TO THOSE WHO KNOW NOT GOD.
By A. L. Wilkinson
READER, are you one who has not made your peace with God? Is your heart wholly upon the things of this world? Its pleasures, vanities, fashions, gains or honors? Do you seldom if ever, reflect on a future state? or what your condition will be after this life has passed? If so, you are the very one with whom I would speak. Come let us reason together. 'Tis true you may find a sort of enjoyment in the pleasures of this world; but it is very transient, and so poor a kind at best that it is hardly worthy the name; and what is more it always leaves a sting behind; a barrenness, a feeling of restlessness, a desire for something, you can hardly tell what; something that will not melt away in your grasp. You may sometimes ask, Is there any such thing as joy unmixed with sorrow? I answer, Yes; but you will never find it in the things of this world, though you should search from pole to pole. You will never know what permanent happiness is until you know God by an experimental knowledge, and believe on our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. By so doing you will obtain that peace which passeth understanding. I am well aware that there are those who seem to think that it makes very little difference whether they secure the favor of God or not, and say that this world is good enough for them. "A short life and a merry one" is their motto. O how I tremble for such persons. They are blind. They see not their danger, neither do they care. I can see that they stand on the brink of an awful precipice, and are about to be dashed upon the rocks below. How will they mourn at the last when they find that "the harvest is past, the summer ended and they are not saved." I am led to wonder that creatures endowed with reason can be so blind to their best interest. But dear reader I trust you are not one of the number who will "reject the counsel of God against themselves, and perish." Will you not receive a few words of warning? Remember that "your life is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away." Jas. iv, 14. Although this is a great reason why you should be in haste to make your peace with God, there is yet another, a strong and all important reason, viz., "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near and hasteth greatly." Zeph. i, 14. We have abundant evidence from the word of God that the end of all things is at hand. It is plain enough to be seen by any one who has his eyes open, that this world is "reeling to her final doom." Have you not suspected that it was so? Do you not see the storm gathering and thickening all around, and that it will soon burst upon an astonished world? If you do see it, arise in haste and flee from destruction, and hide yourself in the mighty God of Jacob. If you do not see it, O be entreated by one who does, and escape for your life. Tarry not in all the plain of sin and unbelief. Flee to Jesus the Rock of ages. Hide yourself in him and you will be safe, forever safe from the coming storm. Yet notwithstanding the overwhelming evidence that we have that the great day of the Lord is at hand, many will say, Don't give yourself any uneasiness about Christ's coming. We don't see any signs of it; all things continue as they have. We are not afraid. To such I would202say, Do you not perceive that this is virtually saying, Let the storm come upon me. Let me be smitten with the plagues. Let the incurable sores cover me. Let me have nothing but blood to drink. Let the sun scorch me with great heat so that I shall blaspheme the name of God for the extreme misery that I shall suffer, and let there be great darkness so that I can see nothing, and then let great hail stones fall from heaven upon my defenseless head, and finally let me be destroyed from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power! Oh fearful picture! Oh wretched state! Who does not shudder at the thought of it. And who art thou, poor, feeble, puny man that thou shouldst think to withstand the Almighty when "he ariseth to shake terribly the earth." "Behold the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger to lay the land desolate, and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it." Isa. xiii, 9. And do you O sinner, think that you shall escape if you neglect to obey God? Nay verily. You cannot hide from him. O will you not be persuaded to consider upon these things, and be wise now while probation is granted you, before pining sickness comes upon you, and you have no more time. Be entreated by one who cares for your soul, one whose feet have been in the horrible pit of mire and clay, and knows how to feel for you; one who has been led to look to Jesus for pardon and peace and has found that "he is the one altogether lovely, and the chiefest among ten thousand;" one who would give more at this moment for one approving smile from her precious Saviour than for all the wealth and honor of this poor world, yea or a thousand just like it; for "it is all vanity and vexation of spirit;" Eccl. i, 14. Says our Saviour, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest to your souls; for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matt. xi, 28-30. Yes, Come! come now, come just as you are, do not wait for anything. You can never make yourself any better by staying away. Go by yourself alone where no eye can see you but God's, kneel before him and from the depths of your heart say, Lord I come just as I am; I confess that I have broken thy holy law, and that I am justly condemned to death; but wilt thou have compassion on me for Jesus' sake who died for me that I might live; and grant that I may be washed in his most precious blood from all my sins. O Lord be merciful to me a sinner. Be in earnest. Let this prayer come from your inmost soul. Do not doubt his ability or willingness to save you. "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God for he will abundantly pardon." Isa. lv, 6, 7. "And ye shall seek me and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Jer. xxix, 13. God is no respecter of persons; he wills not the death of any, but rather that they would turn and live. Come, believe. Trust in God, and obey him, and you will receive the great and last promise on record in the Bible. Rev. xxii, 14. "Blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."