When in Somersetshire some short time since, I passed an old blind man, feeling his way along by means of a walking stick. His calm, peaceful countenance, and his silvery hair frosted by many a winter, quite arrested my attention, and the desire I had to speak with this old man was not to be resisted. I felt anxious to know whether he was a believer in the Lord Jesus or not; and I had an inward conviction that it was possible he possessed “Peace with God.” Just at this time a little girl came up, and entered into a brief conversation with him; and the very kind manner he evinced in speaking to the child only increased my desire to speak with him; accordingly I walked up to him and repeated a verse of a hymn that then came to my mind:
“I heard the voice of Jesus say:
‘I am this dark world’s light;
Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise,
And all thy day be bright.’
I look’d to Jesus, and I found
In Him my Star, my Sun;
And in that light of life I’ll walk,
Till trav’lling days are done.”
The old man attentively listened, and then calmly said, “That hymn is in my hymn book;” which he informed me was one with raised type, by which blind persons, assisted by their fingers, are enabled to read. He further informed me that he possessed a Bible, adding, “I’d rather give up all my knitting and netting, than give up my book; it gives a peace that the world can’t pluck out or meddle with.” From this I gathered what he then told me, that he earned his livelihood by knitting and netting articles which he then sold. “You have heard the voice of Jesus then?” I said. “Yes,” he replied, “I have,” and then went on to say, “Many people think it presumption for one to say he is saved; but there are the promises: ‘Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have eternal life;’ again, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.’ I believe in the promises.” I shook hands with this dear believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, glad to have met with him, and, bidding him good day, I parted from him, feeling in myself that, if we should not meet again on earth, we should meet again “Where partings are no more.”
Allow me to ask you, dear reader, have you peace with God? a peace (to make use of the old blind man’s words) “which the world can’t pluck out, or meddle with;” a peace which this cold, hollow world cannot possibly give. It may afford you pleasure, it may give you amusement, but give you. PEACE it never can. You may be a troubled, anxious soul, desiring to possess peace with God. You say, “I believe that Jesus died for sinners, and that He was raised from the dead; but to say, I have peace, I could not.”
You do believe that Jesus died and rose again, but you fail to see that all are justified who believe that Jesus was delivered for their offenses, and raised again for their justification. It seems to you, so to speak, “too good to be true,” but why should you doubt God? He does not lie; yea, scripture says, “He cannot lie” (Titus 1:22In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; (Titus 1:2)).
The secret in the old blind knitting man having peace with God is simply this, he believes the Word of God. Did he believe what man has to say, he would consider it a great want of humility to say he is saved; or, did he consider his feelings on the matter, they would in no way help him, rather the reverse. It is not what man’s theology may teach, or what one’s feelings (whether happy or miserable feelings) may suggest, but, “What saith the scripture?” (Rom. 4:33For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. (Romans 4:3)). The blessed, unfailing word of God assures me that God is satisfied with, yea, glorified by, what His beloved Son suffered upon the cross of Calvary more than eighteen hundred years ago. God’s answer of satisfaction to Christ’s death is the resurrection. “God raised Him from the dead” (Acts 13:3030But God raised him from the dead: (Acts 13:30)). Is it not that the debtor is harder to satisfy than the creditor? The debt has been paid for all that believe, justice asks no more, her sword is sheathed. The death of Jesus has met the demands of God.