A NOTORIOUS infidel was taken ill, in a certain, town, and was visited during his illness by a Christian doctor, who endeavoured, though in vain, to win him from his infidelity to Christ. He told him of the certainty of the Bible truth about the future, and the punishment of sin, but the infidel set it all aside by the usual shifts and blasphemies of infidelity. He recovered from his illness, and again visited his infidel club, as opposed to Christianity as ever.
Shortly afterwards he had a relapse, and again the Christian doctor was sent for. No human aid could avail for his body, and he would not seek God for his soul, and so he died in the presence of the doctor, as he had lived, “without hope, and without God.”
By his bedside, after his death, a book was found entitled “Progress” (not “The Pilgrim’s Progress”), a work edited by a well-known infidel. This was probably one of the last books he ever read. Truly “the husks that the swine do eat.” He believed in progress, scientific progress! daring nineteenth century progress! devil-led progress to the lake of fire! Where did his progress lead him? Alas! alas! he walked in the light of his own eyes, in the way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is death. He walked round and round the narrow circle of man’s ideas, and never got beyond until he died, and then he reached the place where hope can never come.
Christ has said, “I am the way.” Man in daring unbelief tries to make ways of his own. Christ says, “I am the light.” Man in his blasphemy kindles his own tapers, which only light him to his hell. Christ says, “I am the truth.” Man in profanity makes God a liar, and calls the thoughts of darkness the truth. Christ says, “I am the life,” and man by his actions and words says, “I can live without Thee, Jesus Christ,” and then he dies. Oh! poor, lost man, what are the Saviour’s wounds to thee? what His immeasurable love, His divine compassion? The light of human reason is a wrecker’s light that shines above the shores of hell, and human progress leads but to the grave, the GREAT WHITE THRONE, and HELL. “Follow Me,” says Christ, the Saviour of the world, and the print of His footsteps mark the way to the throne of God.