By The Editor
Eternity
THIS question must be considered, “How can you face an eternity that contains your unpardoned sins?” Can you die in peace when your sins are waiting to accuse you before the bar of God, and the myriad voices of your uncounted iniquities will shout for your damnation there? Sinner, you are not safe one moment in your sins. You may say, as the business man did, “Do not bother me about eternity”―shortly after he died of paralysis of the brain, and went into eternity. You may die soon—today, perhaps. You, cannot hide from death. I saw a man who was dying get under his bed to hide from death. I heard of a man who said, “I hope I shall die drunk, then I shall know nothing about death.” But after death! What then? The judgment. The awful judgment of a holy God against unforgiven sin. And your sins must be pardoned and forgiven before you can enter heaven. Nothing that defiles can enter there. They tell our soldiers that if they die in battle they will be sure of heaven.
Lieutenant-Colonel Williams, in his book, “Death on the Battlefield: Is it Salvation?” says: ―
“During some operations on one of the Indian frontiers, a young officer lay dying at a frontier post. He was dying of sickness contracted during the operations, but dying for his country as truly as if he had been struck down by one of the tribesmen’s bullets. Another officer, himself an ungodly man, said it was dreadful to hear him cursing his servant right up to the time of his death.”
Can a man go cursing through the pearly gates into heaven? Can a drunkard reel along the golden streets to the throne of God? How can a man who denies his God on earth face Him in eternity?
Many men face to face with death will read these lines. Soldiers it is because we love you that we tell you the truth. A blasphemer can be saved, a drunkard can be saved, an infidel can be saved—but only faith in Christ can save them. Nothing that you can do will give you a right to heaven. Only the precious blood of Christ can cleanse the sinner from his sins. The Rev. J Oliver Hornabrook tells us the following incident, which will illustrate what God can do to change a man’s life and make him fit for heaven.
“I’VE DONE IT, SORR”
He says: ― I was sitting in my hut on a brilliant morning about three weeks ago, and a rough-looking fellow came rather sheepishly to the opening of the hut. I hailed him, and chatted about anything to put him at his ease. He was an Irishman from Cork, with a decided Irish accent. He had served thirteen years in the Army, and had been through Mons and the Marne and endless fights since. After talking about his experiences, he suddenly said, ‘Do you think it is possible, sorr, for me to be a better man?’ I said, ‘I am sure of it, but what sort of a man have you been? He told me he had been a terrible drunkard and swearer, and everything that was bad. ‘I’d do anything for rum―kill a man to get it―drunk from Monday, to Monday―lost my sergeant’s stripes several times through rum, I tried three times to come to your tent, sorr, and got to it and then went away again because I’ve been so bad, I thought you’d kick me out!’ I talked to him for a long time, and pointed out his only hope, and eventually he went away. Next morning he came again, his face beaming, and said, ‘I’ve done it, sorr! I’ve given myself to God.’ He told me that last night he had gone on the hills and prayed and ‘ wept like a sheep,’ and God had there forgiven him. I gave him a New Testament-the first he had ever had in his hands. Since then he has been to me several times. He has read through the New Testament twice. One thing which seems to have greatly struck him was that I did not rebuff him when he first came to my tent. ‘Ay, sorr the fourth time I came,’ he said ‘it was worse than taking a trench; I thought you’d bombard me.’ He is going on fine, and will make an excellent Christian. His face has completely changed in a fortnight.”
The Name Above Every Name
A very remarkable story was told by Rev. E. Aldom French, of the Tooting Mission. One of the finest members they had at Tooting was a lad who had been born in a horrible Lambeth slum and converted in the Lower Tooting Mission. Soon after the outbreak of War he joined the Army and spent some time at the Front in France. A while since he was home on leave, and went to class and told something of what Jesus had come to mean to him, concluding his testimony with ―
“Happy if with my latest breath,
I may but gasp His name,
Preach Him to all and cry in death,
‘Behold, behold the Lamb.’”
He went back to the Front, and one day was telling the men around him what a wonderful Saviour Jesus was, and pleaded, “Oh, men, give yourselves to Jesus Christ.” Lost in his message, he exposed himself for a moment, and even as he spoke he was shot dead by a sniper.
“Happy if with my latest breath,
I may but gasp His name.”
“Fight it Out” — “Right Away”
Yes, if you have any wish to be saved, “fight it out,” as this dear officer did at the Front, of whom I will tell you in his own words. It is grand to hear of a man willing to “fight it out,” and not ashamed to own it. Some officers, young or old, are not “out and out”; they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, go to Communion, but are ashamed to speak of Him. Think of it, whether soldier or officer, are you ashamed of Him, the Lord of glory? This officer was a splendid athlete, and most popular among his men, but not a believer until he fought it out. He says in his letter: “I must tell you my reason for writing; it is a splendid one, you will agree. I have given myself to the Lord—yours and mine. I had been thinking about it for some time, so on Sunday night, in my bedroom at the billet, I fought it out and saw myself without hope, death and hell staring me in the face. I opened my little Testament at the third chapter of John’s Gospel and read until I came to the sixteenth verse. When I reached it, I stopped and read it over several times, and right away saw the truth and believed. Oh! it was so easy, nothing to do but believe. It’s grand to be free. No matter what happens, I know I shall meet my people here or in glory―that word, ‘whosoever,’ meaning me. Many a time have I seen this portion, but it had no message for me, but now all is changed and I praise Jesus’ name every day since.”
There are many more “whosoevers” that want to be saved if only they “fight it out” “right away.” Do not put it off. “Fight it out” today.
EMILY P. LEAKEY.