I was once preaching, and a man came to me who was only thirty-two years old, but whose hair was very grey. He said, “I want you to notice that my hair is grey, and I am only thirty-two years old. For twelve years I have carried a great burden.” “Well,” I said, “what is it?” He looked around as if afraid someone would hear him. “Well,” he answered, “my father died and left my mother with the county newspaper, and left her only that: that was all she had. After he died the paper begun to waste away; and I saw my mother was fast sinking into a state of need. The building and the paper were insured for a thousand dollars, and when I was twenty years old I set fire to the building, and obtained the thousand dollars, and gave it to my mother. For twelve years that sin has been haunting me. I have tried to drown it by indulgence in pleasure and sin; I have cursed God; I have gone into infidelity; I have tried to make out that the Bible is not true; I have done everything I could: but all these years I have been tormented.” I said, “There is a way out of that.” He inquired “How?” I said, “Make restitution. Let us sit down and calculate the interest, and then you pay the Company the money.” It would have done you good to see that man’s face light up when he found there was mercy for him. He said he would be glad to pay back the money and interest if he could only be forgiven.
There are men today who are in darkness and bondage because they are not willing to turn from their sins and confess them; and I do not know how a man can hope to be forgiven if he is not willing to confess his sins.
Bear in mind that now is the only day of mercy you will ever have. You can repent now, and have the awful record blotted out. God waits to forgive you; He is seeking to bring you to Himself. But I think the Bible teaches clearly that there is no repentance after this life . There are some who tell you of the possibility of repentance in the grave; but I do not find that in Scripture. I have looked my Bible over very carefully, and I cannot find that a man will have another opportunity of being saved.