As a man was walking along the seashore one day he noticed the nature of the cliffs, so high, so steep, so impossible to climb and with but one path leading to the shore. He noted too the many coves formed by jutting rocks and that from these coves, if anyone was cut off by the rising tide there would be no way of escape. If the way to the one path leading to safety was shut off by the rising water it would be impossible to climb those rugged cliffs. What a dangerous coast for the unwary and unwatchful!
As he was musing thus he came upon an old man who was working on the hard dark rocks. He entered into conversation regarding the dangerous coast and asked him if he had ever known of people in peril through the rising tide.
“I should think I have,” answered the old man. “Why, one day years ago, as I was working, there came along a party of four, two men and two women, all of them young. They were frolicking and laughing and I called out to them to be careful and not go too far, but to mind the tide. ‘Oh,’ they said, ‘we’re all right. Don’t trouble about us, we mean to enjoy ourselves’ and on they went.
“I forgot all about them,” the old man continued; “and at length I left work, and went back to the path leading to the cliffs.”
Now this was a very solitary place; a farmhouse here, a cottage or two there, more or less lonely and desolate; but as the old man was crossing the fields on his way home, he thought he heard a faint, very faint cry, “Help! help!” He listened. Yes, he heard that faint cry, “Help! help!” As fast as he could he ran to the edge of the cliffs; and looking down, putting his hands around his mouth, he shouted, “Is anyone in distress down there?”
“Yes! Yes!” came the answering cry. “We shall be drowned! The water has reached our feet already!”
Ah, these four gay pleasure-seekers, who had trodden the way that seemed right to them, had found the end thereof to be the ways of death, and the cold, dark waters were staring them in the face. They were shut in by the tide; the water was steadily advancing; they were powerless to help themselves; they could only cry for help. As quickly as he could, the old man ran across the fields to a farm, where he procured a long, strong rope, together with the help of some farmers, who hurried with him to the edge of the cliffs. There the old man began to fasten the rope carefully and securely round himself. “Whatever are you doing?” cried his astonished helpers. “Why, I am going down to them,” said he; and he was lowered down, down, till he reached the four in their terrible danger and distress.
Have you, dear reader, ever been in distress, not on account of physical danger but because you have realized that “it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment?” Hebrews 9:2727And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27). Does the thought of death and judgment fill you with terror? Do you feel that you cannot help yourself, you cannot save yourself, and that there is no hope in yourself? You know that left to yourself you can but perish. yes, that is true but thank God there is hope; there is help for there is a full and free salvation for you in the Lord Jesus Christ who came into the world to save sinners.
When the brave rescuer was lowered to the place of death and danger, to those “ready to perish,” he unfastened the rope from his own person and carefully and securely fastened it around one of the girls. Then looking up, he cried “Pull,” and she was pulled up to a place of safety.
Down came the rope again and now the brave rescuer fastened it securely round the second girl. Again he cried, “Pull!” and she too was pulled up to that place of safety. Down again came the rope and the first of the two men was pulled up, and then again the rope came down, and the last of the four was pulled out of danger into safety. Once more the rope came down; and the brave rescuer fastened it around himself and was drawn up to the edge of the cliffs.
“Well,” said the listener, on hearing the story, “did they say anything to you? Did they thank you?”
“I should think they did,” cried the old man, “why, I shall never forget it. They shook my hand as if they’d shake it off! They threw their arms around my neck in joy and gratitude.”
The blessed Lord Jesus Christ came down, down to the depths of Calvary’s cross, that we might be lifted up from the awful pit of sin and death in which we were, lifted up to heaven itself. He gave up His life in order to save you and me. Have you accepted Him by faith as your Saviour? Have you ever thanked Him for dying for you?
ML 09/24/1961