ONE SHORT PREPARING HOUR.
By M. J. COTTRELL
“Yet does one short preparing hour,
One precious hour remain.” I was especially impressed with these words while reading them as quoted by Bro. Lamson in a late REVIEW. And my heart felt to respond, I, too, “want to improve it by divesting myself of wrongs, that I may have a clean record in the day of Judgment.” It is a precious light which shines upon our pathway, showing us the dangers which threaten to destroy us. It is a precious light which shines upon our hearts, revealing to us the wrongs which are keeping us from making advancement in the Christian course. Then let us, with thankful hearts, give earnest heed to the precious light; and though made sensible of this light by the sore chastening of the Lord, let us remember that a God of mercy holds the rod, and that love, or tender parent's love, prompts the strokes under which we writhe. Reproof has made me sensible that I have a great work to do in order to be accepted among God's pure, humble children. With shame I acknowledge that pride of the worst kind, pride of self, has crept into my heart, and held me a too-willing captive. I do desire to so humble myself before God that in his own due time he will be pleased to give me some place among his exalted, purified children. The light given has caused me to search my heart as never before; and oh! what a multitude of evils I find lurking therein. It has caused an awakening to a sense of sin, such as I never before experienced, not even when first I felt my need of a Saviour. Truly I have felt too unworthy to lift so much as my eyes to Heaven; and the poor publican's prayer has been mine. But I have resolved to set earnestly to work, and, by God's assisting grace, root out the many evils I find in my heart, and strive daily to deny self. I will try to “heed the warning,” and live up to the light, hoping that our loving Father will accept me for Jesus' sake, and give me the strength I need. Die to self! Oh! help me, Father,
Learn this lesson which I know
I must learn, or never enter
Through those gates with pearls aglow,
'Soon they'll ope on glittering hinges,
And the Man of Calvary,
Who, though sinless, for poor sinners
Suffered keenest agony.
He who was a man of sorrows
Then will bid his children come,
And his voice like richest music
Bid his ransomed welcome home.
And I know that those who enter
Through those pearl-set gates of light,
Join the song of praise eternal,
And are clad in garments white.
They will all have learned this lesson,
Painful though the process be.
Father, help me now to learn it—
Die to self, but live to thee.