Appeal to the Young
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his understanding the plan of redemption for fallen man. He was
made to understand in his own experience how unutterable was the
self-denial of the infinite God in giving His own Son to die to rescue
man from utter ruin. To Abraham no mental torture could be equal to
that which he endured in obeying the divine command to sacrifice his
son.
God gave His Son to a life of humiliation, self-denial, poverty, toil,
reproach, and to the agonizing death of crucifixion. But there was
no angel to bear the joyful message: “It is enough; You need not die,
My well-beloved Son.” Legions of angels were sorrowfully waiting,
hoping that, as in the case of Isaac, God would at the last moment
prevent His shameful death. But angels were not permitted to bear any
such message to God’s dear Son. The humiliation in the judgment hall
and on the way to Calvary went on. He was mocked, derided, and spit
upon. He endured the jeers, taunts, and revilings of those who hated
Him, until upon the cross He bowed His head and died.
Could God give us any greater proof of His love than in thus
giving His Son to pass through this scene of suffering? And as the
gift of God to man was a free gift, His love infinite, so His claims
upon our confidence, our obedience, our whole heart, and the wealth
of our affections are correspondingly infinite. He requires all that
it is possible for man to give. The submission on our part must be
proportionate to the gift of God; it must be complete and wanting in
nothing. We are all debtors to God. He has claims upon us that we
cannot meet without giving ourselves a full and willing sacrifice. He
claims prompt and willing obedience, and nothing short of this will
He accept. We have opportunity now to secure the love and favor of
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God. This year may be the last year in the lives of some who read
this. Are there any among the youth who read this appeal who would
choose the pleasures of the world before that peace which Christ gives
the earnest seeker and the cheerful doer of His will?
God is weighing our characters, our conduct, and our motives in the
balances of the sanctuary. It will be a fearful thing to be pronounced
wanting in love and obedience by our Redeemer, who died upon the
cross to draw our hearts unto Him. God has bestowed upon us great
and precious gifts. He has given us light and a knowledge of His will,
so that we need not err or walk in darkness. To be weighed in the
balance and found wanting in the day of final settlement and rewards