There once lived a man in England by the name of Cutler, who decided that he would never wash himself again, neither comb his hair nor live in a house like other people. So he turned one of his wagons into a tent, out on some public land.
Previously, he had lived as a good tenant in a farmhouse on a large estate, but because of some quarrel he had had over hunting game, his master had turned him out of house and home onto some public land, with his livestock and all his goods. That winter his cattle all died and his goods rotted; the old wagon he lived in was the last bit of property he had left — and this was his way of avenging himself on his adversary, who had no power to remove him from public property.
After being there some time, the news spread abroad of his odd life, and many went to visit him and to reason with him on what they considered the madness of his outlandish way of living. Some had pity on him, others thought he deserved punishment; while some were for having him taken to an asylum.
Most of his visitors spoke unkindly to him, and told him very freely what they thought of him, condemning his manner of living, especially his determination never to wash again. However, with the hope of his doing so, some of the kinder ones had placed a can of water close by him, also a table with a basin, soap, towels, and comb, hoping that these would tempt him to use then. One wise person placed a looking-glass on the table, supposing that a sight of himself would convince and induce him to wash in the water. Whether he ever looked in the glass or not no one knows; however, he rained as unwashed and unchanged in his ideas as ever.
When I saw him the first time, he had been there seventeen years, and three years later I saw him again. He had therefore, twenty years of dirt upon his body.
Perhaps you will have condemned the poor hermit before this, but dear unsaved reader, if you will put yourself alongside him you will find that you have been doing with your precious soul just what he did with his body. You have years of sin, and guilt, and the devil’s black upon your soul — maybe more than twenty. I had twenty-one years, one month and three days of sin and guilt on me when I was led to the Lord Jesus, the fountain of blood, and He did not cast me out. (John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37).)
The hermit was told again and again by rough tongues and smooth ones of his dirty condition. Have you not been told by dear ones of your sinfulness? Yes, they have perhaps done it with tears and prayers, yet you have not “believed.” Besides, your conscience has accused you of your guilt, but you have not attended to its voice, neither have you washed in the God-provided “fountain.” God, who loves you, has taken great pains to describe and show you your condition. He has put a looking-glass before you His holy Word, the Bible — that you may see yourself and become convinced of your unclean state bore Him. Perhaps someone has given you a Bible. Have you looked into it and read: “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Isa. 64:66But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6).
We all saw the hermit’s dirt, and we tried to convince him of it. Perhaps you have judged the poor hermit a fool, but what of yourself? If you are unsaved, his folly was like a mole hill, yours is like a mountain. His dirt annoyed men only. Your sin and guilt insults God. His dirt ended with him in his grave.
Yours will stick to you in hell, bond the grave. His uncleanness was only for time. Yours is for eternity, except you repent, and be “washed in the blood of the Lamb.”
The looking-glass may show a man his unclean face, but it cannot rove one atom of the dirt. It is the “washing” that puts away the soil. So the Lord has set the fountain of precious blood right before your eyes. Look up and behold His bleeding side! His blood can make the foulest clean. He wore that crown of thorns for you and me! He was wounded for our transgressions! By His stripes we are healed. Look at His pierced side — see the blood and water flowing! This is a fountain of blood open for sin and uncleanness. Come to it, plunge by faith into it, and wash away your sins.
One day the hermit was found dead in his own wagon. He died in his dirt. Sinner friend, will you die in your sins? Jesus said: “If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins.” John 8:2424I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. (John 8:24). And bides, the Lord will soon come back again in the “clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.” We beseech you to be ready — “washed!” “white!” and “waiting!”
ML 03/24/1968