Startling Questions

The question before your eyes is the first which God asked of man after the fall. It is the question He put to Adam in the day that he ate the forbidden fruit, and became a sinner.

In vain did Adam and his wife hide themselves among the trees of the garden of Eden. In vain did they try to escape the eye of the all-seeing God. They heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the cool of the day. “And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” (Gen. iii. 9.) Think for a moment hov awful those words must have sounded 1 Think what the feelings of Adam and Eve must have been!

Reader, 6,000 years have well-nigh passed away since this question was first asked. Millions of Adam’s children have lived and died, and gone to their own place. Millions are yet upon earth, and every one of them has a soul to be lost or saved. But no question ever has been, or ever can be asked more solemn than that which is before you: — Where art thou? Where art thou in the sight of God? — Come now, and give me your attention, while I tell you a few things which may throw light upon this question.

I know not who you are, — whether you are a Churchman or a Dissenter; — whether you are learned or unlearned; — whether you are rich or poor; — whether you are old or young: about all this I know nothing. But I do know that you have got an immortal soul, and I want that soul to be saved. I do know that you have got to stand before the judgment-seat of Grod, and I want you to be prepared for it. I do know that you will be forever in heaven or in hell, and I want you to escape hell, and reach heaven. I do know that the Bible contains most solemn things about the inhabitants of the earth, and I want every “WHEEE AET THOTJ?”

man, woman, and child in the world to hear them. I believe every word in the Bible; and because I believe it, I ask every reader of this paper,” Where art thou in the sight of GodP’

I. In the first place, there are many people about whom the Bible shows me I ought to be exceedingly afraid. Reader, art thou one of them?

There are those, who, if Bible words mean anything, have not yet been converted and born again. They are not justified. They are not sanctified. They have not the Spirit. They have no faith. They have no grace. Their sins are not forgiven. Their hearts are not changed. They are not ready to die. * They are not meet for heaven. They are neither godly, nor righteous, nor saints. If they are, Bible words mean nothing at all.

Some of these persons, to all appearance, think no more about their souls than the beasts that perish. There is nothing to show that they think of the life to come any more than the horse and ox, which have no understanding. Their treasure is evidently all on earth. Their good things are plainly all on this side of the grave. Their attention is swallowed up by the perishable things of time. Meat, drink, and clothing, — money, houses, and land, — business, pleasure, or politics, — marrying, reading, or company; — these are the kind of things which fill their hearts. They live as if there were no such book as the Bible. They go on as if resurrection and eternal judgment were not true, but a lie. As to grace, and conversion, and justification, and holiness, — they are things which, like Gallio, they care not for; — they are words and names they are either ignorant of, or despise. They ’ are all going to die. They are all going to be judged. And yet they seem to be even mor§ hardened than the devil, for they appear neither to believe nor tremble. Alas! what a state this is for an immortal soul to be in I But oh! how common!

Some of the persons I speak of have got a form of religion, but after all it is nothing but a form. They profess and call themselves Christians. They go to a place of worship on

Sunday. But when you have said that, you have said all. Where is the religion of the New Testament to be seen in their lives? Nowhere at all! Sin is plainly not considered their worst enemy, nor the Lord Jesus their best friend, — nor the will of Grod their rule of life, — nor salvation the great end of their existence. The spirit of slumber keeps possession of their hearts, and they are at ease, self-satisfied, and content. They are in a Laodicean frame of mind, and fancy they have enough religion.

God speaks to them continually, by mercies, — by afflictions, — by Sabbaths, — by sermons; but they will not hear. Jesus knocks at the door of their hearts, but they will not open. They are told of death and eternity, and remain unconcerned. They are warned against the love of the world, and plunge into it week after week without shame. They hear of Christ coming upon earth to die for sinners, and go away unmoved. There seems a place in their hearts for everything but God; — room for business, — room for pleasures, — room for trifling, — room for sin, — room for the devil, — room for the world: but, like the inn at Bethlehem, no room for Him who made them, — no admission for Jesus, the Spirit, and the Word. Alas! what a condition of things this is! But alas! how common I

Keader, I put it solemnly to your conscience, as in the sight of God, are you one of those persons whom I have just described? There are thousjjnds of such people in our land, — thousands in Great Britain, — thousands in Ireland, — thousands in our country parishes, — thousands in our towns, — thousands among Churchmen, — thousands among Dissenters, — thousands among rich, — thousands among poor. Now, are you one of them? If you are, I fear for you, — I tremble for you, — I am alarmed for you, — I am exceeding!y- afraid.

What is it that I fear for you? I fear everything. I fear lest you should persist in rejecting Christ till you have sinned away your own soul. I fear lest you be given over to a reprobate mind, and awake no more. I fear lest you come to such deadness and hardness of heart, that nothing but the voice of the archangel and the trump of God will break your sleep. I fear lest you cling to this vain world so closely, that nothing but death will part it and you. I fear lest you should live without Christ, die without pardon, rise again without hope, receive judgment without mercy, and sink into hell without remedy.

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