One Mistake and its Consequences.

By:
In a recent International Typewriting Contest test for the Championship of the world a thrilling scene-was provided, especially by the two principal contestants― Mr. Tangora and Mr. Hossfield.
To see these experts striking eleven keys every second for 3,600 seconds―to watch their keenness, every power of mind and hand stretched to its utmost limit, till the hour expiring left them spent and exhausted―was indeed a thrilling sight.
Two hours passed while their work was checked to decide which should be the champion, but they ran each other so very close, that a re-check was made with the greatest care. At 2:00 a.m. the result was declared. Tangora had won by the margin of 8/80 of a word. One mistake more out of the 41,140 times Tangora struck the keyboard and the championship would have been lost, one mistake less on the part of Hossfield and he would have been acclaimed the champion.
How much depended upon such an extremely narrow margin. To be so neat and yet to have missed the coveted Championship must have been very galling to the loser.
May we not wisely use this incident to arrest your attention and ask you a very serious question? Are you not, if an unbeliever in Christ, making a great mistake in neglecting the gospel of the grace of God? It is remarkable that the word “mistake” does not once occur in the Bible, but the word “sin” occurs about 500 times. The Bible calls a spade a spade, and we are thankful for its directness of speech.
We cannot call a mistake in the Typewriting Contest a sin, but we can surely call the neglecting of the Gospel a very grievous sin. Are you guilty of this sin—a sin, maybe extending to many years, a sin of each moment of your existence whilst an unbeliever?
Think of the death of Christ. If what the Bible claims is true, and we believe the Bible to be true from cover to cover, what a tremendous claim it makes. Did the Son of God die for you? Can you, in the presence of such divine love remain an unbeliever, and not be guilty of the blackest sin?
If God had to forsake His well-beloved Son, and pour upon Him all the judgment due to sin, when He took the sinner’s place, what can be the portion of those who, in addition to the sins of commission and omission of a lifetime, add to the multitude of them the crowning sin of omission, viz., the neglect of God’s only way of salvation?
We may well ask the question, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?” (Heb. 2:33How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; (Hebrews 2:3)). Scripture itself answers the question. “If they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth [viz., Moses in the giving of the law from Sinai], much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven” (Heb. 12:2525See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: (Hebrews 12:25)).
What a terrible doom lies before the Christ-rejector? May that never be your portion. The issue lies in your hands.
THE EDITOR.