. He may be on earth at noon, but in hell at night. James Smith, The Dangerous Progress, 1864.

They walk on in darkness. Psalm 82, 5.

The minds of sinners make progress, but it is in the wrong path. They start it wrong. They will not believe that they are wrong. Therefore, they walk on to their own destruction.

It is a painful sight to see thousands and tens of thousands of travelers passing through this world. and all going wrong. Every step they take leaves us less hope, and gives the Prince of Darkness more power over them. In temporal things they see clearly enough, but in spiritual things they are stone blind, they walk on in darkness.

Darkness is the emblem of ignorance. They are ignorant of their true state before God, of the character of the God who made them, of the just desert of sin, of the only Savior who can deliver them, of the way of escape opened up before them, and of the dreadful doom that awaits them. They walk on in ignorance. If they were not so ignorant, they would surely fly to the Lord Jesus to save them.

Darkness is also the emblem of sin. They live in the violation of God's holy law, neglecting Christ's gracious gospel and making self the end of their existence. They live to themselves, they live for themselves, they neglect God's requirements, they despise His invitations, they turn their backs on His throne of grace, they treat His book with contempt, they waste their time in idleness and folly, and yet talk as if they expected that He would have mercy upon them at last. They walk on in sin, and yet hope to arrive in heaven at last.

Darkness represents danger. These people are in imminent danger. Disease may arrest them at any hour. Death may remove them out of this world at any moment. Disease introduces death. Death ushers into the presence of God, and God dooms the careless sinner to hell. He may be in health in the morning, but a corpse at noon. He may be on earth at noon, but in hell at night.

He walks upon snares. He is surrounded by the officers of justice. He may be seized any moment. Once seized, hope departs, despair approaches, and outer darkness closes up the scene. And yet, they walk on in thoughtlessness, they fall away their time, neglect their opportunities of escape, disregard the warning voice, and perish in their own deceivings.

Beast-like, They have no concern for any of these things. They say they shall not be worse off than others, as if it were any relief to be no worse than others, where all are in misery, agony, and endless woe. Not worse off than others? Yes, they will, for it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for them, not worse off than others. Indeed, they will, for the men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment and condemn them, not worse off than others.

This is a mistake, for careless, indifferent, Christ-rejecting sinners will receive the greater damnation. They walk on in darkness, but if they persevere in doing so, then how fearful will their end be? It will be misery without mercy, darkness without light, despair without prospect of deliverance, and all the result of a willful determination to walk on in darkness.