I WELL recall an incident in my life when I was a boy of about sixteen, which I wish to portray as clearly as possible in the following lines, trusting that my experience will be a warning to those who read it, and are still under the power of darkness, and will be the means of bringing home to them the necessity of trusting in Christ, who alone can save them from the brink of everlasting punishment.
Having toiled very hard all morning and partaken of my lunch, I felt that I needed a little recreation before delving into my work again.
I strolled along a railroad track which had a three-track system; one for freight trains, one for northbound and one for southbound passenger trains. The north bound track was being repaired, which made it necessary for the northbound trains to run on the southbound track for a certain distance.
My walk southward was without a mishap, and as it was an exceptionally warm and sunny day, I enjoyed it very much. As my noon hour was almost gone, I began retracing my steps northward on the southbound track, figuring that any train coming toward me would be easily seen in time for me to step out of danger, but the thought never entered my mind that the northbound trains would use this very track, due to the repairing of the other.
I had just passed a sharp turn in the road, when suddenly a northbound train appeared behind me, coming on at a great speed, the whistle shrieking and warning me of my grave danger. A freight train was passing on my left, and the passenger train was only a few hundred feet away!
What could I do! To jump to the track that was being repaired meant certain death, as I was nearer to the freight train. There was but one thing to do, and I did it; I jumped between the freight and passenger tracks, and kneeled down.
Hardly had I done this when the passenger train rushed by me! It seemed to me, although the train was going very fast, that it took hours for it to get by.
Here I was, huddled between two moving trains in fear of being pulled underneath the wheels and ground to death. But praise be to God, He spared me from such a death, and I came out of it all without a scratch, though fearfully nervous and frightened. It surely was a narrow escape, and if it were not for Him who helped me, I would have been in eternity.
What a lesson to you, my dear reader, if you are without God in this world, and have not found Christ to be your Saviour. You may be in the same predicament now, that I was in years ago (as to your soul), near death, —near eternity. You may not receive a warning before you are wafted into eternity. You may not see a sick bed. Your next step may be a fatal one. Why then delay and run the risk of dying without being saved by the precious blood of Christ. Perhaps your life’s cord may be snapped before another sun rise, before another dawn, before you are an hour older: Will you be spared the agony of hell? Are you ready to meet your Saviour?
Just as my whole life flashed before me when I was between those trains, unveiling all my past, has your life flashed before you in the same manner? Are you aware that your life has been wicked and sinful? If not, then flee to God, who will make bare to you your sinful past, and bring before you that precious Saviour who left His glory on high, and bled and died on Calvary’s cross for the remission of your sins.
Accept Him now while you can. Tomorrow may be too late.
O, children, come to Him, confess your sins to Jesus, and He will forgive you, and save you for eternity. You have nothing to pay, for He has paid it all.
There is but one thing to do. Accept Him as your personal Saviour, and you will find rest and peace for your soul, both now and throughout eternity.
“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matt.11:28.
ML 05/12/1925