IN the year 1887 a few Christian soldiers stationed in Chakrata on the Himalaya Mountains, obtained leave to build a small hut in which to hold their prayer meetings, the erection of which at first seemed an insignificant matter, but eventually it proved a difficult and dangerous task.
In the first place, the rocky ground had to be practically cut out of the side of the mountains to form the site. A deep ditch had to be made all round the site in order to carry off the torrential rains which ran down the hill during the monsoons. The stones wherewith the walls were built had to be carried up or down to the site, and oftimes just as a desirable stone was almost landed it slipped out of hand and went bumping down to the bottom of the mountain.
Stampedes often occurred amongst the amateur builders by the sudden appearance of centipedes, scorpions and snakes, when disturbed in their nests by the removal of the rocks.
But our greatest trouble arose just when and where we least desired or expected it. We had almost finished the very difficult task of excavating for our foundation, which had to be fairly deep, when we discovered a huge rock just where we intended the door to be. At first it seemed quite small, but the deeper we dug the bigger it was found to be, till at last we seriously considered giving up that site altogether.
Just then, however, a friend came on the scene, who loved the brethren, and who, on becoming acquainted with our difficulty, said, “I’ll soon get rid of that rock for you!”
So off he went up the hill and presently returned with a large iron crow-bar, which he called a “lever.” Plunging the flat end of the lever as far as he could under the rock, he leaned on the other end and pressed with all his might. But the huge rock did not move a hairsbreadth; in fact, the only thing that seemed to move was the soft earth on which the lower part of the lever rested.
Our friend, with a wise shake of his head, said, “I shall have to get a solid fulcrum on which to rest my lever before I shall be able to move that rock!” So off he went again, and this time returned with a face beaming with confidence, on his shoulder was a short, thick piece of iron, which he called a “fulcrum.” Placing this fulcrum just where the soft earth had given way under the pressure of the lever, he once more pressed heavily on the other end of the lever, and very soon, to our joy, we saw the huge rock, not only come out of the place in which it had been so deeply and firmly embedded, but hurled clean over the precipice.
It was gone! out of sight and out of mind, as far as being an obstacle to building our hut was concerned. Of course, we thanked our friend, and soon after our hut was completed, and our first meeting was devoted to giving God our heartfelt thanks for carrying us through all our difficulties and dangers.
But in addition to learning a very useful lesson that day from a material point of view, I was taught a still more valuable lesson from a spiritual point of view. It reminded me of a time when I first tried to draw nigh to God, but found that huge obstacle of my sins lying “at the door” (Gen. 4:77If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. (Genesis 4:7)). And the more I tried to get rid of that “intolerable burden,” the bigger it seemed to grow, till at last I felt like giving up all hopes of ever passing through those “pearly gates” into heaven, as “naught that defileth could ever enter there.”
Indeed, it was with heartfelt sincerity that I often sang those lines in the church choir―
“Weary of earth, and laden with my sin; I look at heaven and long to enter in: But there no evil thing may find a home.”
I could get no further; those three lines exactly described my feelings, and I could never venture to sing the fourth line―
“And yet I hear a voice that bids ME come!”
That voice, I was convinced, could never bid a sinner like me “come.” I was not only “without God” and “without Christ,” but “without hope.”
But just then, a Friend who loved me appeared on the scene. That Friend was God Himself. And He was anxious to have me in His presence. But He was prevented from gratifying the love of His heart, for He, too, found sin―my sin―lying “at the door,” and being a holy God He could not have me in His presence with one sin upon me, for He is “of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look upon iniquity” (Hab. 1:1313Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? (Habakkuk 1:13)).
But it may be asked, was not His love sufficient in itself to remove that load of sin? No, no more than the desire of our friend was sufficient in itself to remove that rock.
But surely his combined love and power could enable Him to get rid of it? No, no more than the combined desire and lever of our friend could enable him to move that rock.
Just as our friend needed a solid fulcrum on which to rest his lever to enable him to hurl that rock over the precipice, and thus accomplish his desire to help us, so God needed a righteous fulcrum on which to rest the lever of His love and power, whereby He could hurl the heavy load of my sins out of His sight and mind forever.
That solid, righteous fulcrum He has found IN THE CROSS, for there Christ bore my sins (1 Peter 2:2424Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)), there He suffered for my sins (1 Peter 3:1818For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: (1 Peter 3:18)), and there He died for my sins (1 Cor. 15:33For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (1 Corinthians 15:3)). And on the solid ground of the atoning death of His Son on Calvary’s cross, God has been enabled by His mighty power to hurl my sins out of His sight and mind forever, and thus gratify His love and have me in His own presence forever. Sin no longer lies “at the door,” for now I can sing―
“My sins―oh! the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sins―not in part, but the whole,
Were nailed TO THE CROSS, and I bear them no more!
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul!”
Reader, can you say as much? You can, if you will only trust the Saviour now.
T. C. MACCORMACK.