I was visiting among some cottages one afternoon previous to holding a gospel service nearby. In one cottage I found an aged Christian woman who must have been nearing the end of life's pilgrimage. Her poor body was swollen and suffering, but the joy of the Lord filled her heart. After reading a little of God's Word to her, I sang her one of the believer's Hallelujah songs:
Savior, come, we long to see Thee,
Long to dwell with Thee above,
And to know in full communion
All the sweetness of Thy love.
Glory, glory, Jesus saved me,
Glory, glory, to the Lamb;
Jesus' blood has reached and cleansed me,
Glory, glory, to the Lamb.
The dear old face was shining with joy, as she kept repeating, "Glory, glory, Jesus saved me!" Then she added, "Oh! what would old Ebbie do now if she had not Jesus?”
But dear old Ebbie had Jesus, and through Him her happy prospect was of soon entering into His presence.
Then, most impressively, she gave me a solemn message to deliver. Turning towards a large coal fire burning in the grate, she said, "You are going to preach to the unsaved. Oh, BE SURE AND TELL THEM BOTH SIDES. Tell them Christ is willing and waiting to save them; but tell them also that if they will not have Christ and His salvation, they will have to make their bed in hell.”
As if to give force to her words, she pointed with her finger to the fire: "What an awful thing it would be to be forced to lie down for even a short time in that fire! And to think that Christless souls must make their bed in the lake of fire forever! Oh, tell them both sides.”
When I got to the meeting that night the words of old Ebbie were burning in my soul. I found the place crowded and many were unable to get in, so I stood in the doorway and delivered the Lord's message and old Ebbie's message to the people within and the people without. It was a night of decision for some souls, and led to several such meetings.
Unsaved soul, do you realize in the faintest measure the awful reality of "the wrath to come?" What will it be if you must dwell with the devouring flame in "the everlasting burnings"? Fall on your knees before God now, asking the question, "What must I do to be saved?”
His answer to you is the same one given to the Philippian jailer in Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31): "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”