The Door to Forgiveness

THE DOOR TO FORGIVENESS. BY JAMES X. ALLEN, M. D. Today, a brother was telling me about a young man who has ceased praying. He has fallen into sin so often that he has become disheartened, and has despaired of forgiveness for his many backslidings. Therefore, he has ceased to pray, and given himself up as lost. For ought I know, there may be others who may read the Era who have degenerated in the same way. If there be such, I want to say to them, don't give up; don't despair. God knows your weakness, and he will never give you up so long as you trust him, and perseveringly seek after him. Above all things, do not cease to pray. The lower you have fallen, the more need is there for prayer. Persistent, earnest, unceasing prayer. Never forget that God forgives sin! The disciples asked our Lord, how many times shall we forgive those who do wrong? and suggested seven times. But note the answer of that great Teacher: "Until seventy times seven." Would you for a moment suppose that the Lord would ask you or me to be more generous than he himself is toward those for whom he underwent so much suffering? Trust him, my young brother, trust him, and pray always; pray without ceasing, and God will not only forgive you, he will do more, he will help you and strengthen you, insomuch that you will be able to rise above your weakness, and not only do right, but you will love the right, and will hate sin as you will pity the sinner, and sympathize with the sinner in his struggle to overcome his failing.

210 IMPROVEMENT ERA. A soul is never lost as long as it can pray, and repentance is possible. We have a marked example of God's condescension and mercy in the life of the Psalmist. David. What could be worse than the great fall of King David? God had done so much for him. He had raised him from obscurity to a throne. He had placed him head and shoulders above all his fellows. He was a general favorite with God, and there was nothing that his heart could desire that God would withhold from him. And yet, he presumed upon his position to sin most grievously. While other sinners went from bad to worse — as most sinners do — David, from the time that the prophet chastised him, and said ' 'Thou art the man, ' ' David turned from his sins and sought God in prayer and sacrifice; then, as proof of his sincerity, when Hannah offered to furnish the means of sacrificing, David's answer is very significant: **I will not offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which cost me nothing. ' ' The life of the Psalmist David is one of great comfort to sinners who repent and turn to God with sincere repentance. From being the greatest of sinners, he became the first of Saints, "A man after God's own heart." I am speaking to the young men in Israel —young men trained under the best of teachings, and as constantly witnessing the best and most virtuous lives in their parents and leaders; and because of these teachings and holy examples, they become special objects for the cunningly laid plans of the evil one. We read that Satan labored incessantly forty days to bring our Savior under his power. Satan failed, Christ triumphed, and became the Savior of the world. The better and more noble the spirit, the more persistent is the evil one in his endeavor to bring about a fall from grace. And if he can get the conviction engrafted into the heart of a son or daughter of God, that he or she has sinned beyond redemption, so that they will cease to pray, cease to strive after the higher life, he has them just about where he wants them. Young man, never give up. Never lose faith in God's mercy, in God's love, and power, pray always. Without prayer there is no repentance, and without repentance there is no forgiveness of

THE DOOR TO FORGIVENESS. 211 sins. Where prayer and repentance have a good foothold, with proper guidance, the Holy of Holies is sure to be reached. The Savior told his disciples that they should forgive "seventy times seven. ' ' Surely, he will not be less merciful to us, than he wishes us to be to each other. We have an example of discouragement in Judas Iscariot. He sold the Mjaster for thirty pieces of silver. Perhaps Judas did not expect that the Master would allow himself to be taken prisoner. The Lord, on several occasions, when encompassed by those who sought his life, took himself from their midst without let or hindrance. Judas had seen this, he had witnessed the miraculous healing of many souls, had seen the life-long blind given eyesight, had seen cripples made whole, and the dead restored to life; how could it ever enter into his heart that one having such miraculous power would calmly submit himself to the indignities of a public arrest and trial by men from whom he could have easily escaped, or could have stricken palsied as easily as he cursed the barren fig tree. The greatest evil, it appears to me, that Judas could have premediated was that of obtaining money by a low trickery, from the enemies of his Master, and their associates. But to the astonishment and horror of the apostle, the Master meekly submitted to arrest, and calmly bore all the indignities that were heaped upon him. No sooner did Judas sense the situation, than horror seized his soul, and he hastened to the ones who had tempted him and demanded that they take back the money, saying, ' *I have betrayed innocent blood. ' ' When they refused the money, he flung it at them, and went and took his own life. What depths of anguish and despair must have filled the soul of this misguided apostle! He, it seems, never thought of prayer — of repentance. His conviction was that he had sinned beyond repentance. Young man, pray always that God may give you strength and fortitude to overcome the evils which beset the path of youth. But, should you ever fail, never, no never, doubt God's mercy. Pray the oftener and the more earnestly, and God will help you to recover your lost place in his Church and in his affections. How differently was it with the chief apostle? Peter did not sell his Master for cash, but he denied him when in dire predica-

212 IMPROVEMENT ERA. ment, and that, too, repeatedly and in language anything but Christian. But Peter was a strong man, full of faith and courage. He never thought (Judas like) of committing suicide. But as soon as he sensed his position, tears filled his eyes; repentance filled his soul, and prayer sprang up in his heart, as a fountain of never dying waters. In place of adding sin to sin, as Judas had done, and as is so common with those who make great mistakes, he turned to prayer and repentance, and trusted to the mercy of him whom he had denied. ''And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter." Oh, that the Lord would turn and look upon every young man and every young woman in Zion, who forget the high and holy calling to which they have been called; namely, to be sons and daughters of the Most High, through faith and the sacred ordinances of God's house. Did the look that the Master gave Peter have anything to do with his future life? I think it must have had. It could not have been a look of anger. I think it could hardly have been one of reproach — was it not one, think you, of pity and of compassion? Be that as it may, the chief apostle experienced a compunction of conscience that nearly broke his heart — *'And Peter went outside and wept bitterly." The very angels, while filled with horror at the great tragedy being enacted in the capital of Judea, must have sympathized with the friend of God who was shedding those tears of remorse and repentance. Thank God that the Apostle Peter did not despair, and go further into sin. Young man, should you be so unfortunate as to fall from grace, like the Apostle Peter, like Peter, turn your face heavenward; there is the door of return and forgiveness. Do not, like Judas, add sin to sin, but, Peter-like, confess to him whom you have offended. Trust to his loving heart, and the wise counsels of those whom God has appointed to lead and show the ways out of darkness, into God's marvelous light. Ogden, Utah.