His burden became so heavy that it got to be insupportable. He handed me the money—950 dollars and some cents—and asked me to take it back to his employers. The next evening the two employers and myself met in a side room of the church. I laid the money down, and informed them it was from one of their employees. I told them the story, and said he wanted mercy from them, not justice. The tears trickled down the cheeks of these two men, and they said, “Forgive him! Yes, we will be glad to forgive him.” I went downstairs and brought him up. After he had confessed his guilt and been forgiven, we all got down on our knees and had a blessed prayer-meeting. God met us and blessed us there.
There was a friend of mine who some time ago had come to Christ and wished to consecrate himself and his wealth to God. He had formerly had transactions with the government, and had taken advantage of them. This thing came up when he was converted, and his conscience troubled him. He said, “I want to consecrate my wealth, but it seems as if God will not take it.” He had a terrible struggle; his conscience kept rising up and smiting him. At last he drew a check for $1,500 and sent it to the United States Treasury. He told me he received such a blessing when he had done it. That was bringing forth “fruits meet for repentance.” I believe a great many men are crying to God for light; and they are not getting it because they are not honest.
I was once preaching, and a man came to me who was only thirty-two years old, but whose hair was very grey. He said, “I want you to notice that my hair is grey, and I am only thirty-two years old. For twelve years I have carried a great burden.” “Well,” I said, “what is it?” He looked around as if afraid someone would hear him. “Well,” he answered, “my father died and left my mother with the county newspaper, and left her only that: that was all she had. After he died the paper begun to waste away; and I saw my mother was fast sinking into a state of need. The building and the paper were insured for a thousand dollars, and when I was twenty years old I set fire to the building, and obtained the thousand dollars, and gave it to my mother. For twelve years that sin has been haunting me. I have tried to drown it by indulgence in pleasure and sin; I have cursed God; I have gone into infidelity; I have tried to make out that the Bible is not true; I have done everything I could: but all these years I have been tormented.” I said, “There is a way out of that.” He inquired “How?” I said, “Make restitution. Let us sit down and calculate the interest, and then you pay the Company the money.” It would have done you good to see that man’s face light up when he found there was mercy for him. He said he would be glad to pay back the money and interest if he could only be forgiven.
There are men today who are in darkness and bondage because they are not willing to turn from their sins and confess them; and I do not know how a man can hope to be forgiven if he is not willing to confess his sins.
Bear in mind that now is the only day of mercy you will ever have. You can repent now, and have the awful record blotted out. God waits to forgive you; He is seeking to bring you to Himself. But I think the Bible teaches clearly that there is no repentance after this life. There are some who tell you of the possibility of repentance in the grave; but I do not find that in Scripture. I have looked my Bible over very carefully, and I cannot find that a man will have another opportunity of being saved.
Why should he ask for any more time? You have time enough to repent now. You can turn from your sins this moment if you will. God says: “I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth; wherefore turn, and live ye” (Ezekiel 18:32).
Christ said, He “came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Are you a sinner? Then the call to repent is addressed to you. Take your place in the dust at the Saviour’s feet, and acknowledge your guilt. Say, like the publican of old, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” and see how quickly He will pardon and bless you. He will even justify you and reckon you as righteous, by virtue of the righteousness of Him who bore your sins in His own body on the Cross.
There are some perhaps who think themselves righteous; and that, therefore, there is no need for them to repent and believe the Gospel. They are like the Pharisee in the parable, who thanked God that he was not as other men—“extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican;” and who went on to say, “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all I possess.” What is the judgment about such self-righteous
