0516. SON, REMEMBER

SON, REMEMBER

Luk_16:25

On the authority of Christ this "certain rich man" must be taken as a real historical person. This startling appeal is made to his memory.

I.-MEMORY IS A MARVELLOUS GIFT. Loss of memory means loss of all usefulness, of all dignity and responsibility; it is the loss of our identity. The brain itself is a mere pulp, it is the mind that remembers, now and in eternity.

II.-MEMORY IS THE STOREHOUSE OF THE SOUL. "Son, remember." Its capacity for storage is tremendous. Be careful what you put into it, as such goods may be required again. It may be a palace of precious keepsakes, or a chamber of horrors. It is a museum of records of events, the reference book for a coming judgment. It is the seed plot of this life, and of that which is to come.

III.-MEMORY IS AFFECTED BY THE STATE OF THE HEART. "Son, remember." What we are choosing now is determined by what we love. If we love the world then our hearts will be set on it. We remember most clearly what we have loved most dearly. Our youthful impressions, because of their intensity, usually abide longest with us. Some set their hearts on "things above," while others "mind earthly things."

IV.-MEMORY IS THE REPRODUCTIVE FACULTY. "Son, remember." It supplies the evidence for the final judgment, and may be one of "the books which will be opened in that great day." When a Christless man dies he has "nothing left but a majestic memory." We never speak of a sinful memory; it may be weak or strong, but it is not in itself sinful, as it is but a mirror that reflects back what has been set before it. "Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst," etc. Here "Remembrance wakes with all her busy train, swells at the heart, and turns the past to pain." Peter wept when he thought thereon. Soul, remember that this is thy lifetime, and that the best of all "good things"-the Gospel of Christ-is within your reach. Receive Him, and then your sins and iniquities will be remembered no more.

Autor: James Smith