Finally she opened her heart to a minister who took great care to instruct her in the way of salvation, and gave her a Bible.  This she read to the illumination of her mind and heart, made an open profession of her faith, was baptized, and would have gone on her way rejoicing every day but for one thing.  That one thing was her father’s displeasure.  His daughter’s conduct in the things of religion had wounded his pride.  He became wrathful, and for a time lost his self-control.  In this outburst of passion he ejected her from her home, and threatened her minister with violence.  In this case you readily see that the fault and enmity are all on one side, and if a reconciliation is ever effected it must be based upon the repentance of the guilty party.

I see you are interested to know how all this turned out.  I will tell you very briefly.  About two years after the above occurrence the lady’s father met with a very serious accident, in which his leg was broken and his body otherwise injured.  His recovery was slow.  When he could begin to sit up a little he thought what a comfort it would be to have his daughter’s company, if she still were as she once had been.

Waiving all this, he resolved to ask her to come back home.  She had been with her uncle all this while.  Having returned home in compliance with her father’s request, she showed him all the kindness and attention in her power.  One day, when the two were alone together in the room, he asked her what had induced her to treat him as she had done.  Her tearful eyes and gentle words, as she told him of the love of Christ which had constrained her to do as she had done, of the joy and consolation she felt in his service, of her bright hope of bliss with angels and glorified saints in heaven so impressed him that he listened with rapt attention.  He had never been so talked to before.  From this time on, up to his complete recovery, conversations on the subject of religion were of daily occurrence; and I am happy to say that they resulted in deep and godly repentance on his part, which effected a reconciliation to his daughter and her minister forever.

My dear, unconverted friends, the enmity between you and your God, like the enmity of this father towards his daughter, is all on one side, and that is your side.  No steps are needed to reconcile God to man.  No such steps ever have been needed, because God holds no enmity in his heart towards men.  His words of invitation, “Come unto me, and I will give you rest,” mean love, love to the guilty.  “If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink,” means love.  His bleeding heart on the cross, and his bleeding hands, and his bleeding feet and his side, all, all mean love.  He ever loves you, and asks you to be reconciled to him.  He is not visibly here now, but he has committed to his faithful ministers this word of reconciliation; and as a very humble one of their number I take up the refrain, and in the words of my text I say to you and to all:  “Now then, I am an ambassador for Christ, as though God did beseech you by me:  I pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”