I used to think that was a terrible day when I should be summoned
before God, and could not tell till then whether I should have a seat
on His right hand or on His left. Until I stood before the great white
throne of judgment I could not tell whether I should hear the voice of
God saying, "Depart from Me, ye cursed," or whether God would say,
"Enter thou into the joy of the Lord." But the gospel tells me that
question is already settled--"There is now no condemnation to them
that are in Christ Jesus." Listen to this verse--"Verily, verily"--and
when you see that word "Verily, verily" in Scripture, you may know
there is something very important coming; it means, "Mind what I tell
you," or, "Truly, truly"--"Truly, truly, I say unto you, He that
heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath [h-a-t-h,
hath] everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation [that
means, into judgment]; but is passed from death unto life." Well, now,
I am not coming into judgment for sin. The question has been settled,
because Christ was judged for me, and died in my stead, and I go free.
Is not that good news?
I heard of a man praying the other day that I might lay hold of
eternal life. I could not have said Amen to that. I laid hold of
eternal life twenty years ago when I was converted. What is the gift
of God if it is not eternal life? And that is what God wants to give
to every one in this hall to-night, and it is the greatest gift that
can be bestowed on any one down here in this dark world. If an angel
came straight from the throne of God on to this platform, and
proclaimed to this vast assembly that God had sent him here to offer
to this audience any one thing they might ask, that each one should
have his own petition granted, what would be the cry in this audience?
There would be but one cry coming up from you, and the shout would
make heaven ring--"Eternal life! eternal life!" Everything would float
away into the dim past. There is not anything a man values more than
his life. Let a man worth a million sterling be on a wrecked vessel,
and if he could just save his life for six months by giving that
million, he would give it in an instant. The gift of God is eternal
life; and is it not one of the greatest marvels that we have to stand
and plead, and pray men to take this gift. May God help you to take it
now. Do not listen to Satan any longer. Reach out the hand of faith
and take it now. Young man, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved." Trust Him to save you now, and then there will
be no condemnation. Death will have lost his sting, the grave and its
victory will be safe out of the way, and the judgment will be past for
you. Believe the gospel. Lay hold of eternal life while God is
offering it to you. Be reconciled to-night. Take your stand hard by
the cross, and you are saved for time and eternity. I am told that at
Rome, if you go up a few steps on your hands and knees, that is nine
years out of purgatory. If you take one step now you are out of
purgatory for time and eternity. You used to have two steps into
glory--out of self into Christ, out of Christ into glory. But there is
a shorter way now with only one step--out of self into glory, and you
are saved. May God help you to take the step now! Flee, my friends,
to-night to Calvary, and get under the shadow of the cross.