IN the course of a visit to the north of Ireland in the spring of 1879, I heard of a young man living in a remote part of the country, who was very ill, and thinking he might be dying "without Christ," I went to see him. I found him rather better on my arrival, and sitting at the kitchen fire, looking very wan and emaciated. After some general conversation as to the nature of his disease, and sufferings therefrom, and having told me how very near at one period he was to death, I asked, “If you had been taken away then, how would it have been with your soul?” “It would have been all right with me," he answered.
“And how do you know it would have been all right with you?" I asked again. "Because,” said he, "I went to the right place.”
Considering for a little how many souls are deceived by thinking, that because they belong to this or that denomination, or church (so called), which they believe to be “the right place, “I asked again:" And what, or where is, the right place' you went to, which makes you so confident that it would have been all right ' with you?” "CHRIST," was his concise yet comprehensive reply.
In order further to test the reality of his confession, I again asked, " But would you not be afraid to go into the presence of a Holy God, without any righteousness or good works of your own (for he confessed he had none), trusting only on Christ?” And again he, replied, “If I had all the righteousnesses of the twelve apostles and prophets I'd count them dung." Anything, equal for its extreme beauty to such a confession as this, I could only find recorded of one other, a prisoner at the time in Rome, the Apostle Paul, a man who at one time boasted of his religion, his pedigree, his zeal, and regarding his morality could say, as “touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless;" but who was so enraptured with the beauty and perfection of Christ, as to exclaim, " What things were gain to me, these I counted loss for Christ; yea doubtless, and I count all things loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil. 3:7-9).
Reader, let me ask you, If brought face to face with death, could you say, “Its all right with me! "Have you been to" the right place "? Have you counted all your things, your works and prayers, &c. as useless, as dung and dross? Have you heard, and believed what God says of all, to be true of you? viz., that "There is none righteous, no, not one;” that " There is none that doeth good, no, not one; "that" There is no difference, for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God " (Rom. 3:10-23).
Or on the other hand, are you one of the many, who say they are doing the best they can, boasting in their religion as the right one, their church as "The right place," like the woman in the fourth of John? Are you trusting in your morality and self-righteousness, like the Pharisee in Luke 18:11-12, thanking God you are not like others?
If this be your condition, reader, listen to the thoughts of the Lord Jesus of you: “Thou sagest I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." But as He is not willing that you should perish, He continues, " I counsel thee to buy of me gold (divine righteousness), tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear " (Rev. 3:17-18).
“And the Spirit and the Bride say come.
And let him that heareth say come. And let him that is athirst come. And WHOSOEVER WILL, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17). “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly" (v. 20).
Yes, He is coming again for all those who have believed in Him, who went to " The right place "here, to take them to" The right place" above, as He said: " I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also " (John 14:3).
That will be "The right place.”
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31).
D. D.