I WAS traveling some years ago from Rochester to Buffalo. There were about sixty passengers in the same car with me. We were all, I thought, just then travelers in a double sense; not only were we fellow-travelers on a passenger train, but also, fellow-travelers on the train of time speeding on to an endless eternity. Oh, what a solemn thought is this!
Reader, where art thou going to spend the eternity that lies before thee? Thou art going there as fast as time can carry thee, and thou knowest not how soon thy journey will terminate, for it is written, “Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Prov. 27:11Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. (Proverbs 27:1)).
I had with me at that time, as is always my custom, a package of assorted gospel tracts. With a short earnest prayer to the Lord that He would own and bless the tracts, I commenced to distribute them around, giving one to each passenger. When I came to the last two passengers I observed that one of them was dressed in the garb of a clergyman. I presented him with one of my tracts, entitled “Are you ready to meet God?” Friend, how is it with thee? Art thou ready to meet God?
As I presented the tract to the clergyman his eye glanced at the title, and at once very sarcastically and emphatically he exclaimed, “No, I’m not! Are you?”
In answer to his question “Are you?” I replied, “Through the grace of God, I am ready to meet Him. God has saved me by His grace, and the blood of Jesus, His beloved Son, has satisfied all God’s claims against me as a sinner.” How is it with thee, my reader? Canst thou give such an answer, or art thou still in thy sins and afraid to meet God?
My saying I was ready to meet God seemed to astonish him greatly, for he said at once, “I consider you are awfully presumptuous to say you are ready to meet God.” “Surely,” I rejoined, “it is not presumption to believe God’s Word, but it must be the height of presumption and folly to call in question, and refuse to bow to what God has declared in the Scriptures.”
Clergyman though he was, I felt I must be faithful to God and His truth. So I asked him, “How do you expect to get ready to meet God?” He replied, “By doing all the good I can, and living a holy life.” “What authority have you for that way of getting ready for God’s holy presence?” “Oh,” said he, “I could give you plenty of verses from the Bible which teach us that.” I asked him to give me one. This he did not because he could not.
“No,” I said, “God’s Word declares, ‘It is not of works, lest any man should boast’ (Eph. 2:99Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:9)); also, ‘By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight’” (Rom. 3:2020Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20)). I continued: “You have sinned and come short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)), and all your righteousness, holy living, and good works in the sight of God are as filthy rags (Isa. 64:66But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6)).”
He now became very angry at me for speaking so personally and pointedly to him, and indignantly retorted, “Why do you trouble people, and who are you to presume to give a tract to me — a clergyman?” I replied, “Clergyman though you are, you need salvation, and if you do not repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and get your sins forgiven, you will be eternally damned” (Mark 16:1616He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:16)). With these words I left him, trusting the Lord would bless my conversation to him and to those who were listening.
And now, dear reader, you, likewise, may be in the place of a teacher, may be a Sunday-school teacher, or an active member of some religious body, and be yet unsaved — not ready to meet God. It may be thou art saying to thyself, “Peace, peace, when there is no peace” (Jer. 6:1414They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. (Jeremiah 6:14)). If thou art trusting to anything in thyself — any good thou cant do — then surely thy peace is a false peace. Be warned in time, give up thine own doings, and flee to the Lord Jesus Christ for true peace, “for he has made peace by the blood of his cross” (Col. 1:2020And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (Colossians 1:20)).
The clergyman’s plan of salvation was, “Do the best you can, and try and live a holy life.” It was his own plan — the devil’s plan — and many thousands today are trusting it. Satan has succeeded marvelously in preaching this plan of salvation; it is his plan, and leads to the lake of fire. It is the way of Cain, who offered to God the fruit of his own toil. Scripture pronounces “woe” to all such (Jude 1111Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. (Jude 11)).
Dear friend, what art thou trusting to for salvation?
Listen to God’s plan: He first declares, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:1010As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10)); “none that doeth good” (vs. 12). To all who acknowledge this, and bow to God’s verdict of “guilty,” God declares the good news, “Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:66For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)). “To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” How precious is this truth, dear unsaved reader; it is for the ungodly, and for him who works not, but believes. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)).
D. C. P.