Blood-Guiltiness

"Your hands are defiled with blood" (Isa. 59: 3). 

It will be an astonishing scene, at the judgment day, to see the vast number of professors of religion and of holiness whose hands will be stained with the blood of souls. It is considered an awful crime, in this life, for a man or woman to be guilty of murder, i. e., of destroying the natural life of their fellow man; but it is a million times more appalling to be guilty of soul murder.

Let us imagine now that the judgment day has come, and all the dead, both saints and sinners, are resurrected, and all the living changed and exalted to mid-air before the "great white throne." See the King in His beauty upon the throne, brighter than a million suns, while the whole universe quakes at His presence. See the teeming billions of blood-washed saints, with radiant faces, standing at his right hand. See the innumerable black throng of lost souls, on whose faces burn despair, anguish and eternal shame. And as we gaze upon them, we not only see men from distant climes, but see our sons and daughters, our husbands and wives, who have lived under the same roof, eaten at the same table, shared our joys and sorrows during our pilgrimage upon earth. But now the scene has changed, and they are Jehovah's eternal prisoners, fettered before the bar. The light has flown from their eyes-the enchanting smile that once played upon their cheek has vanished away. Hope has died in every breast and horror fetters them speechless before the Judge. And as we look into the faces of these lost ones, can any of them say to us, "Your hands are stained with my blood; if you had done your duty, I would not have been today a lost soul."

Now reader, with this awful picture before your mind, let us closely observe a few facts, and see if your hands are clean.

I. We will begin at your home. Are you clear of the blood of your children Could you this moment meet them at the judgment bar, before the great God, and testify both to God and man that you are clear of their blood, and that you have done all that was in your power to get them saved If not, your hands are stained with their blood.

And since the day you were converted, have you always set the proper example before them First, in your conversation. Has it always been free from slander, evil speaking, slang, jokes, profanity, foolishness and lies Did you permit them to wear things that God would not permit you to wear, go to places He would not permit you to go, play games He would not permit you to play Did you ever cover their sins or justify them when they had done wrong, rather than make them confess and straighten it up as far as possible

If so, your hands are stained with their blood and you are a soul cutthroat.     II. Are you clear of the blood of your neighbor, and ready to meet him before God Could you say to him, "I faithfully warned you again and again; I have prayed for you every day since I embraced religion; I have set before you a godly example, keeping myself pure from all strong drink, all uncleanness, all tobacco, all theatres, all circuses, all Sabbath desecration, all base ball games, all worldly dress, all secret societies, all labor unions, all picnics, all card parties, or wrong doing of any kind, and have lived a righteous life both before God and man. Hence I am clear of your blood." Or will he say to you, when he realizes something of what it means to be lost, "Why did you not tell me about this You saw me every clay, and talked to me about the weather, the styles, the market prices, etc., but you never told me about the judgment; you never told me it would be like this"

Are your hands stained with blood

III. Are you clear of the blood of the heathen, and ready to meet them at the judgment bar We must remember, every Christian in the home land is in a measure responsible for, the salvation of the heathen. Now if you are clear of their blood and ready to meet them before God, you have done these things: 1. You have prayed for them daily, that God might send the light to them and save them. 2. You have given money to help send and support the gospel in the foreign fields (provided you could not go), even though you had to deny yourself many unnecessary table luxuries to do so.

It is appalling to think of the amount of money spent in our country per annum for unnecessary things. Think of $98,223,310 spent per annum for tea and coffee. Think of the $800,000,000 per annum for the trimming of hats, such as feathers, ribbons, artificial flowers, etc.! Think of the $60,500,000 per annum for jewelry! Think of the $15,000,000 per annum for chewing gum!

Can we as Christians take any part in these great sins and be clear of the blood of souls How do your hands look

IV. Are you clear of the blood of deceived church members in your community

Now there are many indirect ways in which you can be guilty at this point. Notice! 1. Do you give your money to support an unclean minister- one who opposes the doctrines of the Bible, viz., the doctrine of "living without sin," and the doctrine of holiness; one who uses tobacco in any form, belongs to lodges, drinks strong drink, goes to theatres and circuses, plays or attends baseball games, or any other ungodly thing If so, you are only supporting a wolf in sheep's clothing, who is growing fat on the blood of souls, and is blindfolding you and your children, and your neighbor and neighbor's children, with lies and smooth sayings (woven in flattery's loom) and leading you down to a lake of fire and brimstone.

2. Do you lend your influence to those churches which plead for sin, believe it is no harm to dance, go to the theatre, drink beer, use tobacco, etc. Do you lend them your influence by attending their meetings and by sending your children to their Sabbath-schools If so, you are lending your influence to an ungodly movement and thus encouraging its votaries to perpetuate a soul death trap in your community. Are your hands stained with the blood of souls

3. Do you hold an even light before them We remember when, in the country at night, one of our party would carry the lantern and thus lead the way; but when he failed to hold an even light on the path, the light would blind and confuse, rather than help us. So it is when we fail to hold an even, sound life and doctrine before the people; we confuse and bemuddle them, rather than help them. And when they see so many "isms" and "ites" they question "Who is right"

V. Are you fulfilling your God-given calling God has not seen fit to use angels in this great redemption scheme, but has condescended to make 'men His co-laborers. How many men and women do we find to-day, in the stores, in the machine shops, in the kitchen, and in various walks of life, who have played the Jonah and run away from the call of God, while souls are teeming down to the flames at the rate of forty per minute.

Are you clear How do your hands look Are they stained with blood O may the Lord awake us before we awake in hell's corrosive fires!