BY REV. JAMES MACLEOD, GLENDALE.
WE may suppose that the most wicked person that ever lived would like to avoid pain, both physical and mental. Our animal life hates pain, and through our rational nature we endeavour by all possible means to heal wounds whether self-inflicted, or caused by external agencies. We are equally sensitive to mental pain—and do not like anything that is to disturb our present peace and quietness. We see that appearing in Adam in the garden, immediately he sinned. His first move and effort was to have peace and quietness among the trees of the garden. His offspring ever since are the same. But let us be certain of this—Our sins shall find us out in mercy or in judgment. If in mercy it will be well with us. If in judgment, we must bear the consequences of our sins in thought, word, and action for ever!
We are so foolish, putting off to the last moment the concerns of our precious souls. Fatalism, on the one hand, is a most dangerous course to follow. Formalism, on the other hand, is equally dangerous, and Antinomianism is the devil’s way of preaching to us, so that we shall be an easy prey at death! Oh! my friends, especially young, I appeal to you, who would not wish to be a saint on the great Day of Judgment? Who would not desire to be penitent on that day! Do we flatter ourselves about God’s mercy, and say in our hearts—”Oh! the Lord is merciful, and if I do what I can, surely He will regard that, and bring me to heaven, if I live the best I can here.” Let me ask you, dear friend, one question—”Do you believe that God is an absolute God?” “Yes,” you say, and what are you going to do with His attribute of eternal justice? But you say—”But Christ died for sinners.” “Yes, quite true, but—did Christ die for you?” “I do not know.” Why so, friend? Just because you live after the manner and customs of the world, and if you persist in that way to the end, be sure Christ shall not know you at that hour, when you shall be forsaken by every created creature.
Let us now hear and consider what pious men and women had to say about Christ at the hour of death. Stephen, the first martyr, with his dying breath said—”Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Polycarp, when the wicked Roman pro-consul was urging him to deny Christ, said—”I have served him eighty-six years, and He has not once hurt me: and shall I deny Him?” The custom was to tie the martyrs to the stake, but this most excellent man desired and asked that he should stand untied, saying—”Let me alone, I pray you; for He that gave me strength to come to this fire, will also give me patience to abide in the same without your tying.” Ignatius said—”I have the pain to be ground with the teeth of beasts that I may be pure bread for my Master’s tooth.” “Let fire, racks, pulleys, yea, and all the torments of hell come upon me, so I may win Christ,” said Lucius to Urbicius, a corrupt judge, threatening death; “I thank you with all my heart that free me and release me from wicked governors, and send me to my good God and loving Father.” Ambrose said to his friends about him—”I have not so lived that I am ashamed to live any longer; nor yet fear I death, because I have a good Lord.” It was Ambrose who said to Emperor Valentinian’s eunuch—Calligon—threatening death—”Well, do you that which becomes an eunuch, I will suffer that which becomes a bishop.” Theodosius said—”I thank God more for that I have been a member of Christ, than an emperor of the world.” Hilarion says—”Soul, get thee out; thou hast seventy years served Christ, and art thou now loath to die, or afraid of death?” Basil said to Emperor Valen’s viceroy, offering him respite—”No! I shall do the same to-morrow. I have nothing to lose but a few books; and my body is now so crazy that one blow will end my torments.” Gorgius said to the tyrant, offering him promotion: “Have you anything more worthy than the kingdom of heaven?” Julitta said:—”We women received not only flesh from men, but are bone of their bone, and, therefore, ought to be as strong and constant as men in Christ’s cause.” Symeones said—”Thus to die a Christian is to live, yea, the chief good, and best end of man.” Edward VI., King of England, said—”Bring me into thy kingdom; free this kingdom from antichrist, and keep thine elect in it.”
The Lord’s people are the most liberal people upon the face of the earth—for their liberality is prompted by sanctified love; and the motive for doing good springs from their love to the Lord; hence they love to do good to their enemies. Let us listen to the following story about one of them:—Michaela Caignocla, a noble matron, seeing her judges look out of the windows, said to her fellow-martyrs—”These stay to suffer the torments of their consciences, and are reserved to judgment; but we are going to glory and happiness.” And to a certain poor woman, weeping and crying—”O, Madam! we shall never now have more alms”, she said; “Yes, hold you, yet once more,” and she plucked off her slippers, and such other of her apparel as she could with modesty spare from the fire.
It is quite an easy matter to multiply instances about dying martyrs, and the Lord’s people in general that are still extant to shew how sweet the death of the righteous is when the mid-night call comes, but are we prepared to die? If not, we must die, and never cease dying, and yet never come to the end of dying! “The wages of sin is death!” There are upwards of a thousand million in our generation. Where are hundreds of millions going to? Dead in trespasses and sins, without God, and without hope in the world, careless, and indifferent to the claims of God, and conscience. According to the Word of God, the teeming millions are going to hell. Do we believe it? Alas! it is to be feared that few, very few, believe it. We claim that we have the gospel, pure and holy as our fathers had it; we profess that we believe it, and yet our carelessness and indifference do testify against us. Are we to die like the heathen? No! we cannot, our privileges, opportunities, and the gospel ordinances, the private and the public means of grace must be accounted for at last.
Graceless ministers may flatter their hearers and followers down into hell. Higher critics may laugh, and mock at the doctrines of future punishment—discard the Bible, but we profess differently, what fruit do we bring forth? Let conscience speak! We would be all saints at death, all of us would desire to go to heaven, at least to a good place, a place of happiness; but, are we born again; are we mourning over sin, over errors, ignorance, unbelief, and praying, and crying for a clean heart, for the broken body and shed blood of the Redeemer through the Word? Friends, let us turn to our Bibles, searching them diligently; for in it we can meet the Lord Jesus, the Saviour of lost sinners. He is there, and will be there to the end of time—devils nor higher critics shall not dislodge Him.
Let us be assured of this, once Christ is found in the Bible there will be real earnestness. Simon Peter and John were never so quick running from place to place on the resurrection morn in quest of Him than the soul will be from henceforth searching, seeking, looking, and longing for the sweetest and fairest among men. Christ and His imputed righteousness will make us everlastingly happy. It will fit us to live, to die, and live for ever more. Christ must be all and in all. The Holy Ghost is ready and willing to open our eyes—to convince us of sin, and unite us to Christ by faith. Christ is willing to accept and embrace us. Are we to say, No! If so, what wonder if that proud soul shall hear from Jesus Christ at the great day—depart from me, I never knew you?
The soul that is enabled to say—”I will go with this man—the man Christ Jesus—will be welcomed at death into heaven—Angels, the spirits of just men made perfect, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit receiving and welcoming the just home to glory.
The Lord Jesus is able to save us. O! friend, flee to Him in mercy as a foul, guilty sinner that needs to be washed in His blood.