Monday, September 1, 2008

Pay the price to obtain the wisdom of God!

mountains from the sky

It is worthy of observation, that [the Queen of Sheba] coming from afar, made a journey which cost her very much expense. She came with a great train, with camels bearing spices and very much good and precious stones. She looked upon the treasures of her kingdom as only valuable, because they would admit her into the presence of the keeper of the storehouse of wisdom. Now, our Lord Jesus Christ asks nothing of men except their hearts. He doth not sell the truth to any of them, but gives it freely without money and without price. And what if men will not have it, if they refuse to lend their ears, and to give their thoughts to divine things, shall they not be utterly inexcusable when this heathen queen shall rise up and shall declare that she gave her rubies and her pearls, her spices and her camels to King Solomon, that she might learn his human wisdom?

O sirs, should we lose the light of our eyes and the use of our limbs, yet were it better to enter into life blind and lame, than having those eyes and limbs to be cast into hell fire. “Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life;” and if he would give all that for his temporal life, oh! how much more costly is the spiritual life, and how cheap were the price if he could give a thousand martyrdoms to redeem his soul. But nothing of this kind is asked; the gospel presents freely to every needy soul just that which he requires. It cries — “He that hath no money, let him come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” O my dear hearers, if you have refused the invitation of Christ’s gospel, well may you tremble at the thought, that the Queen of Sheba shall rise up in judgment against you.

From a sermon entitled "The Queen of the South, or The Earnest Enquirer" delivered October 4, 1863. Flickr photo by Dino Olivieri; some rights reserved.

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