A poor man on one of the rocky coasts of our country used to earn his livelihood by gathering and selling the eggs of the sea-fowl. One morning he went out on his perilous errand, and, looking down from the summit of a high cliff, he saw a ledge jutting out from the rock covered with a cluster of sea-fowl nests. In them would be many eggs, he thought.
He fastened his rope to a tree which stood near the edge of the cliff, and then gradually let himself down to the edge of the rock. In his eagerness to grasp his spoil he let go of the rope by which he had descended, and it swung out of his reach.
And there he stood on that narrow ledge of rock: above him a fearful height he had no hope of scaling, below him a terrific precipice, with the waves of the ocean raging at its base.
It was a moment of intense agony and dread. In desperation he sprang upwards.
It pleased God that he should grasp the rope anew, and he drew himself to the summit, trembling.
We can all realize the peril of that man's position. Ah, me! can we realize our own? Lost, we stand on the narrow ledge of life.
Above us is a mountain of guilt we have no power to scale. Below us is the fearful abyss of unending death.
But there is a way of escape! A rope hangs over us―a rope strong and sure, able to bear us up and land us safely. If we do not grasp it, a lost eternity lies ahead.
Oh soul, God has made perfect provision for your eternal safety. By faith receive the blessed Son of God, lay hold of the security there is in Him, and know the peace and joy of resting on the Rock―Christ Himself.