Self-Will says: "If he will not accede to my terms, there will be no
reconciliation."
Self-Love says: "What would others think of _me_, were _I_ to humble
myself to him?"
It is self-evident that just so long as this state of feeling exists
with the parties, the enmity will remain. Where deep enmity exists,
both parties may be in fault, as is often the case; but this is not
necessarily so. There are cases where the fault and enmity are all on
one side, and nothing but love and a desire for reconciliation on the
other. I just now call to mind a case of this kind. An avowed infidel
had been at considerable expense to have his daughter educated in the
refinements of learning and art. She excelled in these, and became her
father's pride.
But a day came when her heart was stirred within her. Accidentally
meeting with these words of Paul, "She that liveth in pleasure is dead
while she liveth," her mind was led to think and wonder what they
could mean. Her father had taught her to look upon religion as a thing
of mere superstition, and to treat the Bible as a book of fables and
delusions. But these words clung to her thoughts, and with them some
others which fell from the lips of the minister who preached where she
sometimes went to church.
Finally she opened her heart to a minister who took great care to
instruct her in the way of salvation, and gave her a Bible. This she
read to the illumination of her mind and heart, made an open
profession of her faith, was baptized, and would have gone on her way
rejoicing every day but for one thing. That one thing was her father's
displeasure. His daughter's conduct in the things of religion had
wounded his pride. He became wrathful, and for a time lost his
self-control. In this outburst of passion he ejected her from her
home, and threatened her minister with violence. In this case you
readily see that the fault and enmity are all on one side, and if a
reconciliation is ever effected it must be based upon the repentance
of the guilty party.
I see you are interested to know how all this turned out. I will tell
you very briefly. About two years after the above occurrence the
lady's father met with a very serious accident, in which his leg was
broken and his body otherwise injured. His recovery was slow. When he
could begin to sit up a little he thought what a comfort it would be
to have his daughter's company, if she still were as she once had
been.
Waiving all this, he resolved to ask her to come back home. She had
been with her uncle all this while. Having returned home in compliance
with her father's request, she showed him all the kindness and
attention in her power. One day, when the two were alone together in
the room, he asked her what had induced her to treat him as she had
done. Her tearful eyes and gentle words, as she told him of the love
of Christ which had constrained her to do as she had done, of the joy
and consolation she felt in his service, of her bright hope of bliss
with angels and glorified saints in heaven so impressed him that he
listened with rapt attention. He had never been so talked to before.
From this time on, up to his complete recovery, conversations on the
subject of religion were of daily occurrence; and I am happy to say
that they resulted in deep and godly repentance on his part, which
effected a reconciliation to his daughter and her minister forever.
My dear, unconverted friends, the enmity between you and your God,
like the enmity of this father towards his daughter, is all on one
side, and that is _your_ side. No steps are needed to reconcile God to
man. No such steps ever have been needed, because God holds no enmity
in his heart towards men. His words of invitation, "Come unto me, and
I will give you rest," mean love, love to the guilty. "If any man
thirst, let him come unto me and drink," means love. His bleeding
heart on the cross, and his bleeding hands, and his bleeding feet and
his side, all, all mean love. He ever loves you, and asks you to be
reconciled to him. He is not visibly here now, but he has committed to
his faithful ministers this word of reconciliation; and as a very
humble one of their number I take up the refrain, and in the words of
my text I say to you and to all: "Now then, I am an ambassador for
Christ, as though God did beseech you by me: I pray you in Christ's
stead, be ye reconciled to God."