The Hellbound Train

"Tom Gray's Dream"

Last week I shared the poem, The Spider and The Fly, as well as some thoughts I’d been mulling over related to temptation and the devil’s web that he lays out for each one of us.

It got me thinking further about some other poems and short stories that I hadn’t heard in years, but have had an impact on my life. I’m going to search them out and post them for you in the coming months.

It saddens me to see how complacent and worldly the Christian church has become in my lifetime, even so-called ‘conservative’ Christians. The more we allow worldliness and a lowering of our own personal standards of holiness, the less our light for Jesus shines and the darker the world becomes.

Sometimes I wonder if we allow ourselves to be fooled by a misunderstanding of God’s mercy and grace to such a degree that we begin to think that God doesn’t expect us to be servants of righteousness.

Does God really expect us to be holy?

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. ~ 1 Peter 1:14-16

Clearly, God does! We know we aren’t going to obtain perfection in holiness while living on this earth, but God has reasons for everything He says and does, even if we don’t know or understand them.

In this case, I think He gives us enough insight into His reasoning through His Word so that we can understand at least some of His reasons for a call to righteousness. I’d like to mention just two of them.

1. Holy living and keeping your personal standards high serve as protection against the destruction of the devil. Our enemy always wants to destroy us, and he can much more easily do that when we are walking close to the edge of what is acceptable, rather than staying as far away from the edge as possible.
   

2. Holy living and high personal standards are a beacon to the lost so that they can more clearly see the difference that God has made in our lives. I’m not talking about self-righteousness. I’m talking about the righteousness that is the result of putting on Christ and loving Him enough to put aside worldly desires and pleasures for His sake.

The unbelieving lost are slaves to sin. We are not supposed to be. As born-again believers, too many of us are still in bondage to sin because of the worldly thinking that has crept into the church.

When I was a young child, my father was a drinker. I hated his drinking! He became very angry and lost all self-control. I praise the Lord that when my dad got saved, he knew immediately and without anyone telling him, that the drinking had to stop. He stopped the very same day. That is the power of a Holy God, not of a strong-willed man!

God is able to free us from the bonds of sin and make us a testimony of His great Grace if we will cooperate with Him and submit to His authority in our lives.

The following poem is another that was written more than 150 years ago. I’ve mostly seen it attributed to that famous author, Anonymous, but I also read a story stating that it was written by a woman named Retta M. Brown, so I’ll give her credit for it.

Tom Gray’s Dream
(The Hellbound Train)

Tom Gray lay down on a barroom floor,
Having drunk so much he could drink no more;
So he fell asleep with a troubled brain
To dream that he rode on a hell-bound train.

The engine with murderous blood was damp
And was brilliantly lit with a brimstone lamp;
An imp, for fuel, was shoveling bones,
While the furnace rang with a thousand groans.

The boiler was filled with lager beer
And the devil himself was the engineer;
The passengers were a most motley crew—
Church members, atheists, Gentiles, and Jews,

Rich men in broadcloth, beggars in rags,
Handsome young ladies, and withered old hags,
Yellow and black men, red, brown, and white,
All chained together—, a horrible sight!

While the train rushed on at an awful pace—
The sulphurous fumes scorched their hands and face;
Wilder and wilder the country grew,
As faster and faster the engine flew.

Louder and louder the thunder crashed
And brighter and brighter the lightning flashed;
Hotter and hotter the air became
Till the clothes were burned from each quivering frame.

Then in the distance, there arose such a yell,
"Ha, ha," sang the devil, "we're nearing hell!"
Then oh, how the passengers shrieked with pain
And begged the devil to stop the train.

But he capered about and danced for glee,
And laughed and joked at their agony.
"My faithful friends, you have done my work
And the devil can never a payday shirk.”

"You've bullied the weak, you've robbed the poor,
And a starving brother turned from your door;
You've laid up gold where the canker rusts,
And have given free vent to your fleshly lusts.”

"You've justice scorned, and corruption sown,
And trampled the laws of nature down.
You have drunk and rioted, murdered and lied,
And mocked at God in your hell-born pride.”

"You have paid full fare, so I'll carry you through,
For it's only right you should get your due.
Why, the laborer always expects his hire,
So I'll land you safe in the lake of fire,”

"Where your flesh will roast in the flames that roar,
And my imps torment you forevermore."
Then Tom awoke with an anguished cry,
His clothes soaked with sweat, his hair standing high.

Then he prayed as he’d never prayed till that hour
To be saved from his sin and the demon's power;
And his prayers and his cries were not made in vain,
For he never more rode on the hell-bound train.
~Retta M. Brown

This poem stirred my heart as a young person and challenged me to a greater commitment to witness for Christ to help save others from this horrible eternal fate. I’m reminded of God’s command in the book of Jude.

But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. ~ Jude 1:17-25

I hope my thoughts today will encourage you to consider what impact your life and testimony has on others, and whether or not you’ve made certain you aren’t on the hellbound train.

With much love,
Angie