Not in Infidelity.
VOLTAIRE was an infidel of the most pronounced type. He wrote:—
"I wish I had never been born.”
Why was this? Well, poor man, he evidently discovered at the end of his days a very simple fact. We shall do well to remember it though still in the midst of our days. It is this. Infidelity is destructive and not constructive. It will take away from you everything; it will give you nothing. It matters little what form it may assume. Atheism—with its blank denial of God. Agnosticism—with its deadly hostility to faith. Higher Criticism—with its destructive efforts against the inspired Word of God. The tendency of each is the same. They will destroy, if you will let them, all the foundations of your soul. You shall have no God, whose love can brighten all the years of your life. No Christ, whose blood can cleanse from all sin. No Holy Spirit, to open the heart to eternal things. No Word of God, on which you may with certainty rest. And instead of all this you shall have—what? A string of theories and deductions, a life of proud self-sufficiency, a Christless deathbed, a frightful leap in the dark, the judgment of God, and Voltaire's wish, very fervent and forever, "I wish I had never been born.”
Not in Pleasure.
Byron lived a life of pleasure if anyone did. He wrote
"The worm, the canker, and the grief
Are mine alone.”
Sad words! Picture to yourself that brilliant man sitting upon some sunlit prominence and gazing over the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Nature is lively, and youth is still upon his side. For a moment he retreats from the whirl of pleasure and unbosoms to us his inmost feelings. What are they? Worm, canker, and grief! Is it possible? Indeed it is, and in your heart, reader, you know it full well. The pleasures of sin do not satisfy, even while they last; so soon they will be gone forever. Oh! the grief of a life fooled away in the empty pursuit of pleasure. May it never be yours.
Not IN MONEY.
Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. When dying he is reported to have said:—
"I suppose I am, the most miserable devil on earth.”
Mark! he said that when dying. You have to die, and when you draw near to death's portals your money will charm you no longer. It can give you no happiness now. It is necessary, no doubt. It can provide you with practically everything this world has to give except happiness, and that the world can neither give nor take away. There is, however, one redeeming feature about this remark. He did say "on earth." See to it, then, that you do not make money the be-all and end-all of life, lest when all is over you have to say, "I am the most miserable companion of the demons in hell.”
Not IN POSITION AND FAME.
Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both. He wrote:—
“Youth is a mistake, manhood a struggle, old age a regret.”
Think of the pathos of this statement, and be wise in time. Doubtless you have ambitions for "success" in this world. In your imagination, then, draw a picture of what you would like your future to be, and paint the picture as rosy as you dare. Now let me affectionately warn you that these dreams and resolutions of youth are a mistake. You will only realize them—if at all—by dint of a terrific struggle, which will consume the years of your manhood, and leave you, in old age, full of regret that you have spent all your energies in the pursuit of a bubble, and that, having grasped it, it has burst. If your life, when it is over, can be summed up in these words, "a mistake, a struggle, a regret," it will be sad indeed for you.
- - -
Thus they all agree: Voltaire, the literary infidel; Byron, the pleasure-loving poet; Gould, the multi-millionaire; Beaconsfield, the famous politician. One and all they confirm Solomon's verdict, though long centuries have rolled by since that eastern potentate penned the words:—
“All is vanity and vexation of spirit.”
Happiness is to be found in none of these things. Where, then, is it to be found?
Jesus said, "I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." (Jon. 16:22.) The answer is simple—
IN CHRIST ALONE.
With you, there is the burden of sin. Until that burden is lifted you will never be thoroughly happy.
One sin pressing upon the conscience is enough to spoil the happiness of a lifetime, to say nothing of the happiness of eternity. You have sinned, and, therefore, you need to be forgiven. Thank God! there is forgiveness for you. God is the God of all grace, and the death and resurrection of Christ have enabled Him to righteously send the proclamation of forgiveness to everybody, and hence to you. His heart is love, and, though your sins are many, they need not hinder your blessing. God is more concerned about you than ever you have been about yourself; and there is cleansing and justification for you in virtue of the precious blood of Christ.
Before you there lies the impenetrable gloom of eternity. So long as your future is dark you will never be thoroughly happy. Small wonder if you shrink back at the near approach of death. Many a man, strong both in body and mind, has quailed when the darkness of the day of wrath has cast its shadows across his path. And what can banish this dread from your heart, and light up the future for you? One thing alone, and that the knowledge of Christ as your own personal Savior. If you put your case in His hands you, may be certain of this: He will see you through. He will not only remove your sins, blotting them out, but He will give you a title to glory without a flaw.
Heaven shall be your destiny, and you shall rejoice in hope of the glory of God. If you are Christ's, your eternity is bright, and you may well rejoice.
But there are the sorrows and troubles of life, and while these weigh you down and crush your spirit you will never be thoroughly happy. There is only one thing that will give you joy and victory day by day, and that, wonderful to say, is the very same thing that can remove the burden of your sins and light up your future with glory—the knowledge of Christ as your Savior and the might of His delivering power. He not only saves, but keeps. When you can truly say—
My PAST is forgiven,
My FUTURE is bright,
My PRESENT is victory, then, and not till then, will you be HAPPY. But remember these three things are to be found in Christ alone.
Taste for yourself, and you will say,
“None other Name for me;
There's love, and light, and lasting joy,
Lord Jesus, found in Thee.”
F. B. H.