Many more passed by who carried little balloons of self-righteousness
with which they expected to rise above the murky River of Death.
A young woman, who moved more cautiously, stopped at the Place of
Warning and listened attentively.
Directly a voice spoke to her: "Not far hence, O mortal woman, there
is a wide river. It surges on forever. No one who goes this way can
escape its waters. Listen now to the voice of Wisdom. Leave this
blood-marked way of misery and woe, and come to these happier dominions
where 'her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.'"
"Surely I will not be lost," she replied. "I am depending on the mercy
of God who is too kind to be unjust. I will come out all right in the
end."
"Take heed, my friend," pleaded the warning voice. "You are hoping for
mercy at the dividing line between time and eternity. Better forget
not what the Scripture saith. 'He that is unjust, let him be unjust
still: and he which is filthy let him be filthy still.' So thou canst
not wilfully neglect so great salvation and hope that God will cover
at last all thy folly. 'Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the
day of salvation.
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