NOT long ago some of the Lord’s servants went into a certain district to preach the gospel of God’s free grace. The gospel, you know, is God’s glad tidings to poor sinners, and it tells them how to be saved from hell, and is sent to young and old. It tells them that God has provided a Saviour, who died on the cross for all, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Oh, how such a gracious message, direct from God Himself, should be received joyfully and without delay!
But I want to tell you how some of these people carelessly rejected God’s message. One afternoon, when these servants of the Lord were preaching, a man with a pet bear was seen about a block away land a number of the people left the meeting and ran to see the bear. One night there was a foolish entertainment, going on, and nearly all went to it. These people will be sorry for this someday, and we fear with many it may be at a time when it is too late to have their precious, never-dying souls saved. How sad that people would allow anything to get in between their souls and God.
Possibly some of the dear young readers of this paper have never thought what a solemn thing it is to trifle with God and His message of love. There are many children, and grown people too, all over this wide world, who are being led captive by Satan, and are slighting God’s offer of pardon through faith in Jesus’ blood. The Lord Jesus says: “Come unto Me.” What a blessed invitation! The one who turns to the world and its pleasures, or sin of any kind, is really turning his back upon God, and His beloved Son. This, dear children, is a terrible thing, and it will surely bring God’s judgment very soon. But before God punishes, He always sends a warning first. And now I will close this little message with one warning from God’s word: “See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven.” Heb. 12:2525See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: (Hebrews 12:25).
ML 12/16/1900