His Last Run.

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WE are reminded again and again while passing through this world, which is the valley of the shadow of death, how thin, indeed, the vail is that separates between life and death, between time and eternity. The “silver cord” that holds us here is soon broken and the spirit, liberated from its earthly house of clay, returns unto God who gave it.
“Eternity! where? Eternity! where?
With Christ in the glory,
Or with fiends in despair?”
John K—, long employed as a railroad engineer, had been most successful in making many fast and daring runs without any serious accidents. With his hand at the throttle. he seemed perfectly fearless, and the fast express, of which he was engineer, was often known to cover many miles in fewer minutes of time than there were miles of space.
But the time came when John K —was to make his last run. He had been in the service of the company for many years, and now he expressed his wish to retire from active service by sending in his resignation to the company. This was accepted. And now the day had come when he would, as a faithful and honored employee, bid farewell to the scenes and places with which he had been so familiar.
Starting out in the early morning from A—, where he lived, he was heard to remark, “I am going out on my last run today.” His last run—he wanted to make it brilliant as a record breaker, and he thought little of danger.
The sense of toil and monotony, so often present with those who pass through the same scenes and circumstances day after day, was little felt by him, for he saw before him at the close of that day a longed-for and well-earned rest. We cannot wonder, then, that the throttle of his engine was controlled by a light and willing hand, eager to make for himself a record for speed, equaled only by those who were the most intrepid and venturesome.
The day was passing on, and it was about noon. He had been obliged to limit the speed of the train to schedule time until now, when the opportunity came, he let the engine drive to its fullest limit.
At a most beautiful, picturesque spot, where the road leads in a double curve around a mountain, following the winding river, that engine and its daring manager met a terrible fate. In almost less time than one could think, the engine left the track, crushed into an immense mass of rock, its boiler blowing up, and all went rolling down an embankment of nearly two hundred feet. And what about the engineer, who a few seconds before was so hopeful and blithe?
Poor John K—, was taken up a lifeless, mangled corpse. He had, indeed, made his last run, and was hastily summoned into the presence of God.
Was he prepared? we may wonder. According to the testimony of those who knew him, he was; for it is said that he trusted in Jesus as his Saviour. But, oh, if Jesus was, indeed a Saviour to him, we are afraid that he was not subject to Him as his Lord, that day, at least. For why did he strive to make a name for himself as a fast engineer, if he had been wholly subject to his Lord? Was that not the mere vanity and pride of man, which God cannot find pleasure in, and which He must judge in His children? It was indeed tempting the Lord, and He allowed him to be suddenly cut off.
There are many of God’s children, we have to confess, who do not walk in humble dependence upon Him, but they allow the “pride of life” to come in, causing them to act in such ways as to bring down God’s hand upon them in chastisement. It is equally true of us as saved ones, as it is of those unsaved, that,
“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Prov. 16:1818Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18).
And in God’s government let us remember that, if we tempt Him and do wickedly, yet,
“God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Gal. 6:77Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7).
ML 11/23/1902