"Well, is it all settled?”
"No indeed; I wish with all my heart that it were," was the answer to my question.
The speaker was a tall, well-dressed young man who was coming out of a large and crowded hall in a great city, where I had been one Monday evening preaching the Gospel, speaking of the Lord's coming. His grave and intelligent face was marked by deep emotion, and showed the soul exercise he had passed through as he had been listening to the tale of grace which the Spirit of God had unfolded that night, followed by solemn appeals to the unconverted, in view of the possibility of the Lord's immediate return, and the certain eternal woe that must be the fate of the unprepared, and hence unsaved soul.
Arrested by my question, he stood still, as if inviting further converse; so I went on, "But if you wish the matter settled, why is it not settled?”
"I really don't know; but I fancy I don't understand it.”
"Tell me, now do you take your place as a really lost sinner before God, and are you anxious to be saved?”
"Indeed I do, and I am most anxious to be saved.”
"Are you willing to receive Jesus as your Savior, just where you stand?”
"I am most willing. I wish heartily I could say He were my Savior. I am quite prepared to receive Him.”
"Do you think He is willing to receive you?”
"Ah, that is just the question. If I were only sure of that, I should be at rest.”
"O, my dear fellow, rest assured on that score; I can answer for Him as to that. Have you never read, `This Man receiveth sinners?' ".
More followed, but still he saw not the truth; so, fancying that he might be in business, and thought an illustration might help him, I said, "Are you in business?" "Yes.”
"What line?”
"Woolen goods—wholesale," he replied, rather astonished at the sudden change from things eternal to earthly matters.
"Suppose I turned up at your warehouse tomorrow, would you be prepared to do business with me?”
"Certainly.”
"Well, suppose I come wanting so many bales of cloth of a certain quality and price, you would be prepared to sell them?”
"Yes.”
"And when I have agreed to take and pay for, and you to sell and deliver these goods, what would you say about the matter?”
"I would call it settled."
"And settled by what?"
"Mutual agreement," he replied.
"Exactly so. I agree to take and you to deliver.”
"Now see, here you stand and tell me you are willing to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, and God's Word says, He is willing to receive you, a sinner.—What do you call that?”
"I would call that mutual agreement," was his slow but firm reply.
"Yes, Christ is agreed to receive you and you are agreed to receive Him. Are you not at one in this matter. Are you not both of the same mind?”
"Dear me, how simple it is. I see it all clearly now, thank God. I just receive Christ simply by faith, and He receives me?”
`He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.' You believe on His name, don't you?”
"Yes, I most sincerely believe in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
"Then God says that is how you receive Him; and receiving Jesus, you become a child of God; for it is again written, `Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.' Gal. 3:2626For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26).
"The moment you believe in Him with your heart, you receive Him, and become a child of God.”
The cloud disappeared off his face, the anxiety departed, his eye lit up with a newborn joy; and, seizing and shaking my hand most warmly, he said, "Thank God. Thank you, too. I see it all. It is so simple.—It's mutual agreement. He receives me, I receive Him, and now I am a child of God. Good-bye, and God bless you.”
Reader, can you say it is settled? If not, why not? It must be that you are not willing, because Jesus is. He said to some who listened to Him once, "Ye search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me that ye might have life." John 5:39, 4039Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. (John 5:39‑40).