ESCAPE POE THY LIFE.

Hoa Maori, Issue 17, 1 July 1890, Page 1

ESCAPE POE THY LIFE.

•'Prepare to meet thy God."— Amos 4, 12. SHE steamer Quetta, which, left Cook- _ town in February for London with a full cargo and 290 souls on hoard, met with a fearful disaster by which a great number of the passengers and crew suddenly perished. The vessel was officered by experienced seamen, and everything seemed to promise a pleasant and prosperous voyage. All seemed happy. The saloqn passengers, it is said, passed the time with music, songs and dancing; the others were just as merry. On the night of the 28th February none anticipated the appalling scenes so soon to be witnessed. While groups were scattered about the ship, talking of the prospective pleasures of the trip, others lazily enjoying the warm summer’s night, some ladies singing and practising for a Concert in the Music Saloon, suddenly a shock was felt which

sent a thrill of horror through every soul on board. The ship had struck on a hidden rock, and in about three minutes, more than half the passengers and crew were left helpless in the water, the vessel having, disappeared beneath the waves. Some managed to get into the boats, and others escaped by swimming or by laying hold of such things as they found floating about, but more than half were drowned. The sea about seemed a confused mass of human beings struggling for life. The cries and shrieks of the drowning were terrible, and, to hear their entreaties for help when no help could be given, struck the hearts of those in the boats with anguish. A sad thing was that though many women were on board, all but two perished. This terrible calamity may well arouse serious thoughts in every heart. No one can help commiserating the' sad fate of so many of our fellow creatures suddenly cut off while anticipating a lengthened period of enjoyment. But the Christian knows that " after death is the judgment"—Hebrews 9, 27. If men did not live after death, such an occurrence would be comparetively light, but what invests it with elements of awful solemnity is the fact that everyone must stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account of everything done in the body. The people on this vessel were not worse than others; many of them may have been much better. The state of each individual on board is known to God alone, and, whether they fled to the only refuge from the wrath to come, we know not. But it is a sorrowful thought that, according to the testimony of the survivors, many of the passengers seemed to have no thought about the eternal future and the blessed One that came down from heaven to save the lost children of men. Before the Flood, which swept away the world of the ungodly, men lived only for the present, God was not in.all their thoughts. It was so with the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. No doubt both they and the men before the flood were great sinners; ! but, had they thought of God, they should

have forsaken their sins, and mercy would have been granted to them. But they loved iniquity, and of the men before the flood we are told in God's word that their spirits are now in prison, and of them and of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah we are also told, that they are reserved unto the day of judgment to he punished. It is on account of sins, that the wrath of God' comes upon men. According to the • Scriptures all have sinned and- do come short of the glory of God—Romans 3, 23. If we desire to be with God we must be like himself God will not tolerate impurity in his presence. But someone perhaps will say— " God is too merciful to cast sinners into the lake of fire, surely no one deserves such a punishment." If such an objection were well-founded, there was no necessity for the Son of God being sent into the world to put away sin at the cost of his precious life. If we are to believe such statements, the sufferings and death of the Son of God are of comparatively little account, there was little or no reason for his death. But, we know from the sure testimony of God, that in Christ's death, all that God is against sin was fully displayed and was borne by Christ the sinless one. Boundless, indeed, is the mercy of God, and it is in the work of Christ on the Cross that mercy is shown. In Jesus and His work we see what is in the heart of God. As God cannot tolerate impurity in his presence, we must be white as snow if we seek to dwell with him. Who can say he is altogether pure ? Well; unless we are so, we cannot he with God. But every believer in Jesus is whiter than snow, because he has been washed in the precious blood. 0 sinner, reflect! What shall be the end of those that appear in the presence of God and have never availed themselves of the blood'by which only anyone is made meet for that holy place ? Hearken to the words of a man that knew God" We are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags "~ Isaiah 64, 6. How can such an one stand before God? He who thinks there is nothing in him unfit for the presence of God,

and that he deserves not to he cast away, is like the man that went to the marriage feast without the wedding garment. This man, we are told by the Lord, was east out into the outer darkness, where there are weeping and gnashing of teeth—Matthew 22, 13. Such shall he the end of all that rely on their own good qualities for acceptance with God. If the passengers of this ill-fated vessel had been warned that such a catastrophe might be expected, they would surely have been too anxious to think of pleasures, they should have been occupied in thinking of their safety. The sure word of "God that cannot lie" tells us that the wicked and the unclean shall be consigned to eternal torments. In despite of this solemn warning, multitudes of men and women never ask themselves the question, where their eternity shall be spent—the lake of fire, or elsewhere. What folly for men and women to think only of the enjoyment of this passing scene and never trouble themselves about eternity ! Such conduct is real madness. Such people have given up their real good for things wherein are no profit. Soon the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction .from the presence of theLord"(2Thessalonians 1,7-9). "Who shall accompany Christ in that day? The saints only, that is, those whose sins and uncleanness have been washed away. But some one may say, " We all believe in the blood of Christ." Those that are washed have God's thoughts about sin. God's abhorrence of sin and his indignation against it were displayed in the death of the Lord Jesus. Unless we forsake sin and evil, we have no part with him, though we may say Jesus is our confidence. Bead Isaiah 55, 6-7.