MANY years ago I was called to visit a dying young man, in a colliery village in Yorkshire. He was near his end, but had no clear perception of the grace of God to lost sinners. He had been told to pray and repent, as if these were in some way to secure the favor of God. But by these means he could not find peace, yet he was lulled into a kind of dreamy hope, that he should have prayed and repented enough before he died to get saved.
I was led to tell him how God had sent him the message of free forgiveness of sins, entirely through Jesus, who died for our sins, and was raised for our justification. I quoted those words, the very proclamation of God to every lost sinner: ― “Be it known unto you... that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified from all things.” This was the very message God had sent me to proclaim to him before he died, as Jesus said to the poor man let down to His feet, ― “Thy sins be forgiven thee.” Ah! this young man was not yet letdown, helpless at the feet of Jesus, the only Saviour. No, he still thought he had a great work of repentance to do, and he must do it. He had no idea that repentance was seeing and owning himself a poor, helpless, vile, lost sinner. He looked at me with a look of pity and a touch of scorn, that I should know no better than to come to him with such a story as free forgiveness to him, just as he was, and he said, “CHEAP ENOUGH!”
Seeing this, and hearing these words, I said, “You have a beautiful primrose here in the window; what might it be worth?”
“I should say it would be worth a shilling,” he replied.
“Yes, I suppose a thing is worth what it costs. Now I will tell you what the good news of free unmerited forgiveness of sins, God has sent me to tell you, cost: ― It cost the agony and bearing of sin, enduring the wrath and judgment due to us, by the Son of God, who created the heavens and the earth. He gave Himself, He gave His precious blood, that forgiveness might be proclaimed to you. And all you can say is, ‘Cheap enough!’ Good morning,” and I left him.
I called again in a few days. What a change! The Holy Ghost had opened his blind eyes.
God had shown him what a fool he was to despise the amazing price which had been paid that salvation might be as free to us as the air we breathe. It is too long ago now to remember all he said, and how God had shown him his folly. He had treated the infinite price paid by the Lord Jesus with contempt; he had thought of his own repentance as of more value than the death of Christ! God blessed the message, His own message of free forgiveness of sins to his soul.
In a few days he passed away to enter heaven, by that which he had despised as “cheap enough,” believing God produced that repentance which he had rashly sought to put in the place of the infinite value of the death of Christ.
Reader, you will soon pass into eternity. Are you despising the gospel through the atoning death of Christ as “cheap enough”? and seeking to present to God your prayers, and repentance, and works, instead of believing His blessed message of free forgiveness? God proclaims to you forgiveness through Jesus and His finished work. Will you despise this, and say, “Cheap enough”? If so, may God open your eyes ere it be forever too late! C. S.