, while the old man followed to find the conductor and ask his help.
By this time the sleepers were all aroused and curious to know what was happening. The old man’s reappearance was eagerly looked for. In a few minutes he returned, looked very dejected, and was promptly surrounded by half-a-dozen inquirers.
It was an old story. One of the younger men had awakened him from his sleep and asked him to try a game of “three-card monte.” At first he refused, but he sat and watched them play. Then it looked so easy that he agreed he would “try five dollars on it.” He lost, but the men were so surprised at his “bad luck” that he risked another five dollars.
“And,” interrupted one of the listeners, “you lost ten dollars?”
“Why,” the old man said, “I kept playing to regain my money until I lost one hundred! I thought, as I watched them, that it looked easy, and I made up my mind not to go too far-I never thought of losing,” and he wrung his hands at the thought of his lost dollars.
Poor man! Yes, poor man, indeed. He played a dangerous game, and he lost. But what about you? Are you also playing a dangerous game? What about that soul of yours? Is it saved yet? Or are you still in your sins? My friend, you are playing a dangerous game. You may not mean to lose, but continue as you are and the end will be loss-eternal loss. You know that “the wicked shall be turned into hell,” but you consider yourself to be respectable, moral, maybe even religious. It won’t do. You are playing a dangerous game if you are without Christ-if you have not been born again. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:33Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)).
It is not respectability, it is not morality, it is not even religiousness that can shelter a guilty soul from the wrath of a sin-hating God. But, there is salvation-salvation now and forever-at this moment for you. It is “today if ye will hear His voice” it is today that you must “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)). “Now is the accepted time...now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:22(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2)).
The souls in hell never meant to go there. Not one meant to lose, but they played a dangerous game and they lost—lost forever. May you never join them in crying, “I never thought of losing!”