While preaching one Sunday morning, William Haslam, the London City evangelist, was led (he knew not why) to digress and speak about the endless miseries of hell. With profound solemnity he visualized a great clock there with a dial, but no hands to mark the progress of time. It had a pendulum which swung sullenly from side to side continually saying:
"Ever!... Never! Ever!... Never!"
Many of the congregation were convicted and refused to leave the church until they had been spoken to. Among them was the church warden. He came to Mr. Haslam in a very excited state and said: "Whatever made you say now or never—now or never?" He was like one beside himself when he thought of the pendulum saying:
"Now or never!—Now or never!"
He kept repeating the words to himself, till he went away, too excited to talk about or listen to anything else. The rest of the story, related by William Haslam himself, follows:
The Sequel "Later on in the evening, we were sent for to come in all haste to the church warden's house. There we found him in great trouble of mind, and afraid to go to bed. After talking to him for a short time, he went on to say that he had the following strange thing to tell us!
The Dream
" 'That very morning,' he said 'he was lying in bed (he thought he was wide awake) and looking at a little picture of the crucifixion hanging above the fireplace. As he contemplated the picture, he saw some black imp-like figures walking along the mantel piece with a ladder. They placed the ladder against the wall, evidently intending to remove the picture. He watched them intently. They seemed much troubled and perplexed as to how they were to accomplish their task. They made various attempts to remove the picture but all in vain. At last in rage and disappointment they dashed the ladder to the floor and passed off the scene.
" 'Presently the door opened, and who should present himself but a local Dissenting preacher. He was well known in the community and always went about with a thick umbrella under his arm. Now there he was, umbrella and all, standing at the bedroom door.
" 'What do you want here?' demanded the church warden in his dream. The phantom pointed to the picture of the crucifixion and said in a quiet, confiding way: " 'Now, or never! Do you hear, man? Now or never!'
"The church warden was indignant at this untimely intrusion, and bade his visitor go!. But for all that he still stood at the door and said: " 'Now or never! Now or never!'
"The church warden got out of bed (in his dream) and went to the door, but the figure disappeared, saying: " 'Now or never! Now or never!'
"He got back into bed again and all was still for a little while. But suddenly the door opened a second time and the vicar! appeared. He came toward the bed with an affectionate concern for the church warden's welfare and said: " 'My dear fellow, be persuaded — it's now or never!' Then taking a seat at the corner of the bed, he went on talking and saying again and again, 'Now or never!'
"The poor church warden remonstrated in vain against being visited in this manner, and thought it was very hard; but the vicar sat there and persistently said: " 'Now or never!'
" 'I will now you,' said the church warden, 'if you do not be off!' And so saying the vicar glided to the door, repeating 'now or never!' and went away.
"The poor church warden in great distress of mind, turned to his wife and asked her what could be the meaning of all this; but she only cried and said nothing.
"Then who should come next but a neighbor, a quiet man of few words. He had many thoughts, no doubt, but he kept them all to himself. He came gliding into the room as the vicar had done, and sat in the same corner of the bed. Leaning against the same bedpost, and in the quietest way possible, he repeated the same words: " 'Now or never!'
" 'Do you hear him?—do you hear him?' said the poor distracted man to his wife.
" 'Hear him? Hear what? No! Nonsense! What does he say?'
" 'My dear, there! Listen!'
" 'Now or never,' said the quiet man.
" 'There, did you not hear that?'
" 'No! she replied. I can hear nothing.'
"He got up, and said he would take the poker and punish everyone of them—that he would. The strange visitor made for the door, and like all the rest, said as he disappeared:
" 'Now or never!'
"In the hours which followed the poor church warden continued in a most distracted state, and during the day he met all three visitors—the Dissenter, the vicar and the quiet man. None of them, however, looked at him or spoke as if anything had happened.
"But when he heard me say from the pulpit on Sunday: " 'Now or never!' while I pointed, as it were to the ghostly pendulum, swinging there saying: " 'Ever!... Never! Ever!... Never!' while I at the same time inquired of the congregation: " 'Do you see it? Do you hear it?' it brought matters to a climax.
"He said he turned and looked at the church wall to which I had pointed, almost expecting to see that solemn clock.
Conclusion
"I did not wait to hear more, but kneeling down, I begged him to close in with God's offer of salvation, now.
" 'No,' he said, with a sigh, 'I am afraid I have refused too long!'
" 'Don't say so! Take it at once, now, or perhaps it will be never with you. A man does not often get such a plain warning as you had. You had better take care what you are doing, Now!'
"He yielded himself to the Savior and received forgiveness of all his sins and peace with God. After that he became a very different man."
Come then to this Physician,
His help He'll freely give;
He makes no hard condition,
'Tis only — LOOK and LIVE!