Ask thy soul on which hand thou art likely to stand in the day of
judgment; on the right among the sheep, or on the left among the
goats? What will be the end of those joys which now make so glad
thy heart? Thou art now in the broad way to destruction and utter
separation from God’s presence for ever! Thy pleasures here we may
judge of; but O who can tell the thousandth part of those fiery
torments to which thou art liable in the other world! When thou
diest thou shalt be a damned creature; while thou livest thou art fed
like a beast by common Providence; thou art an utter stranger to
feeding promises. If thou lookest upwards, God is frowning, and his
wrath is revealed from heaven against thee. The heavens and their
host are ready every moment to discharge God’s curses like
thunderbolts against thee. If thou lookest downward, thou mayest
see hell opening its mouth to swallow thee up quick; many dangers
attending thee every day, many miseries every moment. Legions of
devils stand watching thee, and waiting only for the leave of God to
drag thy soul into the lake of fire. As long as thou refusest to hear
Christ’s voice, thou hast a hell upon earth. It is not the multitude of
thy companions that shall lessen thy torments; but they shall rather
increase them. Thy life that hath been full of worldly joy shall end
in deadly woe!
All you into whose hands this little book shall come, O let me beg
you to consider how your hearts can endure to think of being shut
out of heaven, out of blessedness for ever! Ask your heart these
questions. Can I burn? Can I endure the vengeance of eternal fire?
Will a glowing oven, a scorching furnace, be an easy lodging for me?
O why, my soul, wilt thou not be persuaded to repent? Is there too
much pain in that? Talk to thee of crucifying the flesh, or parting
with thy worldly companions, of entering in at the strait gate; O
these are hard sayings, who can bear them? But how wilt thou dwell
with devouring fire? How wilt thou dwell with everlasting burnings?
Think on hell, O poor soul, and then think on Christ; and consider if
a Redeemer from such misery be not worth the accepting of. Think
on hell, and then think on sin, and carnal pleasures; consider how
thou wilt relish them in the everlasting fire! Are these the price for
which thou sellest thy soul to hell? O bid these lusts and pleasures
be gone! bid your companion-sins be gone! and though you loved
them well, and have spent your time sinfully with them, yet tell
them you must not burn for them: that you will not damn your soul
to please your flesh.
O poor soul! Hast thou kept Christ out a long time, and art thou not
yet resolved to open thy heart to him? What shall I say to thee? Let
me say thisâChrist waits still for thee; Christ is still willing to
receive thee! Why, then, wilt thou undo thyself by neglecting so
great a salvation? Think what message he sends to thee, what
errand he comes on; it is no dismal message, it is no dreadful
errand. If Christ had come to destroy thy soul, could he have had
less welcome than thou hast given him? O for thy soul’s sake
receive him! O ye fools, when will ye be wise? Come unto Jesus, and
he will have mercy on you, and heal all your backslidings, and love
you freely.
But, some poor soul will say, I have a desire to come to Christ, but I
am afraid Christ will never receive such a wretched sinner as I am,
who have stood out so long against him.
Ah poor soul, art thou willing to come to Christ? Then will Christ in
no wise cast thee out, if thou comest to him poor, and miserable,
and blind, and naked. O sinner, come not to him in thine own
strength! but come thou and say, O Lord, here is a poor soul not
worth any thing, O Lord, make me rich in faith! here is a miserable
soul, O Lord, have mercy on me! here is a poor blind soul, O Lord,
enlighten me from above! here is a poor naked wretch, O Lord, save
me, lest I perish, for I cannot help myself.
Come to Christ by believing in him. Yes, when thy poor soul is
sinking into hell, and sees no way to escape the fearful wrath of
God, O then at such a time seize fast hold on Christ! Come and
grasp him in the arms of thy faith, and say, I believe in thee, Lord;
help my unbelief. And the answer which thy Lord will give thee, will
be thisâ
Be it unto thee according as thou wilt. Let Christ be in your
hand, and the promise in your eye, and no doubt, though thou hast
been a rebel and a traitor, yet Jesus Christ, having received gifts for
the rebellious, will show mercy to thee, and receive thee.
âSamuel Rutherford.
Horatius Bonar, Kelso Tracts