His Name Was Mudd

Have you heard of Dr. Samuel Mudd? He was the doctor who treated the broken leg of John Wilkes Booth. He was found guilty of conspiracy by a military court in the death of Abraham Lincoln. He escaped being hanged by one vote, and was delivered to a mosquito infested prison off the coast of Florida, called “Dry Tortugas,” that was said to be a Hell on earth. When Hollywood made a movie of the life of Mudd, they wrote across the doorway of the prison “Leave hope behind who enter here.” What a terrible thought--that any human being would have to enter a place that has no hope. Listen to how the world describes hopelessness--by saying “He hasn’t a hope in Hell.” What fearful truths the world often says in vain. There will be no hope of escape for those who are damned in Hell forever. The Bible asks a rhetorical “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation” (Hebrews 2:3). How we must pray with earnest passion, be true and faithful in our witness, and plead with this dying world with the utmost sobriety.