ALAS for the children whose fathers and mothers bring them up with no good example before them, and who, although surrounded with churches and chapels and gospel meetings, have no desire that they should hear of Christ! Our cities teem with such; they eat, and drink, and marry, but there is no room for the Christ of God it their dwellings.
Not long since I was called to the bedside of a young man, whose parents were of the class I have just described. On reaching the house, and being introduced to the sick man, I knelt in prayer, and then opened my Bible and began at Romans 3:1010As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10) “There is none righteous, no, not one.” “The way of peace have they not known.” “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”―then I read of God’s gracious promises for guilty sinners, “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” “When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Then John tossed himself from one side of the bed to the other, exclaiming, “You are frightening me— you are frightening me!” I kept silent for a little while, and looked to God to direct me further. But never shall I forget the look of terror on poor John’s face.
“John,” said I, “it is not I who am troubling you, but the Holy Spirit of God, who is convicting you of your sins; you need to bow to the verdict of the just God against you. God delights in mercy, and forgives everyone who confesses from his heart that he is a sinner, and believes in Jesus, who has died to save sinners.
I was loth to prolong my stay, and left John, promising to call again; but, alas he departed this life before two o’clock the following morning, and I could not hear that he had given any indication of a change having taken place in his soul.
Oh! reader, think for a moment; are you unsaved, and without concern for your never-dying soul? Should God lay His hand upon you and require your soul of you at once, you have been warned of the end of the ungodly again and again; think you those solemn warnings of God’s word are made merely to frighten you? Think you that they are not all true?
Again, by this warning God beseeches you to come to Himself―this may be your last opportunity. Listen to the words of Jesus: “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37).)
R. S. McF.