The next story tells what happens if you deny
God’s calling. (The excerpt is from John
Bunyan's book. He lived in the 1600s.)
"Why was I given a chance? Why was I equipped with an immortal soul? Why
did I care so
little about it? Oh, how my own negligence gives me a fatal wound, and
yet I know that I can
not and am not allowed to die. But to live a mortal life is worse than
ten thousand deaths, and
yet once I could have received help, but I refused to accept it! Oh,
this is the nagging worm
that never dies. Once I could have been happy; once salvation was
offered to me, but I
refused it. If it had happened only once, and I would have resisted it,
it would have been
unforgivable foolishness, but it was offered a thousand times, and just
as often (so wretched I
was) I resisted it. Damned sin, which lures mankind into eternal
destruction by its deceitful
pleasure! God often called me, but as often I resisted it. He reached
out His hand, but I didn't
care. Oh how often did I go against His commands, how often I resisted
His reprimands! But
now the situation has changed, for now He follows my misery and mocks
the ruin which has
come to me. He could have helped me then, but I didn't want it.
Therefore this constant pain is
only the reward for my owns actions, which I have been doomed to suffer."
(Translated from
the Finnish version of "Näkyjä taivasta ja helvetistä", page 67)