A visitor among the poor was one day climbing the stairs to a top-floor garret. It was in one of the worst slums of a large city. Suddenly he was stopped by seeing a man of most repulsive countenance standing upon the landing. With his arms folded across his chest, he was leaning against the wall.
Something about the man's appearance made the visitor shudder. His first impulse was to go back, but in an effort to start a conversation with him, he told him that he was there with the desire to do him good. The visitor would like to see him happy, and the Book he had in his hand contained the secret of happiness.
The ruffian shook him off as if he had been a viper, and bade him begone with his nonsense, or he would kick him downstairs.
While the visitor was endeavoring with gentleness and patience to argue the point with him, he heard a faint voice. It appeared to come from behind one of the broken doors that opened upon the landing, and was saying: "Does your book tell of the blood which cleanses from all sin?"
For the moment the visitor was too much absorbed in dealing with the rough man before him to answer the inquiry. Soon it was repeated in urgent and thrilling tones: "Tell me, oh, tell me, does your book tell of the blood that cleanses from all sin?"
The man stood aside as the visitor pushed open the door and entered the room. It was a wretched place, wholly destitute of furniture, except for a small stool and an old mattress in a corner. On this lay the wasted form of an aged woman, the man's mother. As the visitor entered, she raised herself on an elbow, fixed her eyes eagerly upon him, and repeated her former question: "Does your Book tell of the blood that cleanses from all sin?"
The Christian sat down upon the stool beside her, and asked: "What do you want to know about the blood that cleanses from all sin?"
With alarming energy in her voice and manner she replied: "What do I want to know of it? Man, I am dying. I am going to stand naked before God. I have been a wicked woman, a very wicked woman, all my life, and I must answer to God for everything I have done."
She groaned bitterly as the thought of a lifetime's iniquity seemed to burden her soul. "But once," she continued, "once years ago, I came by a church. I went in—I didn't know what for. I was soon out again! But one thing I heard there I have never forgotten. It was something about blood that cleanses from all sin. Oh, if I could hear of it now! Tell me, tell me if there is anything about that blood in your Book!"
The visitor answered by opening the Bible and reading 1 John 1. The poor creature seemed to devour the words, and when he paused, she exclaimed, "Again! Read it again."
As he read it the second time, a slight noise made him look around. The angry ruffian had followed him into his mother's room; and though his face was partly turned away, the visitor could see a changed expression. Tears rolled down his cheeks as the visitor read the portion over and over until he finally had to stop. However, the sick woman would not let him go till he promised to come again the next day.
After that, he never missed a day in visiting and reading to her for the short time she lived. Very blessed it was to see how, almost from the first, she seemed to find peace by believing in Jesus.
Every day the son followed the visitor into his mother's room and listened in silence, but not in indifference. This was proved on the day of her funeral. As the attendants were filling her grave the son beckoned the Christian to one side.
"Sir," he said, "I have learned to know Jesus, too, and I have been thinking that there is nothing I would so much like as to spend the rest of my life in telling others of the blood that cleanses from all sin. Will you teach me how?"
After that it was the Christian worker's joy to help and encourage this newborn soul. With a deep love in his heart for Him who had spoken peace to his dying mother and had brought his own lost soul from the darkness of sin into His marvelous light, this repentant and forgiven sinner also found peace in believing in Jesus.