DEAR READER, the above words may often have sounded in your ears, and if you are of commercial pursuits, or otherwise in the habit of passing to and fro through the busy hum of this world's affairs, you have perhaps proved somewhat of the inconvenience of being met with the words—Too late—as you have arrived at the station, just one minute too late. Only one minute, but—too late. Oh! unsaved reader, my object is to draw your earnest attention to what must be the awful results, should those words sound in your ears from the lips of Him who openeth and no man shutteth; shutteth, and no man openeth. “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15).
Dear reader, awful as it may sound, the above quotation from the Word of the Living God is decisive enough as to the certainty of thine eternal doom, shouldest thou be too late in closing with the now-proffered mercy held out to thee, through the shedding of the precious blood of Jesus. Oh! unsaved reader, wilt thou, with the heedlessness of a child, sport and play over the precipice of hell? Satan desires to have thee, and will not fail to use every means to keep Christ out of thy heart, but ere it be too late, give one look at the crucified Redeemer, expiring between two thieves on Calvary's Cross. There is life in a look, nothing to pay, nothing to do, only look. What was the result of the bitten Israelite's gaze upon the serpent of brass? “And it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived "(Num. 21:9). “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” (John 3:14, 15).
The Israelite looked upon the serpent of brass, at the command of Moses, and natural life ensued: look thou with the eye of faith at the lifted up Son of Man, and eternal life is thine. Oh I look, before the words heading this paper describe thy condition. Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation; tomorrow may be too late. God's offer to thee is—now, thou canst not call the next hour thine own; yea, one moment hence is future, and short as it appears, may find thee in eternity. Too late then—but now, just where thou art, take God at His word, and all is right for time and eternity, and God's sure word is, " That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved " (Rom. 10:9).
Oh! wonder of wonders, dear reader, just ask yourself the question, For whom was Christ dead? But, instead of answering it yourself, allow the word. of the living God to do so for thee, " For I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received; how that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures and that he was buried, and that he rose again according to the Scriptures "(Cor. 15:3, 4). “Who was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification" (Rom. 4:25).
Yes! dear reader, God is satisfied with the payment of the debt in Jesus' blood, for thy sins, and further, " God hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him " (Jesus) (2 Cor. 5:21).
Should this paper have made thee uneasy about thy state in the presence of God, do not look into thy poor good-for-nothing self for relief, but believe the record God has given of His Son, and thou hast Eternal Life. Tomorrow may be too late. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”
(Acts 21:1). J. P. S.