p. 51 | AN ILLUSTRATION

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 3, 1860

AN ILLUSTRATION.

I one day preached on the general corruption of mankind (says Rev. Mr. Lepault, of India), and the impossibility of being saved by our own works. A person present expressed his surprise at my assertions, and thought it strange that I should enforce the necessity of our keeping the whole law, if we desired not to be saved by our own merits. It was unjust, he urged, to consider a man cursed who continueth not in all the words of the law to do them, and cried out, “How can this be true, that whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all? How can this be? If I keep six of the commandments, and break four, have I not kept the majority? And is not God in justice found to give me heaven because I have kept two more than I have broken?”

In explaining these truths, we can easily make ourselves understood to cultivated minds; but I could never make the common people understand me without a parable. Instead of entering into an argument, I have often replied by describing a scene on the Ganges. “The day was dismal; the wind roared, the thunder pealed, the lightning was vivid, the waves of the Ganges raged, the stream was swollen, and the current rapid. The infuriated elements threatened destruction to every vessel on its waters: no boat could outlive the storm for any length of time. But see, what is that! It is a boat in distress, filled with people, rapidly hurried along by the waves. Between

the peals of thunder, the shrieks of the people are heard; they fear the rocks on the shore, to which the current is driving them. What can be done for them? Could they but be drawn into this creek they would be safe. Those on the shore look anxiously around, and discover a chain near them. A man instantly fastens a stone to a rope, binds the other end to the chain, and flings the stone into the boat. The rope is caught; the people eagerly lay hold upon the chain, while those on shore begin to draw them, amid the raging elements, towards the creek. They already are within a few yards of the land, one link of the chain breaks. I do not say ten links—but one link in the middle of the chain. What shall those distressed people do now! Shall they still cling to the unbroken links?”

“No, no!” exclaimed one of the hearers, “overboard with the chain, or it will sink them the sooner.”

“What then shall they do?”

“Cast themselves upon the mercy of God,” exclaimed another.

“True,” I replied. “If one commandment be broken, it is as though all of them were broken. We cannot be saved by them; we must trust in the mercy of God, and lay hold on the almighty hand of Christ, which is stretched out to save us.” I have frequently used this parable, and always found it to answer.