Part 28 (2/2)

”You know, John,” I continued, ”that I do not care to argue about these things There iswater to the horses, but we cannot make them drink My business is to put the way of pardon and salvation plainly before you; and after that, if you reject it, it will be your own fault if you perish Do you kno to get forgiveness of sins?”

He seeth, after a pause, he looked me in the face with a hardened expression, and said, ”There's no pardon for me--I know it”

”That cannot be,” I said; ”I do not believe it”

”No,” he continued, ”there's no pardon for me I have known that for fourteen years” I inwardly resolved to get this dreadful secret fro him to such evident desperation A few days afterwards an opportunity occurred, and I pressed upon him for his own sake to tell o; and what special communication he had had with another world

”Oh,” he said, ”I never told anybody; but I would as soon tell you as any one else I had a dreas told me in dreams” Then he was silent; but I was ed hian, ”I drea a broad s was rand; there were beautiful gardens, churches, chapels, theatres, houses, and indeed everything you could think of The people all seeh they were out for a holiday So, and in one way or the other they all appeared to be enjoying the a workman in a field close by, I called to him, and asked 'Where does this road lead to?' He answered, 'To hell, straight on; you cannot miss!' 'hell!'

I was surprised; 'hell,' I said to ht Is the way to hell as pleasant as this? and are people so unconcerned about it?' I was ah the man told me this pleasant road led to hell, I did not stop; I went on and on, seely as pleased as others were However, it did not continue like this long, for soon I cah part, all up and dohere the atmosphere was thick and sulphury, and it was alet out of the place, but I could not

”Seeing some people in the distance, I went near to ask the cinders about on the dry ground, and would not answer ent inquiries As I approached them I saw that they did not look like 'huround, over which they raked cinders to keep it out of sight They were so absorbed in their work that they did not heed h I pleaded more and more earnestly At last, I observed that one of thee work, and looked athim to show me the way out of the place” John added, ”If I ever prayed in my life I prayed then; but he shook his head as if he pitied me, and said mournfully, 'The way you caain he shook his head as if to say, 'You never will' I was obliged to rise froround was so hot, and inin haste, I caround full of fire; I stepped over thee chasm, that I could not ju and running, in a state of terror, till at last I ca fire, into which I fell

Then I awoke For fourteen years this has followed me; there is no hope for itated: seizing his cap he ran out of the house, leaving his wife and e tale

I went ho of this dreaht--How fair are the proin with, and how delusive and disappointing they are at the end! Of course, Satan, the God of this world, willas he possibly can; and if people take outward circu prospects for indications of safety, they wilfully lay themselves open to this deadly delusion What a nuht know, that they are on the road to hell; that they cannot o on! And then how hts of death, or judgment, or hell, obtrude themselves, how readily they cover theood intentions to be better, before it is too late! How often parents do the same for their children, for they cannot bear to think of their being lost forever; so they hope that soed before they die! How often preachers rake cinders also, by addressing their hearers as if they were all safe, and only wanted a little teaching now and then; and itoccasionally! They cannot bear to tell them plainly that they are lost now, and may be lost for ever, if they do not repent and believe the Gospel; they would rather ”be persuaded better things of theh they know for certain that there are ation They entertain the sero on their way to the soleer

The Lord Jesus had no such false charity as this He has told us plainly that we are all perishi+ng creatures, and that there is no hope for any one of us while we are still on the broad road to ruin and in an unchanged state; that we dom of God; that we must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, who died in our stead on the cross, or perish for ever Preachers therefore ought to be s of God so sure

Well did John drea cinders to keep the fire out of sight

After soht on the subject of this awful dream, and hastened to tell John that I had found the way out of that fearful place for him He would not hear al son said, ”I will arise and go to my Father, and say unto Him, I have sinned” ”You see, John,” I continued, ”he came back the way he went, and he found pardon; that is the way for you”

I then knelt down and prayed, and he knelt with me at his table There he re a word, until I was thoroughly exhausted and obliged to go No sooner had I gone, than John's heart failed hi aloud, and said to his wife, ”Oh, Mary, what shall I do? What shall I do?”

”Take the book and read,” she said, pushi+ng the Bible along the table to him It was open at the fifteenth chapter of St Luke, where he read the words aloud, ”I will arise and go to my Father and will say unto hi of his tongue loosed, so that he cried aloud forin one house or another; but in this particular dwelling it onderful His next-door neighbour, who had often heard the sound of cursing and swearing there, but never the voice of prayer, was so astonished, that he rose and ca fact It was quite true; surely it was John's own voice praying So, lifting the latch, he went in and shouted, ”Glory to God!” The louder Willia to his friend, who pointed him to ”the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world,” he found that ”There is life for a look at the Crucified One;” and then they shouted and praised God together

It was a joyful ain, and thanked God with hiht in his soul His very face was altered; and instead of the restless and defiant glare there used to be in his countenance, there was rest and cheerfulness

I pointed out to him, from that same portion of the Word of God which had been blessed to his soul, that there was so more to be had than the pardon that he had already received; that there was also the best robe, the ring, the shoes, and the feast of rejoicing The Father's ariveness---the robe, of righteousness divine which is i, of our union with Christ; the shoes, of strength, even grace, hich alk; and the feast of rejoicing, the believer's privilege of joy and thanksgiving

John's conversion was a rereat sensation; crowds of his felloork-mates used to stand round him while he told his wonderful story ”Oh,” he said, ”I used to say there was no hell, when all the tilory be to God, I am saved from hell to heaven!”

He seldo the Lord to loose the string of the tongue; for, as he said (speaking from experience), ”so many are held captive by that dumb devil” He became a true missionary for souls, and was very zealous in his testist his old companions, orked in the saht to the Lord

John see way He was ahours pondered much upon eternal realities, so that he spoke as one who lived in sight of another world

CHAPTER 34

The Dismissal, 1860-61