But apart from the varying condition of soul which we meet with in our own day, and the disappointments which we sometimes meet with in the history of young Christians, we have the example of the great apostle of the Gentiles on this point, whose experience has been recorded by the pen of inspiration.
When on his way to Damascus, as we learn from the Acts he was arrested by a light from heaven shining round about him above the brightness of the sun. The astonished, persecuting Saul fell to the ground. He had now come to the end of himself; not only as to the sins of the flesh, but as to the righteousness of the flesh with all his advantages, natural and acquired, from his birth to that day and hour. This is the true preparation of heart for the right apprehension of a glorified Christ-our heavenly object. When we are down, when we are nothing, when we are no longer looking for holy feelings, a change for the better within, to make us worthy of divine favor; but when with our faces on the ground we are obedient to the heavenly vision, the light of the glory shines into our souls. " And I heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest." Here we have the proper object of the Christian, and that which should form and govern every Christian's character. Saul learns from Christ Himself in the glory, that He was Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified, and that Christians are a part of Himself-one with Himself in the glory. " Why persecutest thou me 2 I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." Who would care to look to their feelings, their own righteousness or religiousness, who had caught a glimpse of this glorified Christ?
This is the grand truth, the grand object for Christians, as we go through this world. Hold it fast, 0 my soul; think again on the peculiar sweetness and beauty of these words, " Christ Jesus my Lord," oh cherish them in the deepest recesses of thy heart, embrace them with all the fervor and affection of thy soul; think again on each word, and let thine eye and thy heart be ever up to Him as thy heavenly object-Christ Jesus thy Lord Like Rebekah in the wilderness, tarry not, look not behind thee or around thee, but pursue thy desert path until He comes to close thy weary way, and take thee up to be with Himself, and like Himself, forever and forever.
One thought more presses on my mind for utterance before laying down my pen, namely-What must be the folly of those Christians who allow themselves to be influenced by the world, the theories of men, or to be drawn aside, and so lose sight of this grand transforming object-a glorified Christ? But what must be the wickedness of those who reject this Christ altogether? The former must suffer great loss in their own souls, but the latter eternal shame and hopeless ruin. Which, let me ask, has a hold of this paper just now? Enough may have been said already to the former; but to the latter, enough can never be said, so long as he continues to reject the Savior. Surely we cannot give thee up; surely we cannot leave thee alone. While there is life, we must plead for thee to bow to Jesus as Savior and Lord. What will become of thee if thy knee refuses to bow to Him now? The word has gone forth and can never be recalled, that every knee must bow to Him, and every tongue must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
God has ordained it; subjection to the name of Jesus must be universal. In heaven, earth, and hell, every knee must bow, and every tongue must confess to the divine glories of the once lowly Jesus of Nazareth. The faithful, we know, with loud and joyous hallelujahs will confess Him Savior and Lord; the holy angels will swell the song of the saints on high; but the fallen angels with the lost of every name and age, who are " under the earth," in the regions of woe, must also confess that " Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Yes, my dear reader, willingly or unwillingly, thy knee must bow with the rest, and thy tongue must confess. But how awful the thought, to be compelled, however reluctantly, under the iron rod of judgment, to confess the glories of the Savior in whom thou hast no part, and to bow to Him whom thou didst once reject!
Oh! think, think, of these things now-at once, I pray thee! think of that awful future for all who reject Christ and His great salvation. Couldst thou dwell " under the earth," in the dark regions of despair, forever and ever? Hast thou any feeling, 0 my dear fellow-sinner? Couldst thou risk such an awful eternity? Couldst thou throw away such a glorious opportunity as thou hast at this moment? Does it seem hard to bow at the feet of Him who once died amidst shame and cruel mockings, that thou, even thou, mightest be saved? For myself, I know no privilege so great, no honor, no dignity, so transcendent, as to bathe those feet with tears; but what more can I say to thee? Only one thing is right-Let thy heart be decided for Christ on the spot. Bow to Him now, confess Him now, He is still on His throne of grace, He waits for thee in love. As a lost and needy sinner, look up to Him now'; pardon, salvation, and heavenly glory are thine, from the first moment of thy surrender to Him. What a prize! How near thy reach! Henceforth let thy motto be, Looking up to Christ in the glory, He " 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).