A man was very ill and near death in Paris. Several times his clergyman had been to see him. He had read to him prayers for the sick, and told him what a great sinner he was. But the clergyman himself did not know God's great love to sinners, so all he said only made the poor man more miserable.
These visits had been repeated several times, but the sick man had received no comfort; he could only moan about the weight of his sins.
One Sunday morning he sent his little child to bring the clergyman on his way from church. "It is no use for me to go," said he. "Your father never seems any better.”
“Oh, sir," answered the child, "Father said I was not to come back without you.”
“Well, I'll take my sermon to read to him." And he followed the child. He found the poor man in great distress about his lost condition.
“I've brought my sermon to read to you," said the clergyman. He began reading the scripture from which he had taken his text—that beautiful fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, fifth verse: "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.”
“Wait," called out the dying man. "Read that again, sir. 'Wounded for our transgressions.' Then He was wounded for mine! I have it!" he exclaimed, starting up. " 'Bruised for my iniquities.' Why did you not tell me that before, sir? But I have it now, thank God! With His stripes I am healed.”
That night in full assurance of faith he fell asleep in Christ, resting on His finished work.
The day following the clergyman called on a friend and asked what there was in that scripture more than another. "Why," said his friend, a believer in the Lord Jesus, "this verse contains the whole gospel. Now, I pray you, believe it. Can you say, 'He was wounded for my transgressions; the Son of God bore my sins in His own body on the tree'?”
“Now I see," exclaimed the clergyman. "How blind I have been all along, knowing the Scriptures with my head, but never before have I believed with my heart.”
Next Lord's day his congregation was amazed at the intensely earnest way in which he preached. Then he told them that he had been a blind leader, but that God's grace had shone into his heart. Now he was a new creature in Christ Jesus. He begged them all to trust Him as their Savior.