Baptists -- Sermons; Sermons, English -- 19th century
That separation involves an awful difference of destiny. "Gather the
tares in bundles to burn them." I do not dare to draw the picture; but
when the bundle is bound up there is no place for it except the fire.
God grant that you may never know all the anguish which burning must
mean; but may you escape from it at once. It is no trifle which the Lord
of love compares to being consumed with fire. I am quite certain that no
words of mine can ever set forth its terror. They say that we speak
dreadful things about the wrath to come; but I am sure that we
understate the case. What must the tender, loving, gracious Jesus have
meant by the words, "Gather the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn
them?" See what a wide distinction between the lot of the Lord's people
and Satan's people. Burn the wheat? Oh, no; "Gather the wheat into my
barn." There let them be happily, safely housed for ever. Oh, the
infinite distance between heaven and hell!--the harps and the angels,
and the wailing and gnashing of teeth! Who can ever measure the width of
that gulf which divides the glorified saint, white-robed and crowned
with immortality, from the soul which is driven forever away from the
presence of God, and from the glory of his power? It is a dreadful
"but"--that "but" of separation. I pray you, remember that it will
interpose between brother and brother--between mother and child--between
husband and wife. "One shall be taken and the other left." And when that
sword shall descend to divide, there shall never be any after union. The
separation is eternal. There is no hope or possibility of change in the
world to come.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account