God's closing call from The Night
Watches by John McDuff. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse
2. Reader, how does it stand with
you? Is the question of your soul's
salvation finally and forever settled? Are you at peace with
God? Can you say with Paul in the
prospect of death, I am now ready? Have you been led to feel the
infinite peril of postponement and procrastination and responded
to the appeal, behold, now. Ah, how many have found, when
the imagined hour of deathbed preparation had come, that the
tear of penitence was too late to be shed and the prayer of
mercy too late to be uttered. Let there be plain dealing between
your conscience and your God. Do not try to escape from the
pressing urgency of the question. You may dismiss it now, but there
is a day coming when you dare not. Let it not merge in vague
generalities. Let it be realized as a matter
of personal concern of infinite importance to yourself. Am I
saved or am I not saved? Am I prepared or am I unprepared
to meet Almighty God? You may have perhaps an honest
intent of giving it some future deliberation at another and more
convenient season. Do we ever read of Felix's more
convenient season? It were better not to risk the
experiment of a dying hour, for the solution of the problem is
my soul safe for eternity. that it is too difficult to matter. A conference about the soul on
the brink of eternity? Remember God's Spirit will not
always strive. All His other attributes are
infinite, but His patience and forbearance have their bounds
and limits. The invitation which is yours
today may be withdrawn tomorrow. The axe may be even now laid
at the root of the tree and the sentence on the wing cut it down. How awful that you are yet living
in the state of estrangement and guilt. What a surrender of
present peace, what a forfeiture of eternal joy. Hurry, flee for
your life lest you be consumed. Your immortality is no trifle. The night is far spent. Who can
tell how far? It may be now or never with you. Once more you are about to lie
down on your nightly pillow. What if your waking tomorrow
were to be in outer darkness in the infernal pit? But take
courage. That night is not too far spent. Close this last of the night
watches by fleeing without delay to Jesus, the sinner's savior
and the sinner's friend. It was on the last watch of the
night. He came of old to his tempest-tossed disciples. Like
them, receive him now into your soul, and have all your guilty
fears calmed by his omnipotent peace be still. Are there not
ominous signs all around, as if the world's last enclosing
night watch has come? The billows are heaving high.
We hear the footsteps on the waters. Amid the fitful moanings
of the blast, the watchword is heard, of joy to some, of terror
to others. Maranatha, the Lord is coming. Reader, are you ready? Is the
joyous responses on your tongue? Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. If this night were indeed your
very last, and the thunders of judgment were to break upon you
before daybreak, would you be able, in the assurance of an
eternal dawn, to say, I will both lie down and sleep in peace,
For you alone, O Lord, make me live in safety. Psalm 4, verse
8.