A VERY religious young man was once lodging in my house. One day he brought into his room a glass case, containing two figures, representing Christ and the Virgin Mary, and also a censer for burning incense, together with a row of beads. He evidently hoped by the use of these things to render his heart fit for God; but I felt that, if he had had Christ dwelling in his heart by faith, he would have wanted none of them.
How to approach the subject of eternity with him I did not know, but, feeling assured that he had come into my house to obtain a blessing from God, I knelt down in his room and asked God to save him. I continued to cry to God for the young man’s soul, though I could not speak to him personally.
One morning, upon entering his room, I found, to my great surprise, that the images had been removed from the glass case, and, after some little while, I rejoiced to observe that the case, too, had been taken away. Week after week went on, but I was still unable to speak to him, though I felt sure God would answer prayer for the young man’s soul.
This young man, notwithstanding the use in his private devotions of the religious objects mentioned, entered into all the gaieties of the world, for he had no satisfaction within his heart — he had not received from the Lord Jesus that living water, which is a springing well within those who possess it.
One evening he came into my sitting room, and told me he was going to a ball.
“You make a verse of Scripture press on my mind, sir,” said I.
“Tell me what it is,” he replied.
“I will find it if you will read it,” was my answer.
“Well,” said he, “you give me the chapter and I will see if I can find the verse.”
So I handed the Bible to him, opened a the eleventh chapter of Ecclesiastes.
“Is it the ninth verse?”
“Yes, it is,” was my answer.
“Ah! that verse has condemned me many a time,” he remarked, and he shut the Bible and went out—not, however, to go to the ball, but to tell his companions that he could not accompany them.
God had spoken to his soul, and had awakened his conscience. The words of the Lord rang in his ears, “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things. God will bring thee into judgment.”
Most miserable did the young man look for some time, and he kept out of my way as much as he could for several days. After that, one evening, he came home very unwell, and asked me if I could give him something to relieve him. I told him that I thought it was God’s hand making him feel the realities of eternity, at which he sighed deeply, and did not reply. He then asked me to read some portion of the Bible to him, so I turned to different portions which I thought would meet his spiritual need. After this he would come to my sitting-room nearly every evening, and would throw himself down in a chair, groaning, without saying a word, and I would then read passages of Scripture to him.
This state of despondency of soul continued on him for some weeks, when one evening he came in with a radiant face, exclaiming, “I see as you do now; it is a finished work wrought by Christ on the cross for my sins.” He knew, by the teaching of God the Holy Spirit, that his sins were all put away by that most blessed work of Jesus, and henceforth, need we say, he no longer required images to help his soul. “I do not know how to bear such joy,” he added.
He asked for a suitable scripture to place upon the wall of his bedroom, and this was selected, “Your sins are forgiven you for His Name’s sake.” (1 John 2:1212I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. (1 John 2:12).)
“You are quite sure this is true of you?” I inquired, upon which, raising his voice, he said with great earnestness, “Not a sin I ever committed will rise against me.”
After God gave this young man peace, he suffered persecution and contempt from his former companions, among whom, in the strength of the new life God had given him, he shone brightly, and God was with him for blessing to some. One of these, a boy of thirteen years of age, was saved through his speaking to him of the grace of God. This lad was won by the love of Jesus. The young man gave him a text-book for daily use, in which he had written the text, “Your sins are forgiven you for His Name’s sake.” “I know that,” said the boy. “And how do you know it?” inquired the young man. “Because two months ago you told me of His love,” was the reply. It proved that, while the young man had been experiencing in his soul the realities of God’s pardoning love in Christ, he had been the means of leading this dear boy to truly believe in Jesus.
His heart’s desire now is to declare the gospel of God’s grace to poor sinners far and wide; and to tell of the precious Saviour, who suffered on the cross for his sins, and for all that believe on Him.
Dear reader, do you know God’s pardoning mercy for yourself? True religion does not consist in outward things, but when a sinner really believes in Christ he is forgiven, and not only forgiven, but there is in him a fountain of life, and joy, and peace, and this it is of which the Lord Jesus speaks when He says, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:44And he must needs go through Samaria. (John 4:4).) F. T.