A gentleman went one day to a distant town on horseback, and while returning in the evening was overtaken by a very severe storm, the rain poured in torrents, and it became very dark, and he lost his way.
After going some miles in the fierce storm, not a single star was to be seen, and no friendly light in a window, suddenly the gentleman was startled by a vivid Hash of lightning, when, what was his horror to find that he was galloping along upon the edge of a steep precipice, and both horse and rider might at any moment have been dashed to pieces below!
Was the lightning flash a friend or an enemy? Why, a friend, of course, although it gave both man and horse a fright! Now, he saw his danger and was able to escape from it. Such scriptures as,
“The Lord Jesus shall be revealed front heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power,” may come to some readers like the lightning came to the man, and startle them, but that will not matter as long as it will show them their danger, and lead them to flee to a place of safety from the coming wrath.
The wicked jailer in Acts 16, was dreadfully startled by the earthquake, and came trembling and cried out,
“What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:3030And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (Acts 16:30)), and in Acts 24, we find that “Felix trembled,” but, foolish man! he put off coming to Christ till “a convenient season,” which never came.
Some years ago meetings were being held in a large building with a sloping roof and it was in the depth of winter. The snow was deep, but hundreds came through it night after night, and many were coming to the Saviour.
One night, during the address, the snow came down from the sloping roof with such a crash, that it made some of the children jump! No doubt, it sounded all the louder because of the intense quiet over the meeting. That night there was a wonderful work of the Lord, especially among big boys from 13 to 15 years old. Two of them were very bad boys, indeed; they owned they were the worst boys in the place. Both these boys were converted, and became preachers of the Gospel.
Years afterward one of these preachers said that it was the snow falling off the roof that startled him to think about his soul. He thought the judgment day had come, and he was not ready.
O, children, flee to Jesus, the only place of safety from the storm of coming judgement, which is sure to fall upon this world— upon all those who reject the blessed Saviour now so lovingly offered to them.
ML 07/30/1939